Something I have always wondered was, what if John McCain would have selected his rival for the nomination, Mitt Romney as his vice presidential nominee instead of Sarah Palin? Some say McCain would have never done this because of vitriol between them during the Republican Party Presidential Primaries. However, I saw some merit to McCain selecting Romney. For one, Romney would unify his supporters behind McCain and balance the Republican National Ticket geographically and ideologically. Romney's gaffes as VP nominee might be different than Sarah Palin (maybe an earlier 47% line?). How would Romney being the 2008 VP nominee help or hurt his ATL presidential campaign in 2012?
 
Romney as running mate is plausible enough under ordinary circumstances, but McCain had been trailing Obama in the polls and felt he had to go with someone relatively unconventional.

As for his effect on the election if chosen, I would say it would be negligible. The GOP might do very marginally better with Mormons and in some well-to-do suburbs, very marginally worse in some rural areas. But poltiical scientists' overwhelming consensus that running mates make very little difference in election outcomes--there is even a serious dispute as to whether they help the ticket in their home states!--seems to leave people here unmoved, even when we are dealing with an election which was held during the greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression and was not at all close.
 
Romney as running mate is plausible enough under ordinary circumstances, but McCain had been trailing Obama in the polls and felt he had to go with someone relatively unconventional.

As for his effect on the election if chosen, I would say it would be negligible. The GOP might do very marginally better with Mormons and in some well-to-do suburbs, very marginally worse in some rural areas. But political scientists' overwhelming consensus that running mates make very little difference in election outcomes--there is even a serious dispute as to whether they help the ticket in their home states!--seems to leave people here unmoved, even when we are dealing with an election which was held during the greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression and was not at all close.
Would the extended publicity Romney received as VP nominee in 2008 have any effect on Romney's presidential campaign in 2012?
 
Would the extended publicity Romney received as VP nominee in 2008 have any effect on Romney's presidential campaign in 2012?

Probably more to attack on. A loser. But he’d probably do the same as in OTL. McCain lost pretty big in a recession. Romney can’t do better during a better time. Romney is just not a good presidential candidate.
 

Wallet

Banned
I think McCain does worst. This flips Missouri and Montana to Obama.

Picking a billionaire business man during the worst recession in memory is not a good idea. Not when millions of Americans are losing their jobs and having their home foreclosed. The same attack ads used OTL in 2012 against Romney will be used.

I’ve always wondered what would be needed for a candidate to win 400+ in the electoral college in the modern era.

I think Obama/Hillary vs Romney/Liberman. With a far right conservative third party. Maybe Mike Huckabee/Sarah Palin?

The Democrats win 65+ of the popular vote and win Missouri, Montana, Georgia,
 
I think Obama/Hillary vs Romney/Liberman. With a far right conservative third party. Maybe Mike Huckabee/Sarah Palin?

The Democrats win 65+ of the popular vote and win Missouri, Montana, and Georgia.
Romney wasn't as close to Lieberman as McCain was. I don't think Romney would ever offer it to Lieberman and Lieberman would never accept. For a conservative third party, how about Sam Brownback at the top of the ticket and Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, or Ron Paul as VP?
 
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Romney is too wooden and uninspiring. He's also unreliable on social issues. Socons would have stayed home in droves and made the beatdown even worse.
 
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