The (Unofficial) Republican Veepstakes Bracket

[orebuck07]

For my inaugural post on FreeRepublic.com, something I should have posted about a month ago. Just in time to be too late for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, here now is the (unofficial) Republican Veepstakes Bracket. The field is broken down in to four regions (Governors, Congress, Cabinet, and Activists) of 16 participants. Note that I don't condone betting or pools, and I'm sure FR doesn't either.

Governor's Region:

#1 Mitt Romney (MA) versus #16 Jodi Rell (CT); #8 Sonny Perdue (GA) versus #9 Rick Perry (TX); #5 Bobby Jindal (LA) versus #12 Matt Blunt (MO); #4 Mike Huckabee (AR) versus #13 Linda Lingle (HI); #6 Mark Sanford (SC) versus #11 Sarah Palin (AK); #3 Charlie Crist (FL) versus #14 George Pataki (NY); #7 Haley Barbour (MS) versus #10 Mitch Daniels (IN); #2 Tim Pawlenty (MN) versus #15 Ernie Fletcher (KY);

Congressional Region:

#1 Tom Coburn (OK) versus #16 (Either Rick Santorum (PA) Or Joe Lieberman (CT)); #8 Mike Pence (IN) versus #9 Duncan Hunter (CA); #5 Elizabeth Dole (NC) versus #12 Richard Burr (NC); #4 Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) versus #13 John Thune (SD); #6 Fred Thompson (TN) versus #11 Jim DeMint (SC); #3 Marsha Blackburn (TN) versus #14 JC Watts (OK); #7 Bill Frist (TN) versus #10 Roy Blunt (MO); #2 Lindsey Graham (SC) versus #15 Steve King (IA);

Cabinet Region:

#1 Condoleezza Rice (CA) versus #16 Ken Blackwell (OH); #8 Rod Paige (MS) versus #9 David Wilkins (SC); #5 Robert Gates (TX) versus #12 Spencer Abraham (MI); #4 John Snow (OH) versus #13 John Bolton (MD); #6 Mike Leavitt (UT) versus #11 Tommy Thompson (WI); #3 Rob Portman (OH) versus #14 Gale Norton (CO); #7 Elaine Chao (KY) versus #10 Colin Powell (NY); #2 Tom Ridge (PA) versus #15 Christine Todd Whitman (NJ);

Activists Region:

#1 Steve Forbes (NJ) versus #16 Pat Buchanan (DC); #8 Lynn Swann (PA) versus #9 Marc Racicot (MT); #5 Michael Steele (MD) versus #12 Gary Bauer (KY); #4 John Kasich (OH) versus #13 Ken Mehlman (MD); #6 Joe Scarborough (FL) versus #11 Grover Norquist (MA); #3 Newt Gingrich (GA) versus #14 Alan Keyes (NY); #7 Tom McClintock (CA) versus #10 Ed Gillespie (VA); #2 Rudy Giuliani (NY) versus #15 James Dobson (LA);

Enjoy the Veepstakes and good luck with your brackets!

[JLS]

What a clever idea. I will try to submit mine tommorrow.

[TexasNative2000]

My Final Four:

Governor's Region: Crist
Congressional Region: Coburn
Cabinet Region: Condi Rice (Ridge as a #2 seed? C'mon! Get real.)
Activists Region: John Kasich

Crist vs. Rice

Crist

[TexasNative2000]

Clever idea, indeed.

[skinkinthegrass]

welcome to FR. :)

GO! FRed Thompson GO!

[Scarchin]

How does this work?

Is there voting?

somehow I don’t think you’ve thought your cunning plan through...

;)

[orebuck07]

It’s based on who is most likely to be chosen by JSM III.

[mware]

Quarter-finals.

Congressional Region: Mike Pence, Duncan Hunter

Governor's Region: Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour

Cabinet Region: Tommy Thompson, Tom Ridge

Activists Region: Michael Steele, Steve Forbes

Out of left field: Joe Lieberman, Bloomberg

[F15Eagle]

I don’t think McCain will pick Hunter due to Hunter’s tough stance on illegal invasion. If he does, I’ll faint.

Out of left field? If Obama gets the Dem nod, my out of left field prediction is for McCain to pick Hillary (only because he has said this).

