McCain VP Announcement Tomorrow? Plus Bonus Pawlenty Whiff...

26.07.2008

Take this for what it's worth--and it may not be much--but a source well-connected in Minnesota politics (and in a position to know) is pretty sure Tim Pawlenty has pulled out of one or two events scheduled there for tomorrow. Assuming that's right, I guess it could mean any number of things: 1.) There was some random, non-veepstakes-related conflict that forced the change of schedule. 2.) McCain or his vetters intend to meet with Pawlenty tomorrow, possibly somewhere outside Minnesota. 3.) McCain intends to announce his veep pick tomorrow and has asked several short-listers to clear their schedules. 4.) McCain intends to announce Pawlenty as his running mate tomorrow.

I e-mailed a Pawlenty spokesperson about this last night and haven't received a response.

I'd put 4.) as least likely, but it would obviously be consistent with the schedule change. Also, Marc Ambinder passed along some speculation Friday night that McCain would be announcing his veep pick tomorrow, so keep that in mind.

--Noam Scheiber

Posted: Saturday, July 26, 2008 12:26 PM with 3 comment(s)

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Rhubarbs said:

This could be an interesting test. The most recent StarTribune Minnesota Poll on the subject in late May found that 16 percent of Minnesotans said they would be more likely to vote for McCain with Pawlenty on the ticket, while 20 percent said Pawlenty would make them less likely to vote for McCain.

July 27, 2008 2:57 PM

The Stump said:

The St. Paul Pioneer-Press 's excellent blog, The Political Animal, adds another detail to our earlier

July 27, 2008 11:53 PM

eynesbury said:

As a member of "Aussies for Obama", in South Australia, we are just aghast!

McCain is maybe about to pick Pawlenty, some charming non-entity, instead of a charming eccentric like Huckabee, or just a nonentity, like Romney, and yet we fear that the short-list for Senator Obama is not a lot better. Nunn is too old, Sebelias too bland, Edwards cannot win votes outside of a courtroom, and Hillary carries way, way too much baggage.

Probably because we are Down Under, and cannot vote for our hero anyhow, we are just mystified as to why Senator/Governor Jay Rockerfeller is not on anybody's list?

To us at the Sunny beachhead of the American Imperium the name Rockerfeller is magical, formidable, and invulnerable. We well know his uncle Nelson could never quite buy the Republican nomination, but he was in the wrong party -- unlike his eagle scout, uber-experienced, reassuringly dull nephew, Jay. [Morbid thought but if Squeaky Fromme had not left her pistol on safety, or if Sara Jane Moore's aim had not been deflected, then Rocky might have ended up president in 1975 to face a truly titanic struggle for the heart and soul of the GOP against his ideological foe, Reagan, in 1976]

We think Obama/Rockerfeller would be an unstoppable campaign juggernaut, especially compared to McCain/Pawlenty! What is it we must be missing in the Antipodes ...?

July 28, 2008 2:41 AM