Events of this week show McCain really screwed up in bypassing Romney

[scheming daemons]

He would've been able to weather this economic storm much better.


Romney has successfully run a business, and a profitable olympics (actually hard to do).


Even though his economic philosophies are all wrong, his presence on McCain's ticket would have been comforting to the sheeple.


They would've thought... "at least here's somebody who might understand the problem". And when McCain and Romney would go on the stump and say "we know what it takes to fix the economy", it would've had some resonance.


The events of the past 72 hours have made it VERY clear that the Palin pick was a short-term gain, but a long-term disaster.... and the sheeple are looking at it and saying, "do I really trust these two with this problem? No."


I think our rebound in the polls would've been MUCH smaller if Romney was on the ticket instead of Palin.

(of course, our deficit in the polls might've never materialized in the first place).



Just some random thoughts...

[David Dunham]

1. I agree. Romney would have been better for McCain

[damndude]

9. bet he regrets not picking romney more than obama regrets not picking hillary

[redstate_democrat]

2. Romney and Ridge were the ONLY good options McFool had.

He got caught up in Operation Chaos and drank the kool-aid. Sucks for him. Good for us. :P

[Radical Activist]

3. Palin solidified the base. Romney would not have.

If that was McCain's concern then he made the choice that better achieved his goal. Evangelicals and culture voters wouldn't have gone for Romney. He's too slick, too northeastern, and too Mormon.

[redstate_democrat]

4. The fundies were gonna vote for McCain anyway.

If it was a choice between McCain and Obama, they were going for the candidate against Abortion, who they would at least have a shot at overturning Roe with. They are looking at the courts. They were always going home. McCain needed the moderates and independents. Palin doesn't help in that regard. McCain is stuck with the fundies, racists, and bitter left over Hillary voters who haven't gone to Obama. Way to piece together a coalition, there Johnny! :P

[LiberalFighter]

5. True. But of course jello solidfies too but still wiggles.

[Wapsie B]

6. The gop simply cannot stop pandering to the rwing fundies.

If they ever want to be a real political party again the idolaters on the right will have to be cast aside.

[Essene]

7. Tom Ridge was his most dangerous pick, Lieberman 2nd

They obviously felt that their "energy" problems among the social conservative base was more important than having a legitimate means to go after the middle on the issues themselves.

So, they banked on a "character" campaign driven by smears and lies.

Mccain's most deadly path would have been to stay centrist, stand up to the religious-right, declare a new path for the GOP and to BE the maverick he once was. Tom Ridge would have provided serious credentials and gravitas to that. He's a fairly moderate and likable guy who'd have been attractive to a lot of moderates.

Lieberman would have been a hard-core maverick thing to do and would have brought an historic buzz to the campaign, but would have caused confusion among the GOP and too much loss of message. But gosh, how amazing would it have been for him to get up there with Lieberman... and call their bluff?

Mccain sold out in every imaginable way.

Hopefully it will be his downfall rather than his path to the White House.

[Essene]

8. err, Romney prolly would have been better than Lieberman actually...

[anonymous171]

10. I agree. McCain was thinking in the short term (how do I defeat this "elitism" charge)

rather than in the long term (who will help me govern effectively?) He also hates Romney, so that may have been a factor in his choosing to pass him up.

[Imagevision]

11. I'm really pleased Mccain chose Palin now...!

[27inCali]

12. I concur that Romney would have been a much stronger pic

Even though I really cant stand the SOB.

I'm still a bit in shock that he wasn't picked and that he was passed over for Palin and not someone with a lot more bonafidas/gravitas.

Not just because of the economy, but because it would have brought Mormons out in droves to vote R in the Western states where it looks like now Obama is going to flip some red states..

Romney on the ticket also had a high likelyhood of flipping Michigan which would be absolutely disasterous for us.

That these Repugs were looking at these facts and passed Romney up, just shows how out in space they are.

[TheDonkey]

13. but can he field dress a Moose? THIS is what Americans want from a VP

and lipstick wearing canines.