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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Dos Equis on April 21, 2012, 10:46:36 AM
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Sabato does a good job with political commentary. Here is his list. Not sure how to paste the story with all of the pictures. His table looks much nicer and is easier to read.
Veepwatch, Part 2: First, Do No Harm — Our Vp Contenders
Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley April 12th, 2012
As part 2 of our Veepwatch series, we’re unveiling our VP possibilities chart. See our video and also our full Veepwatch contenders list, both below. Who might Mitt Romney pick as his running mate? Did we miss anyone? If you think we did, pass along your suggested VP possibility along with a few short pluses and minuses to goodpolitics@virginia.edu. Put “VP pick” in the subject line. We’ll select the best three candidate suggestions and highlight them in next week’s Crystal Ball; we’ll also send the contributors a University of Virginia Center for Politics prize pack. — The Editors
He’s the ultimate Washington outsider, a rare national celebrity who is beloved by conservatives and who knows how to draw a crowd. He would be the telegenic, young complement to the top man on the ticket, and, oh by the way, he made his name as one of the most famous figures from a key swing state. In other words, he’s Mitt Romney’s perfect running mate!
But, alas, former Florida Gators Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and NFL sensation Tim Tebow is only 24 years old. One needs to be eligible to serve as president — age 35 — in order to be picked for the vice presidential slot.
With Romney having all but locked up the Republican nomination for president, national attention now turns to the Veepwatch. And more improbable names than Tebow will be bandied about before it’s through.
In picking a running mate, Romney would be well advised to abide by the old Hippocratic Oath, “First, do no harm.” In a campaign sense, the barest minimum contribution a vice presidential selection can make to the ticket is not to torpedo the nominee’s chances.
And yet, this political maxim is often violated. Four years ago, John McCain sought to excite a conservative base that long mistrusted him. Sarah Palin did that, but alienated much of the rest of the country. In 1984 Walter Mondale sought a similar spark from Geraldine Ferraro, but she was dogged by questions about her husband’s finances. George McGovern said he was “1,000 percent” behind his initial pick in 1972, Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton, right before McGovern dumped Eagleton after stories emerged about his mental illness and electric shock therapy. In 1988, George H.W. Bush picked a youthful Dan Quayle to bridge the generational divide; Quayle eventually became a national punch line.
Beyond the campaign, a vice president also has to be loyal to the policies of the presidential candidate should he or she become president. Several picks have failed in this regard, too. Before there were Republicans who were derided as RINOs (Republican in Name Only), there was a WINO — Whig in Name Only. After the sudden death of William Henry Harrison in 1841, John Tyler became president, and sabotaged the Whig Party program to the frustration of leading Whigs such as Henry Clay. Republican Abraham Lincoln’s second vice president, Andrew Johnson, wasn’t a RINO, because he was a Democrat. After Lincoln’s assassination, Johnson infuriated Radical Republicans during the post-Civil War era. Theodore Roosevelt wound up on William McKinley’s ticket largely because his enemies wanted to sidetrack his career in New York, where he was governor. Then McKinley was killed, catapulting Roosevelt into the presidency to the consternation of his enemies.
Perhaps the most important thing that Romney has to consider is that his pick must pass the litmus test of appearing able to step into the presidency at a moment’s notice (after Palin, this will be especially critical to the evaluation of Romney’s choice).
Topping our initial Veepwatch list is Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. He would seem to be the definition of the “do-no-harm candidate,” although he also served in the Bush administration. No doubt the Obama campaign would try to exploit that association. The second name is a flashier candidate: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Mentioned as a possible running mate essentially as soon as he won his Senate race in 2010, Rubio is a polished conservative who would reassure the Tea Party base and present a different (non-white) Republican face to the nation. But just as in the presidential race — Rick Perry, for instance — candidates who look ideal aren’t always as perfect as they seem, and the press vetting is intense.
There are plenty more possibilities for Romney, and inevitably the Republican’s campaign will review a couple dozen people, including some outside-the-box choices, before settling on the traditional short list. Until Romney announces his pick, the Veepwatch Kremlinology will continue.
