Kyrillos likes McCain-Romney ticket
By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter
Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), left, confers with Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittell after economic growth hearing.
TRENTON - State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), who served as director of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, says the former Massachusetts governor would be a good pick as Sen. John McCain's running mate.
During the Republican primary, Romney and McCain disagreed on the Bush administration's policy regarding torture. On at least one occasion, the Arizona senator upbraided Romney for what he believed was his GOP rival's naivete in not taking a firmer stand against some methods employed by U.S. military and intelligence forces.
Romney regularly responded by criticizing what he saw as McCain's lack of knowledge on economic matters. The men appeared to dislike each other.
But Kyrillos, who remains close to Romney, says presumptive GOP nominee McCain and Romney have healed their wounds, and the particular skills and expertise of each would complement the other in a general election campaign.
"That icy veneer we saw in the primary season has crumbled," said Kyrillos. "It's been replaced by real warmth between the two of them."
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No way
Kyrillos just wants a job in DC. Romney does nothing for the ticket and is a non-starter.
Can Do Better
McCain-Romney would be an okay ticket. But I think McCain can do better. It would give the democrats the perfect chance to run attack ads of Romney criticizing McCain. That is exactly why an Obama-Clinton ticket will not work.
McCain-Romney is a non-starter.
I agree. Sen. Kyrillos is fishing for a job?
PoliticsSJ
Your comment that Romney does nothing for the ticket is simply not accurate. Romney helps in MI, MO, CO, MN and other western states where Obama can make inroads. He also helps McCain shore up his economic cred. Even Mitt's critics will admit that the narrative stating that Romney has economic bona fides is pretty well set. In addition, he also brings his considerable financial resources as well. Wether we like it or not, $$ is necessary to get Mac's message out and Mitt can help there. Before you talk about MA, the GOP doesnt need to win MA to keep the WH. There are a handful of veep candidates that make sense for Mac. Anyone who pays attention politically will tell you Mitt's on the shortest of shortlists...
Romney
While I developed a genuine dislike for Mitt Romney during the GOP Primary I would agree that at this point, he would be the ideal candidate.
As a Senator, John McCain needs to pick a candidate with executive branch experience to be his runningmate and while other potential candidates that have been mentioned such as Bobby Jindal and Tim Pawlenty who may be rising stars within the party, the fact of the matter is that they lack the experience neccesary to be the VP.
Furthermore, NextGenGOP is absolutely right. Romney will put McCain in front in critical swing states and will signify the beginning of the end for Obama, regardless of who he chooses to be his runningmate.
Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.- Winston Churchill
Dino ?
just what was your problem with Romney during the GOP Primary ?
Conservatve Media
In addition, a Romney selection as veep would also give the Limbaugh's, Hannity's, Ingraham's, etc something to rally to. They were all at least quasi Mitt backers in the primary. McCain will win enough of the middle/soft dems to be very competitive but he cannot win without a more motivated base than he has now. Granted, Romney was not the only candidate popular with a significant part of the base (read Huckabee & Thompson) but he was the only one who has at least some support in all 3 wings of the Party-economic, social and foreign policy conservatives. I agree its too early for Jindal and Pawlenty. They are each at least a cycle or two away.
Kyrillos is another RINO
kissing butt to a secret religious right toad in a suit. Joe is giving advice when he couldn't run the GOP in NJ.
I voted McCain in the NJ primary,
but I like Romney as VP. Romney showed an ability to speak intelligently about the economy and health care and McCain could use a domestic policy spokesman, so why not his VP.
NextGenGOP
You're obviously a Romney supporter, but don't let your heart override your head. Romney beat McCain by less than 10% in Romney's native state, so Romney is really not strong there.
I agree on the money issue, it would certainly help, but since McCain has accepted public financing, the limit from a candidates's personal funds is $50,000. Now Romney could donate to PACs and other third party orgs.
McCain needs a candidate for VP who can help draw a more diverse range of the voters. McCain already has the center, since Obama is far left. Saying he has to take someone who is conservative is just nonsense. Although I am conservative, Republicans are not in a position to dictate just whom and how we keep the white house, we need to keep it by any means necessary, and if that means selecting someone who does not appease the right, so be it, they'll just have to get over it. It's called pragmatism. If conservative Republicans were in a strong position, my opinion would be different. But that would mean McCain would never have won the nomination.
bergenite
"just what was your problem with Romney during the GOP Primary?"
Mitt Romney really didn't come across as a likable candidate and I didn't believe for one minute that he was a hardcore conservative the way he was portraying himself during his campaign. I felt as though the only reasons conservative talk show hosts and organizations gravitated toward him were because Fred Thompson was a dud, they despised John McCain and Mike Huckabee with a passion and Mitt Romney was the only choice they had left.
As I previously stated, despite my dislike for him overall, I still think he's the best choice John McCain can make and there's no doubt that he will deliver votes that McCain would otherwise not get.
I'm for whoever helps John McCain win in November. Whether I like them or not, it's all about winning.
Unlike some here, I do not believe in taking my ball and going home when I don't get my way.
Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.- Winston Churchill
Romney as VP
I agree with Dino. I developed a dislike for Romney also during the primary. He seems to me like a stereotypical politician. Romney has flip-flopped on every issue from guns, gay rights, abortion, education, immigration, taxes, etc.
I will support McCain and whoever his VP nominee is though. Even though he used to be quite the liberal, Romney is a conservative now so that's what matters.
I hate to say this, but I think that McCain needs a woman as his VP in order to win. Marsha Blackburn would be a good choice. I think Sarah Palin needs some more experience before she should be considered. But, she does have as much experience as Obama, lol. :)
Vinny
Kay Bailey Hutchinson would be an excellent choice as well.
Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.- Winston Churchill
Nice Choices
Dino, Vinny....good choices all, but Hutchinson is from Texas, which is already McCain country.
Believe it or not, I wouldn't complain if it was Lieberman. Right now, it's just win. We can sort out all the intra-party bickering after election day.
Romney is a good fit
Would provide economic leadership and age balance.
WOW!!!! Such Knowledge and Insight
I don't know what to say you guys have all the answers........
First - I was not looking at a Presidential candidate to see if he was a Dud, when I know and worked for the man and a Dud he was not.
Second - Another Texas person - you've got to be kidding me, not ever again in my lifetime and Kay Bailey is a Dumb, Died Hair BIMBO with a capital "B".