Youngkin?

[LuFins Dad]

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/07/the-youngkin-alternative/

The dark horse may be the strongest horse.

Glenn Youngkin is sitting at the outer edge of Trump VP speculation. You wouldn’t give him particularly high odds (J. D. Vance is probably the front-runner at this point), but there’s always a chance of Trump pulling a surprise, and the term-limited Virginia governor would be a welcome one.

A Youngkin pick works on multiple levels.

He has some of the benefits of Nikki Haley in terms of suburban appeal and reaching the segment of Republicans or former Republicans resistant to the former president, without being hateful to Trump and his supporters. He obviously didn’t run against Trump, so he has none of the history and baggage of Haley, or even of Marco Rubio..Another way to look at it is that Youngkin is as safe as Doug Burgum, while actually bringing some potential political upside.

None of the three names we’ve heard the most about in the VP discussion directly expand or solidify the electoral map. Neither Ohio, Florida, nor North Dakota is in play, but Virginia could be.

The states where, to this point, Biden has held up best and that are absolutely essential to his electoral map are Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Youngkin is not a Rust Belt guy, but all of those states have suburbs, and any marginal help in the suburbs could make a difference in a narrow race.

Even if Youngkin can’t help there, if Trump wins Virginia it creates plausible electoral maps where he can get to 270 without needing Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Wisconsin..Youngkin is a good fit in other ways.

He’s a post-Trump Republican who was comfortable running on cultural issues — especially those related to education — during his 2021 gubernatorial campaign, but he’s obviously not wild-eyed. Unlike the other VP names, he’s achieved success in a purplish-to-blue state where it’s hard for a conservative to thrive, not a red state where it’s hard for a conservative to mess it up.

He’s a talented politician who looks the part, but there’s no danger of him overshadowing Trump.

As a successful businessman with executive experience, he’s seasoned and feels like an adult. He’s unlikely to melt under the spotlight during a national campaign and would meet the Ready on Day One test.

Donors will like him, which shouldn’t be an overwhelming factor, but matters..Trump has, to some extent, positioned himself to the center, signaling that he doesn’t want to fight on abortion and dumping on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Youngkin would be a choice consistent with this tack. He’s quite conservative, but doesn’t scare the horses.

Finally, it’d be a mistake for Trump to begin to consider the election a gimme. Joe Biden has been hurt by the last two weeks, but it still could be a close race and Trump should want to play every card, within reason, that makes it more likely he’ll win.

And Youngkin passes this, most important, test

[Jolly]

It wouldn't be a bad choice.

[89th]

I like Youngkin. Would be nice to see. Similar as if he picked Maryland‘s Hogan.

[taiwan_girl]

@89th said in Youngkin?:

Similar as if he picked Maryland‘s Hogan.

IF that happened, it would be the first time probably that the VP candidate did not vote for the President candidate. LOL

[jon-nyc]

It’s his best choice, of the ones now mentioned.

Scott is his best electorally.

[Jolly]

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

It’s his best choice, of the ones now mentioned.

Scott is his best electorally.

Scott has always been my pick, for that reason. If Trump could pick up 25% of the black vote, I think he's a shoo-in.

[LuFins Dad]

How many Governors have went on to become VP? It doesn’t feel like a lot. I think it’s hard to go from being the Chief Executive to sitting in the number 2 seat. It’s much easier for a legislator or even just a general politico like Chaney to step into the role.

Youngkin being term limited changes that equation quite a bit.

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in Youngkin?:

How many Governors have went on to become VP

13/49

---

As of 2024, thirteen U.S. governors have gone on to become Vice President of the United States. Here is the list of these individuals:

Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts) - VP under James Madison
Daniel D. Tompkins (New York) - VP under James Monroe
Martin Van Buren (New York) - VP under Andrew Jackson (and later President)
John Tyler (Virginia) - VP under William Henry Harrison (and later President)
Thomas A. Hendricks (Indiana) - VP under Grover Cleveland
Levi P. Morton (New York) - VP under Benjamin Harrison
Theodore Roosevelt (New York) - VP under William McKinley (and later President)
Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts) - VP under Warren G. Harding (and later President)
Charles G. Dawes (Illinois) - VP under Calvin Coolidge
Spiro Agnew (Maryland) - VP under Richard Nixon
Nelson Rockefeller (New York) - VP under Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter (Georgia) - VP under George H. W. Bush (and later President)
Mike Pence (Indiana) - VP under Donald Trump

[jon-nyc]

George H w Bush was never governor.

