VP Watch

McCain Reforms Message with Palin Pick

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:54:58 -0500

By Jonathan Allen

There's plenty of time for voters to get to know Sarah Palin and decide whether John McCain's pick of a vice presidential running mate was wild or wise.

For now, the decision sends two clear messages from McCain about his candidacy and message of reform -- one to the Republican Party and one to the general electorate.

The McCain Logic on Palin

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:18:30 -0500

From a McCain campaign aide, here's the Arizona senator's logic: "A maverick with a record of reform has picked a maverick with a record of reform. John McCain is putting Washington on notice that there is a shake-up coming."

McCain Camp Confirms Palin

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:08:05 -0500

A McCain aide has confirmed it is Palin.

It's Palin

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:41:47 -0500

John McCain has picked little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, making Palin the first woman ever named to a national Republican ticket, according to CNN and Politico.

McCain, an Arizona senator who will accept the GOP's presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, made the announcement at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio, later today.

Palin, a former beauty queen who was first elected in 2006, is a mother of five children, including a son who recently joined the Army and a baby boy who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome in April.

Her selection is an indication that McCain intends to try to court women who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in the Democratic primary.

Palin ran on a pledge to reform Alaska and has turned a cold shoulder to Republicans involved in scandals. However, she is being investigated in a probe into whether she improperly sought to fire her former brother in law.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, just called her a "breath of fresh air" in an interview on CNN.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the Mix?

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:08:37 -0500

FOX and CNN were reporting this morning that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, known for running on a reform-oriented platform and turning a cold shoulder to corrupt members of her own party, is in the running to be John McCain's running mate. However, CNN now says Palin is in Alaska, which would mean she is not in Dayton, Ohio, where McCain is set to unveil his pick in a few hours.

Palin, a former beauty queen, is the mother of five children, including a baby born with Down Syndrome in April.

Pawlenty: It's Not Pawlenty; FOX: It's Not Romney, Either

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:07:00 -0500

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has told Minnesota Public radio that it is not him. FOX is reporting Romney is out of the running.

Red State: It's Pawlenty

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:34:26 -0500

The Web site RedState.com is reporting that Tim Pawlenty will be John McCain's running mate.

McCain to Notify Pick (And Maybe Press) Today

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:41:19 -0500

Multiple reports say that John McCain will notify his running mate of his or her new status today, which raises the prospect of a timed leak to the press designed to deflect attention from Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech here in Denver.

If it's done that way, as a leak before an official announcement tomorrow in Dayton, Ohio, McCain can expect to divert some attention from Obama, but maybe not as much as he would like.

www.McCain-Lieberman.com

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:18:16 -0500

The Web site www.McCain-Lieberman.com now redirects to www.johnmccain.com, according to an internal CQ tipster.

We know from past reporting that such auto-forwards on the Web don't necessarily mean anything. But we (I) thought it was worth noting.

Lieberman Takes Vow of Silence

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:50:45 -0500

The Hartford Courant is noting a change in Joe Lieberman's stance on being John McCain's running mate. Lieberman, who has indicated he won't run with McCain in the past, is now silent on the topic. Here's what he said:

"The rest of us, particularly those of use who are privileged to be his friends, ought to take a temporary vow of silence," Lieberman said. "I don't expect the offer will be extended to me, but I'm going to continue my vow of silence about any hypotheticals."

McCain-Romney? McCain-Lieberman? McCain-Pawlenty? McCain-?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:22:33 -0500

Most of the Republicans I have talked to in the last week seem to think Mitt Romney is the most likely choice as John McCain's running mate.

They cite his popularity with conservatives (some of which surely comes from his position as the anti-McCain in the primaries), his possible appeal in Michigan (where his father was governor) and western state currency that stems from his Mormon faith and his role in managing the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Romney's detractors note that he has been on multiple sides of a lot of public policy issues, couldn't beat a foe in McCain who was unpopular with GOP activists and reinforces the new theme that McCain is out of touch because of his family's wealth.

He'll be in Denver tomorrow to throw rhetorical tomatoes at the Democratic convention, which might be an odd role for someone who is about to make the argument that he should be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

Conservative columnist William Kristol made the pitch for Joe Lieberman in today's New York Times, making the case that he broadens the ticket's appeal beyond the traditional Democratic Republican split, gives disaffected Clinton voters an option, and could keep conservatives on board because McCain-Lieberman is still better for them than Obama-Biden.

