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Clarence Thomas for Vice President?

Posted by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report at 6:54 AM on March 11, 2008.


If Thomas is “the most impressive conservative in American public life,” the right is in much deeper trouble than I’d realized.
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I’ve refrained from mocking Bill Kristol’s last couple of New York Times columns, but today’s piece, on John McCain’s difficult road to the White House, included one notable gem.

In specific, Kristol notes that McCain could use a great running mate.

Perhaps the most obvious way McCain could upend the normal dynamics of this year’s election would be a bold vice presidential choice. He could pick a hawkish and principled Democrat like Joe Lieberman.
He could reach beyond the usual bevy of elected officials by tapping either David Petraeus or Raymond Odierno — the two generals who together, in an amazing demonstration of leadership and competence, turned the war in Iraq around last year. He could persuade the most impressive conservative in American public life, Clarence Thomas, to join the ticket.

Clarence Thomas? As Vice President? I suppose it’s possible that Kristol is thinking about the racial dynamic — if Obama is on the Democratic ticket, Republicans might want “balance” for their ticket — but if Clarence Thomas is “the most impressive conservative in American public life,” the right is in much deeper trouble than I’d realized.

And the notion that Lieberman might make a good choice — a point Kristol has made in print before — continues to confound. Even Kristol ally Fred Barnes isn’t going for it:

“[H]e’s no Zell Miller. Lieberman is a liberal on domestic issues, including abortion. McCain already has trouble with conservatives and picking a Democrat would make things worse. Lieberman would probably subtract more votes from the McCain ticket than he’d add.”

Lieberman won’t do it, Petraeus isn’t interested, Odierno hasn’t expressed any desire to enter electoral politics, and Clarence Thomas is Clarence Thomas. Chances are, Kristol won’t be in a position to help McCain with his short-list.

But if these four are out, who’s in?

The NYT had an item on VP speculation last week, which no longer seems premature, given that McCain has clinched the nomination and the campaign’s VP process has probably already begun in earnest.

The choice of a running mate is always important, but it may be particularly so in Mr. McCain’s case, given that, at 71, he is seeking to become the oldest candidate ever elected to a first term as president.
Several governors have been mentioned as potential running mates; their executive experience and ability to cast themselves as Washington outsiders are perceived as strengths. They include Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, an early supporter; Charlie Crist of Florida, whose last-minute endorsement helped Mr. McCain win that crucial swing state’s primary; Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah, an early supporter despite Mitt Romney’s popularity in his state; and Mark Sanford of South Carolina, whose conservative reputation could help Mr. McCain with the base but who did not endorse him.

Former governors have been mentioned as well, including Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, whose support of abortion rights could cause Mr. McCain trouble with conservatives who are already wary of him. Two of his primary opponents — Mr. Romney and Mike Huckabee — also fall into the ex-governor category.
Mr. Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, has a reputation as a good campaigner but is distrusted by some economic conservatives for raising taxes. Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor with a business background, often sparred brutally with Mr. McCain, but endorsed him swiftly and would bring a financial background to the ticket.
Rob Portman, a former Ohio congressman and director of the Office of Management and Budget, is also mentioned as someone who could bring a financial background to the ticket.

We won’t know for months, so don’t hold me to this, but my money’s on Portman. He’s the ultimate “balancer” for McCain — McCain likes national security, Portman likes economics. McCain’s from the Southwest, Portman’s from the Midwest. McCain’s old, Portman’s young. Plus, Portman is from Ohio, which, rumor has it, is kind of important when it comes to the electoral college.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

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Tagged as: lieberman, petraeus, republican party, mccain, kristol, thomas, huckabee

Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the lead editor of Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Crooks & Liars, The American Prospect, and the Guardian.


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Wow, that's the short list?
Posted by: drmflorida on Mar 11, 2008 6:26 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm not scared.

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Uncle Clarence and the Obamas
Posted by: astockton on Mar 11, 2008 8:33 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If Uncle Clarence weren't so consumed with self-pity all the time, he might have noticed that Barack and Michelle Obama don't seem to lose any sleep wondering if THEY were affirmative-action admissions to Columbia, Princeton and Harvard. They just made the most of their opportunities and don't whine about their degrees not being worth anything.

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Clarence Thomas?
Posted by: SackofWoe0 on Mar 11, 2008 8:39 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
what a great idea, after all that would get him out of the U. S. Supreme Court, but even Thomas isn't stupid enough to give up a life-time job. Maybe someone should start a write-in campaign to McCain to suggest Thomas, now wouldn't that be a great exercise in grassroots politics!

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» RE: Clarence Thomas? Posted by: astockton
Ghastly
Posted by: QQOblivion on Mar 11, 2008 9:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Ewww, Clarence Thomas for Vice President!? Thomas may help get the backing of the Religious Wrong, though. (Thomas once said that there is NO separation between church and state when it comes to the states. State governments, therefore, could impose any given religion on their citizens, and that would be just fine with Thomas.)

As for other vice-presidential picks:
One thing for sure, both the Republican AND Democrat candidates will move to the Right with their running-mate picks. My money is on McCain picking vo-Mitt Romney. If McCain does pick Mitt, I know that Romney will be behind war-crimes of such severity that even current Vice President Cheney would be proud of the tradition among vice presidents he has started.

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McCain/Thomas ticket???
Posted by: hurricane hugo on Mar 11, 2008 9:23 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Please God/Goddess, let this be true!!!!!!!!!!!!1

jdfu!

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» How 'bout (Mc)Cain & (Un)Able? Posted by: nochicagoboys
Never mind Uncle Thomas...........
Posted by: tap17x on Mar 11, 2008 10:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
..........McCain should pick ME as his running mate. Once the campaign got started, I would do a couple of things that would sink Refucklicanism for decades. I suppose I won't get the chance.

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Please...
Posted by: Wacre on Mar 11, 2008 10:11 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
let Clarence Thomas run for Vice President. I despise everything that he and his ilk stand for, yet I would very seriously consider contributing to McCain's campaign if Clarence Thomas ran for VP.

Not only will that mean that he's gone from the Supreme Court, but he will provide the final nail to McCain's zombified campaign.

Two for the price of one.

I can dream, can't I? Though I am afraid, in typical Democratic fashion, that they would still find a way to pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

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» RE: Please... Posted by: SteveO
The Repubs will need a Black or Brown
Posted by: mnascimento on Mar 11, 2008 1:28 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This is not about attracting Black votes. I haven't even met any Blacks who share the ideologies of Clarence Thomas, or Condeleeza Rice, or who would vote for them. Certainly, not I

The Republicans want a few high profile Blacks or Browns because America's image in the world has become that of a Racist Imperialistic Thug Nation exploiting and oppressing non whites.

It also wont hurt, if Obama is the nominee, to have their own Black on the ticket, so that no one in the world will say they are being racist when the really nasty attacks on Obama begin.

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Strange bedfellows
Posted by: Doubtom on Mar 11, 2008 2:52 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
At no other time in our short history has it been more true that "politics makes strange bedfellows."
A mean-spirited short-tempered politician and a truculent know-nothing lawyer, ,,,,,What a team! How can they lose?

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An awful thought
Posted by: Sissy on Mar 12, 2008 6:17 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I agree with the posters here who would like to see Justice Thomas off the Supreme Court and in a nice, safe, hideaway office in the W.H. where he can do less harm. BUT we have yet to see McCain's health records which he hasn't released yet and that's a worry. Sen. McCain will be near if not, 73 years old and if by some horrible stroke of luck he should get the presidency, I would be constantly worried if he would serve out his term......a possible President Thomas is a possiblity not to be borne.

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