Watching "Face the Nation" this morning I heard Bob Scheiffer and others declare they had no idea who Mitt Romney would chose as his running mate.
Well, if history and logic is any indicator, I think I know...
Historically, let me show you how important geography has been in the selection of a VP running mate (in recent modern political times, that is)...
1960:
Richard M. Nixon - California
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. - Massachusetts
John F. Kennedy - Massachusetts
Lyndon B. Johnson -Texas
1964:
Lyndon B. Johnson - Texas
Hubert Humphrey - Minnesota
Barry Goldwater - Arizona
William E. Miller - New York
1968: Richard M. Nixon - California
Spiro Agnew - Maryland
Hubert Humphrey - Minnesota
Edmund Muskie - Maine
1972:
Richard M. Nixon - California
Spiro Agnew - Maryland
George McGovern - South Dakota
Sargent Shriver - Maryland
1976:
Gerald Ford - Michigan
Bob Dole - Kansas
Jimmy Carter- Georgia
Walter Mondale - Minnesota
1980:
Jimmy Carter - Georgia
Walter Mondale- Minnesota
Ronald Reagan - California
George H. W. Bush - Texas
1984:
Ronald Reagan - California
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Walter Mondale -Minnesota
Geraldine Ferraro - New York
1988:
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Dan Quayle - Indiana
Michael Dukakis -Massachusetts
Lloyd Bentsen - Texas
1992:
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Dan Quayle - Indiana
Bill Clinton - Arkansas
Al Gore - Tennessee
1996:
Bill Clinton - Arkansas
Al Gore - Tennessee
Bob Dole - Kansas
Jack Kemp - New York
2000:
Al Gore - Tennessee
Joe Lieberman- Connecticut
George W. Bush - Texas
Dick Cheney - Wyoming
2004:
George W. Bush - Texas
Dick Cheney - Wyoming
John Kerry -Massachusetts
John Edwards - North Carolina
2008:
John McCain - Arizona
Sarah Palin - Alaska
Barack Obama - Illinois
Joe Biden - Maryland
2012:
Barack Obama - Illinois
Joe Biden - Maryland
Mitt Romney -Massachusetts
??????
Well, history shows that candidates chose someone from a different region of the US in order to help get a more robust vote from differing areas of the country.
The main focus was on the West-East connection, but in recent years, it's been more important to have North-South...
So with Romney, a Massachusetts former governor with ties to his roots in Michigan...there will likely be a need to pick a running mate from the south.
Marco Rubio of Florida has been mentioned, but aside from the favorable impact in the Hispanic community, he's just too new to the political scene. And too Tea Party.
My bet's on a tried and true, tested Republican veteran, also from the south, who made great strides in the primaries. He'd be the most logical choice, IMHO...
I think Mitt Romney will chose Newt Gingrich.
Based on the historical data, and the desperation for this candidate to be appealing to a broader American audience, I feel strongly he'll pick him.
Let's wait and see...
Well, if history and logic is any indicator, I think I know...
Historically, let me show you how important geography has been in the selection of a VP running mate (in recent modern political times, that is)...
1960:
Richard M. Nixon - California
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. - Massachusetts
John F. Kennedy - Massachusetts
Lyndon B. Johnson -Texas
1964:
Lyndon B. Johnson - Texas
Hubert Humphrey - Minnesota
Barry Goldwater - Arizona
William E. Miller - New York
1968: Richard M. Nixon - California
Spiro Agnew - Maryland
Hubert Humphrey - Minnesota
Edmund Muskie - Maine
1972:
Richard M. Nixon - California
Spiro Agnew - Maryland
George McGovern - South Dakota
Sargent Shriver - Maryland
1976:
Gerald Ford - Michigan
Bob Dole - Kansas
Jimmy Carter- Georgia
Walter Mondale - Minnesota
1980:
Jimmy Carter - Georgia
Walter Mondale- Minnesota
Ronald Reagan - California
George H. W. Bush - Texas
1984:
Ronald Reagan - California
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Walter Mondale -Minnesota
Geraldine Ferraro - New York
1988:
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Dan Quayle - Indiana
Michael Dukakis -Massachusetts
Lloyd Bentsen - Texas
1992:
George H. W. Bush - Texas
Dan Quayle - Indiana
Bill Clinton - Arkansas
Al Gore - Tennessee
1996:
Bill Clinton - Arkansas
Al Gore - Tennessee
Bob Dole - Kansas
Jack Kemp - New York
2000:
Al Gore - Tennessee
Joe Lieberman- Connecticut
George W. Bush - Texas
Dick Cheney - Wyoming
2004:
George W. Bush - Texas
Dick Cheney - Wyoming
John Kerry -Massachusetts
John Edwards - North Carolina
2008:
John McCain - Arizona
Sarah Palin - Alaska
Barack Obama - Illinois
Joe Biden - Maryland
2012:
Barack Obama - Illinois
Joe Biden - Maryland
Mitt Romney -Massachusetts
??????
Well, history shows that candidates chose someone from a different region of the US in order to help get a more robust vote from differing areas of the country.
The main focus was on the West-East connection, but in recent years, it's been more important to have North-South...
So with Romney, a Massachusetts former governor with ties to his roots in Michigan...there will likely be a need to pick a running mate from the south.
Marco Rubio of Florida has been mentioned, but aside from the favorable impact in the Hispanic community, he's just too new to the political scene. And too Tea Party.
My bet's on a tried and true, tested Republican veteran, also from the south, who made great strides in the primaries. He'd be the most logical choice, IMHO...
I think Mitt Romney will chose Newt Gingrich.
Based on the historical data, and the desperation for this candidate to be appealing to a broader American audience, I feel strongly he'll pick him.
Let's wait and see...