The Case for Meg Whitman

With all of this talk about Mitt Romney being the apparent running-mate in waiting for John McCain, I just wanted to make my case for someone else. It’s not that I wouldn’t supporter Governor Romney if he was the person on the ticket; it’s just that I think there is a better fit for McCain, not to mention the unity of the Republican Party. If I had my way, Senator McCain would pick Meg Whitman to be his running mate. In case you wondered why, I made a bulleted list of pros and cons.

PROS

· She knows the economy: She is the former President and CEO of EBay and one of America’s most successful business leaders. The appeal of Romney’s economic experience is also fulfilled in a Whitman pick. She was his economic advisor, after all.

· Many women would be drawn to vote for the first female Vice President in US history.

· She is not part of the Washington culture. A true outsider for true change would be enticing to people craving change, but still wanting correct judgment and perspective in a leader. Especially now that Senator Obama has gone with Joe Biden (the epitome of a Washington Insider), the argument that a McCain-Whitman ticket is true change would be easy to make.

· By choosing someone other than Huckabee or Romney, both men will feel that they have a strong future in the party (and a potential second shot at the White House later). This way, both groups of supporters can get behind the ticket without any hard feelings.

CONS

· We don’t know her views on abortion. The base of the party has made it clear to Senator McCain that anything but a pro-life running-mate would be met with significant disapproval and could singlehandedly keep him from winning in November.

· We know very little about her private life. According to all the sources I was able to read, she is single. That has been a point of interest for other single females in high office (i.e.: Condoleezza Rice).

· We don’t know if she can fill the role of “attack dog” strongly enough to combat the hurricane that is the wind that cometh from Joe Biden’s mouth.

From where I sit (far away from Washington, D.C. and from the decision makers in the McCain camp), I see the pros as a much stronger list than the cons. I think that choosing Whitman would generate extraordinary interest in McCain and would bring swing voters to his side come Election Day. Imagine the coverage the McCain campaign would get out from the mainstream press if he picked her!

The cons cannot be ignored; but I really do hope that as I write this, the McCain camp is vetting her to determine the unknowns that fill the list. If she passes through that as a viable option, I think Whitman is the right choice for this campaign.

This election season has told us that this country is primed for a change. Now that Obama has failed to deliver that change in his running mate, I say that it’s the perfect time for McCain to do it.

-Andrew Jones

Hey, Joe!

First let me confess to something: I signed up for that ridiculous text message/email from the Obama campaign thinking that they would actually let their supporters in on the secret before the news broke. As we all know now, not only did they miss their mark by several hours, but they also had to send the text messages out at around 3 am EST, or midnight out here on the left coast. Nothing says well orchestrated campaign stunt like waking up your supporters at 3 am to tell them something that had already been leaked to the entire free world! I was further ecstatic to receive an official announcement email from the Obama people naming Joe Biden as Barack's running mate at about 10 am. The Obama campaigns timeliness would be nothing short of amazing....if this were 1890, but alas, as it stands it was just a comical thing to watch. They kept such a good secret for so long, only to have it leaked out and confirmed 12 hours short of the finish line. I think that is a sneak peak to a common theme for the remainder of the Obama campaign: Obama, a day late and a dollar short. I am now a happy former subscriber to Obama email updates (I would hate to waste any more space in my inbox with his updates).

I also wanted to share some thoughts about Joe Biden, the new running mate. First of all, I find it stunning that the Democrats continue to get thing so backwards. How in the world does the inexperienced, done-nothing junior senator take the #1 spot on the ticket while the 6 term senator (and current chairman of the foreign relations committee) is relegated to #2. This is the definition of a backwards and unbalanced ticket.

Even Senator Joe himself doesn't think Barack is Presidential material. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDVUPqoowf8

And isn't it strange that Mr. Change felt the need to pick a 6 TERM US SENATOR to be his running mate. Its almost like experience actually does matter. Imagine that.