Veep, Veep

A good nine months before the Atlantic City convention where Lyndon Johnson must finally choose his running mate, Democrats are already playing the game of Veep, Veep. Although there is a new seriousness about it, the rules seem to be pretty much the same. For every argument on behalf of a particular candidate, others are advanced against him--and sometimes the same arguments are used both for and against.

A partial lineup:

Bobby Kennedy. Arguments for: the Kennedy name, youth (38), proven political skill, strong civil rights advocate. Arguments against: the dynasty issue, too young, political unpopularity (especially in the South), absence of elective experience, too controversial.

Sargent Shriver. Arguments for: Kennedy family member without the Kennedy name, a Catholic, a good record as director of the Peace Corps, business experience as onetime overseer of Joe Kennedy's Merchandise Mart. Argument against: no elective experience.

Minnesota's Senator Hubert Humphrey. Arguments for: a tried and true liberal, a topnotch orator. Arguments against: too liberal, not a Catholic.

Minnesota's Senator Eugene McCarthy. Arguments for: a liberal, a Catholic, a good speaker. Arguments against: too Catholic, not widely enough known.

Under Secretary of Commerce Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. Argument for: his father's name. Argument against: overuse of that name.

Connecticut's Senator Abraham Ribicoff. Arguments for: a moderate, a Jew, a proven vote getter in bellwether Connecticut. Arguments against: religion, a lackluster record as Kennedy's first Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner. Arguments for: leading Democratic figure in a pivotal state, a Catholic. Arguments against: a dilatory personality, an uneven record, no national experience.

California's Governor Pat Brown. Arguments for: top Democratic officeholder in a key state, a liberal, a Catholic. Arguments against: an indecisive leader, geographically too close to Lyndon ("I wish," Brown recently complained, "people wouldn't refer to President Johnson as a Westerner").

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