They’re perfect for him: Newt and Christie’s scandalous past make them ideal Trump VP’s

[DonViejo]

Nothing to lose: Gingrich and Christie make the most sense because they've already bottomed out as politicians

SEAN ILLING

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Republican convention this year is the mystery surrounding the VP nomination. Republicans are reluctantly supporting Trump, but they know he’s radioactive and don’t want to be anywhere near him if possible. We know this because the list of Republicans either not attending the convention or refusing a speaking slot is long and growing. There’s also the fact that Trump’s campaign is a dumpster fire, with no campaign infrastructure, no material plan for the general election, no fundraising operation, and a barely competent skeletal staff in key battleground states. So it makes sense that Trump’s options for VP are narrower than we’ve come to expect.

Nevertheless, the Donald’s vetting process is underway and Chris Christie and Newt Gingrich are the early leaders, according to a report in The Washington Post. The authors write that “with little more than two weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention, Gingrich and Christie have been asked to submit documents and are being cast as favorites for the post inside the campaign.” Trump confidants like Ben Carson, they add, are particularly enthralled by Gingrich, whose gaseous but silver-tongued style might help the ticket.

Trump has said he wants a seasoned running mate, someone who can work with the establishment. In a normal year, that would open the field to a number of veteran Republicans, safe picks who would add gravitas to the campaign. But this isn’t a normal year, and no politician with dignity or something to lose wants to run alongside Donald Trump.

That leaves us with Gingrich and Christie.

Gingrich is a good fit for Trump. He’s as shameless as the Republican nominee but considerably sharper. Gingrich has a gift for sounding smart without actually saying anything intelligent. He discovered in the 1990s that if you stick the words “profound” and “fundamentally” in a sentence, people assume you said something important. While he hasn’t served in office since 1999, he’s still active and clearly itching to be relevant again. Trump is the perfect vehicle.

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http://www.salon.com/2016/07/01/theyre_perfect_for_him_newt_and_christies_scandalous_past_make_them_ideal_trump_vps/

[Hortensis]

1. "Require poor kids to scrub toilets for lunch" Newt

would indeed be a perfect running mate. It should help Newt's brand too when he markets bogus "awards" with his signature for sale. He and Trump can while away travel time discussing how to make money out of presidential campaigns, which we know is a strong interest of Trump's.

Christie frankly reminds me of Nadine Cross following Randall Flagg around these days. Is there anything left to campaign with?

[oberliner]

2. It won't be either one of them

The press continues to be wrong every step of the way with Trump.