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Veep Stakes 2024
I heard the starter pistol and race is on!
Megyn Kelly is supporting Nikki Haley, reasoning that Trump needs someone to shore up support in the establishment. The Trump base, would get over it. (Eventually.)
Vivek Ramaswamy (wow, I cant believe I spelt that right) would be the choice of the Trump base, and I would love to see him debate VP Kamala Harris… The moderator would probably throw in the towel, as it would be unnecessary cruelty to half wits.
I am thinking of a different way to calculate the best candidate for VP. I dont think Trump should pick a candidate that shores up support with some faction within the Republican Party, but rather pick a candidate that would disrupt the Democrat coalition. Never Trumpers are going to Never Trump their way to a second Biden Administration, and be happy about it. (At least until they’re arrested.)
With this in mind, I think the best available candidate for VP would be Tim Scott. He’s got 10 years experience as a Senator from South Carolina. He’s well spoken, articulate, and in command of facts… Plus if you’ve seen pictures, or some of his TV appearances, you’d notice, he’s a little bit black.
This helps in 2 ways, he can campaign to black voters in ways and spaces that other candidates can’t. And it insulates Trump on the racism charges… But Democrats can’t help themselves — they’ll smear Tim Scott like they’d smeared any other black conservative… I could just imagine Trump saying ” They call me a racist, and then they say all these horrible things about my running mate? Who’s the racist?”
Tim Scott, the man for the job!
Published in General
Remember all who think that a candidate who checks all the right boxes would make a good VP, Mike Pence checked all the right boxes, I suppose. But he did more damage the earliest on to disrupt Trump, being complicit in taking the ax to Mike Flynn.
In other circumstances, fine. But people are saying don’t make Haley VP because that would incentivize taking out Trump. How would VP Kemp not be at least as bad for that?
Yes, hopefully it tightens the definition of “Official Duties”, misconduct or gross violations of rights should not be protected by “Official Duties” … We’ve seen all kinds of lawsuits getting tossed on immunity claims…
Generally I like Lee Zeldin, he turned the NY Governor race into an actual race. Not many could have done that.
If a Democrat secretary of state rules her ineligible for the ballot, because her parents’ immigration status, I am going to need a lot more popcorn.
keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
That’s probably the main point overall. And too often it ends up being just lawsuits rather than actual prosecution, because DAs etc fear alienating the cops they depend on to be witnesses. (Which is another part of the problem too: good cops should be happy to help with getting rid of the bad ones, rather than protecting them.)
Fortunately some juries get it right, and realize when cops are acting beyond their lawful authority.
My favorite example, so far:
So close they can take you out using 25th Amendment or whatever?
They are both from Florida. Electors cannot choose a President and VP from the same state. Unlike Stefanik or Haley DeSantis has a bigger platform as governor of Florida than as VP. Similarly Kemp has a bigger platform in Georgia than he would as VP, but he would be hard-pressed to say no if Trump asked him. It would be a trap for either man, but DeSantis is constitutionally barred from being asked.
This was interesting:
I am reminded of the classic Tom Lehrer song “Whatever Became of You, Hubert?”
“Whatever Became of You, Hubert?” Tom Lehrer (youtube.com)
The appropriate line would be:
There is almost no punishment worse for a person than making them VP. Let’s review the history of VPs who immediately went on to be elected President.
George H. W. Bush (36 years ago)
Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry Truman, & Calvin Coolidge (running as the President so I am not even sure they would count)
So, being VP doesn’t really confer much of an advantage historically.
No but given someone like Kemp (or Haley, as other people say) and something like the 25th Amendment, who knows?
The claim is invalid and has been ruled on Constitutionally already (US v Wong Kim Ark) someone born in the US, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof (from the controlling law) is a US citizen. What does “subject to the jurisdiction” mean? Traditionally it means that the person isn’t a diplomat, or on a foreign-flagged vessel docked in port. There is a push (John C. Eastman is involved) that makes the case that a person who enters the county illegally would not be under the jurisdiction of the US and thus their children might not be automatically granted citizenship, though it is a very shaky argument, more that it hasn’t been decided by the Court as opposed to would it win in front of the Court. Haley’s parents were here legally and thus were the same as Wong’s and any idea that she is not a natural-born US citizen was decided in 1898. Does that mean that the Court might rule differently? Sure, we do overturn bad decisions from time to time, but there is little chance of this one IMO (and that and $5.95 will get a you a Venti Latte from Starbucks, unless Bidenomics has made that cost go up even more).
They do not count. Neither does TR.
Different point and one that I would be careful of. I never liked Pence, but he didn’t make me not want to vote for Trump. Palin was the one time that a VP choice changed my vote, I had planned to vote for whomever the Libertarian candidate was. I like Kemp because I don’t think that he would encourage Trump’s removal since policy-wise he isn’t that far removed. Haley is far removed and could encourage (indirectly) Trump’s removal.
But I would expect someone… “Trump-adjacent”… to not be so willing to cooperate in Trump’s (supposed) defeat.
Yeah, so going back 187 years a sitting VP has been elected President twice (Martin Van Buren was elected following Andrew Jackson). Prior to that, Thomas Jefferson was John Adams’ VP, but the system was very different prior to 1803 when the VP was the runner-up to the President.
I’ve read that Trump maintains a residence in N. J. True?
It may not be wise to do so but…”barred”?
I doubt he would accept.
That’s from an explanation I read just now. So it would definitely be unwise. 12th Amendment the article said.
Any reason for leaving out Martin Van Buren?
The Constitution would not bar Trump from picking DeSantis. It would, due to the 12th Amendment, prevent Florida’s electors from voting for both of them as a unified ticket. A problem that Trump could fairly easily solve by switching residency to NY, or NJ. Established precedent of note: Dick Cheney switching residency from Texas to Wyoming in 2000.
Dick Cheney changed his residency from Texas to Wyoming after he was selected by Bush.
Only that nobody cares about Old Kinderhook.
I initially only went back about 100 years. I later went back all the way to Jefferson and pointed out that only twice after the 12th Amendment has the cutting VP been elected President.
As I said in comment #47, there is a workaround, and I’m sure Trump can use it. I was just addressing Constitutional disbarment in this comment.
A friend of mine is very close to the inner circle of these things. Hes got Andrew Paxton on speed dial.
The shortlist Im hearing is some good, some baddish, some I just dont know.
Good: JD Vance. My personal pic. Super insurance. No way the deep state wants him running things if Trump dies. A soldier who lost to many friends to stupid wars in stupid places.
Tucker Carlson (apparently Melanias pick. Surely the best bullet insurance choice. She really wants Donald to live)
Baddish: Ben Carson. Appeals to a lot of interesting demographics super loyal. But no insurance.
Kristi Noem: Good on covid. Totally caved on transgenderism. Also no insurance.
Unknown: Lee Zeldin. Hes from New York. Ran for governor. I just know nothing about him.
Nikki Haley personally backstabbed Trump by telling him she wouldnt run, but totally did anyway. Trump doesnt like backstabbers as well he should.
No chance.
Trump has previously said he wouldnt choose anyone who ran against him to be BP or in his cabinet. He might change the latter he needs to win. But no way he chooses Nikki. Shes really dumb and certainly would lead to his being killed to get her in charge.
Kinderhook is just off I-69, just before you cross the border into Indiana, not far from where @chriso goes sailing. Take the last exit and go west to Kinderhook or east to California. Both are on good roads for bicycling.