By the way, there’s no Democratic Veepwatch because we’re not entertaining the (by now) outlandish idea of President Obama dumping Vice President Biden. Yes, we could make the case for Hillary Clinton; she is arguably a stronger choice than Biden and could potentially add electoral votes. But all that was true in 2008 as well, and changing back-up horses in the middle of the election year stream would be a media circus. Somehow it’s hard to imagine Biden suffering this indignity in silence.
Our thoughts on the Republican VP field possibilities are below:
First Tier
Rob Portman
Senator, OH
Marco Rubio
Senator, FL
Bobby Jindal
Governor, LA
Paul Ryan
Rep., WI
Second Tier
Chris Christie
Governor, NJ
Jeb Bush
Fmr. Governor, FL
Tim Pawlenty
Fmr. Governor, MN
Bob McDonnell
Governor, VA
Mitch Daniels
Governor, IN
Mike Huckabee
Fmr. Governor, AR
Third Tier
Kelly Ayotte
Senator, NH
Brian Sandoval
Governor, NV
Susana Martinez
Governor, NM
Bob Corker
Senator, TN
Condoleezza Rice
Fmr. Sec. of State
Fourth Tier
Pat Toomey
Senator, PA
John Thune
Senator, SD
Rand Paul
Senator, KY
Luis Fortuño
Governor, PR
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Rep., WA
Richard Burr
Senator, NC
David Petraeus
Dir. of CIA
J.C. Watts
Fmr. Rep., OK
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/veepwatch-part-2-first-do-no-harm-our-vp-contenders/
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Veepwatch: Readers React
Kyle Kondik, Political Analyst, U.Va. Center for Politics April 19th, 2012
John Adams, the Founding Father who served as the nation’s first vice president, had this to say about the No. 2 job: “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
Nowadays, few people — well, few politicians anyway — would agree with the sentiment. The vice presidency is a coveted prize that can serve as a springboard to the presidency, as it did for Adams and others throughout our history.
Last week, we identified 23 Republicans who we think might be selected as likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate. But we knew that there were more names out there, plausible and otherwise, so we asked readers to submit ideas that we did not include in our Veepwatch.
The three submissions we liked the best — the ones we’ll reward with a University of Virginia Center for Politics prize package — are all big-time long shots, but ones worth assessing:
– J.P. Ludvigson was one of a number of readers to suggest South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and he did so at length. Among the pluses, Ludvigson said that being a minority woman would “blunt the gender gap and ‘war on women line’” from Democrats and that her Tea Party ties would act as a “base motivator” and also balance Romney’s “Northeast elitist image.” Among the negatives, Ludvigson mentioned that Haley isn’t from a swing state and that rumors of affairs (which Haley has vehemently denied) could be a vetting hurdle. We didn’t include Haley on our list because she’s a relatively new governor (elected in 2010) whom the press, and probably the public, would view as Sarah Palin 2.0. That’s a headache that Romney doesn’t need.
– Michael Torrey suggested a bipartisan pick: retiring Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC). Shuler is “on the same page with many conservative Republicans (i.e. illegal immigration, spending, gun control) and has even tried to backdoor [Nancy] Pelosi out of the House minority leader position. His blue-collar background would appeal to conservative Democrats in key states like PA, and the idea of a Republican/Democrat ticket would certainly be exciting.” The concept of a unity ticket is always an interesting one — independent Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT) was high on John McCain’s Veep list in 2008, and the independent Americans Elect group is attempting to construct one this year — but it’s also a hard thing to imagine. Shuler’s record, while more conservative than many House Democrats, is full of votes he would have to renounce or reinterpret to fit with Romney’s platform. And Shuler, an ex-NFL quarterback, isn’t a national political figure like Lieberman; he’s a little-known member of the House.
– Adam Snoddy named Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. “His strengths include: strong social conservative credentials, Midwestern appeal, military background, the ability to help Romney carry NE-2 (which Obama won in 2008), and his status as one of Romney’s earliest endorsers in the primary. Heineman’s drawbacks include: ‘unexciting’ pick, from a solid GOP state, completely unknown to 99% of the country.” Heineman would be a real dark horse and is a plausible safe pick, but there are others on our list — Sen. Rob Portman (OH), Sen. Bob Corker (TN), ex-MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty — who are more prominent and could potentially bring more to the ticket.