Boy will there be a zillion threads if THAT ever happened. But that’s waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of left field. I only say it because McCain said it. If it were to happen, it would not surprise me after hearing him say it to Tim Russert.

[EDINVA]

Brilliant idea! Welcome to FR

[sball]

Great idea! There has got to be a way to declare winners on each round. Maybe the number of media mentions or just pure voting. This would be a lot of fun!

[orebuck07]

Joe Lieberman is in the play-in game against Rick Santorum. Bloomberg would be a #2 seed in the Veepstakes NIT.

[orebuck07]

Pence and Hunter face each other in their opening-round game.
Thompson and Ridge would meet in the Sweet 16. Ditto for Steele and Forbes.

[budwiesest]

I’d like Mark Levine- the late night radio host who follows Hannity. Brains, guts, and kicks liberal @ss at every opportunity. My kind of (VP) guy.

[orebuck07]

lol

The Great One = NIT #4 Seed.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

What if McCain truly ends up picking somebody that’s not even on your list of choices? It’s always a possibility. Herman Cain, Janice Rogers Brown, and Jeff Bezos are just three choices that come to mind out of a finite number of possible people for McCain to seriously choose from. I’m just saying that it’s possible, and I’m also seriously not saying that it’s probable. There are a lot of people who would accept the VP position if it’s seriously offered to them.

[aposiopetic]

Is Bezos a Republican, or just a checkbook with a pulse?

[KoRn]

Jindal would be awesome on the ticket, but I’d rather him be governor for a few years and run for high office himself.

[incredulous joe]

Would the Great One be required to endorse him?

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Jeff Bezos is a very strong supporter of John McCain, and he supported McCain as well as donated money during his last run for POTUS. It truly wouldn’t surprise me at all if McCain ends up choosing a non-Republican as his final choice for VP, but, as far as I know, Jeff Bezos is a registered Republican who has supported a variety of Republicans for a variety of political offices through the years.

[aposiopetic]

Thanks for that info. I just knew him as the Amazon guy.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Pat Toomey is another possibility that’s not on this list.

[incredulous joe]

You’re a very disturbed individual.

You’ll fit right in around here.

Pawlenty
Thompson
Ridge
Gingrich

Pawlenty over Thompson
Ridge over Gingrich

Pawlenty over Ridge

[Question Liberal Authority]

I'd love to see John McCain pick Rick Perry, since, as lead singer from Journey, he would appeal to young voters.

Then, like, 5 minutes later, go back on stage and announce that he made a mistake and rescind the offer. He would then offer it to Sonny Perdue because anyone who could knock out Floyd Patterson has what it takes to beat the Democrats.

Then McCain kind of wanders off, and the screen goes blank.

[Hoodat]

Governor’s Region: Sanford
Congressional Region: Blackburn
Cabinet Region: Abraham
Activists Region: Gillespie

Winner - Mark Sanford (SC)

[SAJ]

RINO-lover. Pawlenty over Thompson?

With friends like you, conservatives need no enemies.

Pawlenty? Good G-d! Might as well have Lieberman; at least he's an honest man, no matter how much I loathe his politics.

Pawlenty? Jay-zus.

[SAJ]

Well said. Completely agreed.

2016 or 2020 would seem to be Jindal's good shots, assuming of course he doesn't succumb to usual LA politics (which, I believe, will not occur).

Let's hope we're both right on this. He's a very good man, but it's a bit early days for him, imnnho.

FReegards!

[CaliGangsta]

Good to see McClintock in the bracket!!

[dixiechick2000]

I thought it would be a GOOD thing to welcome a new Oregon FReeper.

This looks to be FUN!

[ccmay]

I’d like Mark Levine- the late night radio host who follows Hannity. Brains, guts, and kicks liberal @ss at every opportunity. My kind of (VP) guy.

Um, I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, and no doubt he's right wing, but you are missing the point. That's like putting a high school team in your NCAA bracket.

-ccm

[ccmay]

Bezos may end up in the Cabinet. VP? No way.

[ccmay]

Let's hope we're both right on this. He's a very good man, but it's a bit early days for him, imnnho.

He's accomplished ten times as much as Obama in two-thirds the time. I can;t wait to vote for him.

