Chatter over Hutchison as possible VP pick gets louder

Houston Chronicle ^

[Bulwinkle]

CRAWFORD — Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's long-shot prospect for vice president is getting a push from conservative and other pundits in the lead-up to next week's Republican National Convention.

The latest flurry of speculation online and on cable television constitutes at least a third or fourth wave of chatter about Hutchison, whose name surfaces occasionally as a possible Republican vice-presidential candidate...

[Steve_Seattle]

I think KBH would be a good choice; she is articulate and projects a moderate image, even though well inside the conservative camp on most issues, including abortion.

[cake_crumb]

I dunno about now though...the continuing closeness of the race should show him he really needs to consolidate conservatives if he wants a prayer of winning.

[Hawthorn]

> She’s a decent enough lady <

That may be a hasty judgment:

A survey of Capitol Hill staffers just voted KBH as the second “meanest” Senator.

(The winner of the vote, however, was Senator Babs Milkulski of Maryland — the absolute “Queen of Mean” according to legions of staff members whom she has lost over the years. Seems that almost nobody can stand to work for Babs more than a relatively few months.)

[Non-Sequitur]

Would definitely get all those pissed off Hillary supporters.

Not unless she was pro-choice. That's their holy grail.

[Lucas McCain]

I like Palin but the reality is that McCain would lose all his precious ammo against Obama on the experience issue. The RATS would just point to Palin.

I disagree. Palin has vast executive experience compared to Obama.

[Terrence DoGood]

Amen. Let’s get a fresh face and soome excitement in the pick.

[colorcountry]

Darn it, if only the Repubs could find a black, Jewish woman, we’d have the election in the bag!

[dellbabe68]

That’s a good tag line.

[BibChr]

Bingo.

[rrrod]

She is too DC oriented. As a member of the spineless republican senate club she needs to start fighting there.

[lonestar]

Since McCain has decades of “experience” he doesn’t need experience as the #1 qualifier of his veep.

Are you familiar with McCain's medical history? Date of birth?

He better pick somebody who could be POTUS!...and probably be ready to run in 2012.

McCain better not pick somebody to attend funerals!

[Liberty Valance]

The VP pick cannot be from Texas. The VP pick cannot be old.

I agree and I'm from Texas. ;o)

[ontap]

I'm afraid you're wrong on that, while I would not and have not said she is pro choice she certainly does lean in that direction. Here is a copy from another post:Kay Bailey Hutchison's voting record on Abortion Voted YES on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP. (Mar 2008) Voted YES on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion. (Mar 2008) Voted YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. (Oct 2007) Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007) Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006) Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005) Voted YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004) Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003) Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000) Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999) Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998) Rated 7% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003) Rated 75% by the NRLC, indicating a mixed record on abortion. (Dec 2006) The thing that really goes against her is this one:

Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)

This was the main lame excuse the Dems hid behind to justify voting against banning partial birth abortions. Again her naral rating is 7% not zero.

[popdonnelly]

The approval rating for Congress is 9%, and McCain should pick another Senator? Am I missing something here?

McCain should go outside Washington for his Veep choice.

[colorcountry]

It seems to work, even on FreeRepublic!

[9YearLurker]

Yep. Time, meet your man. Man, meet your time. Just before he was really too old, too!

[lonestar]

Kay is not the right woman, but I don’t want her to be called pro-abortion when we know she isn’t.

I think she is pro-choice.

[DesScorp]

“Let’s hope not. The Democrats will mock the ticket as Grandma and Grandpa Simpson...”

Good, let them. Because they’ll lose even more support. Older voters, which happens to be the largest block of voters, are really tired of the “old” jokes. And it hasn’t helped the Democrats to harp on McCain’s age. He’s now ahead in most polls. Hutchison would give a bump to McCain even further, one that the Dems can’t afford, and when the Dems call her a traitor to women, well, that ought to bring even more PUMA’s over to Mac’s camp.

[trisham]

Her voting record seems to belie a pro-abort stance. Could she be one of the few who vote the will of their constituents, regardless of personal feelings?

********************

What's more important than a voting record, a history we can turn to for knowing what someone will do in the future?

[EnquiringMind]

After watching Mitt take care of Couric and Wolfie at the convention, my money is on him. He did a terrific job and I have a whole new respect for Mitt today.