Then there are the governors. The thinking goes that having someone who isn't a Washington insider on the ticket would match up well against a Democratic senator-senator lineup of Obama and Biden.

Democratic gains in governors' mansions have narrowed that field. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who talks about "Sam's Club" Republicans and claims blue-collar roots, has gotten puh-lenty of play. Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Sarah Palin of Alaska and Charlie Crist of Florida are getting mention too.

Finally, there's the field of former Bush administration officials, who offer high-level executive experience but make it easier to tie McCain to Bush. Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security chief, and Ohio's Rob Portman, who headed trade efforts and the White House budget office for short stints, top that list. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice pop up in conversation and print as potential running mates from time to time.

Many Republicans say McCain is likely to go with his instincts, which could mean just about anyone.

Biden -- For Those Who Didn't Check Their Texts at 3:30 a.m.

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:03:40 -0500

If you cared that much, you got an e-mail at some point between 3:30 and 5 a.m. from the Obama campaign telling you that Joe Biden is his running mate.

The text of the text didn't do much to explain why Biden was the pick. Here's what it said:

"I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 18 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.

Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it [link to Web site].

Thanks for your support.

Barack

Biden's Son Redirecting Calls to His Cell Phone 'for the time being,' as Bayh and Kaine Are Out

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:08:13 -0500

Hunter Biden, one of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden's sons, has left a voicemail on his cell phone directing callers to dial other numbers for "the time being," as speculation about Barack Obama's running mate centers on his father.

One of the two numbers listed is the main number for the Washington lobbying shop where Hunter Biden is a partner and the other goes straight to an unidentified voicemail account (thanks to colleague Catharine Richert for dialing that number).

The outgoing message is hardly confirmation that we will be hearing Obama/Biden for the next two-plus months and perhaps as many as eight years, but all other signs are pointing to a ticket that includes the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

ABC reports a Secret Service detail was assigned to Biden Friday night, which comports with something we heard but could not confirm earlier this week.

AP is reporting that Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine have been told they will not be on the ticket.

A former high-level Biden aide declined to confirm that it will be the Delaware senator.

"Sorry. Cannot do," the aide said in an e-mail.

CQ VP Watch reported early last month that key Obama surrogates were touting Biden as a possible running mate.

As we have noted in other posts, Biden brings a little for everyone in the Democratic Party to Obama's ticket. He is a foreign policy heavyweight who has good relationships in both parties and around the world.

While he has been more centrist than some of his Democratic colleagues on certain domestic issues -- including opposing partial birth abortion -- he gained the trust of many liberals by leading crusades against conservative Supreme Court nominees such as Robert H. Bork and Clarence Thomas.

Some will say the Democratic ticket looks inverted, with the gravitas at the bottom -- but that arrangement served President Bush pretty well in 2000.

Biden's other son, Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, is Delaware's attorney general and is due to be deployed to Iraq later this year as a military lawyer with a unit in his state's Army National Guard.

Here's my analysis of Biden's pros and cons from a post earlier this week.

AP: Chet Edwards Still in the Mix

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:45:15 -0500

AP's Liz Sidoti, a righteous fantasy football player, reports that Texas congressman Chet Edwards remains in Barack Obama's mix as his vice presidential decision draws nearer.

Edwards did not reply to our (my) e-mailed request for comment on his prospects yesterday.

Here's what Liz writes today:

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama prepared to name his running mate, perhaps as early as Friday, from a small field that included at least one dark-horse finalist.
Democratic officials said little-known Texas Rep. Chet Edwards was one of the few Democrats whose background was checked by Obama's campaign and he was a finalist for the job.

CQ VP Watch's items on Edwards can be seen here, here, here and here.

Sebelius Plans to Fly to Denver Saturday -- For Now

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:16:01 -0500

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius doesn't have plans to be in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday when Barack Obama is expected to appear with his as-yet-unnamed vice presidential running mate -- at least not yet -- according to spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran.

"She is flying to Denver for the convention," Corcoran said when asked about Sebelius' plans for Saturday.

Does that mean she won't be in Springfield that day?

"The only info I have right now is her flight to Denver," Corcoran wrote.