The guys over at the AJC’s Political Insider say that Sonny Perdue’s testimony in the US Senate is an audition to be a running mate on the Presidential ticket:
Perdue’s conversations with journalists have been spotty since his re-election three months ago, so the evidence is mostly circumstantial. But people around him privately tell us we’re on target.
First, look at the Republican side of the ‘08 presidential race. The three leaders — John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani — have two things in common. All are from outside the South. And none of them are likely to whip the GOP’s conservative Christian core into a frenzy of delight.
If the Republican party is to lurch toward the center next year, someone from the South, or with Southern appeal, will be needed to stoke the base. If the GOP nominee is to be McCain or Giuliani, both well-developed voices on international security, that would also argue for someone whose strength is in domestic policy.
Enter a Republican governor. Bob Riley in Alabama, Haley Barbour in Mississippi, Mark Sanford in South Carolina. Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, now in the presidential hunt, might qualify. Jeb Bush, who just exited the office in Florida, is a scratch solely because of his last name.
And then there’s Perdue.
I like Sanford out of the group of Southern Governors, but he supports McCain, so I guess I’ll pass on that.
I’m taking Ron Paul for President, so I don’t expect much of out of 2008.
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Look no further than Georgia for your next president–Bill Bolton that is.
To quote John McEnroe, “You cannot be serious!” Why do these folks trot Sonny out every five or six weeks with this same fantasy? Sonny is dumb as a stump and has horrid political judgment. He’ll be lucky to survive the coming investigations into his land deals.
“and has horrid political judgment.”
You may or may not like Perdue or his policies, but I don’t see how his political judgement is up for dispute. He recently won re-election against a well-known, formidable opponent by unprecedented margins thought impossible just days before the election.
If a recent statewide election is not an indicator of political judgement then I’d love to see what standards you would include in your political judgement test.
If Republicans have to turn to someone from the South to win the election in 2008, you might as well go ahead and hang it up. I’ll go a step further, if the troops aren’t heading out of Iraq by this summer, Republicans are going to have a hard time holding onto any office in 2008.
Republicans need to widen the playing field, not maintain what they have.
The talk is flatering I’m sure and the Perdue people are doing nothing to knock it down, I don’t blame them.
Much more logical for McCain or any Senator running for President would be to pick someone from the West , Midwest, or upper Midwest… Think Tommy Thompson, Tim Pawlenty, or someone like that.
No one is “trotting” Sonny out. His margin over Taylor in ’06 speaks for itself. Sonny did!
Dang Bull, you first talk about Perdue endorsing Isackson for Governor, vice versa, Perdue for Senate, so which is it? Sonny’s good for Georgia only? Or Isackson needs Sonny?
And I’ll go a step further on Iraq,” critical analysis is not an evaluation of the means actually employed, but of all possible means. One can, after all, not condemn a method without being able to suggest a better alternative.” Karl von Clauswitz, ” On War,” 1832.
So if the troops aren’t out by the summer what do you suggest for victory in Iraq?
Vice President Chambliss is more likely.
His judgment on proceeding with his self serving land deals was horrid. It will keep him from ever holding another elective office of any kind.
I’ve long thought Saxby would be a great veep choice. My dream ticket was Romney/Chambliss but I’m not so sure how I feel about MR anymore. Still, Saxby would be great for somebody.
I’ve got to agree with Bull Moose here. Sonny may know the political calculus for Georgia but I highly doubt that he’d have any currency outside of the deep South.
A Republican finally won the Governor’s office in Georgia. Not that surprising really when you think about it in perspective.
“His judgment on proceeding with his self serving land deals was horrid. It will keep him from ever holding another elective office of any kind.”
Since this issue was basically the cornerstone of Mark Taylor’s campaign and was given a great deal of press time, BEFORE his last election, I would have to disagree with you.
That being said I agree with the other posters that if the Republicans need Sonny to secure the South for them, then they’ve got bigger problems. I know someone else mentioned that if the GOP nominates a moderate for President they could use Sonny as a positive signal to the conservative wing – I’m not sure if Sonny fits that mold.
If Sonny is the Republican Veep candidate in 2008, his ethics problems will be trotted out again, and liberal groups all over America will take him to the woodshed.
“what do you suggest for victory in Iraq?”
A time machine to re-do the invasion.
This is coming from a hawk and a supporter of American military efforts.
Sonny will not be VP! What does he bring to the ticket? I like Sonny and voted for him every chance I got, but he ain’t going to be VP.
If the last election tells us anything it’s that Georgia is about as RED as it gets. What the GOP ticket needs in ’08 is someone who can keep nominal GOP states in the fold like Virginia, Missouri, & Colorado. If the nominee needs someone to help shore up his support with the southern christian right then yes Sonny can help. But any GOP nominee that needs to shore up support with the southern christian right might want to start working on his concession speech.
