Local politicians weigh in on vice-presidential contenders

Now that Republicans and Democrats have settled on their choices for president, speculation turns to the vice-presidential nominees.

Those choices, of course, are up to Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, the presumptive presidential nominees.

And in this most unpredictable and historic presidential race, their selections might loom large when voters go to the polls in November.

Part of that has to do with how the office has changed dramatically in purpose and perception over the past seven and a half years.

Until the George W. Bush administration, vice presidents generally had little impact on power or policy, at least according to a number of former officeholders.

John Adams, the first U.S. vice president, groused this in a letter to his wife, Abigail: "My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived."

The most damning assessment of the No. 2 slot might have come from John Nance Garner, who served as vice-president under Franklin Roosevelt. Garner supposedly said the office was "not worth a bucket of warm spit."

Regardless, some political observers say that vice-presidential power has changed dramatically since Dick Cheney assumed the office in 2001. Some of the president's most ardent critics say Cheney is the real power in the administration.

Pundits are divided over what, if any, impact the choice of vice-presidential nominees might have in the 2008 presidential race.

With all this in mind, the Times-News asked local power brokers in both parties to offer their thoughts on possible vice-presidential nominees.

County Commissioner Tim Sutton has already settled on Mitt Romney as his choice. "I'm not going to waver on this at all," Sutton said.

Sutton likes the former Massachusetts governor's "business acumen" and said Romney would help shore up the conservative base for McCain, the Arizona senator and GOP standard-bearer.

Sutton's second choice is current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whom he calls "brilliant."

Rice, Sutton added, would counter-balance McCain's tough foreign-policy stances. "Where McCain might have a big bark, she might have a leash."

District 64 Rep. Cary Allred joined Sutton in praising Rice, but said her ties with the Bush administration don't make her the best choice for the GOP.

Allred said the choice of a black woman with proven national leadership experience other than Rice "would be ideal" because it would show minority voters that the Republican Party is friendly to their needs.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is another good choice, Allred said. Powell's foreign policy credentials and military experience as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Gulf War would be a boon for McCain, Allred thinks.

The nominee should be an experienced political hand with name recognition, Allred added. "I don't think we need a rising star right now."

When it comes to the Democratic choice, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards could help Illinois Sen. Barack Obama pull in more white working-class voters, said Anna Gerow, the president of the county's Democratic women.

Gerow is not high on New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as Obama's running mate. Clinton, the former first lady, was Obama's rival for the nomination throughout the primaries.

"I don't think she would be a bad choice, but she wouldn't be the wise choice," Gerow said.

Obama's choice should signal a fresh start, a move away from the Bush-Clinton-Bush years, Gerow thinks.

Commissioner Ann Vaughan more or less shares that opinion. "I definitely think Senator Clinton should not be" the nominee, the Democrat said.

Vaughan said Clinton is "very aggressive" and might "over-step her boundaries as vice president."

That might amount to a de-facto Clinton administration, Vaughan said. "I don't think that would be in the best interests of the country."

Like Allred and Gerow, Vaughan said she hasn't given the choice much thought. She didn't have a name in mind, but wants someone who is "very strong in international affairs and economic policies."

Rep. Alice Bordsen said the No. 2 for the Democrats should be a seasoned leader who "understands the complexities of how government works" and "knows how to pull the levers of political power," but nevertheless willing to subordinate his or her ego to the president.

The next vice president, Bordsen said, should be less powerful and more open to public scrutiny than Cheney. With Cheney, "I think we had a dual presidency," Bordsen said.

For the next vice president, combining strong leadership skills with being a loyal and subservient lieutenant will be "a very tall order," Bordsen said.

Bordsen refused to recommend someone for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination, but said Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd embodies those qualities.

County GOP Chairman Robert Simpson likes Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whom he calls an "all-around fiscal ... and social conservative."

McCain needs such a conservative to appeal to voters who think the Arizona senator isn't far enough to the right, Simpson said.
Not surprisingly, predictions about who will win come November fall along party lines.

The choice of vice-presidential nominees will be crucial in the race, everyone save Bordsen said.

Sutton said the choice is make-or-break for both parties.

Bordsen thinks the choice will be more important for McCain "because of his age."

At least one recent national poll showed the presidential nominees in a dead heat.

Among the half-dozen local leaders, all but Vaughan think the Obama-McCain contest is going to be close.

Voters have "had a bellyful of the current party" and are likely to vote Democratic, Vaughan thinks.

"If he (Obama) has a good, strong running mate," Vaughan said, "I think it will be a sizable win."