Tom Lawrence angles into uncertainty, offering a weekend column asserting that John Thune’s shot at the White House (or at least the Naval Observatory) may or may not have passed. Lawrence notes that our senior Senator seems to have made the VP lists for McCain 2008 and Romney 2012 but golly gee, isn’t getting wing-man talk this cycle. But Lawrence dangles the brass ring before us:
Of course, he could end up on the ticket still. Who expected Spiro Agnew to run with Richard Nixon in 1968? Dan Quayle was almost completely unknown when George H.W. Bush tapped him in 1988.
And Palin was the longest of long shots in 2008. She couldn’t have guessed she was going to come that close to the White House and frankly, no one else could have, either.
So while Thune isn’t on the campaign trail so far this winter, he still could wind up on the national stage in the summer [Tom Lawrence, “Did Thune Miss His Chance at the Brass Ring?” Prairie Perspective, 2015.11.27].
It is premature to talk VP choices when the P field consists of two comic-relief front-runners who are occupying the media while we wait for grown-up Republicans to get serious, coalesce around one of the other twelve, who are too diverse right now to give any clear picture of the kind of running mate needed to complement the eventual nominee.
Lawrence unnecessarily keeps the VP door open for Thune. Our senior Senator won’t walk through it. Thune isn’t going to take a chance on invoking the Daschle Thune Rule and running for VP at the same time he’s trying to win his third term in the Senate. Running for both offices would hand Thune’s Democratic challenger another five percentage points (lost on Midwestern humility—boy, that John’s gettin’ big for his britches, thinking he can run for two offices at once), and Thune only has fifteen points to spare.
Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio vs The Clintons? lol #grins (USA loves them some Bubba)
Pink slime not only defines the Thune experience, the Senator is virtually greased by the manufactured meat product. If the 2016 GOP presidential nominee doesn’t pick Thune as running mate it’s because he’s a crook, infidelitous, or both.
Talk about much ado about nothing! It must really be a slow news day for Lawrence to even entertain the thought.
Why won’t Thune run? Too many witnesses. Dan Nelson Automotive Centers partners Dan Nelson, Chris Tapken and bookkeeper Dan Paulson. Thune’s pick for Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle Tapken, Chris’ mother. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
This still makes interesting reading even though it’s nearly two years old, especially as we watch how the Republicans again circle the wagons to cloak the swindles in the Gear Up program: http://madvilletimes.com/2014/01/guest-essay-comparing-roundsbendajackley-2014-to-thunenelsonlong-2004/
Under the glaring light of a national campaign, all of this will be fodder against the Republican ticket and the national spotlight will focus on the continuing corruption in Thune’s home state carried on by our state’s junior U.S. Senator.
Run, Johnny boy, run!
Trump won’t pick him. And Hillary won’t either. Better luck in the 2020 cycle, Mr. Thune.
When the Republicans do not have a viable alternative for POTUS, then it is not worthwhile to be on a list but if the Republicans want to use scare tactics to make us think John is not beatable then they would talk about this. But now John is not just from a solidly republican state but from a state tainted with a few scandals that lasted for years before anyone found it and the car loan company that had a problem for years that was not noticed till the courts in another state noticed, now John has that smell of not noticing problems till they blow up big and that Teflon coating finally pits out.
Roger any mention on the Dan Nelson thing.Photo op please ,please run.
Would Thune have time .He is to busy taking photo ops, would that hinder his process.Also showing off at basketball games.
Marlboro Barbie is a nattering nabob of numbnuttery?
Yeah but Obama has all these scandals and none have been investigated. Wait til wingnuts get subpoena power and then the black guy in their White House is going down. Clinton’s, too.
It’s so much easier to just be the tall guy in the background. They certainly don’t want him out there trying to ‘splain policy. He sounds too much like Palin, once he gets started.
loren, THAT is funny
Caribou Barbie and Bad lands Thune
Why is everyone hating on SD’s former railroad lobbyist? Thune’s credentials to be a US Senator? He’s a current US Senator that has helped build the 19 trillion dollars in debt and the out of control federal government.
Thune is in such appropriate company with Spiro T. Agnew, Sarah Palin, and Dan Quayle…..more crooked and/or dumber than a knotty post.
When Marco Rubio gets the GOP nomination he needs a woman as his running mate. Kristi Noem has endorsed him. Coincidence? Maybe it will be Noem who benefits from the repeal of the Daschle Rule – running for both house and VP in the same year. But Rubio would need taller elevator shoes to appear on stage with Noem, and he’s maxed out already. That could be deal breaker.
A vice presidential candidate needs to be able to speak when he is campaigning, when was the last time anybody heard Thune say a word?
He hasn’t had to campaign for a long time now, 8 years, and may just grab 8 more years without saying a word.
The GOP has some major housekeeping to do and that is getting rid of their two top candidates. There is talk again about a Trump third party run and he may have to do that since his poll numbers have dropped some 10%.
It isn’t realistic for hardcore GOP to accept Carson as a candidate, remember that they have had their fill of a black man in the White House.
Jeb is the likely successor when the thinning process is complete, remember the Bush’s have immense political power whether you like them or not. They got George into the White House because his brother was governor of Florida, his father a former president, and a republican supreme court. And don’t forget their wealth, Jeb is sitting on over $100 million in PAC money to take out Trump.
Anyway back to Thune, would Thune accept the VP position if Trump or Carson is the nominee?
I believe Mr. Thune is too smart and principled to have anything to do with Mr. Trump. But he would make a fine sidekick for Mr. Carson.
If Thune is ever the Republican nominee for VP or better yet President, I think he will go the way Bob Dole did in 1996. First, he will be the leader of the Republicans in the Senate and then be asked or told to run against a popular Democratic incumbent President like one of the Texas Caesar brothers in the next decade…. Well, that is if John Randolph Thune gets re-elected in 2016.… ;- ) .
Thune is running in 2016? Why haven’t we heard about this election?
Come on Photo op.
I’ve just seen ads on NBC aimed at Iowa. The ads seem to be in a cluster that gets shown every half hour. They are ads by John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham and Jim Gilmore. So limp! If I were a Republican I’d throw up.
No wonder Thune doesn’t want to jump into this cesspool. He’s not bright, he’s a con artist but he’s not a clown like these bozos. I liked Kasich’s anti-Hitler ad against Trump, but judging by this ad, he is not ready for prime time. None of these clowns will make it. Trump will be the nominee in 2016 because there isn’t anyone smart enough in the RNC who can stand up against a buffoon.
Thats good news for the Dems.