Keywords

Veep

Politics

The big question now is Who will Kerry pick?” John Miller in the National Review goes through a list of the choices and picks … Gephardt.

The ultimate safe pick. The St. Louis congressman has been vetted enough times to guarantee that there are no surprises lurking in his closet. Although he may be seen as a Democratic dinosaur, he’s experienced and gaffe-proof. He would put Missouri in play and might help out in other union-heavy Midwestern states (though his poor performance in the Iowa caucuses may suggest otherwise). A Kerry-Gephardt ticket would mollify the party’s protectionist wing, which is skeptical of Kerry’s vote for NAFTA a decade ago. Gephardt’s modest upbringing also makes him one of several contenders who would nicely balance Kerry’s privileged background. His recent endorsement of Kerry is another plus.

Miller says we won’t know till the summer, but it is worth taking a look at the list of prospective VPs. I don’t know much about most of the people on the list, so I’m not going to venture a guess, but I think that picking a woman or a hispanic would be a good move for Kerry. Not to get the vote from these groups, as Miller seems to think would be the only motivation for such a choice, but to clearly differentiate his ticket from that of Bush. Even if Bush drops Dick for Rudy, as some have suggested, running a woman or a minority candidate against these white patriarchs would clearly differentiate Kerry without having to play up the culture war” Bush wants to trap him in. But I think an openly gay or lesbian VP is very unlikely. Ellen for VP anyone? I know she could beet Cheney in a debate!

UPDATE: How about the other Clinton?

UPDATE: Even more far-fetched, McCain for VP?

UPDATE: List of Senators who won’t be on the list.

Previous
Next