Rand Paul VP Poll: Congress and Senate only edition

[TaftFan]

!!!READ BEFORE YOU VOTE!!!

I am only going to use Representatives and Senators for this poll. Here is why:

Only Representatives, Senators, and Governors will be considered to be VP. I guess Cheney was the exception but Rand won't be picking a Secretary, as you have to be corrupt to get there in the first place.

And I am leaving out Governors because we don't know or they don't speak their positions on national issues. Important ones like monetary policy, civil liberties, foreign policy, etc. That isn't to say Rand won't consider them; we just don't have the information.

To be eligible you have to have served in Congress. It can be former or present. It cannot be based on a project somebody is elected in the future. For reality's sake I won't put somebody like Barry Goldwater Jr. in the poll. Somebody like Jim DeMint who recently served is more reasonable.

Please do not vote just for who you personally like, but who you think would be the best. There is a difference. I would love Ron Paul to be Rand Paul's VP, but would he be the best? No.

I will eliminate Thomas Massie off the bat. He will not be considered because having him on the ticket would forfeit Kentucky's electoral votes for them and could cause them to lose the election.

IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER OPTION, POST WHY IN THE THREAD! (I am not putting other because many will vote it and not put why in the thread)

[supermario21]

John Kasich. He served in Congress and was budget committee chair in the mid-90s. But I voted for Labrador.

[TaftFan]

Why I chose who I did for the poll: My arbitrary stuff and how close I see them with Rand.

Cruz: Hispanic, incredible speaker, Texan, with Rand: 95%
Lee: Incredible speaker, proven integrity, with Rand: 95%
DeMint: Huge leader, credibility, with Rand: 90%
Flake: Outside shot, from west, likeable, with Rand: 85%
Amash: Young, transparent, smart, with Rand: 100%
Labrador: Hispanic, articulate, from west, with Rand: 95%
Jordan: Ohioan, big conservative leader, with Rand: 85%

Who my top 2 choices are:

1-Labrador
2-Cruz

The tiebreaker is Labrador has proven to be more dovish than Cruz, but Cruz being a Senator makes it close.

[TaftFan]

John Kasich. He served in Congress and was budget committee chair in the mid-90s. But I voted for Labrador.I forgot about him. But his decision to expand Medicare probably put him out of the running.

[AJ Antimony]

Cheney was a former Representative from Wyoming FYI.

Well, if you're going based on ideology, then it would have to be Lee or Cruz.

If you go based on geography, then it gets tougher. Kentucky is a southern, conservative state, so balancing that with someone from Texas, Utah, South Carolina, Arizona, or Idaho doesn't help much. Geographically, you'd probably want Amash or Jordan. But Amash is best known as being an ideologue, so he may not add much else to the ticket. So geographically, based on your list, Jordon might be the best bet.

As for Members not on your list, Connie Mack comes to mind.

Then of course there's Rubio, whose from Florida and hispanic.

It's a tough call with these limitations, but I'm going to go with Cruz right now.

[eleganz]

Cruz has really good freaking presence when he speaks.

I don't prefer to have any of the above be the VP, honestly, it should be Gary Johnson, that is the ultimate team to win the White House. It gets Conservatives, Libertarians, Indies, and Blue Republicans/Dems.

[compromise]

Labrador is a first language Spanish speaker who speaks Spanish at home. Cruz barely knows any Spanish, which is why he backed out of the Spanish debate with Dewhurst. Both would be good choices, but I think Labrador is better. Also, Cruz can then continue to be a Tea Party leader in the Senate. Rubio has too big an ego to be Rand's VP. Leave him in the Senate.

Mack can't win a statewide race in Florida so I'd rule him out, but he could be possible for a cabinet position. DeMint is too similar in US region, religion, race, etc to Rand and has a good job already. Lee is not well known and Utah is not likely to go blue any time soon. Amash could hurt Rand if people like Savage and Coulter start Arab-baiting. He's also not well known and too ideologically aligned with Rand to bring any new voters in. Jordan might work, I don't know very much about him. Ohio is pretty close to Kentucky so I'm not sure Rand needs an Ohian running mate. Flake could hurt Rand among Independents and Dems due to the left smearing the ticket as two racists (the guy who "doesn't want the civil rights act" and the guy who "supported Apartheid South Africa"). Tim Scott, while he would ward off allegations of racism, wouldn't work either, as he's also a Southerner and "black president" has already been done before so the novelty has worn off.

