GOP Veepstakes

What a better way to get this blog off the ground than to talk about the topic that seems to be on everyone’s political mind: who Obama and McCain will select as their running mates. Right, as if you haven’t heard enough about that. Well, get ready for just a tad more. Since McCain has been hinting around that he’ll announce his pick soon (and Empire tends to agree with the buzz that the announcement will likely come between Obama’s whirlwind tour and the Olympics), we’ll start off on the GOP side. Here are the most often-named candidates:

1. Bobby Jindal – Too young. Only seven months a governor and only a third-year Congressman before that. Don’t get me wrong, at 37 this guy will be shining bright on the political stage for the next 25 years or more, and may very well find himself on a national ticket. But not this year.

2. Mitt Romney – Establishment conservatives love Romney. The problem: being an establishment conservative isn’t going to score many political points this year, owing to negative public opinions of the Bush Administration. Plus, Romney can talk economics, but can he connect with the average folks?

3. Tim Pawlenty – Young governor from much-needed Minnesota. He’s about Obama’s age, has executive experience and could step into the top spot if McCain were unable to serve. Plus, McCain’s folks talk about Pawlenty (to borrow a phrase from J.K. Rowling) as though the “sun shone out [his] every orifice.” This guy’s at the top of my list.

4. Rob Portman – As former U.S. Trade Representative and Director of the OMB, Portman brings economic experience and, perhaps, Ohio (which could again be critical in ‘08). He’s frequently mentioned as an up-and-comer in the GOP. But his connection with the Bush admin may shoot him down.

5. Charlie Crist – Very popular Republican (that’s saying something already) governor of Florida, a key state for both candidates. The buzz is that his endorsement helped deliver Florida to McCain and bring Romney down sooner; regardless, his strong support is something McCain surely will take into consideration. I put him on the short list with Pawlenty.

6. Outside shots – Kay Bailey Hutchison (older, but adds a solid conservative woman to a ticket badly needing some diversity, although if it gets to the point where the GOP’s worried about losing Texas, they might as well throw in the towel), Newt Gingrich (a conservative favorite, and out of the spotlight during the Bush years), Chuck Hagel (they’re good friends, but see the war in Iraq very differently), Tom Ridge (I have my doubts he would be able to deliver PA, popular though he was).

To me, it comes down to Pawlenty and Portman, with Crist in third. But who knows what McCain has up his sleeve? Likely, we’ll find out pretty soon, and Empire will be there to bring some colorful analysis.