Peeps for Veep

Not surprisingly, I'm not thrilled by any of the proposed names here, except in a "Wow, that would probably sew up the election for Obama" way on some of them:

Paul Ryan: While he does have some solidly enthusiastic conservative GOP support, his selection would cast an even bright light on GOP budget / austerity policy, which is a good thing (for the Dems).

Marco Rubio: No, he doesn't guarantee the Latino vote. And he's got more than a little baggage. And he claims he's not interested.

Tim Pawlenty: Hardly distinguishable from Mitt, and also says he's not interesting … er interest_ed_.

Nikki Hayley: Never heard (much) of her (she's governor of S. Carolina), but the whole "war on women" thing might make her a strategic choice for Romney.

Chris Christie: Would make it even harder for the Far Right to vote for Romney. Hasn't ruled it out, but doesn't seem like he'd do well playing second fiddle.

Rob Portman: Not quite sure what he'd bring to the ticket, aside from being a senator from Ohio.

Jeb Bush: Might not be a bad choice, but not someone the movers and shakers are in love with.

Rick Santorum: That would be a difficult pair to reconcile, but I'm sure folks on both the Right and the Left would love to see it happen (for differing reasons, of course).

Bobby Jindal: And there's a lot more baggage there. I don't see it happening for a variety of reasons, both with Jindal and with push-back from within the GOP.

Brian Sandoval: The Nevada governor sounds like he might be a good and relatively inoffensive pick.

Susana Martinez: And another governor, this one from New Mexico. Again, that woman factor might play in here. I don't know enough about her to know how the base would react, though.

Kelly Ayotte: And another woman, this one a Senator. I wonder how the GOP would consider two New England names on the ticket, though. Also, the party might not be happy about throwing another Senate seat into eventual play.

Bob McDonnell: I think the Virginia governor would appeal to some in the base, but is overall toxic to the middle.

Condoleezza Rice: She might excite some in the neocon camp, but she's pretty clear she's not interested (and wisely so).

Cathy McMorris Rodgers: A Representative from Washington state, she does some region-spanning and is a woman. She might be an interesting choice.

I will say I'm pleased to see so many women as potential prospects (and I think there are better than even odds that Romney will pick one of them). Overall, though, he still faces a very tough decision, which mostly boils: how to broaden his appeal with (and enthusiasm from) the social conservatives in the GOP without picking someone that everyone else will consider a heartbeat-away lunatic.

Reshared post from +Talking Points Memo

So who do you think Mitt Romney will choose as his running mate? Here is a list of Romney's potential picks.

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Welcome To The 'Veepstakes': Who Will Be Mitt Romney's Running Mate?
Who Will Be Mitt Romney's Running Mate?

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