Who Should Trump Choose For VP?

The running of the Veeps

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Ben Crystal

Donald Trump finished off the competition in resounding fashion in Indiana. Hillary Clinton technically still has competition in the form of that weird, old communist from Vermont, but I suspect his refusal to give up might be because no one has had the heart to tell him he’s cooked.

Now we get to watch the blood sport move to the next round: The vetting of potential running mates. Both the doddering sociopath and the reality-television game show host have to convince someone to ride shotgun.

Trump’s decision-making process will be more complicated than Nana’s. If he wants his running mate to do more than stand awkwardly behind him at press conferences, a la John Edwards, and/or behave so oddly that they make him look better by comparison, a la Vice President Joe Biden, he’ll have to hit the political bullseye.

For all I know, The Donald has already made The Call. But in case he hasn’t; here’s a helpful little primer I threw together, because I’m a giver like that.

The safe choice: Dr. Ben Carson

Upside: Trump’s affinity for Carson is well documented and was cemented with Carson’s endorsement. And Trump has tapped Carson to lead his VP search committee; which reminds me of Dick Cheney’s role in President George W. Bush’s campaign. Carson’s deep faith will resonate with evangelical voters. His soft-spoken nature complements Trump’s bombast nicely.

Downside: He’s naturally reticent; a borderline character flaw in a national-stage politician. I also suspect he lacks the iron will to make the kind of calls which get people killed; a necessary evil of the top levels of the executive branch.

The money choice: Senator Marco Rubio

Upside: He’s young, whip-smart and puts a bold face on the ticket. His vigor would likely boost Trump’s own already-energetic presentation. He can draw fence-sitting moderates and the wavering GOP “establishment,” and would be the lone Latino voice on either ticket; presuming Hillary sticks with pandering to the fake Native American electorate.

Downside: He lacks conservative credentials; notably on illegal immigration, an enormously important issue to Americans now that Obama’s amnesty has unleashed a wave of illegal alien violence.

The cynical choice: Senator Ted Cruz

Upside: After a brutal primary fight, Trump/Cruz would bring together the two biggest blocs in the GOP. It would theoretically unify the party, turning everyone’s eyes November-ward.

Downside: Trump suggested Cruz’s father aided Lee Harvey Oswald in assassinating President Kennedy. That wasn’t some off-the-cuff remark at a cocktail party three years ago, that was earlier this week. For Trump and Cruz to suddenly implore their respective backers to feel the love insults their intelligence.

The old-school choice: Ohio Governor John Kasich

Upside: Kasich is a moderate from the battleground state of Ohio. He appeals to the GOP insiders, whom Trump needs to bring back in the fold before the final fight with Clinton.

Downside: Not even the insiders are all that enthused about Kasich.

The battleground choice: Florida Governor Rick Scott

Upside: Two wealthy businessmen who ran around the GOP establishment to score big political points would go well together on a ticket. Scott has been vocally complimentary of Trump for months; endorsing him almost as soon as Florida’s Republican primary was in the books. And Trump will probably need Florida to win the big one.

Downside: Scott isn’t exactly Mr. Popular in the Sunshine State. If he can’t deliver Florida, he serves limited purpose.

The thinking choice: New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez

Upside: Trump could choose Martinez, and just like that, Hillary’s “woman card” would limit out. And who wouldn’t want to watch Democrats tie themselves in knots trying to figure out how to handle a “wise Latina” who doesn’t match their definition thereof?

Downside: Picking relatively lesser-known Governors hasn’t exactly panned out for Republican Presidential candidates of late.

The Trump-iest choice: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Upside: Christie booked an early seat in the past candidates’ section of the Trump Train. He’s a rare Republican who dominates politics in a Democrat state. He’s not only affable, he might be the most underrated public persona of the entire field.

Downside: He has zero credibility with conservatives. It would be like Trump picking the President of the Donald Trump fan club.

The olive branch choice: Iowa Senator Joni Ernst

Upside: She’s scary tough. Her conservative credentials are rock-solid. Her emergence in the 2014 midterms caught the Democrats completely by surprise.  She’d be an outright monster on the campaign trail.

