Posted by
Thomas Paine on Thursday, June 26, 2008 8:39:28 PM
Since Governor
Romney officially suspended his campaign in February, his supporters have been
hoping for an opportunity to use the "Romney for President" signs
sometime in the future. Well, they just
might see his name on the ballot this November, as McCain's running mate. However, if asked, should Romney really jump
on the ticket? As a former "Romney for President" supporter, I
initially embraced the idea. After all,
it would keep him politically relevant. It would also help McCain strategically. McCain has admitted the economy is his weak spot and having Romney as
Vice-President would definitely sure up the weakness. A McCain-Romney ticket would possibly put
states like Michigan, Ohio, and Massachusetts into play for McCain. Yet, despite the possible benefit to McCain,
what would the benefit be to Romney? If
McCain were to get elected, Romney would have to wait eight years for a
potential shot at the Whitehouse. If
McCain loses in a landslide (a recent Newsweek poll had Obama up 17 points),
then Romney will be forever linked to the embarrassment. Not to mention, McCain is on record saying
that the Vice-President's only job is to check on the health of the
President. As much as I wanted to see
Romney get into the Whitehouse, I don't want to see him get in this way. McCain is the self-proclaimed
"maverick" who prides himself in going against the grain (and the
Conservative base.) If asked, Romney should let McCain ruin, err, run the 2008
race without him. As a supporter, I'll
gladly wait an additional four years to see Romney in the Whitehouse.