If it’s Obama, it’ll be Romney for VP

At the Inside Edge we usually don’t opine on national matters like who might get the GOP nod for VEEP. Mostly because when we do, we get hate mail that goes like this: “Dear Wally, What does this have to do with Colorado? Signed, your loving Editor.”

Often, however, we take our chances on this type of hate mail if the topic is compelling enough.

We take that chance today because a quick glance at the toss up states, according Rasmussen Reports, compels us to opine on the obvious.

That is, that if Obama wins the Democratic nomination for president, the electoral challenge faced by McCain will greatly encourage him to pick Romney as his running mate for both Colorado and non-Colorado reasons.

Let’s let our editors twist a little bit first and explore the non-Colorado reasons for a Romney VP slot.

Well first there’s Michigan.

The Democrat are so intent on disqualifying Michigan voters in the Democratic primary that right now a McCain-Obama race is in a virtual tie with Obama trailing McCain by 1 percentage point 43%-42% as of polling released March 31st.

Michigan is a state won by John Kerry by over 160,000 votes in 2004, while Al Gore Jr. won the state by 230,000 votes in 2000. In fact, the last time Michigan went for a Republican presidential candidate in a general election was in the 1988 butt-whooping delivered on Mike Dukakis by George H.W. Bush.

And Romney remains a kind of favorite son in Michigan. His father was the 43rd governor of Michigan. Romney used this to his great advantage in handily defeating McCain during the Republican primary in Michigan.

Romney would certainly bolster a McCain bid for Michigan’s 17 electoral votes.

Then there’s Massachusetts.

While still considered safe for the Democrats by Rassmussen, Obama only holds a 7 percentage point lead over McCain in Massachusetts. The last Democrat to win Massachusetts’ 12 electoral votes by approximately 7 percentage points? You guessed it: Mike Dukakis.

And in Massachusetts Romney is a legitimate favorite son, for whom the Bay Staters have already voted once even though he’s a Republican.

While some think that McCain may not have a shot a taking Massachusetts in the fall even if polls now say he’s close, at the very least a McCain-Romney ticket would force Obama-someone/anyone to have to spend resources there.

Romney also has some strength in New Hampshire as well, a true New England toss-up state with another 4 electoral votes.

And finally there is Colorado (9 electoral votes) and its sister western states especially Nevada (5 electoral votes), which like Colorado, is a toss-up state according to Rasmussen.

The Romney folks now make up the establishment portion of the GOP in western states. These are the people that man phone banks, work GOTV efforts, write their checks for $50-$100, show up for Lincoln Day dinners and do the work getting candidates elected in November.

And they are not only asking for a place at the table for Romney.

They are demanding it.