Crist Veep-O-Meter moves

The Crist Veep-O-Meter nudges a tad closer to vice president, though it has less to do with Crist than some of other often mentioned prospects for McCain’s running mate. Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson pretty much took herself out of the running. Meanwhile Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an early McCain supporter who has at least as much vice presidential Buzz as Crist, took a bashing in an op-ed by a Minnesota anti-tax activist.

Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice director Wayne Cox wrote that the 47-year-old Pawlenty can’t deliver the state for McCain, that Minnesota has become more Democratic-leaning under Pawlenty and he has done little to help Minnesota’s economy.

"He should follow the lead of successful Republican governors like Crist and build a record of results,’’ Cox wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The Washington Post’s influential political blog, The Fix, on Friday listed Crist as one of the five likeliest picks for McCain, along with Pawlenty, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, and South Dakota Sen. Jon Thune.

Comments

McCain/Ballard

"He should follow the lead of successful Republican governors like Crist and build a record of results,’’ Cox wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

I just regurgitated in my mouth...

[terminator]

McCain/Powell or Huckabee
Now that would be a winning ticket.
McCain needs to shore up his conservative base, Crist can't do that for him.
Chuck's going to be in a sorry state when he doesn't get picked and has to face angry Florida taxpayers after months of sandbagging on the job!

Is this for real or is Cristi being Punk'd?

McCain/Crist = religious right stays home.

McCain is a sacrificial lamb for the Republican party this year. We are just hoping the Democrats screw it up bad enough that we sneak in a win.

You can do better Charlie. Stay out, and in four years when voters are tired of a Democratic president who has accomplished nothing, then you can run for the top spot on your record of lower tax...err, smaller govern...err, lower insuran....ah hell, just run now and go down in flames with McCain.

Then you can come back and continue to be a bad Governor here.

Yay...Everybody loses!!

There's nothing I can add to this that hasn't already been said.

"He should follow the lead of successful Republican governors like Crist and build a record of results,’’ Cox wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

And what state was Crist 'leading' when he built this 'record of results'? Because it certainly isn't Florida.

[UF Student]

Explain to me Terminator how Colin Powell will sure up McCain's conservative base?

Crist is a winner either way. He either leverages his close relationship with President McCain as Governor of Florida or becomes the VP. If McCain loses, Crist gets national name recognition and keeps his job.

Gov Crist can deliver the state of FL for Senator McCain without being the V.P.

He can do that by just running around campaigning for him like he did before in the FL primary.

Gov. Crist would not enhance the ticket, or rally the party's base for McCain on a national level.

His best pick would be Romney who is more conservative, the most intelligent & quailified, a former governor who closed a 3 billion dollar debt, & an expert in finance.

Romney is the only one who has a major grassroots army nation-wide ready to assist.

That critical fact should not be over looked.

McCain/Condi: that would completely blunt the historic nature of the Dem side of the race.

12:49 pm - Right on the mark.

The prospect of a President Obama or President Hillary are more than sufficient to "rally the base"...

I will not vote for a President who chooses as his/her running mate… a person who knows not where his office is and pimps $240 as a job well done.

McAmnesty/McFraud 08! … I think NOT!

I'm not entirely convinced that this country is ready to handle a black or female presidnet, let alone a gay VP.

I think Charlie would be a wonderful pick... he is charismatic, a people person, likes pressing the flesh...

McCain should seriously consider Charlie. In addition to ensuring a Florida win, Charlie would help with other southern states. Imagine Charlie going to states that are on the fence - battleground states - there is something he can take his record on the road of being a uniter, crossing party lines to get things done, talking up his record of addressing issues that are on the average voters minds. The list goes on and on, and McCain needs to look at that...

It is not about shoring up the Republican base - they are not going to vote democrat anyway... and since McCain is considered almost status-quo on stuff like the war - he needs someone like Charlie that is likeable by both sides.

