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1.) Go West, rich man — Herman Cain suggested that the GOP presidential nominee — who is looking more and more like Mitt Romney, though Cain didn’t concede that — pick Florida Rep. Allen West as his VP nominee. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:
“Appearing on the Steve Gill Show on Radio America Monday morning, former presidential candidate and pizza mogul Herman Cain said Florida Rep. Allen West should be Mitt Romney’s pick for vice president. ‘Here’s why: he is well spoken. He is direct. People in Florida love him. He has a huge following. He is from Florida – Florida is going to be one of those key states,’ Cain said. ‘But more importantly, Col. Allen West is a dedicated patriot; he served in the military, and he’s willing to serve his country some more.'”
If the comment sections of blogs had a say in who Romney picked as his VP, West would win in a landslide. But since they don’t, West won’t get it. He doesn’t filter what he says, which generally doesn’t make for the most ideal partner for a presidential campaign.
2.) Count her out— Susana Martinez says she won’t accept the VP pick if offered to her, reports TheDC’s Alexis Levinson:
“New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez threw cold water on speculation that she could be the running mate for the Republican presidential nominee, telling the Albuquerque Journal Sunday that family concerns would keep her in New Mexico. Martinez’ sister is developmentally disabled, and the governor is her guardian. Their father also suffers from Alzheimer’s.”
While it isn’t uncommon for a candidate who is interested in being VP to say they aren’t interested, this actually seems like a sincere statement of disinterest.
3.) Gary Johnson’s doctrine of Peace Through Suggesting — Libertarian Party presidential contender Gary Johnson sat for an interview with The Daily Caller last week and tried to lay out his foreign policy vision when repeatedly pressed by TheDC. Among his intriguing policy statements was his view on Iran. TheDC Jamie Weinstein (ME!) reports:
“Johnson went on to say that he doesn’t think Iran has seriously been engaged diplomatically. So what would Johnson say that hasn’t been said to get Iran to reconsider developing a nuclear weapon? ‘Look, Don’t develop a nuclear weapon,’ he proffered. You don’t think that’s been said, TheDC asked? ‘So if we open up trade with you all, we’d like to be a trading partner,’ Seriously, you don’t think that has been put on the table in negotiations, TheDC asked? Johnson then pivoted and suggested that there wasn’t any evidence that Iran was developing, or ever wanted, a nuclear weapon.”
Oh, all the West has to do is ask Iran to stop its nuclear program? What insight!
4.) Scott Walker talks — TheDC’s Matt Lewis interviewed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and asked him why he didn’t graduate college:
“But I’ve always believed the most interesting interview answers often come from unexpected questions. And so, I asked him about not being a college graduate — and whether or not that has been used against him. His answer, I thought, was a pretty good one: ‘[I]n the end, I think, [the attack] kind of backfires. I mean, in my case, I left my senior year to go work full-time. I had a job offer. Like a lot of people then — and even more people now – in a tough economy, if you have a job offer, you jump at it. I mean, ultimately, that’s one of your goals in going to college in the first place.'”
5.) Poll of the Day: Some people approve of prez, some don’t — RealClearPolitics polling average of President Obama’s approval rating: 48% approve, 46.5% disapprove.
6.) Tweet of Yesterday — dkberman: Remember this day. 551-day-old Instagram is worth $1 billion. 116-year-old New York Times Co.: $967 million.
VIDEO: Pulitzer winner says “Soul of heterosexual white man is at stake’ in 2012 election”