June 23, 2008

The VP Frustrations of John McCain

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Joe Klein reports over at Swampland that McCain’s top three choices for VP, according to a source Klein trusts, are all automatic non-starters.

1. Former Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania–McCain loves the guy, I’m told, and Ridge might bring Pa. into the Republican fold…but he’s pro-choice. Fuggedaboutit.

2. Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida–Ahhh, Florida. But, oy, that last name.

3. Senator Mel Martinez of Florida—Ahh, Florida….and brings Latinos, too! But born in Cuba, so ineligible for the office.

The same goes for McCain’s top sidekicks, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. The first is technically an Independent Democrat and thus a big believer in choice and the second is dogged by persistent rumors about his sexuality.

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We've never been very good at being conservative.

And usually, that serves us well in doing the ambitious, hard-hitting journalism that you turn to Mother Jones for. But it also means we can't afford to come up short when it comes to scratching together the funds it takes to keep our team firing on all cylinders, and the truth is, we finished our budgeting cycle on June 30 about $100,000 short of our online goal.

This is no time to come up short. It's time to fight like hell, as our namesake would tell us to do, for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme agenda, where facts matter, and where accountability has a chance at the polls and in the press. If you value our reporting and you can right now, please help us dig out of the $100,000 hole we're starting our new budgeting cycle in with an always-needed and always-appreciated donation today.

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