Attention 2008 GOP runners-up: You’ll probably never get another shot
Posted on September 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am by Jason Wright, EditorA thought occurred to me last night as I was gazing in my mirror and brushing my hair 50 times. “Jason, for a man in your thirties you have fantastic hair.”
Then another thought hit me. While the republican party at-large is going ga-ga over Palin, there are at least a few who haven’t paid their Palin Fan Club dues just yet.
They are: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Mark Sanford, Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal, and anyone else who thinks their destiny is to be president. Which if you believe their staffers is pretty much every governor, senator, house member and community organizer in America.
Caribou with me for a moment.
If McCain/Palin wins, then there are no job openings at the top of the GOP ticket until at least 2016. Because if McCain retired in 2012, America’s favorite hockey mom would surely become the nominee. If he didn’t and they ran again and won reelection, Palin would be the obvious nominee in 2016.
If McCain/Palin loses, assuming it’s not because Palin commits a Biden-sized gaffe between now and November 4th, who’s going to beat her for the nomination in 2012? Four years from now she’ll be more experienced as a politician on the national stage and much more experienced as a state executive. Plus she’ll spend the next four years traveling the country raising money for republicans, campaigning for candidates at every level, and collecting enough chits to fill a Greek column. Heck, even I’d pay to have her speak at my neighborhood bbq.
Back to the GOP bench. Romney wants to run again. Huckabee wants to run again (if for no other reason because his nemesis Mitt does). I hear Mark Sanford has designs on DC and Jindal hears every single day how he’s a president-in-the-making. Tim Pawlenty may have the itch to run at the top of the ticket and not wait for his phone to ring for a #2 spot. Even Rudy might be interested in running again and acknowledging that Iowa and New Hampshire were once admitted into the Union.
I’m not suggesting these horses want the GOP ticket to lose eight weeks from now and for Palin to go down like a moose in the morning mist. But isn’t it conceivable that somewhere deep within their political bones, the 2008 losers hope for another chance? And isn’t it likely that chance doesn’t come without a colossal Palin collapse that renders her unfit for another race?
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Good commentary– but there are more. George Allen probably wants another opportunity to remake his career. He had his dreams of being president. And then there is Gov. Crist, Jeb Bush, Sen. Hagel, Ron Paul (LOL) All of them probably just realized their window is closed.
I don’t think Crist, Hagel, or Paul ever really had a window (or even a peephole, for that matter), but I agree with your addition of Jeb & George.
Some of them may want to be a VP…
Personally, I would love to see a Palin/Huckabee ticket.
Nobody WANTS to be VP, dw, they take it because they WANT to be P.
My dream scenario:
McCain/Palin win this year.
McCain serves well. His health remains strong, but he chooses to retire after one successful term (I know…no one would do that. Hey, its my dream!)
2012 sees the Palin/Jindal ticket sweep to victory over Obama/Clinton for the first truly conservative presidency in a quarter of a century.
2016 = “4 more years!” Palin/Jindal cruise to victory over an aging Obama. Obama, now a three time loser, vows, “Just wait ’til 2020″
(and, since most dreams have at least one strange twist to them…)
2020 = McCain comes out of retirement to run for a second term, taking office again at the age of 84. His choice of the Bush twins as his co-running mates is the surprise of the election.
Dude, how late were you up last night?!!
palin/jindal? talk about a dream ticket for the right
funny, check this out, someone has bought it already and parked it
http://palinjindal2012.com/
Rockin’!
I hope it becomes a reality.
Had to stay up late!
Who could sleep after McCain’s speech????
I just kept re-running it in my mind.
Sleep after that speech?
NO WAY!
[sarcasm alert]
I don’t mean to belittle the speech, though. For McCain, I thought it was solid.
Dude! I can’t remember the last time a comment sent me into a multi-moment laughing fit. Oh what a day it would be.
Y’know Jenna Bush did marry the son of the VA GOP Chairman.
Maybe it will be Jenna Bush for Gov. of Virginia in 2016 riding Palin/Jindal coat tails to victory!
Glad it brought a chuckle, Stephen!
If that happens, I just hope that Jenna is more fiscally conservative than daddy.
Some of you may know, JMAC hasn’t been my sort of candidate this cycle. Ok, so that’s an understatement.
I still wear my McCain ball cap from the 2000 election these days however. Yes, I confess I was a McCainiac on the Straight-Talk Express. And, in the years following those heady days, I became disillusioned with my Senator.
Sarah Palin changed that. Not for all the usual and obvious reasons. Not because of the strength she brings to the ticket. And not because of her tremendous qualities of leadership and style. But because in her selection I saw the return of the man I once greatly admired.
