Choosing a Running Mate

Now that we know who will be running for president, people are starting to focus on the running mates. Geographic balance used to the primary consideration. Now candidates look for someone that complements them. Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama picked senior leaders to add some gravitas to their campaigns. Rather than playing the name game, I will take a guess the selection process Clinton and Trump might use.

My guess is that Hillary Clinton will look for someone who can attract the youth vote. Because of her age, that person has to be seen as someone who is qualified to be president. There is a lot of speculation regarding Elizabeth Warren. That won’t happen for two reasons. First, she just  turned sixty-seven. More important, the Massachusetts governor is a Republican and they can’t afford to give up a senate seat. I would suggest she follow Romney’s example and choose someone like Paul Ryan who can be a future party leader. The Democrats have a very weak bench.

 I have no idea what criteria Donald Trump will use. It would make sense that he pick someone with a solid resume that would appeal to those outside his core constituency. It doesn’t really matter since I doubt he would listen to them anyway. The real question is why anyone would want the job. The two main requirements are to be totally subservient to an egomaniac and be willing to defend his indefensible outbursts. Their political future will likely resemble Sarah Palin rather than Paul Ryan. It might appeal to someone who has no political prospects and nothing to lose.

We will have to stay tuned and see if they pick someone who will help them or hurt them.