Allhands: Your Donald Trump dream team
Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer flat-out rejected the idea of becoming Donald Trump's running mate (I believe her answer was, "No!"), and that's probably just as well. Should Trump become the Republican nominee, he'll probably end up choosing someone quiet and unassuming as his VP, because you know The Donald doesn't like to be upstaged.
But that got me thinking about other potential matchups and what they'd mean for politics, should the polls hold true and Trump secures victories in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond:
The safe choice
OK, admittedly, "Trump" and "safe" don't go together. But if he actually expects to get anything done, he's going to need at least one Washington insider on his side who can win some hearts and minds in Congress. (Seriously, it's telling that Trump has not one endorsement from a senator or representative. Congress is about an enamored with Trump as they are with day-old toast.) Dick Cheney might be a great go-to here, if Cheney hadn't already slammed Trump's Muslim ban. So, in his place, think about some no-name deal-maker type, a guy (or gal) so unknown that even if we named him (or her), you'd say, "Who?"
The predictable choice
It's Sarah Palin, of course. She's firmly on Team Donald. And she already has this running-mate thing down (thanks, Sen. McCain!). She'd make the VP debates, um, interesting. And Tina Fey would have to resurrect her Palin impersonation, which would be glorious. But it probably wouldn't do much for The Donald's ego or his chances with a general-election audience. Palin would upstage him one too many times (she already during her endorsement speech), and the headlines leading up to the November vote would remain mired in name-calling and other stuff that doesn't matter. The palm-on-forehead moments would be too numerous to count.
The 'meh' wild cards
Trump could pull out his shrewd negotiation skills and garner someone no one would expect, like establishment darlings Mitt Romney or Marco Rubio. Or maybe he could win over Carly Fiorina (their biggest altercation came after he called her ugly, and that gave her a momentary surge in the polls. So maybe all can be forgiven). And then women might be marginally more likely to vote for Trump (but only marginally, considering that Fiorina also has struggled to capture their interest).
The truly wild cards
Or Trump could go totally bat-nuts crazy and do the impossible, like win over someone in business who is respected and beloved to be his running mate. Think Mark Zuckerberg (he once said he's neither Democrat nor Republican, but Zuckerberg did host a fundraiser for Chris Christie). Or maybe scientist Michio Kaku, who has dipped his toe into commenting on politics (he said a Ted Cruz presidency would be disastrous for NASA, for example). He's smart and warm and has a knack for explaining complex stuff so even plebes like me can understand it.
And then the just plain dumb pick
At least this one would be awesomely dumb. Like a train wreck you can't stop watching (yes, more than the potential Trump-Palin matchup). And that can only be one person: Yeezy. Yes, I'm talking about rapper Kanye West. Serving as VP would be a great springboard for his planned 2020 presidential run. There'd be a Kardashian at the VP's place (does that not have reality show written all over it?). And it would only be a matter of time before serious policy debate was served up via a lyrical throwdown.