Does VP T-Paw Put McCain Over the Top? (2.0)

By all accounts, this presidential race appears to be heading towards a razer thin margin of victory, with the victor being totally up in the air.

Today, Barak Obama announced that he has made his decision on who he will choose as his Vice Presidential Runningmate.

So with Senator McCain making this race a virtual tie, how does he capitalize on this clear momentum and put himself over the top come November?

One clear way is to choose a runningmate of his own who will bring him a swing state (and better yet the swing region of Minnewisowa)

New polls and non-partisan analysis once again show that choosing Governor Pawlenty could put Senator McCain over the top in Minnesota, a state that hasn't voted Republican for President since 1972.

A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won in Minnesota since 1972. But Jacobs said the poll found McCain might be able to reverse that trend, if he selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty as his vice presidential running mate. One in four of the undecided voters and initial-Obama supporters said they'd back a McCain-Pawlenty ticket.

"We were quite impressed by the impact that Gov. Pawlenty has on McCain's chances," he said. "Our analysis suggests that the McCain ticket jumps by 13 points by adding Gov. Pawlenty to the ticket. That is quite an impact." (emphasis ours), excerpted from article, click here to read the article in its entirety.

Thirteen points is a dramatic jump.

Perhaps McCain gets 13 points because Governor Pawlenty delivers on all of the issues that rise to the top of well publicized public opinion polls.

Jobs -- Governor Pawlenty is the quintessential "Sam's Club Republican." He knows Republican ideas and republican values work because they defined his life and his deep blue collar roots.

Energy -- Governors from both parties look to Governor Pawlenty for guidance and leadership on the development of a balanced, domestic energy plan. The left has an approach, the right has an approach, and the country is crying out for a balanced approach; Governor Pawlenty's approach.

Taxes -- Governor Pawlenty solved the largest per capita deficit in the country without raising taxes. In Washington, as in Minnesota, Government doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Republicans and Democrats alike in Washington have an appetite for pork that has grown exponentially over the past few years. During those same years, Governor Pawlenty set records in Minnesota for vetoes (setting aside entirely the wasteful spending that didn't even make it close to his office out of fear of a veto).

The bottom line is that the issues of the day are the issues of Pawlenty.

To marry that with a critical geographic advantage for Senator McCain with Governor Pawlenty at his side makes it more and more likely that we will see Governor Pawlenty in Ohio for Senator McCain's Birthday.