FIRST & Final Thoughts On the Week That Was…
FIRST Who will Donald Trump pick as his running mate?
The Hill posted on its website on Tuesday an article that ranked the top 10 possible names that insiders see as the “most sought-after VP picks.”
We like a couple of the names on the list, but overall, we were not impressed. In fact, should some of the names be the actual pick, we would be darn right angry.
Mr. Trump has said on many occasions during this presidential race that he would like to add someone to his ticket who has political experience.
Until this year, the last time the GOP nominated a man to be president who had not held political office before running for the oval office was 1952 with military hero Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Trump’s populism has galvanized the base of the Republican Party as well as several different ideological and non-ideological voters during the primary season.
As constitutional conservatives who deeply care about principles, we call on Mr. Trump to choose as his running mate a conservative first and foremost. Race or gender is unimportant to us. Our long-held view is that a Vice Presidential pick is more optics than substance. However, in recent presidential races, the VP pick has actually helped overcome the lack of enthusiasm we felt towards the last two GOP nominees, John McCain and Mitt Romney. Sarah Palin (2008) and Paul Ryan (2012) actually boosted our interest in the campaigns of two presidential candidates that were as exciting as watching paint dry.
Who will it be? What kind of impact, if at all, will the announcement have on the #Nevertrump people or others struggling to accept Donald Trump as the nominee?
We shall soon find out.
Below is The Hill’s list of the top 10 possible Vice Presidential picks with our analysis of each.
1. Gov. John Kasich – Choosing the Ohio governor makes a lot of political sense for Mr. Trump as the Buckeye state has always been crucial for the GOP nominee. No Republican candidate has won the White House without also winning Ohio. But we are no fan of Gov. Kasich who expanded Medicaid under the Obamacare mandate which cost taxpayers over $6 billion. Not exactly fiscal conservatism from the former House Budget Committee chairman who balanced the federal budget. Overall, Mr. Kasich is a mushy establishment moderate who would be better off taking etiquette lessons on how to eat in public. Our Analysis: No way.
2. Sen. Bob Corker – Conservatives, especially fans of Senator Ted Cruz, are already having a difficult time with Donald Trump as the nominee after a brutal primary that on several occasions got quite ugly on a personal level. If Mr. Trump is serious about unifying the party, this would be the worst way to show it. Senator Corker is the man who failed to uphold the U.S. Constitution’s treaty clause last summer concerning President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. Rather than force the president to acquire the necessary 67 votes in the Senate to ratify an international agreement, Sen. Corker’s bill put the onus on Congress to come up with 67 votes to block the president from victory. Outrageous. The fact that Corker is even on this list will certainly anger many conservatives that are struggling with Trump as the nominee and who do not want Hillary Clinton anywhere near the White House. Our Analysis: Absolutely not!
3. Rep. Marsha Blackburn – Rep. Blackburn is on our Leaders in the U.S. House page so we would definitely be on board with this pick. She is a fighter who has tackled several issues that even those inside her own party are reluctant to address like abortion, climate change, and amnesty. Our Analysis: Yes.
4. Dr. Ben Carson – While we enjoyed his presence on the campaign trail this past year, we have some concerns over him being chosen as Vice President. First, Dr. Carson’s lack of any political experience will certainly be a liability and would draw questions towards Mr. Trump for going against his word for wanting someone who has held elected office before. Also, Dr. Carson’s ability to campaign, despite his wonderful personality, left much to be desired. Our Analysis: No.
5. Gov. Mary Fallin – We praised the Oklahoma governor in the past for her leadership, especially last summer when she stood up to political correctness and a state Supreme Court ruling ordering the removal of a Ten Commandments statue off the statehouse grounds. Despite her lack of national ID, she will be seen as a important pick for Mr. Trump, helping his image with women, though we hate pandering politics. Gov. Fallin vetoed an abortion bill recently that will certainly turn off social conservative voters. Our Analysis: Maybe.
6. Gov. Chris Christie – We cannot seriously believe that this man is on Trump’s list, long or short. Christie offers zero contrast to Mr. Trump and would further alienate conservatives who are not exactly on the Trump train quite yet. He is a big government liberal with a horrible governing record and not exactly a fan of conservatism. Our Analysis: No way.
7. Sen. Joni Ernst – We endorsed the Iowa freshman senator during her 2014 campaign but we have been fairly disappointed with her brief tenure in the Senate. Her conservative record has been mixed at best as she has found herself on the same voting scroll with too many members of the establishment and moderate members of the Senate. This is in contrast to her campaign that she projected as a strong constitutional conservative. Her selection would offer the ticket youth, political experience, and someone with military experience, but from our stand point, we are more concerned about her principles as a conservative. Our Analysis: Possibility.
8. Newt Gingrich – A surrogate and long time friend of Mr. Trump’s, his negatives far outweigh any positives that he may bring onboard the ticket. Like Trump, his multiple marriages will certainly be a topic of discussion for the media and his age won’t help as well. We feel his time has passed and he would be better off advising Trump on policy from a distance. And don’t forget, his time as Speaker of the House will certainly be brought up despite the media’s warning not to harken back to 1990’s political garbage. Our Analysis: Nope.
9. Gov. Jan Brewer – Another Trump surrogate, the former Arizona governor seems to be a bit of a stretch for possible VP slot. She wasn’t particularly strong as governor despite taking on the president over immigration which Trump needs little help with concerning that issue. She is not well known and in our book, not very conservative. Mr. Trump can do much, much better than Ms. Brewer. Our Analysis: No.
10. Sen. Jeff Sessions – One of our Leaders in the U.S. Senate, the Alabama senator is a strong conservative and was an early Trump surrogate. His endorsement of Trump certainly hurt Ted Cruz who had hoped he would receive the endorsement from his no-amnesty colleague. We think Sen. Sessions would make a nice VP pick despite him being white, male, older, and from a state that has no chance of being picked off by Hillary Clinton. The idea of Vice President Sessions sounds good in theory but we don’t see this being the duo on stage in Cleveland next month. Our Analysis: Yes.
In sum, we understand how perception plays in politics even if as an organization we fail to acknowledge its importance. We want strong conservatives who adhere to the Constitution and will uphold it at all costs.
Donald Trump is soon to be 70 years of age and there is no guarantee that he will run for reelection in 2020 should he become the 45th President of the United States. What hurt the GOP in some ways in 2008 was Dick Cheney being Vice President with no aspirations (and health quite frankly) to ascend one office higher.
We would like to Donald Trump pick someone first and foremost a constitutional conservative who he feels he can work with, will offer solid political experience credentials, as youth and energy on his or her side, and will seek the presidency in four or eight years time.
Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Scott Walker are among some names we suggest, though we can’t see Senator Cruz accepting even if offered.
But that is totally Mr. Trump’s call. He must do what he feels is right for him.
With seven weeks until the GOP convention, the answer to what many of us want to know will soon be answered.
Final This coming Tuesday, June 7th, a special election will take place in Ohio to seat a new representative in the 8th Congressional District. This is the seat of the disgraced former Speaker of the House John Boehner.
We are proud to endorse local businessman, former Army Ranger, and constitutional conservative Warren Davidson. He will bring true leadership to the people of the 8th District that has been missing for over 30 years. If you live in that district or know someone who does, please reach out and remind them to vote for Warren Davidson.
