VP Pick

A little over a month ago, all the buzz surrounded the selection of Vice Presidents. We wondered if Obama would work to shore up the question of inexperience and we mulled over McCain's opportunity to either pander to the far right, or attempt to appeal to the middle. In the end we were given Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

Imagine for a second that either candidate used this momentous selection to make their pick on the basis of economic expertise. Although unlikely, what would a pick of Micheal Bloomberg, Henry Paulson, or even Warren Buffet have meant in the current environment. A central theme of the presidential election thus far has been what candidate can Americans trust to make difficult and vital decisions. With the economy now the number one concern of over 65% of voters, both candidates dropped the ball with their choices for Vice President.

This financial crisis is the greatest since 1987, maybe since the Great Depression, and the four candidates we must choose between received their college degrees in Political Science(Obama), a General Bachelors of Science(McCain), History(Biden), and Communications(Palin). Advanced degrees for these candidate's yield, two law degree (Obama and Biden), and a third place finish in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant (Palin not McCain). We are drowning in a sea of Credit Default Swaps, Mortgage Backed Securities, and Collateralized Debt Obligations, and our presidential candidates need policy briefings on the basics of supply and demand.

The election is less than a month away so any change to the ticket is unlikely. I am also not assuming that an economist would make a spectacular Vice President. However if it truly "is the economy stupid" I wonder how much either ticket would have been bolstered by a Vice Presidential pick based on economic aptitude.