-ccm

[CaspersGh0sts]

“RINO-lover. Pawlenty over Thompson?
With friends like you, conservatives need no enemies.”

Actually, I think it makes sense.

This is McCain we’re talking about here—not the most conservative horse in stable by any stretch of the imagination. You expect him to even worry about phrases like “RINO?” I’ve got news for you, buddy, I seriously doubt he gives a rip about people like you or I.

On top of that, what does Thompson bring to his campaign? He was a pretty lousy campaigner, he wasn’t a very good fundraiser, and he already has the label of lazy attached to him. Additionally, he’s also said previously he had no interest in the VP slot. So baggage.

On top of this, McCain seems to be taking the tact that he’s going to seek moderates to carry him to victory.

All of these would lead me to side with Pawlenty over Thompson in a pick’em, as well. The one advantage Thompson has is that he was a good friend of McCain’s.

[CaspersGh0sts]

“Um, I’m sure he’s a nice guy and all, and no doubt he’s right wing, but you are missing the point. That’s like putting a high school team in your NCAA bracket”

Levin sounds a cranky grandpa from Brooklynn on top of it. I’ve never been very impressed with his schtick. It’s a lot of name-callling without the wit, creativity, or the passion of a Savage. That said, he’s a rock solid conservative and wholly unapologetic about it—which means he:

1) Supported Thompson
2) Then Romney
3) Severely attacked McCain and has been demanding that cosnervatives hold McCain accountable in November.

Translation: McCain wouldn’t pick him even if he was a UNC on the hardcourt.

[orebuck07]

Yes, an Ose-supporter friend of mine went ballistic when she saw that.

[peyton randolph]

RINO McInsane picks

Romney

Hutchison

Rice

Giulani

---

Conservative picks

Sanford

King

Bolton

Steele

---

Dark horse (Quayle-type) pick

Palin

[EQAndyBuzz]

Haley Barbour vs Duncan Hunter

Hunter in triple OT.

[PA-RIVER]

I don't see Vicente Fox.

He could be Director of Homeland Security or State Department.

[incredulous joe]

“RINO-lover. Pawlenty over Thompson?
With friends like you, conservatives need no enemies.”

Hey, get a clue. Conservatives are not running the GOP!

I didn’t pick the group that I wanted I tried to do the brackets. I don’t prefer the nominee and I have a feeling that if the Ancient Mariner picks Pawlenty that he could actually do far worse. My guess is that he will.

My fantasy 4 would be Jindal, Thune, Rice and Steele. I think Rice may be the only one of these who has a legit shot.

I’ve tried to take demographics of age, conservative appeal (which I don’t think the nominee values), compatability to McCain, electoral map and regional geographics into account. As with March Madness I’ve also taken some liberty and shaded a bit with folks that I favor over others when it is slightly realistic.

Taking this last factor into account, I don’t think Thompson or Hunter make it out of round one and I’d bet Crist over Pawlenty, as well.

I always lose in March. I expect conservatives will lose in November,...at least this year. Regardless, I’ll take the McCainiac over Clinton and Obama.

[incredulous joe]

“I don’t see Vicente Fox.”

LOL! Fox is waiting till ‘12, and the “reunification of Estados Unidos” when he may be a contender for the POTUS himself.

[incredulous joe]

Oops, That would be POTEU not POTUS. It’s just so hard to change after 200 and some years.

[tubebender]

Here is a new FReeper League to ponder...

[SouthTexas]

Think I”ll pass on this one. I can’t make any headway with our other league so I don’t want to contaminate this one too. :)

[glock rocks]

Awesome idea. My choices:

1. Jimmy Spencer
2. Tony Stewart
3. Kenny Wallace
4. Ward Burton

[SouthTexas]

Much better options!

[orebuck07]

Those are NASCAR drivers . . . right?

[glock rocks]

Yes they are, and I think Jimmy Spencer would make a fine VP... magnitudes better than the likes of algore, mondale, lbj, hey, the list goes on... well that, and he doesn’t mind a good scrap!

[orebuck07]

McCain-Tressel ‘08 (it may be the only way to win Ohio)

[glock rocks]

LOL. You’d have put Buckeyes paint on Air Force Two!

[orebuck07]

“. . . Thank you, God bless America, and beat m*ch*g*n!”