We've spent the past few months watching Republican primary candidates not named Chris Christie try to compete against Trump without really going after him. Could they perhaps be angling for a chance at ultimately being Trump's choice for veep? Last week on the Matter of Opinion podcast, Michelle Cottle bravely led her co-hosts into a discussion about what they call the possible "field of nightmares" that is the veep selection process. Should the choice be someone who can shore up the base or win over swing voters? Should it be someone who is most fit to help with the actual governing, à la Dick Cheney? Or how about a person who can double-down on what the ticket is promising (like Bill Clinton? Have some more in Al Gore!). Of course, no one can predict how a selection will fare in the V.P. role. But certainly we have a rich history of picks turning into jokes. And yet Cottle sticks up for Dan Quayle (of "potatoe" fame), while Ross Douthat defends his early call for John McCain to go with a young upstart, Sarah Palin. Carlos Lozada predicts that if Donald Trump is the nominee, he will go with a Goldilocks strategy, picking someone who is broadly appealing but won't compete for the spotlight. Lydia Polgreen makes what Douthat agrees is "an airtight argument" (her words) for why one of the people Trump's competing against for the nomination would be the most rational choice for him to make. Meanwhile, Douthat and Cottle argue that strategic rationality is probably not going to win out this go-around. Some of the hosts wonder who would want the veep job anyway, given Mike Pence's fate. I promise that the "Matter of Opinion" hosts take the choices in this election very seriously, but I gotta tell you, I've never laughed out loud cutting tape for a show as much as I did working on this episode. Just wait 'til you hear Lozada's Jimmy Carter story. Listen to the episode:
Here's what we're focusing on today:
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Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Opinion Today: What goes into picking a vice president?
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