I think the strongest candidates for Rand to consider would be:
1. Martinez
2. Walker
3. Labrador
4. Kasich
5. Sandoval

[CaptLouAlbano]

From the list I picked DeMint, but honestly I think the pick will be a governor. Kasich or Haley are at the top of my list.

[Zarn Solen]

I know you didn't want to include govs, but LePage is pretty legit overall. People who also see him as balancing Paul with executive experience.

That said, I went with DeMint. I would like to have the experienced former senator that everyone in the party loves on the bottom of the ticket.

[acptulsa]

You didn't make 'other' an option because you're afraid people will choose it and not say why? Well, let me tell you why I didn't vote in your poll.

One, crowing about who your VP should be long, long before you have the nomination has long been considered the poorest of poor taste. If you're the frontrunner, it amounts to taking the delegates for granted, and arrogance in general. If you're not the frontrunner, it is generally considered laughable. Romney, in fact, was the first one in my memory to announce his running mate before the convention, and it was just another rock thrown at our delegates--and we all see where this divisiveness within the party got him in the general election.

Two, I want him to pick a governor, because people respect the executive experience of governors, because we want to transfer a lot of power to state legislatures and it would be good to have someone with that experience on hand, and because that way we could attract a good candidate without cutting down our still-paltry numbers in the Congress.


1-Labrador
2-Cruz

And three, your poll is ill-conceived. Is Cruz eligible to be president, despite being born in Canada? Did you even check to see that Labrador was born in Puerto Rico, and therefore eligible, before you included him? Why not just include Putin, or this guy...?

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071214032025/simpsons/images/thumb/e/e8/Halloween7d.jpg/180px-Halloween7d.jpghttp://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121218180322/simpsons/images/thumb/7/78/Kang.png/200px-Kang.png

[Noob]

Cruz has really good freaking presence when he speaks.

I don't prefer to have any of the above be the VP, honestly, it should be Gary Johnson, that is the ultimate team to win the White House. It gets Conservatives, Libertarians, Indies, and Blue Republicans/Dems.

Cruz was born in Canada, so he can't be President.

[NoOneButPaul]

He'd be a fool to take anyone from the House or Senate imo. He's going to need their help if he wins.

[supermario21]

He's going to have to pick a governor, and maybe even a moderate one at that. Susanna Martinez or Brian Sandoval anyone?

[TaftFan]

You didn't make 'other' an option because you're afraid people will choose it and not say why? Well, let me tell you why I didn't vote in your poll.

I am almost certain a bunch of people would be wanting Tom Woods or Judge Nap, vote other, and then not explain. That was my thinking.


One, crowing about who your VP should be long, long before you have the nomination has long been considered the poorest of poor taste. If you're the frontrunner, it amounts to taking the delegates for granted, and arrogance in general. If you're not the frontrunner, it is generally considered laughable. Romney, in fact, was the first one in my memory to announce his running mate before the convention, and it was just another rock thrown at our delegates--and we all see where this divisiveness within the party got him in the general election.

It is fine for us to speculate....


Two, I want him to pick a governor, because people respect the executive experience of governors, because we want to transfer a lot of power to state legislatures and it would be good to have someone with that experience on hand, and because that way we could attract a good candidate without cutting down our still-paltry numbers in the Congress.

I don't necesssarily disagree. I think Ken Cucinelli will be good. I like Paul LePage.


And three, your poll is ill-conceived. Is Cruz eligible to be president, despite being born in Canada? Did you even check to see that Labrador was born in Puerto Rico, and therefore eligible, before you included him? Why not just include Putin, or this guy...?

