Would a Romney/Portman ticket excite you? Truthfully…
Portman is my Senator and a Romney/Portman doesn’t even excite me. How about Romney and West? Romney and Rubio? Someone on the ticket needs to be able to energize the conservative base.
Portman’s not that guy. A safe pick, yes. A flashy pick, no.
- Official portrait of United States Senator (R-OH). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If Sen. Rob Portman doesn’t get the VP slot on the GOP ticket this year, it might send shock waves through the political establishment.
That’s because so many pundits in Washington have essentially decided that Portman is GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s choice for the No. 2 spot. The decision is done, just not delivered yet.
The latest in the stream of speculation comes from two different publications today.
In the first, the Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib writes that the case for Portman is simple: “He wouldn’t hurt the Romney cause in any significant ways, and could help it in others. If that sounds like an underwhelming argument for Sen. Portman, it isn’t. In the eyes of some Romney advisers, the one thing the presumptive Republican nominee can’t afford to do is replicate his party’s 2008 choice of Sarah Palin, who soared on the excitement scale but appeared unprepared for the presidency.”
Unlike Palin, he says, “there is no chance (Portman’s) credentials would be questioned, little chance he would hurt the ticket and only a slim chance he would commit a distracting gaffe.”
That’s part of the reason Portman has “gone from oft-mentioned to most-mentioned vice-presidential choice.”
In the Daily Beast, Mark McKinnon, a political strategist who has worked for both Republicans and Democrats, writes: “Let’s just eliminate the drama and suspense right now. Romney is going to pick Rob Portman.”
The reason, McKinnon says, is that he’s a safe choice who will “do no harm.”
“He is as safe a bet as they come. Plenty of experience as a congressman, senator, budget director, and cabinet member. Perfect family. No apparent skeletons in the closet. And he’s from Ohio—the most important swing state. He’s a loyal soldier. Good political instincts and judgment. Solid character and a genuinely nice guy. Almost zero liabilities, which is really what Team Romney wants. Game. Set. Match.”
Well, glad that’s settled. Now all we have to do is wait for Romney to make it official.
via Portman VP buzz moves from speculation to certainty | Politics Extra.
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- Republican Veepstakes: Pick Someone to Energize the Base!! (thebusypost.wordpress.com)
- Romney’s Safest VP Pick (thedailybeast.com)
- Rob Portman defends Romney over Bain attacks (abcnews.go.com)
- Ohio Democratic Chairman on Rob Portman: ‘He’s polite … not a pain in the ass’ (abcnews.go.com)
- Rob Portman, VP contender, to join fundraising call for Romney in New York (abcnews.go.com)
- Rob Portman, a possible VP pick, knocks Obama for lack of ‘presidential leadership’ (abcnews.go.com)
- Abby Huntsman: Rob Portman Likely VP Pick (alan.com)
- Rob Portman for Romney’s VP? (theblaze.com)
- Ohio Senator Rob Portman the GOP Fave for Romney’s VP Nominee? (towleroad.com)
I’d hoped he would do better than this.
By: Mike on May 30, 2012
at 7:54 pm