Like the capitol of his home state, the Phoenix, John McCain has found himself once again.
I watched him carefully last night, he was determined, steeled, and moving in his own direction once more.
The problem with the wanna-bees now sidelined until at least 2016, they’re not marching to their own inner drummer. In other words, they’re not leaders.
John McCain is certainly no Reagan, but he certainly has Reagan’s leadership ability. He certainly has Reagan’s resolve. He is a survivor and an overcomer.
These are qualities Americans want in their Commander-in-Chief. These are qualities Obama lacks.
Come election day, Americans will have made their choice, and it will be John and Sarah.
And of course, in the weeks following McCain’s victory, we’ll hear never ending lamentations and weeping from the Left Coast media elite pundits.
Its already begun. Anyone listen to Greta Van Susteren last night? She’s clueless already.
John McCain has risen to the challenge. He will lead the country in his own direction. His selection of Sarah Palin is the evidence.
extremely well said, i bet many are in the same boat
Thanks. There was a hope cast, not in the glitz of a rock-star on a concert stage, but of solid grounded values.
It could, of course be all hype and by scripted design. But for now, I will savor the hint of hope that came from his speech.
I hope we’re not all too jaded to once again believe.
I couldnt read beyond Jason bragging about being in your 30’s with all his hair.
Rub it in, why dont you……
I think that they won’t get another shot as president, but if they have some common sense I think that some would stand a chance as outstanding senators. Huckabee in Ark. Romney, in Massachusetts(if possible) Pawlenty eventually in Minnesota. Won’t even mention Guliani (the future Attorney General)…
I agree, Caleb.
The GOP would stand a much better chance at regaining the Senate if some of the big names who are currently “unemployed” would forget the White House and run for the Senate. Almost all of them come from a state with at least one Democrat senator.
Imagine the possibilties:
Huckabee replaced Pryor
Romney replaces Kennedy
Pawlenty replaces Kocluchar
Allen replaces Webb
J. Bush or Crist replace Nelson
Since Texas already has 2 GOP Senator’s, Ron Paul’s supporters convince the Texas GOP to add a third Senate spot just for him.
Just another observation. Look at the history of past presidents and the whole military veteran connection since the 1940’s. Truman served inthe Army during WWII. Ike of course, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter. I would not count Bush as he never went to Vietnam and McCain. The odds are against Obama, especially since we have Iraq and Afghanistan to mop up first. I would count on all of these guys who are waiting in the wings to try a run, but we’ll see.
Devious minds would want a Mac/Pal collapse and 4 years of socialism under the Oba-wan so they could make the “diamond shine brighter against the black backdrop.” But I hope they aren’t wishing for that scenario.
Future possibilities I still see:
Jindal
Sanford
Jeb Bush (yes, still possible)
Petraus (nobody’s mentioned him)
Pawlenty (maybe, but needs to do something to impress me)
Done:
Hucabee (unless he does some serious gravitas work)
Romney (ditto - like a Sec Treas role)
Gulianni
Everyone else older than 55 whom I can’t remember (the Thompsons, etc.)
Ok, Im ready to jump in after thinking a bit.
For the wannabe this year, Remember when in 2007, we were trying to show Fred T as Reagen, who is coming to save the Gop? Wrong, he came in high heels a year later.
If Palin/Mccain win this year, Obama would have done something never before done. Loose in a race where generic dems are winning by 16 points.
If Mccain and Palin win, mac wil probably not run again, leaving the door open for Palin. She will have had experience in the oval office.
If Palin looses, she will still come back in 2012 but as a frontrunner fro the Nomination.
If Mac wins, GOP will have been in the white house 12 years!!!!! Thats a long time, and history shows It will probably go Dem, unless they are extremely popular.
So, saying the game board is set, Palin goes into the nomination after being a VPOTUS for 4 years.
Huckabee, will likely support Palin in this scenario, he would seem that kind of person.
Romney, who knows?
Jindal, Sanford, Pawlenty and darkhorses, who knows? Palin vs Hillary (?, she managed to stumble once, will she twice?).
Say Mccain falls short.
Palin, will run, having more experience and National exposure. Will take A CHUNK of SoCons, FisCons and Independants.
Huckabee, runs and takes his chunk of SoCons.
Romney, his chunk of FisCons.
Jindal takes a chunk of something.
Sanford, a chunk of something
Pawlenty, ” ” ” ”
(Allen, and who knows who else)
Say we had the same calendar as this year.
Iowa: Huckabee vs Palin
Second tier:Romney vs Jindal and Sanford and pawlenty.
NH: Palin vs Romney
MI: Palin vs Romney vs Pawlenty
Wyoming (When was that???) Palin
Who knows?