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071214032025/simpsons/images/thumb/e/e8/Halloween7d.jpg/180px-Halloween7d.jpghttp://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121218180322/simpsons/images/thumb/7/78/Kang.png/200px-Kang.png

Most experts believe Cruz is eligible, because his mother was an American citizen. George Romney was born in Mexico and ran. Barry Goldwater was born in Arizona when it was a territory and ran. I don't think there will be much controversy.

Puerto Ricans are natural born citizens and eligible to run for President.

[AJ Antimony]

I didn't mention any governors because the OP specifically asked not to, but since we've started throwing governors out there, what's wrong with Luis Fortuno?

[69360]

Cruz was born in Canada, so he can't be President.

To two US citizen parents just like McCain was born in the Panama canal zone to two US citizen parents. It's not an issue.

[alucard13mmfmj]

To two US citizen parents just like McCain was born in the Panama canal zone to two US citizen parents. It's not an issue.

It might be an issue for Rand/Cruz... since McCain was establishment.

[acptulsa]

To two US citizen parents just like McCain was born in the Panama canal zone to two US citizen parents. It's not an issue.

First, McCain wasn't born in the Canal Zone, he was born in Panama itself. The Canal Zone was U.S. territory; if he had been born there it wouldn't have ever come up. The thing that made him a natural born citizen was a federal law asserting that it doesn't matter where you were born, if your parents are U.S. citizens on active duty, and were sent where you were born by our military, you're natural born.

Can you tell me how that law applies to Cruz, if at all?

[PaleoPaul]

I didn't mention any governors because the OP specifically asked not to, but since we've started throwing governors out there, what's wrong with Luis Fortuno?
If you want Luis Fortuno because you want to woo Hispanic voters, it's not a good idea. The majority of Hispanics are Mexican and let's say that there's a HUGE cultural divide between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

I'm ethnically Puerto Rican so I can say this with confident authority.

[69360]

Very few in this country want to revisit the birther issue and let's be honest with ourselves here, most of the birthers were tea party republicans. Cruz would be fine.

[TaftFan]

If you want Luis Fortuno because you want to woo Hispanic voters, it's not a good idea. The majority of Hispanics are Mexican and let's say that there's a HUGE cultural divide between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

I'm ethnically Puerto Rican so I can say this with confident authority.

Would Mexican's dislike Raul Labrador for the same reason? Would they realize he is Puerto Rican just by his name even though he lives in Idaho?

[anaconda]

The irony to this thread is that it may turn out to be Rand that is the hot VP choice.

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Justin Amash should be winning this!! Ted Cruz is sorta a liberty guy, but not really. I'd prefer Mike Lee over him. But Amash is still my number 1 pick.

[torchbearer]

cruz is not eligible.
not sure if amash is old enough.

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Yeah that's right Cruz can't run. He was born in Canada. Someone update the poll to reflect this, let's not put out this misconception out there!!

[givemeliberty2010]

Right, Senator Cruz is not eligible. Rep. Amash will be 36 in 2016, so he's old enough.

[TaftFan]

Yeah that's right Cruz can't run. He was born in Canada. Someone update the poll to reflect this, let's not put out this misconception out there!!

Not true at all. Most people believe he fits the criteria for natural born citizen.

http://www.texastribune.org/2012/08/13/texplainer-could-canadian-born-ted-cruz-be-preside/

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Amash would be great, but Massie would be even better! Although I read somewhere that Massie does not want to run for an office higher than Congress, so that's just pointless wishful thinking on my part.

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

I don't think Labrador is eligible as well??? He was born in Puerto Rico.

[TaftFan]

Amash would be great, but Massie would be even better! Although I read somewhere that Massie does not want to run for an office higher than Congress, so that's just pointless wishful thinking on my part.

Massie running with Rand would invalidate Kentucky's electoral votes.

[TaftFan]

I don't think Labrador is eligible as well??? He was born in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricans are completely eligible. They are natural born citizens.

