The final short list is out now for the Republican VP spot. If you were a firm believer that Donald Trump would pick a woman as his VP, unless he picks Elise Stefanik, it will absolutely be a male. Stefanik is the only female on the final list, Axios reports. Stefanik was once the great white hope of the young Republican party. She swiftly sold her soul to Satan and declared herself Ultra MAGA. Same with J.D. Vance who used to think straight. He went the way of Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, others who saw what a flake Trump was from the get go and now they’re all down on bended knee.
Before we get to the eight finalists, let’s take a look at who didn’t make the cut, most notably Kristi Noem. She hung in there to the very end, appearing on Fox News and all the Sunday shows, even post-Cricket murder revelation. Noem was hoping to regain ground. Wasn’t going to happen, didn’t happen. Now Trump could pull a last minute switcheroo and chose her, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Noem was hoping that Trump would do for her what he did for Mike Pence and revitalize her political career after a disastrous governorship, which includes Noem being banned from every square foot of Indian tribal land in the State of South Dakota. Didn’t happen.
Kari Lake was always a fantasy. Lake used to spend a great deal of time at Mar-a-Lago. She has nothing to offer the ticket, never did, unless you can count hours logged in worshipping Trump in his home some kind of political asset.
Whether Marjorie Taylor Greene was ever a serious contender, we don’t know. But we do know that’s not happening now, either. So here is who is left.
Trump’s campaign has requested financial and other documents from eight contenders:
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — Trump likes Burgum’s measured demeanor and his experience as governor, Axios reported previously, as well as his success in business.
- Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — Trump’s top Senate ally and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” he’s been lauded by allies as an articulate voice for populist conservatives. Vance is friends with Donald Trump Jr. and has said he initially wasn’t a fan of the elder Trump but became a believer.
- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)Â came up as a traditional Republican under the wing of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and has experience in foreign policy, including working with Trump during his presidency.
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)Â is well liked among his Senate Republican colleagues and a prolific fundraiser. He’s worked on legislation with Trump in the past.
- Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson was a loyal cabinet member who served all of Trump’s first term. He was a pediatric neurosurgeon before entering politics.
- Others being vetted include Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
“Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying,” Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes told Axios. “Unless the person is named Donald J. Trump.”
If I had to guess right now I’d say it’s a toss up between Doug Bergum and Elise Stefanik. Bergum is a good fundraiser, has the appeal of being old school Republican. Stefanik has been Trump’s pit bull. Neither one of them can bring him any votes he doesn’t already have.
J.D. Vance can’t do anything for Trump that I can perceive. Same with Tom Cotton. I’m not even sure why their names are on the list unless Trump wants to do one of his The Apprentice level competitions and bring more drama to the situation than is needed.
Marco Rubio is on the list because supposedly he could help Trump get the Hispanic vote. You know that Ben Carson, Tim Scott, and Byron Donalds are there for the same reason, to get the Black vote. Donalds and Rubio are both from Florida. That will pose a Constitutional issue like Dick Cheney being from Texas back in the day did with Bush. if Donalds or Rubio are going to move to Wyoming, I don’t know about it.
I think it’s going to be Bergum or Stefanik, for the reasons stated. Tim Scott has an outside chance because I think Trump probably gets off on his Step-n-Fetch It groveling. That is a quality that Trump loves. Those are the top three.
In a world after Sarah Palin became a VP contender, and, worse, Trump became President, there are no more surprises left as to how bad any of the GOP candidates could be or are.
But S.N.L. will no doubt make something of it.
Give a sympathetic thought to the hapless writers at S.N.L. and The Onion. While others are afraid of being replaced by AI, they’re afraid of being replaced by reality.
I always liked that picture with Governor Noem looking at Rage-addled Fascist with those Lovable Puppy Eyes. The whole Puppy-Gate scandal brought back memories of record I heard on Dr. Demento’s radio show in the late sixties, Dead Puppies.
Dead Puppies Dead Puppies Dead Puppies aren’t much fun.
They don’t come when you call,
They don’t chase squirrels at all
Dead puppies aren’t much fun
My puppy died late last fall
He’s still rotting in the hall
Dead puppies aren’t much fun, no no no
Mom says puppy’s days are through
She’s going to throw him in the stew
Dead puppies aren’t much fun, no no no
Now that I pasted some of the lyrics, I wonder whether there was Cricket Stew afterwards?
That is a classic Dr. Demento song! OMG! I think we should send this to Noem and ask her if she put Cricket in a stew? :))
I miss the Dr. Demento show. Shit that was a hoot.
We are finally living in the world of Dr. Demento.
The only problem with Cheney comparison is when Cheney was selected, he wasn’t a serving politician. Not in the US House, not in the US Senate–not even in the TX legislature. He was in private business with Halliburton so the move was little more than a slight inconvenience (of course, he already owned property in Wyoming, hence the “slight”).
For Rubio or Donalds, a move to another state would mean they would have to leave their current jobs since the Constitution MANDATES residency in the state they’re representing in Congress. As I noted in other threads, they could be Trump’s VP without moving but they’d have to be willing to not get Florida’s VP electoral votes (which could conceivably lead to Trump having Kamala Harris as his VP–whichever VP candidate receives 270 EVs becomes the veep; a two-Florida resident ticket would have to get a clear 301 EVs so that Florida’s lack of voting for Rubio or Donalds wouldn’t matter).
Noem always looks sad lost & completely zoned out. what a spaced out hag!
noem never had a snowball’s chance in hell after the dog story got out. A lot of magats have dogs and even though Von Shitzinpants doesn’t like pets or have them, he didn’t brutally kill one and then think it was ok to put it in a fucking book.
I kind of like the idea of cotton-get his ass out of the senate. Maybe the dems could get something going there. Hard I know but worth a shot.
He won’t pick Scott or Daniels or Carson. Trump’s a dyed in the wool racist and he won’t want a Black man standing next to him. Ditto Hispanics,,so.that eliminates Rubio, although Little Marco may make him look taller.
Trump: hmmm…which idiot should I pick? I sure don’t want someone smarter than me! I’m mad, sad and glad there are many to choose from.