Downside: She hasn’t been shy about spanking Trump over his occasionally ill-advised comments about women. Trump clearly doesn’t handle criticism well.  Hard to imagine he’d take it any better from his own team.

The say whaaaa? choice: Senator Bernie Sanders

It’s insane. But then again, what about the 2016 race hasn’t been? And it would create the perfect bumper sticker: Trump/Sanders 2016: Go Screw Yourself, America!

Bloviating Joe Tells Us The Truth If We Only Listen. By Predicting Dems Maintaining Senate, He Tells Us About The Fraud That Is Occurring As We Vote.

Once again, Joe Biden is wrong

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Chip Wood

Personal Liberty Poll

Exercise your right to vote.

Surprise, surprise! Joe Biden got it wrong again. The voluble vice president, who is undoubtedly Washington’s greatest practitioner of foot-in-mouth disease, is now predicting that the Democrats will retain control of the Senate once today’s elections are over.

It ain’t gonna happen, Joe. When all the ballots are counted, I predict that the Republicans will win at least eight seats now held by Democrats, giving them a three-vote majority in the Senate. And the Republican margin could be a lot bigger.

Unfortunately, there are at least two states where the winner won’t be known by tomorrow morning. In Georgia, neither David Perdue, the Republican candidate, or Michelle Nunn, the Democratic nominee, is likely to win a majority of votes. That will necessitate a runoff, which won’t be held until Jan. 6. The new Congress will already be in session by the time we know who wins the seat from Georgia. I think it will be Perdue, so that will be another vote on the Republican side of the aisle.

There is also likely to be a runoff in Louisiana, where Democratic incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu faces two Republican opponents on theballot today: Rep. Bill Cassidy and Tea Party candidate Rob Maness. Since only the top two vote-getters will qualify for the December runoff there, look for whichever Republican nominee it is to clobber Landrieu. These two victories by Republicans could push their total gains into double digits.

Of all the victories I look forward to celebrating, none will give me more pleasure than to see Joni Ernst of Iowa defeat her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley. In a season filled with some of the nastiest negative campaign ads I’ve ever seen, Ernst wins the prize for the most delightful positive pitch. That was the one where she boasted about her farmer background and learning how to castrate hogs at an early age. Her promise to applythose same skills to Washington was a hoot.

Harry Reid, the current Senate majority leader, is afraid that Ernst’s victory will spell the end of his reign in Washington. He’s been quoted as saying, “Iowa is critical. There is no other way to say it. Joni Ernst would mean — coming to the United States Senate — that Mitch McConnell would be the leader of the United States Senate.” Yes it would, Harry. Better get ready to pack it in.

While McConnell is far from my ideal as a two-fisted fighter for constitutional principles, he is certain to be a vast improvement over Reid. His rise to majority leader will mean that many of the more than 300 pieces of legislation the House has passed will finally be allowed to come to a vote in the Senate.

How many bills cutting government spending, reducing regulations, lowering taxes and strengthening free enterprise can Barack Obama veto without severely jeopardizing Democratic chances in the 2016 presidential contest? I can’t wait to find out.

There’s some talk that the Republican resurgence could even bring some big changes to the liberal bastion of New England. There are three contests there where we should know the results pretty early in the evening. If Republican Scott Brown defeats Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen for the Senate seat in New Hampshire, it’s going to be a long, long night for the Democrats. And if the Republicans win the governorship of Massachusetts or Connecticut, where the polls say both races are surprisingly close, the evening could turn into a tsunami of defeats for Team Obama.

Oh, there’s one other positive I must mention. Now that the midterm elections are coming to an end, so will the barrage of political ads filling every commercial segment on TV, not to mention all of those robot calls that have been inundating my telephone. Thank goodness for caller ID, so I know which ones to ignore.

By all means, let’s celebrate the news that today’s elections mean the end of Reid’s reign over the U.S. Senate.

And then let’s get ready to stop Obama from achieving by edict what he cannot gain by legislation. Or as a friend of mine put it, let’s make sure Obama’s lame-duck presidency really is lame.

Until next time, keep some powder dry.

–Chip Wood