Charley is wonderfully popular in Florida, and deservedly so. And he can do a lot here for McCain on or off the ticket. But I have to wonder how closely some of those national pundits have looked at his personal life. People around the country, and the national press corps, don't tend to be as understanding about our leaders' little quirks as we are.

Both 1:30 & 1:32 – who be the same minion staffer – is very, very, very delusional… or just drunk. Which makes him/her not only guilty of blogging for Chuck on our dime… but drinking on our dime as well.

RECALL "THE PEOPLE'S MISTAKE"!

1:32: "wonderfully popular"? That just sounds gay.

Obama is doing exactly what Crist did to secure his parties nomination. Smile and tell everyone exactly what they want to hear. The 21st century field memo for political ops is being written as we speak.

That Veep-O-Meter is obscene. If it moves any more to the right, it's gonna look like...never mind.

12:09 - "McCain/Crist = religious right stays home."

Not if Hillary is the nominee. The base will turn out just to vote against Clinton, regardless of who McAmnesty chooses. Despite conventional wisdom (the same that predicted a Romney win) A McCain/Crist ticket would do quite well against Clinton. An ultraconservative will just remind voters of Bush-Cheney, of whom I'm a big fan but also suffer from dismal approval ratings.

[terminator]

1:30
"tallking up his record of addressing issues"
certainly not solving anything, talking maybe.

Condi is too close to W and would be a disaster.

UF Student: (do I have to school you again)?
Many conservatives (including myself) have tremendous respect for General Powell.
It's only the neo-cons who don't like him since he figured out what W and the oil companies end game was with the war.
I liked McCain in 2000 a lot more than W who turned out to be one of America's worst Presidents ever.

How is CC going to help out McCain in the South? Is is because he is so Southern and will help with the good God fearing church going Southerners?

Thank you and Mega dittos 12:58!

It really is a no brainer if you think strategically to win the White House.

Then Romney will be ready for 2012 and can clean up the mess fom a Democratic Congress.

McCain/Rubio

I wish

1:30 you are dreaming seriously.

You don't have to shore up the base?

Correct, but you do you have to make sure they are rallied and don't stay home on elction day; & a McCain-Crist ticket will not do that.

HEL..LO!!

The object in the general election is to win, not who is nice.

Romney is the man for VP.

He's the smartest and has the grassroots nationwide sitting there ready for action.

Hopefully McCain has an advisor who actually wants to eat on the White House China and smart enough to play to win.

[Truth Squad]

The truth from the Truth Squad : Those without hurt feelings or an ax to grind (like the conservative op-ed writer from MN) recognize the success and the influence of Gov. Crist and the likelihood that he WILL be the next GOP VP nominee. Without Crist and Kottkamp playing referee (and very effectively I might add), the House and Senate would still be pissing on each other and there would not be BILLIONS in tax relief in the Constitution for Floridians. The credit is attributed to Crist (except for the few disgruntled bloggers who stupidly chose to oppose Crist, lost, and keep losing), and rightfully so! All you Crist haters out there...please know that everytime we read your nasty missives, we smile knowing that you are gnashing your teeth in frustration over the great success of the People's Governor. Love you guys!

I will not vote for a President who chooses as his/her running mate… a person who knows not where his office is and pimps $240 as a job well done.

McAmnesty/McFraud 08! … I think NOT!

[UF Student]

Terminator,

The day you school me at anything other than being a clown, I'll let you know. You're a conservative and you have respect for Powell? Yea, he's a good guy and he knows his stuff, but how can he balance the ticket when the vast majority of his fiscal and social beliefs are unknown? What is Powell known most for? Being in the military, pretty much the same thing McCain is known for. There is very little of anything right now that separates Powell from McCain. McCain is the worst of all the potential Republican candidates to put a general on the ticket with, anybody with a political pulse would know that.

McAmnesty will blow a nut by mid June, and the REAL Lil’ Johnny Napoleon will come out… the country will run like hell to the other side.

Congratulations President Obama and Vice President Clinton!

