Why Boring People Don't Get Into Politics

http://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/201208/mitt-romney-vice-president-gq-july-2012?currentPage=1

I have written in the past about the politics of scandal,  and the Palin vetting debacle, but this article from GQ takes me to the cleaners.  As I read it though, I couldn't help but ask why we need such serious scrutiny for the Vice Presidential candidate?  Why not the President?  Geeze, if some of these candidates had had to answer these questions, we might have been stuck with W., or even Clinton.

The conclusion I came to was that the VP resonates some form of hope in the future.  Too idealistic? How about the idea that we could potentially be dealing with this guy for the next 16 years. If (though recent treads have shied away from this) the VP stays for a two term Presidency and is elected for two terms? That totals nearly two decades of influence in the American political system.  Granted that has not been the case in recent times, it could happen.  I can think of only one title in the government that carries a longer term and that is Supreme Court Justice.  So getting the VP right is a big deal.  Parties need to take it seriously.

So, the VP vetting needs to be a serious endeavor, but what I continue to wonder about is the focus on the personal aspects rather than the public.  If the VP could be influencing the American agenda for two decades should we not be worried more about his stances on foreign policy and economics and not whether he has paid for sex?  Even though the scandal filled Clinton administration is a shining example of scandal over substance, there is still a case for my argument and her name is Sarah Palin (you know they little girl from Alaska who can see Russia from her house) Think about if McCain had been elected.  I would argue that he would have won a second term, as I predict Obama will, then comes little Sarah's time to shine.  She certainly had the charisma and the flash to be noticed.  She was a good campaigner and connected with the people, so it is plausible that she wins.  Think too about the state of the Democratic party if they don't get President Obama in...who would they have in 2012 that could stop the Republican freight train?  Those factors could have lead to the leader of the free world not knowing the difference between North and South Korea.

I would argue that the vetting process needs to be extensive.  The Vice Presidency is an important office with the serious potential of major influence for a considerable amount of time.  Even with the vetting process as extensive as it is, there still needs to be careful consideration by the candidate, which is another argument for another day.