[supermario21]

I liked Kasich until he decided to expand Medicaid, but he seemingly wants to do it using private insurance which would obviously be better. He's starting to seem pragmatic and is headed to a strong reelection. I'd support Rand picking a moderate/squishy conservative. Kasich has had good foreign policy credentials as well from when he was in Congress.

[givemeliberty2010]

Wikipedia says both of Cruz's parents were from the U.S. Doesn't that make him eligible anyway?

[givemeliberty2010]

What was Kasich's foreign policy?

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Ha thanks for catching that TaftFan. I guess I'll stick to Amash then.

[TaftFan]

Wikipedia says both of Cruz's parents were from the U.S. Doesn't that make him eligible anyway?

He only needs one parent along with a residency requirement which he has.

[supermario21]

http://www.ontheissues.org/OH/John_Kasich_War_+_Peace.htm
http://www.ontheissues.org/OH/John_Kasich_Homeland_Security.htm
http://www.ontheissues.org/OH/John_Kasich_Foreign_Policy.htm

Not perfect, but better than most Republicans.

Here are some key excerpts


Engage internationally but choose missions carefully

Theodore Roosevelt understood when military action brought no advantage. When regional instability arose, like the war between Russia and Japan, his instinct was to be an “honest broker” and mediate peace. He was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts. The US should remain strongly engaged internationally, because regional instability will not solve itself. But we must choose our missions carefully. Power is a finite quantity; if we wantonly expend it, for any cause, we diminish ourselves.



Congressional debate before sending in ground troops

[A House Bill sponsored by John Kasich] would cut off money for American ground troops unless Congress approved their deployment in advance. The bill would permit ground forces to conduct search and rescue missions. “We should avoid escalation in this conflict because the only rational and durable solution is one that is arrived at through negotiation,” said Mr. Kasich. “There are far too many unanswered questions about the use of ground troops - questions that should require full congressional debate
Source: www.k2k.org/going_on/index_rr.html “Road Reports” , May 28, 1999


Cheap Hawk: Strong on defense; tight with a dollar

In the 1980s on the Defense Committee, in addition to the Russians, another enemy was the status quo. I may have been strong on defense, but at the same time I was openly critical of the excess spending in every aspect of the federal budget, which cast m as a kind of cheap hawk and served to essentially alienate me from everyone.
I was astonished to discover wasteful spending in the Pentagon budget; I was even more astonished that hardly anyone was speaking out against it. The mantra in Washington at that time was to trim the fat from our social welfare and entitlement programs. But to take the welfare out of the Pentagon? Well, to do so as a cheap hawk Republican, who walked the political tightrope of being strong on defense and tight with a dollar. One of my congressional colleagues even called me a traitor to our country, that's how out there my position seemed to be among the hawks in the Republican Party, but my feeling was that we needed to ferret out this waste no matter where we found it.



http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EfhIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bAUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2773,2121345&dq=john+kasich+foreign+policy&hl=en
Here's an article talking about him being skeptical of adding to the Pentagon budget.

[satchelmcqueen]

id say gary johnson. i still think he did a big thing when he said in the debates that he would pick ron paul for his vp.

[TaftFan]

id say gary johnson. i still think he did a big thing when he said in the debates that he would pick ron paul for his vp.

The problem is he ran against Ron in the Republican primary, then became part of the Libertarian party.

Otherwise I would have agreed.

[dskalkowski]

While I love Justin Amash, and Mike Lee.. Ted Cruz has name recognition, which is something the other three lack. I think if Mike Lee were to get his name out there much more, he might be a good choice.

[Zarn Solen]

My problem with Cruz is that he lacks the experience needed to 'balance the ticket.' He also is a sitting senator. I would rather not someone actively involved on the Senate (outside of Rand) move to Federal Executive. Don't get me wrong... I like Cruz. I think we need him pushing things around in the Senate, keeping McConnell and others honest.

LePage has the Executive experience card and is the one governor that can really be trusted. His problem is similar to Cruz's. Does he have enough of that experience?

Fortuno likely is a decent man, although I'm not sold on him right now. He did suck up to Romney, but in the end Rand had to as well.

