The Sunshine Empire

This week TSE gave our recommendation of Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell as our choice for Senator Obama’s running mate for the fall general election. TSE’s political prognosticationary prowess is proven many times over, but after reading that Florida Senator Bill Nelson has made Obama’s shortlist we had a political wet dream for a fourth generation Floridian. To think that there was a possibility of the most important general election in the last 100 years of our great republic, decided with two Floridians as the Vice Presidential nominees. Florida Governor Charlie Crist is putting on the full court press to become Senator John McCain’s running mate and with Nelson on the other side the Sunshine State might be the battleground it was in 2000.

Yet Nelson could make a heap of sense. He’s done a stint on the space shuttle as an astronaut, and has served in both houses of Congress. Partner that together with him being one of only two state-wide elected Democrats in swing state Florida. I’m not saying that Nelson would singlehandedly swing Florida, but the way the electoral map has been set after the last two general elections, a Democrat capturing Florida could make the electoral algebra down stream moot.