Many readers favored Rep. Allen West, an outspoken Republican from Florida and Sarah Palin’s pick. West does excite conservatives, but he’s also a bomb-thrower. For instance, note his recent statement that “78 to 81” Democrats in Congress are members of the Communist Party (because they are in the Progressive Caucus). West makes Chris Christie look like a shrinking violet, and he would produce daily controversies as a running mate. Swing independents would run away, which means West won’t be chosen.
Other readers mentioned some of Romney’s former competitors in the race for the GOP nomination, such as Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann. We didn’t include any of Romney’s former opponents because we think all of them showed major vulnerabilities during the campaign. Many produced cutting soundbites about Romney that Democrats would delight in using to divide the GOP ticket.
Further suggestions included Govs. Mary Fallin (OK), John Kasich (OH), Rick Snyder (MI) and Tom Corbett (PA); Sens. John Hoeven (ND), Scott Brown (MA), Mike Johanns (NE), Ron Johnson (WI), Olympia Snowe (ME) and Susan Collins (ME); former Comptroller General David Walker; former CIA Director Michael Hayden; and a number of others. The likeliest name on this list of unlikely possibilities is probably Hoeven, but his southern neighbor, John Thune of South Dakota, seems like a more plausible possibility because he’s seen as a rising Republican star.*
Thanks to the many readers who contributed. We’ll all be surprised together when Romney’s choice is announced. For all we know, one of you is right and we are wrong.
Earlier this week, Romney named a longtime aide, Beth Myers, to head up his VP search. The early indications are that Romney won’t make his selection anytime soon, which will give us months to adjust the Veepwatch possibilities. As a matter of due diligence, Myers will assess dozens of names, circling some and putting a big red “X” through most. We would advise those that make her short list to avoid quoting John Adams on the vice presidency during their interviews.
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/
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No way Romney hires a rockstar for veep like mccain did. No way a creepy guy with a look like jindal, or a political newbie like rubio get selected.
This will be someone who's been in national office for 10+ years. Someone safe. no surprises. Someone boring. Romney is used to being surrounded by 'yes man' and this will be no different. He may choose a woman, but he'll want it said from all sides "It's like Palin, only really smart".
I know it's more fun to say "christie and rubio screaming at each other for the nomination" and I think a rand paul nomination would be exciting. But really, it'll be a safe boring person who doesn't overshadow Mittens.
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Daniels would call for VP 'reconsideration'
Posted by
CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz
(CNN) – Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels took his opposition to running for vice president in 2012 to new heights on Sunday, saying he would “demand reconsideration” if asked to assume the No. 2 position on the Republican ticket.
“I think I would demand reconsideration and send Mr. Romney a list of people I think could suit better,” Daniels said on “Fox News Sunday.”
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
He also invoked conservative stalwart William F. Buckley in defense of his decision. The author and commentator ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York in 1965 to give voice to his conservative ideas. When asked at the time what he would do if he won, Buckley said “Demand a recount.”
Daniels, who decided against a presidential bid of his own earlier in the election cycle, said he did not expect to be asked to serve with Mitt Romney and remained loyal to his Hoosier State constituents.
“I promised the people of my state eight full years, and I like living up to that commitment, showing that it was real,” Daniels said. “So, no, I don't - I think this is a hypothetical question that will probably stay that way.”
He also declined to offer Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, any suggestions, at least in public.
“I have seen a lot of names and I like them all. I don’t want to ruin anybody’s chances this morning by singling him or her out,” said Daniels, who endorsed Romney last week. “You know, there is a lot of talent in the Republican Party.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/22/daniels-would-call-for-vp-reconsideration/
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It's going t be Rubio. VP is mostly meaningless position.
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It's going t be Rubio. VP is mostly meaningless position.
hahaha no way mitt is outshined by an unproven commodity.
he picks a quiet yes man (or woman!) with cred. Maybe someone like thune with military background.