1:30 here - since when is has a running mate been used to shore up anything? Charlie, as some put it, would be a great cheerleader on a ticket as VP. As for rallying the base, either Clinton or Obama will do that - same for the god-fearing church goers...

Putting Chuck (aka: man/chick) on the ticket with McAmnesty... will certainly shore-up the conservative base... FOR OBAMA/CLINTON!

12:09 lol That's awesome!

1:30 is actually a McCollum handler chomping at the bit for Crist to jump on the McCain ticket. Even if he does, how is it that McCollum will be able to run for Govr before 2010?

Again 1:30 you're incredibly naive and are not thinking empathetically
because you're not really a true conservative.

Take it from the top...Take II

Gov Crist can deliver the state of FL for Senator McCain without being the V.P.

He can do that by just running around campaigning for him like he did before in the FL primary.

Gov. Crist would not enhance the ticket, or rally the party's base for McCain on a national level.

His best pick would be Romney who is more conservative, the most intelligent & quailified, a former governor who closed a 3 billion dollar debt, & an expert in finance.

Romney is the only one who has a major grassroots army nation-wide ready to assist.

That critical fact should not be over looked.

1:30 here again - depends on what my motives are...

If McCain wins, Charlie will be the next US Attorney General.

1:30 here again - don't make me laugh - US AG? that would require work...

[Dee]

The neo-cons and back office lackies who think McAmnesty doesn not have to shore up the Conservative Base has got it wrong BIG TIME!

There is absolutely no grass roots support out here for McAmnesty. The party workers have been run off by the thousands in favor of paid staffers and polititical insiders.

Square up the circle being spun on the notion that the Conservative Base will automatically come around for McAmnesty. Is that what they did for Dole? Do you actually believe that Cc can help McAmnesty pull over enough Democrats and Independents to replace those Conservatives deserting the Republican Party that will sit out on McAmnesty? NEVER HAPPEN! People are drawn to the best and if they want a liberal in the White House Obama or Rodham have McAmnesty & Crist beat even if it is just barely.

If Huckabee wins Texas, V.P. slot would be hard not to be offered to him.

What the Times fail to understand is, this is about red state, blue state politics.

First off, v.p. needs to help deliver south conservative base. Gov Crist will absolutely not do that.

Gov Crist can & will help put FL in the red column though. Last poll has McCain beating both democratic candidate even before Gov Crist have started campaigning. Other states that could swing red: Virginia, Carolinas, Ohio & Pennsy.

You get those states and your usual south states and McCain could roll in the WH.

I will not vote for a President who chooses as his/her running mate… a person who knows not where his office is and pimps $240 as a job well done.

McAmnesty/McFraud 08! … I think NOT!

[UF Student]

I just hope my life never becomes as pathetic as the people on here who copy and paste the same message dozens of times in different threads.

[deep throat]

If McCain does not pick Huckabee then the 2008 election will be 1996 all over again.

The Republican candidate will be some grumpy old guy who's turn has finally come around.

People think social conservatives will not vote Democrat, therefore the Republican establishment can ignore them. However, social conservatives don't have to vote Democrat to kill the Republican chances. Instead they can choose to stay home again (1996) and achieve the same results.

Ignoring Huckabee's success in the South (Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana) and areas with a strong evangelical presence (Iowa, Kansas and West Virginia) will prove to be the final nail in a long shot campaign for McCain.

Oh and if Romney has such strong grass roots support then why did he only win the primaries where he had been governor, his daddy had been governor or the home of his church? The only other contests he won were caucuses that no other candidates contested.

Huckabee's the man. Will tune in to see him on SNL tonight.

The ticket should be Obama and Crist. If you have not seen go to World net daily and read about Obama with his cocain and oral sex from Larry Sinclair. Google Obams in limo. A Homo Pres and VP. God Bless America.

[Mcain insider]

The thinking is that Crist on the ballot who is a master at sending all the covert cues and giving the secret hand shake will eat into the demo base.