The Political Inquirer

Here’s a fun (but unlikely) scenario; what if no one candidate goes to the GOP convention with enough votes to win it outright?

If one candidate wins outright, the winner is under no obligation to select one of the other candidates as a running mate (though often does). In this year, considering the MSM will be hyping the ‘historic candidacy’ of the Democrat (either woman or African-American), the singular winner would be free to counter that to some degree by picking the right VP selection. Yes, that’s pandering; but if one can pander and keep to one’s principles, it doesn’t hurt. My personal picks would be either Michael Steele for someone already strong on foreign policy (McCain, for example), or Kay Bailey Hutchinson for someone who needs foreign policy experience (my personal choice pre-’06 had been Condi Rice, before the Bush administration made her toxic and the State department ruined her). You can suggest your own non-candidate picks in the comments; there are several possibilities.

But if it’s a brokered convention or even close, it has to be two candidates. The two that still have the best shot to have the largest block of delegates- whether we like it or not- are Rudy and Mitt; Huckabee will fade, since his record and ethics resemble another Arkansas governor named Bill. If neither Mitt nor Rudy has enough, then things get to be fun. It won’t the necessarily be the one with the most, but he who can cobble together (and hold) the larger coalition. Trust me, as one who has run two district conventions in one day and did my share of state level, it will not be a democratic process; the cigar smoke in the back rooms will be impenetrable.

So match them up. Giuliani/McCain (if their egos could take it)? Mitt/Thompson (north/south strategy, but only if Thompson has enough delegates)? Or a ‘unity ticket’ with Giuliani and Mitt (not likely, but possible)? How does Huckabee figure in; the Mitt/Mike battle has been too toxic for those two to get together while Huckabee and Giuliani’s supporters are oil and water. And, I’m sorry; I don’t see Ron Paul in the mix at all; even less compatibility than Huckabee (who the MSM is supporting, just to assure a GOP loss).

Odds of a brokered convention are long, however. The MSM has a tendency to push the voting sheep to stampede in one direction or another before then. And that is sad; the GOP has to learn that the MSM is every bit as much the opponent as the Dems. If they did understand that, maybe Fred- who doesn’t play the MSM’s games- would be doing betting in polls (but its votes that count; we’ll see).

Under any circumstances it will be fun to watch the political knife fight that will be going on over on the Democrat side, if Obama does actually start by outpolling Hillary in the early states. Some of her people are some of the nastiest brass-knuckle types available, but were thinking they could hold their fire for the General. Unless Obama fades fast, his mugging will be about as thorough as Bill Gates walking alone through Central Park on a Saturday Night.

By the way, my dream team: Fred Thompson with John Bolton as running mate. Liberal heads would be exploding like popcorn in the microwave.