Riley is the best choice of the group. He had a long life outside of politics as an entrepreneur with many varied and successful businesses. He is a solid family man and a Christian conservative, but he has the charisma and likeability factors that will help to overcome left-wing criticisms of his solid conservative record. He can help throughout the South, having served in Congress and developed close relationships with many southern politicos.
The only negative: if Riley leaves it puts a Dem in the Governor’s Mansion in Montgomery.
Barbour is also a solid choice, but I doubt he wants to leave his post in Mississippi and his lobbying background could be a liability.
Bill Bolton is like the Pat Buchanan of the left (good terms) . I would support his presidential campaign, if every ran for President. I agree with him and Buchanan on trade policies we need increased tariffs to help the US compete aganist cheap labor markets
Oh My God!
The first politician in history to run for Vice President!
If Dick Cheney can survive the “war for oil” and “war profiteering” crap during the 2004 election, I’m sure Perdue can handle what may or may not be an ethics issue.
Just a thought.
So we can assume that Dan Quayle had to campaign?
That the Vice President will do nothing in the future?
Have no power?
Well, with no one else running, Sonny’s number 1 with a bullet. Someone tell him to enjoy his few days in the sun.
Someone else call Dan Quayle and calm him down. It’s too early for Danny to be celebrating. I know, Dan, I know. It hurts to have been the biggest joke of a Vice President in modern times. But, Sonny is a long shot to replace you.
Go play some golf. Chill. Maybe in 2008. Maybe not.
Comparing Cheney and Perdue and their skills of survival is a stretch. You cannot compare the two and their abilities. Meaning no disrespect by saying this but Sonny is no Dick.
Haha, good point.
Especially with Sonny’s habit of laughing away direct questions on his intentions.
No no no … I love idea of Sonny as VP – this is a great opportunity for Nick Ayers to become VP Chief of Staff at age 25! Then he really can be one of the most powerful people in the country, DUI be damned!
C’mon people … do yall seriously read Political Insider still?!?
Well, you know, them land deals they get pretty complicated. They’re hard to understand, usually get harped on so much people get tired of them.
I remember an earlier land deal. One of a Misses Clinton, from Arkansas, and her husband.
So when the liberal woodshed group gets started about Sonny’s land deals, they can chomp on Wild Bill’s old lady about her shenanigans. Maybe that’s why they called them “she-nanigans” to begin with.
At least Sonny…….had the money………..to cover his.
Inherited or how ever Sonny was funding his investment, he was covering the liabilities with collateral and accumalated equity.
Seems like the Whitewater Deal was something about folks with no money getting a prime river tract of timber, poised for development, from some big timber conglomerate.
I think the payments were being made off money “profited” from some kind of boo-ray cow manuever manure.
That profit was then parlayed into enough materials and airtime, to get po boy Bill’s smiling face into enough hearts and minds of voters by primary day.
From there they hung a limb, up on a curve big enough to ride some Bush discomfort, and a promise of everything from a man who basically had nothing, to slip right in the back door of the Whitehouse.
Now going for second whammy is the Hildebeast(did ya’ll ever decide on a moniker?) herself, probable originator of the original Clinton for President scam in the beginning.
Bill just didn’t know, his office was only the preliminary for what was really coming.
I can hear the cussing now on Lewinsky Nite,
Bill, you dumm summ b***h, here I is trying to get to be President, and you bout to mess it up.
“But Bumpkins noodely doo, I’m already the Pres-siii-dentttt>>>>>>>>(
Ron Paul?
As in “The Pot Candidate” endorsed by High Times Magazine in November 1988, Ron Paul?
Not a chance.
As in the “Taxpayer’s Best Friend,” as he was called by the National Taxpayers Union.
Bowersville, I didn’t say that Isakson would endorse Perdue or Perdue would endorse Isakson. Get your facts straight.
Who ever said Saxby Chambliss would make a great Vice-President is smoking crack. Not only is he completely worthless, he and Isakson just voted to increase the minimum wage…
The minimum wage was WAY passed needing to be raised. You can’t continue to raise Congressional salaries and not touch the minimum wage without looking like a hypocrite.
The next step needs to be indexing the minimum wage to inflation the same way that political contributions are now indexed.
Gee Bull, I have a better solution then.
How about we don’t give congressional pay raises then?
The minimum wage is worthless.
And please, Mr. Moose, enlighten me on just how WAY past “needing” to be raised the minimum wage is. Please, support your argument with facts, and not antecdotes.
Bull, I hope you are kidding about raising the min wage. If not, then my buddy Jeff Emanuel just let me know that Arthur Laffer will be speaking at UGA soon. I suggest you attend this event b/c you might need a real lesson in economics, specifically why raising the min wage is not good for ANYONE!
I think Bull just says things to piss people off.
Thanks Bull, you made the perfect point, neither will endorse the other. However, the attempt at justifying the Isakson vote in favor of the minimum wage is lacking.
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