DeMint is retired, so we lose nothing in the Senate. Being VP is basically still being retired but with a fancier title, so DeMint may actually be intrigued with such an offer. He is also respected by the Senate and the people.

[AJ Antimony]

If you want Luis Fortuno because you want to woo Hispanic voters, it's not a good idea. The majority of Hispanics are Mexican and let's say that there's a HUGE cultural divide between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

I'm ethnically Puerto Rican so I can say this with confident authority.

I mentioned Fortuno because I was under the impression that he had a very good conservative/free market record as governor. I'd also think he could appeal to some non-white voters more than someone like, say, Mike Lee.

[rubioneocon]

Why I chose who I did for the poll: My arbitrary stuff and how close I see them with Rand.

Cruz: Hispanic, incredible speaker, Texan, with Rand: 95%
Lee: Incredible speaker, proven integrity, with Rand: 95%
DeMint: Huge leader, credibility, with Rand: 90%
Flake: Outside shot, from west, likeable, with Rand: 85%
Amash: Young, transparent, smart, with Rand: 100%
Labrador: Hispanic, articulate, from west, with Rand: 95%
Jordan: Ohioan, big conservative leader, with Rand: 85%

Who my top 2 choices are:

1-Labrador
2-Cruz

The tiebreaker is Labrador has proven to be more dovish than Cruz, but Cruz being a Senator makes it close.

It is too bad that Cruz was born in Alberta, Canada and could not be Vice-President because
as a non-native born US citizen he could not constitutionally ever fill in as President.

[TaftFan]

It is too bad that Cruz was born in Alberta, Canada and could not be Vice-President because
as a non-native born US citizen he could not constitutionally ever fill in as President.

Under federal law he is a natural born citizen and eligible.

[Keith and stuff]

Ted Cruz would be best for raising money. Since he has the best connection to Goldman Sachs (and similar sources) of anyone that will be running in 2016, he might be able to use his connections to raise $300,000,000+ dollars. Will it be clean money? Since it will be from DC/Wall Street/the Federal Reserve/World banks, maybe not. But it will be money.

[Keith and stuff]

LePage has the Executive experience card and is the one governor that can really be trusted. His problem is similar to Cruz's. Does he have enough of that experience?

LePage isn't in Congress. Anyway, he says a lot of off the wall things. Democrats, like Biden can get away with that type of stuff because the vast majority of the MSM is very statist. However, LePage would get eaten up by the national media. Also, he wouldn't carry Maine or help Rand Paul win any additional states, IMO, if that is what you are thinking. LePage isn't popular in ME and I'd be shocked if he was reelected.

BTW, I don't hate LePage. He is OK on liberty issues. I'm just thinking of the election.

[TaftFan]

If somebody more knowledgable about Govs wants to start a poll on them that would be good.

btw-I don't mind the discussion of govs in the thread, I just wanted them out of the poll so I could narrow down peoples preferences

[Matt McGuire]

LePage isn't in Congress. Anyway, he says a lot of off the wall things. Democrats, like Biden can get away with that type of stuff because the vast majority of the MSM is very statist. However, LePage would get eaten up by the national media. Also, he wouldn't carry Maine or help Rand Paul win any additional states, IMO, if that is what you are thinking. LePage isn't popular in ME and I'd be shocked if he was reelected.

BTW, I don't hate LePage. He is OK on liberty issues. I'm just thinking of the election.

As a resident of Maine, I totally agree with this post. He's not great in the area of choosing his words carefully. His "gaffs" would be labelled as racist, cruel, etc.

The only way he would get re-elected here is if Eliot Cutler runs as an independent again, and Democrat with at least fair name recognition runs. (My Congressman, Mike Michaud, hasn't ruled it out.) According to a recent poll (PPP?), this would secure him a plurality again. I'm really hoping this happens, because LePage is, in fact, one of the most liberty friendly governors in the nation.

Also, Paul Ryan has no chance (not that anyone here suggested he did), because this is never going to happen:
http://i3.minus.com/j9v6HwZTZX0hG.png

lol

[Zarn Solen]

I never said LePage was in Congress. :P

[rubioneocon]

Under federal law he is a natural born citizen and eligible.