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hahaha no way mitt is outshined by an unproven commodity.
he picks a quiet yes man (or woman!) with cred. Maybe someone like thune with military background.
Rubio is better than myth.
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hey 240, I know you like Jeb but I'm curious, if you were president, would you want a Bush right behind you?
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hey 240, I know you like Jeb but I'm curious, if you were president, would you want a Bush right behind you?
The bush mafia is as bad as Clinton and Obama. NWO traitors.
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But Romney hasn't won the repub nomination yet. There are still two other candidates in the race, oh yeah the media already decided about two years ago for us that it is Romney. I will be voting third party this year if this false conservative is the repub. choice.
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It's going t be Rubio. VP is mostly meaningless position.
Rubio helps with the Latino vote.
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Rubio helps with the Latino vote.
this is true, but isn't there a hispanic WOMAN in that running as well? one of those gov's that has been on national scene forever?
rubio has the potential to be palin all over again. he might help with hispanics and florida... but as bubba the love sponge talked about a ton in fall of 2010, there's a shitload of info about him being a lobbyist while employed by the state in florida. IF it's true - and i can imagine bubba's ass would be sued if he lied about such a thing - that could spell trouble.
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He makes some good points.
Cheney offers advice on picking a running mate
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak
(CNN) - It may be months before Mitt Romney announces who will join him on the GOP presidential ticket, but speculation surrounding the likely nominee's choice of running mate is already well beyond fever pitch.
Joining the discussion Monday: former Vice President Dick Cheney, the last Republican to act as the country's second-in-command. Making some of his first public remarks following a successful heart transplant in late March, Cheney drew on his own experience selecting running mates in advising Romney.
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
"I've been involved in a couple of vice presidential searches, some more successful than others," Cheney said at an event for students at the Washington Center. His remarks were carried by C-SPAN.
In 2000, Cheney led the vice presidential search for then-candidate George W. Bush that culminated in his own selection as running mate.
He continued, "The thing that I think is important to remember is the decision you make as a presidential candidate on who your running mate's going to be is the first presidential level decision the public's going to see you make. It's the first time you're making a decision you're going to have to live with. It gives the public a chance to see you operate and see what you think is important, what kind of individual you choose to serve as your running mate, what are the criteria."
Cheney said making a vice presidential decision in order to leverage key voting blocs was a mistake, saying it ignored the position's most vital duty.
"I think the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president," Cheney said. "That's why you pick them. I think lots of times in the past that has not been the foremost criteria."
Romney would be smart to ignore pundits handicapping the decision, Cheney said.
"As you watch the talking heads out there now, they're saying you've got to pick a woman, a Hispanic, someone from a big state. They're all interesting things to speculate about but it's pretty rare that the election ever turns on those kinds of issues."
In his remarks, Cheney also offered details about the night he received his heart transplant. The former vice president had been on the waiting list for a donor heart for 20 months.
"On a Friday night about midnight I got a phone call," Cheney said. "I knew I was getting to the top of the list."
He continued, "We got in the car and drove to the hospital. Checked in there. About seven o'clock in the morning they began the operation. It took about five or six hours."
Cheney said he remained in the hospital for nine days following the procedure.
"I'm feeling very well, and very fortunate," Cheney said of his current state of health. He added he felt "great gratitude to the individual, family that donated the heart I was privileged to receive."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/23/cheney-offers-advice-on-picking-a-running-mate/
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http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-pokes-fun-at-republicans-refusal-to-compete-in-mitt-romneys-veepstakes/
:D :D :D
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:). More comedians.
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http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-pokes-fun-at-republicans-refusal-to-compete-in-mitt-romneys-veepstakes/
:D :D :D
that was pretty funny. they do all seem to be 'handing it off'.
38.2% of the world's gambling community believe Mittens will win it. That's not a weekly thing. that's millionaires from around the world putting their $ where their mouth is.
Confidence in romney isn't high - even from potential veeps.
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It's going t be Rubio. VP is mostly meaningless position.
No it isn't. Rubio isn't stupid enough to attach his name and political future to Romney.
