I think Beto O'Rourke might be a great candidate for vice president

[IrishEyes]

If he doesn't run for president or doesn't get the nomination. He is only 46. He could run in 2024 or 2028 when the democratic president who wins in 2020 is done.

[WeekiWater]

1. He has been working in congress long enough to know the ins and outs.

I have not been vocal about O'Rourke for President as I would rather not see him run, this time around. He might be an excellent VP choice. I think only five VP's have gone on to be elected President. It's not a historical shoe-in. Compare that with the fifteen or sixteen Governors who have become President.

[crazytown]

6. The problem is, every 8 years Americans want something new.

After 8 years of Ike, Nixon failed. 8 years of WJC, Gore failed to win big enough to overcome GOP fraud and GHWB would have failed if the Dems had a decent candidate. Poppy was 25 points underwater going into 1988.

[Politicub]

2. I need to learn more about him

About all I know is that he was wildly popular in Texas, and almost beat the incumbent. Those are big bonafides to start with.

[honest.abe]

3. Totally.

Harris / Beto 2020 would be killer!

[Clash City Rocker]

4. Maybe. It depends on who wins the nomination.

He’d be a great fit for Harris or Warren - passionate, charismatic but relatively moderate, popular with young voters but he might also draw some southern voters.

On the other hand, say Booker or Brown gets the nomination. An all-male ticket may not be the best choice. In that case, maybe Klobuchar? She comes across as great VP material - smart, likable, funny, a moderate who would help with midwestern voters. We’ll see. The candidates have people who study these things out and know a lot more than me.

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Beto would be wasted at vice president

That role is overrated. It doesn't help the ticket other than a very tight state. We certainly couldn't win Texas with Beto as vice president. If Beto were from Florida he probably would be enough to push us over the top, since that state is only a point or two red at base instinct. Texas is simply too far outside the magnet right now, with 44% self-identified conservatives. None of the subjective hoopla means anything as long as that 44% or thereabouts is a reality. I'd like to see it drop to 42% or below in 2020.

Beto is a rare talent. Vice president seldom jumpstarts anything. We can't afford to potentially sting him in 2020 against an incumbent from the vice presidential slot. Trump would find a nickname for Beto and it might stick for the rest of Beto's career.

I remember my dad telling me countless times that he rooted for John F. Kennedy to get the vice presidential spot in 1956 alongside Stevenson. He thought Kefuaver was such a nothing compared to Kennedy, and couldn't believe the convention went that way. But dad later emphasized time and again that avoiding that race and starting fresh at a later date was the best thing that ever happened to Kennedy.

I didn't understand presidential situational influence as a kid. The media ignorantly ignores it and treats all cycles as the same. But decades later I told dad that Eisenhower was a virtual cinch in 1956, due to being an incumbent whose party had not only been in power only one term, but it followed five consecutive terms of Democratic control. The public was not ready to change sides, given a backdrop like that. Eisenhower had huge approval ratings in his first term. I'm surprised Kennedy allowed his name to come up at all, given a negative scenario like that.

All or nothing for Beto in 2020

[Garrett78]

8. If Beto can't beat Cornyn, being out of office won't do him any favors.

Beto is a unique talent, which is why him being on the ticket could boost turnout nationally, even if winning Texas isn't in the cards. And a VP becoming president is certainly not unheard of.

If he isn't president and can't beat Cornyn, I guess he could join the cabinet. But I think VP is a good option.

[customerserviceguy]

7. The winning Democratic nominee

will find someone to complement their perceived weaknesses, like Barack Obama did ten years ago, he didn't need to nominate a woman to mollify the "it's a woman's turn" folks, he knew he had them. He picked Joe Biden to give some gravitas to the ticket, and it worked. Twice.

Also, a really poor way to get selected as VP is to stay in a race long after your hopes are effectively gone, and bash the front runner in debates, ads, etc. A better way is to drop out early, before you've had the chance to really piss off the eventual nominee.

However, history shows that much more often than not, a nominee picks someone who did not run for President at all, at least during the current cycle. Why people ignore that, thinking that the gold medalist and the silver medalist are automatically the best team for the general election, is beyond me.