It Doesn’t Matter
The Republican National Convention begins Monday in Milwaukee, with the only surprise left being who will be named Donald Trump’s running mate. We may know before the convention, but more likely it will come out Monday night.
And in reality, it doesn’t matter, at least from an election standpoint.
The old days of ticket balancing, playing the electoral college game, etc., etc., are over. At least as far as this election is concerned, it’s Trump v. Biden…or Biden and Harris, given the likelihood of Biden serving a full second term.
In my view, the best plan is for Trump to find someone who could take over—the key job of a vice president, after all—but that also would be a good partner in governing the nation. Don’t look to see who would be the heir apparent, don’t pick a future successor to the movement…just pick someone who can do the number 2 job well and is a good campaigner.
It’s too presumptuous, even for Trump, to pick someone who will inherit the mantle. We have no idea what the world will look like in another four years, and it really ought to be up to voters to figure out who the nominee should be in 2028. Obviously that person has a leg up…unless Trump takes a page from the George W. Bush playbook in 2000 and pick someone who would never run for the top spot, which I’m frankly just fine with. There’s plenty to do for the next president in a four-year term, without wondering if the vice president is remaining loyal, or already practicing reciting a future oath of office in the mirror.
Word will likely get out sooner than later; those campaign signs with both names on them don’t just magically appear on the convention floor, after all. And given that a vice president is literally a heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world, it matters who is in the job.
Yes, a very close election is forecast and every vote matters. But for November 5th, it’s hard to see how anyone Trump chooses would move the needle.