The Supreme Court of the United States of America is unequivocal about this . . . please read their definition of natural born as decided in case law.
They are the interpreters of the Constitutional requirement of natural born . . . just as meant by John Jay
in his suggestion to his friend George Washington in July 1787.

Under the Constitution of the United States and the relevant Supreme Court ruling and the State Department regulation for native born,
US citizen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will not be able to take the Oath of Office as President of these United States .

[rubioneocon]

I think it really shows our optimism that we are discussing this . . .
but the OP needs to include Other as a choice in his poll.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-California) could be a great Vice-President "short lister" for the GOP eventual nominee Rand Paul of Kentucky.

[Article V]

Two, I want him to pick a governor, because people respect the executive experience of governors, because we want to transfer a lot of power to state legislatures and it would be good to have someone with that experience on hand, and because that way we could attract a good candidate without cutting down our still-paltry numbers in the Congress.I agree wholeheartedly. But I'd settle for a Jim Demint since he's out of Congress and can attract traditional conservatives.

[Sola_Fide]

The irony to this thread is that it may turn out to be Rand that is the hot VP choice.

That is what I think will happen. The GOP is going to fight tooth and nail to get one of their bank-approved Israel-firsters at the top of the ticket and they will think they can throw the liberty movement a bone by throwing Rand in as VP.

[Article V]

Also, Paul Ryan has no chance (not that anyone here suggested he did), because this is never going to happen:
http://i3.minus.com/j9v6HwZTZX0hG.png

lolNever say never. If Rand decides he wants Paul Ryan (which I doubt he'll do), marketing would just advertise the ticket as RAND/RYAN. In fact, regardless of whether Ryan is chosen or not, I think campaign strategists may definitely consider moving forward with the Rand moniker before the Paul moniker as Rand is less generic and more recognizable. It's for that reason that we (and the media) all refer to Ron Paul by both his first and last name on most occasions, because "Paul" alone is fairly generic and uninteresting. If you hear someone say "Paul," you won't know that they mean our guy (either one of them) whereas if you say Romney, Trump, Santorum, Obama, etc. you know instantly that the conversation is about specific people and probably relates to politics. It's all about establishing a brand, not at all about last names.

Remember, the last name ticket pairing evolved as a pithy marketing tool; there's no reason it can't be adjusted if it means better marketing.

[Smart3]

Picked Flake since AZ is probably going blue in 2016.

[eleganz]

Ben Carson..everybody likes that guy...

[Keith and stuff]

Ben Carson..everybody likes that guy...

Everybody?

[juleswin]

My heart tells me Mike Lee but my head says Ted Cruz will give the best chance to win

[scottditzen]

John Kasich. He served in Congress and was budget committee chair in the mid-90s. But I voted for Labrador.

Approval of Kasich is pretty split here in Ohio. A Paul/Kasich ticket might not even win the state.

[andrew1229649]

We could just use both of their first names, Rand/Paul 2016 DOH! :D

[AJ Antimony]

Picked Flake since AZ is probably going blue in 2016.

Can you (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Arizona,_20 00) back (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Arizona,_20 04) that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Arizona,_20 08) up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Arizona,_20 12)?

[rubioneocon]

Also, Paul Ryan has no chance (not that anyone here suggested he did), because this is never going to happen:
http://i3.minus.com/j9v6HwZTZX0hG.png

lol

We could just use both of their first names, Rand/Paul 2016 DOH! :D

LOL

yes, . . . that's the ticket . . .

and if not Ryan then any other VP with a first name of Paul . . . haha

RAND and PAUL for 2016 vs. maybe Hillary and Joe or Joe and Hillary

too funny Parah Sailin' . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA15XJy55J0

[P3ter_Griffin]

I'd like to see Gary Johnson as his VP too. I doubt it happens.

Who Hillary decides to run as VP or maybe what kind of VP Hillary will seek out based on her character/flaws/etc. could be important info. I don't have the slightest clue though.