Political Radar: Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the VP Spot
ABCNews’ Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said. “Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” According to Senor, Rice has been cozying up to the Republican elite.
“There’s this ritual in Washington: The Americans for Tax Reform, which is headed by Grover Norquist, he holds a weekly meeting of conservative leaders — about 100, 150 people, sort of inside, chattering, class types,” Senor said. “They all typically get briefings from political conservative leaders. Ten days ago, they had an interesting visit — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — the first time a secretary of state has visited the Wednesday meeting.” According to Senor, Rice has been cozying up to the Republican elite. “What the McCain campaign has to consider is whether or not they want to pick a total outsider, a fresh face, someone a lot younger than him, a governor who people aren’t that familiar with,” Senor said.
“The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second they see that announcement, ‘I get it, that person could be president tomorrow,'” Senor added. “Condi Rice is an option.”
Like many people I think McCain will probably be the next President. How is his health BTW?
No leftovers, thanks.
This would be brilliant strategy by the republicans.
If Obama runs against McCain he has a good chance of winning because Obama has really energized some of the more liberal folk by being black (and Hillary by being a woman) so the Democratic turnout has been great.
I know many Republicans that are not excited about McCain, Republican turnout might not be great come election day.
But if there is a black woman on the Republican side it might take a little of the energy away.
Condie Rice? That would be top on my list of unfunny jokes. A total tool.
If the repugs loose this election it will be because the candidate(s) get identified as Bush Light, or Bushe’s third term–right?
Now who, after Dick Cheney, represents Bush moreso than Rice??
Anybody want to name any of her accomplishments other than lying to congress?
I’m sill hoping for McCain/Paul.
Unlikely, I know.
This is all four years too late. There was a growing groundswell of support for Condi Rice during Bush’s first term. But in the second term, she has managed to alienate most of her own party and is now seen as, yes, something of a tool. So there’s gonna be no internal support. Strategically? If McCain were to choose her, it would look desperate and obvious. I can’t imagine many/any Dems crossing over because Condi’s on the ticket, especially of Obama is running at the top of the competing ticket. And she isn’t going to energize her party’s own base.
So what’s the point? Her window of oppportunity has closed.
So, I see she’s still got the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs gig on her resume. I guess she figures that’s still got enough spin left on it.
I hope he does pick her, just so nobody can forget that he’s not really fiercely independent.
guess its a few more years of doing NOTHING AT ALL for her if she gets it. awesome.
When donkeys fly!
I can see McCain picking Rice in order to appear open minded. It won’t work with the Republican base. They will need someone with a lot more charisma and appeal to have the fundies get back on board.
My kind of girl. She could own me any day.
I want to caption the photo of Condi, just for the hell of it.
“I caught George coming out of the shower yesterday, it must’ve been a cold shower.”
Not going to happen: She’s damaged goods.
This whole story seems counterfactual to me. Or, at least I’d like to hope that the story is counterfactual …
LOL! #12, McCullough that was good!
Condi for VP? She is stumping for the job, but she’s not even on McCain’s list. On CNN they reported that McCain didn’t even know she wanted the job.
But McCullough, isn’t she giving Bush a little “too much” attention?
If Condi runs… the Republicans are back in the race.
#12 … is this the grade 6 blog now?
#16. Or too much credit?
How would the republic party be back in the race?
Are people really suggesting that blacks and woman vote for a candidate just because of race or gender?
Can anyone find a black democrat or independent who would vote for McCain just because Condi is on the ticket? McCain already has the right wing. I just can’t see liberal or independent blacks or woman falling for it.
I bet the Fox News gang will present it like a wave of independent blacks and woman will flock to the McCain camp. Seems disrespectful.
>>> Steven Long said,
>>> This would be brilliant strategy by the republicans.
>>> If Obama runs against McCain he has a good chance of winning because Obama has really energized some of the more liberal folk by being black
Don’t be so sure. Having TWO “blacks” in the race might keep the white bubbas at home more than it brings out liberals.
Best I can tell, most liberals like Barak for reasons other than his color.
I, myself, admit that one of the main reasons I like him is because he’s black.
I am just ITCHING for a fight with the souther right racists who have been polluting our democracy since the civil war. If Obama wins, it will finally prove that you can win the election despite those evil people.
>Are people really suggesting that blacks and woman vote for a candidate just because of race or gender?
Yes, take a look at the Democratic primary.
If Condi were on the ticket, watching liberals scream in anger would be hilarious. They may dislike Republicans, but they really hate the idea of blacks who don’t worship the Democratic Party.
That doesn’t make sense MikeN.
How is the Democratic party proof that woman and blacks vote solely on race and gender?
Your second sentence proves nothing either way. So your saying that blacks and woman are easily tricked into voting against their better judgment?
I’ve got a better caption for the picture.
“I believe I’ve got about this much of a chance of becoming Vice President.”