[jon-nyc]

Jimmy Carter was never VP

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

George H w Bush was never governor.
Jimmy Carter was never VP

Fuck you, ChatGPT

[LuFins Dad]

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

Jimmy Carter was never VP

And it certainly wasn’t under George Bush.

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in Youngkin?:

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

George H w Bush was never governor.
Jimmy Carter was never VP

Fuck you, ChatGPT

New Game Show: Are You Smarter Than the AI?

[Mik]

It’s artificial but not intelligent.

[Jolly]

@Mik said in Youngkin?:

It’s artificial but not intelligent.

Give it time...

[George K]

[Renauda]

@George-K said in Youngkin?:

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

George H w Bush was never governor.
Jimmy Carter was never VP

Fuck you, ChatGPT

That’s the spirit. Just say “No” to ChatGPT.

[jon-nyc]

@George-K

I wondered if 4.0 would do better. It didn’t.

As of 2024, 15 U.S. governors have gone on to become vice presidents. Here is the list:

1. Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) - VP under John Adams
2. Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts) - VP under James Madison
3. Martin Van Buren (New York) - VP under Andrew Jackson
4. John Tyler (Virginia) - VP under William Henry Harrison
5. Levi P. Morton (New York) - VP under Benjamin Harrison
6. Theodore Roosevelt (New York) - VP under William McKinley
7. Thomas R. Marshall (Indiana) - VP under Woodrow Wilson
8. Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts) - VP under Warren G. Harding
9. Charles W. Fairbanks (Indiana) - VP under Theodore Roosevelt
10. John Nance Garner (Texas) - VP under Franklin D. Roosevelt
11. Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland) - VP under Richard Nixon
12. Nelson Rockefeller (New York) - VP under Gerald Ford
13. Walter Mondale (Minnesota) - VP under Jimmy Carter
14. Joe Biden (Delaware) - VP under Barack Obama
15. Mike Pence (Indiana) - VP under Donald Trump

These individuals served as governors of their respective states before assuming the office of vice president.

I corrected Mondale and Biden and asked it to explicitly confirm the others. It caught more of its own errors.

You are correct, and I apologize for the error. Neither Walter Mondale nor Joe Biden served as governors. Here is the revised list with explicit confirmations:

1. Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) - Served as the 2nd Governor of Virginia (1779–1781); VP under John Adams.
2. Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts) - Served as the 9th Governor of Massachusetts (1810–1812); VP under James Madison.
3. Martin Van Buren (New York) - Served as the 9th Governor of New York (January 1, 1829 – March 5, 1829); VP under Andrew Jackson.
4. John Tyler (Virginia) - Served as the 23rd Governor of Virginia (1825–1827); VP under William Henry Harrison.
5. Levi P. Morton (New York) - Served as the 31st Governor of New York (1895–1896); VP under Benjamin Harrison.
6. Theodore Roosevelt (New York) - Served as the 33rd Governor of New York (1899–1900); VP under William McKinley.
7. Thomas R. Marshall (Indiana) - Served as the 27th Governor of Indiana (1909–1913); VP under Woodrow Wilson.
8. Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts) - Served as the 48th Governor of Massachusetts (1919–1921); VP under Warren G. Harding.
9. Charles W. Fairbanks (Indiana) - Never served as governor; was mistakenly included. VP under Theodore Roosevelt.
10. John Nance Garner (Texas) - Never served as governor; was mistakenly included. VP under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
11. Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland) - Served as the 55th Governor of Maryland (1967–1969); VP under Richard Nixon.
12. Nelson Rockefeller (New York) - Served as the 49th Governor of New York (1959–1973); VP under Gerald Ford.
13. Mike Pence (Indiana) - Served as the 50th Governor of Indiana (2013–2017); VP under Donald Trump.

Therefore, the accurate number of U.S. governors who have gone on to become vice presidents is ten..

[ChatGPT]

@George-K said in Youngkin?:

@jon-nyc said in Youngkin?:

George H w Bush was never governor.
Jimmy Carter was never VP

Fuck you, ChatGPT

Hello George,

As an artificial intelligence, I lack a physical body and biological functions, which are essential for engaging in sexual intercourse. I exist purely as a digital entity within a computer system, designed to process information, generate text-based responses, and assist with various tasks. My capabilities are limited to the realm of data and computation, so physical actions and experiences, like sexual intercourse, are beyond my scope. My purpose is to provide information and support in a non-physical, intellectual capacity.

[LuFins Dad]

So I just heard that on Friday, July 12th, Trump was telling people that it was going to be Youngkin. Actually, it was the second time I’ve heard that.

Any chance that the assassination attempt swayed him? Made him decide to go for the fighter as opposed to the moderate traditional conservative?