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:)
No it isn't. Rubio isn't stupid enough to attach his name and political future to Romney.
Even if mittens lost rubio has four morer years in the senate.
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:)
Even if mittens lost rubio has four morer years in the senate.
yeah, but the prez race exposes every dumbshit moment a person ever has. if they don't win the nomination, they don't get another chance, sorry.
rubio would have a lot of awkward learning moments in a 2012 race - he would stay at that level forever, period. might be a senator for a while. but won't be prez in 2016 if he loses as veep in 2012. I'd pass if I was him.
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:)
yeah, but the prez race exposes every dumbshit moment a person ever has. if they don't win the nomination, they don't get another chance, sorry.
rubio would have a lot of awkward learning moments in a 2012 race - he would stay at that level forever, period. might be a senator for a while. but won't be prez in 2016 if he loses as veep in 2012. I'd pass if I was him.
You also thought chist was going to win too remember?
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Rubio would never recover from being part of a losing Romney campaign.
In addition, Rubio is supposed to be crafting an image of being a conservative with steadfast ideals. If he truly believed in that, there would be no way he would latch on to a flip flop liberal like Romney.
It's doesn't take a lot of common sense to see this.
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Crist wasn't cruising at 60% on intrade ;)
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:)
You also thought chist was going to win too remember?
if I called you out for every prediction you got wrong "scott brown 41 just ended obamacare!" we'd be here all day champ.
we all get some wrong :)
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if I called you out for every prediction you got wrong "scott brown 41 just ended obamacare!" we'd be here all day champ.
we all get some wrong :)
Yeah - remember - we still have a few months before deathcar is repealed. Additionally -no one ever imagined Obama would be so reckless as to pass health care after brown won and even many dems warned obama not to do it.
Remember the results of the mid terms as a result of your messiahs treason? Oh thats right - liberals and idiots like yourself, straw, blackass never saw that coming. Sam as in november when your messiah is sent packing to kenya
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Additionally -no one ever imagined Obama would be so reckless as to pass health care after brown won and even many dems warned obama not to do it.
No one thought that ,huh
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(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/ayotte.jpg)
Kelly Ayotte
U.S. senator, New Hampshire
Maybe it was because she was sitting next to him, but Romney himself suggested the first-term New Hampshire senator was on his list. "There are probably 15 names of people, including (New Hampshire Sen.) Kelly Ayotte," Romney said in a Fox News interview after Ayotte had endorsed him. "I mean, there are terrific Republicans in the Senate, in the House, in governors' offices."
Ayotte, 43, is a former New Hampshire attorney general who serves on the Armed Services, Budget, Commerce and Small Business committees and is seen as strongly conservative on budget and defense issues. She captured 60% of the vote in her 2010 Senate election to replace retiring Sen. Judd Gregg.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/bush.jpg)
Jeb Bush
Former governor, Florida
After months of shooting down the notion that he might make a good choice as Romney's running mate, the former Florida governor told the conservative website Newsmax in April that he would consider the job if asked, "but I doubt I'll get a call."
A day later, though, he told Bloomberg, "I am not going to be the veep nominee -- lay that to rest."
The brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush served two terms in Tallahassee and is popular in conservative circles. He has also been a critic of the hyperpartisan tone in Washington and in the Newsmax interview said that Americans are tired of negative campaigns and offered this advice to Romney: "I think Mitt needs to stay above the fray a bit, and to offer a hopeful message that can lift people's spirits up."
Bush, 59, has been steadfast in supporting fellow Floridian and GOP rising star Sen. Marco Rubio as his choice for No. 2 on the GOP ticket.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/christie.jpg)
Chris Christie
Governor, New Jersey
The New Jersey governor endorsed Romney shortly after deciding the time wasn't right for his own presidential run.
He has played his Jersey guy persona to the hilt as one of Romney's most active surrogates, telling Iowa voters that if they didn't do what he wanted and vote for Romney, he would be back "Jersey style."
Christie, 49, is a darling of the GOP establishment with solid fiscal conservative credentials.