This is a total smoke screen proposal. The “Great White Hope” of all the elderly republicans isn’t going to be too pleased with her as 2nd banana. McCain would probably lose as many of these voters as he would gain, of the more liberal ones. More than likely, the GOP will pick someone for McCain that either ex-military or another former industrial insider, as Cheney once was. If any black person were going to be their VP candidate, it would be Colin Powel.
On the Democratics’ side, Obama’s camp has mentioned something about having Al Gore in a position to deal with Global Warming. Sounds like a cabinate position, like EPA or the Interior, if not a wholly new department. But I’ll bet that this will happen were Obama or Clinton get in. No coincidence that the Clintons are friends of Gore. He wouldn’t be chosen as VP again, that’s for sure.
Rice could never be VP because she’s hauling too much political baggage from this current administration. There’s already a growing belief in the media that she has instrumental in selling us this mess of a war in Iraq, with bogus facts, for some undisclosed agenda. Like turning over the Iraq’s Oil to someone who ensure their financial futures. Can you say “I’ve got a Swiss Bank account waiting for me when I retire”?
#20…gregallen…WTF are you talking about? Racists are all over the country, not just in the south and from the looks of a bunch of exit poll interviews I saw and read, there’s a hell of a lot of them still in the Democratic Party. Other than the Grand Wizard of West Virginia Senator Bryd I mean.
#22…julib…Obviously Blacks and to a large extent women DO vote based on gender and race, at least in the Democratic Party. Obama has taken no less than 75%(and that was just 1 state, it’s been mostly around 85 to 90%) of the black vote in any caucus or primary this year and Hillary has had no less than 56% of the female(white) vote in any of the primaries and caucuses this year. I would say that constitutes gender and race voting, wouldn’t you?
#23 and others……This rumor made it’s way around all the blogs today. It has been shot down by some preetty big names on the Republican side. Surprisingly she actually has a high positive rating in polls, but why would McCain want or need her? He already has the Foriegn Affairs experience covered and why attach himself at the hip to all of Bush’s bad moves by adding Bush’s reason for so many of those moves to his ticket as V.P.?
As a top (unnamed) stratigist in the McCain camp said, he barely knows her, but they do get along, she dosen’t add anything to the ticket, she wouldn’t help with women, she dosen’t have any demographic she could deliver, she can’t bring in a state, and she would pull at most 14 blacks from Obama.
The very conservative’s that were backing Romney against McCain have taken out full page ads in places where McCain is speaking the next couple months telling him that if he takes Romney on the ticket they will stay home, because they have decided that Romney isn’t relly a conservative based on his public positions while govenor of Mass.
There actually is a renewed interest in Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. The only drawback to her apparently is the worry about McCains age and his V.P. choice being able to take over if he should keel over.
I love her, she’s real, she’s smart, she’s a real reformer, and she’s a babe. 🙂
Many very racist comments on this site. Adding Condi Rice to the McCain ticket is not about the black vote. They will never vote for a Republican even if Obama was the candidate. It is about one of the greatest Americans ever. She incarnates what is good about this country. She incarnates the American Dream. She is smart, has the right experience and would be a great asset to McCain.
Those who say that she is damaged goods are so wrong. Many of Obama’s supporters do not like his policies but they love the person. Rice arouses the same passions. McCain/Rice is THE winning ticket.
I agree a McCain/Rice ticket would be a brilliant move by the Rupugnants. I’d say go for it. She need to wipe the shit off her nose but she cleans up nice.
If the GOP brings in Ann Coulter as secretary of state they will cover all bases.
– an Old Guy, a Black Woman and a Drag Queen.
# 24 Joshua said, on April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 am
“#22…julib…Obviously Blacks and to a large extent women DO vote based on gender and race, at least in the Democratic Party. Obama has taken no less than 75%(and that was just 1 state, it’s been mostly around 85 to 90%) of the black vote in any caucus or primary this year and Hillary has had no less than 56% of the female(white) vote in any of the primaries and caucuses this year. I would say that constitutes gender and race voting, wouldn’t you?”
No, I wouldn’t say that. Obama and Clinton are Democrats. They agree on many issues. If Condi was running with her current political stance in the Democratic primary, she would not be getting the votes of Obama or Clinton.
Condi is in the Republic party. The point is, “Will they cross the isle and vote against their politics just because Condi is a black woman?” I say no.
I must be totally out of touch. Does anybody trust this woman? People would just associate her too much with the current administration. It would be the worst move they could possibly make, so I sincerely hope they do it.=)
Exactly Julie, the candidates agree on so many issues, yet the votes are split on race and gender lines. And the 56% is lower because Obama is getting support from black women. If blacks don’t vote for blacks then shouldn’t Obama be getting about 52% of the black vote?
Well, we apparently love to vote for incompetent people here in the USA. Could be a winner.