A few times in the last month, I’ve been asked who I think Hillary will select for a running mate. Normally, I’m just waiting for some poor fool to ask me this question because I’ve always got a short list in my head, with pros and cons for each.  But, this time, I had nothing.  I actually had to do Google searches of Democratic governors.  Because, the Democratic party’s bench is really thin these days at almost every level. The Democrats won literally everything in 2006 and 2008 and then gave almost all of it back in 2010 and some more in 2014.   As important as the presidency is, the Democrats really, really need a strong showing down-ballot in as many states as possible in November.

The Republicans are careening toward catastrophe at the top of the ticket, but it’s easy to rattle off attractive potential vice presidents.  They are teeming with people like Nikki Haley, Rob Portman, and Jeff Flake who would be attractive candidates.  Except with Trump likely at the top of the ticket, no serious Republican is going to want the number two slot, and my guess is that Trump will have to find some latter-day Sargent Shriver who has nothing else to lose.  Time to start scouring the list of former Republican mid-western governors.  Or Carly Fiorina.  Yeah, she’d take it in a heartbeat.

Also, Trump knows that he’s likely to be impeached, and so would be foolish to put anyone on the ticket with him who would obviously be a better president.

So, back to the Democrats. They’d give anything to put a Latino on the ticket, but despite being the party of diversity, they don’t really have a Latino office holder of suitable stature or charisma.  It’s so bad that insiders are floating the name of Tom Perez, the Secretary of Labor, who has never held elective office.  Julian Castro has serious political talent, but Mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for under two years is hardly a compelling resume to be a heart-beat away from the presidency.

The Republicans have, or had, a surfeit of Latino options just in one state.  Current and former New Mexico governors Susana Martinez and Brian Sandoval would have a lot to offer to the ticket.  Except that Martinez apparently got absolutely plastered on December 14 at a party with her staff and friends at a hotel in Santa Fe and started throwing empty bottles out of the hotel window.  Sandoval has immense political talent and is a serious guy—Obama floated his name as a replacement for Scalia on the Supreme Court—but his problems are even worse than Martinez’s.  He’s pro-choice, pro-Obamacare, and pro-immigration reform.  This guy’s a Republican?  He’s my pick for Hillary’s running mate.

At the end of the day, the vice presidential pick is all about chemistry with the person at the head of the ticket.  The first time we all saw Clinton and Gore together, it was obvious how formidable they would be. And then, their first day on the campaign bus, the bus got stuck in some soft earth where it was parked.  And Bill and Al in shirt sleeves jumped out of the bus and helped push it out.  Two broad-shouldered young men from the South leaning into the future.

So, my top three picks for Hillary in no particular order:

Deval Patrick:  Former two-term governor.  Very good on the stump. The black vote has been huge for Hillary in the primaries.  Was actually surprised he didn’t run for President this time.

Elizabeth Warren:  A month ago, I didn’t think that Hillary would pick a woman because, like, we thought that Hillary would bring the excitement of a possible woman president.  But, somehow, she’s carved out a persona that combines the ineluctability of Nixon with the stolidity of Walter Mondale.  So, Warren would add excitement to the ticket and expand the gender gap. She’s been on the attack against Cruz lately so maybe she’s auditioning for the part.

Tim Kaine:  The safe choice.  Great resume.  Very good on television and a great campaigner. Could help make a difference in Virginia. But, he would open up a senate seat in that state that the Democrats could ill afford to lose.

Trump will pick Carly.  .. Or some end-of-the-line conservative like Mike Pence of Indiana.  Or Lee Iacocca or whatever.  And burn the Republican Party to the ground.

Who are your picks?