Republicans need woman in VP spot
Willard needs girl power. Actually, Willard “Mitt” Romney needs much more than that, but let’s take one thing at a time.
As Romney steams toward the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign is vetting vice presidential possibilities. It is the most important choice he will make before the Republican convention in Tampa. Why not a woman?
In the 2012 election, women will be the deciders. But so far, women aren’t warming up to Willard. A recent USA Today/gallup Poll found a “yawning gender gap” in the presidential campaign. In its swing states survey, women voters favored Obama over Romney, 54 percent to 36 percent.
The poll was taken March 20-26 in the 12 top swing states, including the key battlegrounds of Florida, Colorado, Iowa and Wisconsin. Among women, Obama leads Romney by 18 points. Romney leads among men by one point.
Republicans alienated women big-time when they plunged into a debate over whether religious organizations should insure contraceptive care.
Then Romney tried to out-demagogue conservative competitors like Rick Santorum, promising that as president, he would “end Planned Parenthood.” Romney would eliminate federal funding for
Romney should tap a qualified, credible, charismatic woman as his running mate.
the nonprofit that provides health services to low-income women.
The Romney campaign scrambled to recover with a Republicanesque solution: Bring out the wife. In recent weeks, Anne Romney has been appearing frequently at campaign stops and rallies. She is engaging and impressive, but voters are not electing a spouse.
Romney should tap a qualified, credible, charismatic woman as his running mate.
That won’t be easy. The GOP is not known for elevating and nurturing its girl power, and many Republicans are risk-averse, hide- bound traditionalists.
They’ve been burned before. In 2008, John Mccain, also burdened with a gender deficit, plucked Sarah Palin out of Wasillian obscurity. The only person who benefitted from that brilliant move was Sarah Palin. She helped him lose the election and has been going rogue ever since.
The female option is not generating much juice in political circles. For example, last month the Washington Post blog “The Fix” posted its “Top 10” vice presidential picks. Only one woman made the list: Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico. In 2010, she made history as the nation’s first Latina governor. She could be a two-fer, drawing Latinos and a key swing state. However, like Palin, she is unknown and untried.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s name surfaced months ago, but last week she declared she was not interested.
There’s Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-packard. The Californian could help bring in a state with a hefty cache of electoral votes. She lost a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate, however, so she’s a weak bet. The pickins’ seem slim. When it comes to girl power, the GOP is like my beloved Cubs: They have a lousy bench. For both, it’s going to be a very long season.