But the former prosecutor has a larger than life personality. That could be a problem for Romney -- no presidential candidate wants to be overshadowed by his running mate. Choosing Christie doesn't necessarily mean he could help Romney win his solidly Democratic home state.
There's also a risk for Christie in taking the job: Should Romney lose to Obama, he would be tied to a loser, diminishing his future chances at the top of a ticket.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/daniels.jpg)
Mitch Daniels
Governor, Indiana
The two-term Indiana governor is regarded as one of the party's brightest lights among fiscal conservatives. A low-key trip to Israel in April raised speculation that Daniels was trying to burnish his foreign policy credentials, but the governor's office said it was just a vacation.
Daniels, 63, delivered a strong but subdued response to President Obama's State of the Union address earlier this year as the Republican presidential race was in turmoil, kindling hopes he would reconsider a run for the top job.
Daniels came close to a Shermanesque statement on whether he'd consider the second spot on the ticket, telling Fox News in April, "I think I would demand reconsideration and send Mr. Romney a list of people I think could suit better."
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/fallin.jpg)
Mary Fallin
Governor, Oklahoma
The Oklahoma governor's name has been floated as a possibility if the Romney campaign feels it needs to pick a woman to address the gender gap the GOP faces among female voters; most polls show Romney trailing Obama by large margins among women.
Fallin, 57, was elected governor in 2010 and has shot down suggestions that she would be Romney's pick, saying she would rather focus on Oklahoma's issues. She is a former lieutenant governor and represented Oklahoma in the U.S. House for two terms.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/haley.jpg)
Nikki Haley
Governor, South Carolina
Another conservative star, the South Carolina governor was an early Romney backer and has made a number of appearances for and with him on the trail. But Haley has consistently said she's not interested in a spot on the ticket or in a potential Romney Cabinet, saying she wanted to "finish what she started" in the governor's office.
Haley, 40, was elected South Carolina's first female governor in 2010 with strong tea party backing and Romney's endorsement, among others. She served as a state representative before running for governor.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/jindal.jpg)
Bobby Jindal
Governor, Louisiana
A scathing speech about the Obama administration to the New York Republican state dinner in April increased speculation the Louisiana governor was interested in the job, despite his repeated assurances he's not.
Jindal, 40, is the nation's first Indian-American governor (Haley is the second) and is a cut-spending-and-taxes conservative. He won re-election in 2010 with 66% of the vote in a 10-candidate field.
Like Daniels, Jindal's rising star earned him the opportunity to respond to Obama's first address to Congress in 2009, but a shaky performance led to speculation he was not ready for the national spotlight.
Jindal endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry last fall before Perry dropped out of the race. Jindal endorsed Romney only after Rick Santorum dropped out in April. In endorsing Perry, he pushed back at talk of a No. 2 spot on a Perry ticket, saying, "I want to be the governor of the great state of Louisiana."
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(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/martinez.jpg)
Susana Martinez
Governor, New Mexico
The New Mexico governor would be a trifecta for Romney -- she's female, Latino and comes from a swing state. But she's also unknown on the national scene since taking office last year.
Besides that, Martinez, 52, has emphatically shot down any notion she should be considered for the job.
Martinez told the Albuquerque Journal that she will not take her developmentally disabled sister, to whom she is legal guardian, to Washington and separate her from her family, including her father, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
She has also said she intends to honor her pledge to serve a full term as governor.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/mcdonnell.jpg)
Bob McDonnell
Governor, Virginia
Another chief executive of a swing state, the Virginia governor would be a good balance to Romney's Northeastern base.
McDonnell, 57, flipped the governor's office from Democratic control in 200, the year after the GOP presidential candidate had lost the state, with a campaign focused on job creation -- "Bob's for Jobs" -- and is one of the few under consideration who hasn't pushed back against the idea of running with Romney.
While he has recently moderated his position on abortion -- he had previously opposed it in all cases unless the mother's life was in jeopardy -- his earlier support for a controversial Virginia bill that would have required a woman to undergo a vaginal ultrasound procedure before she could have an abortion could hurt him with female voters.
McDonnell served in the state House of Delegates for seven two-year terms and as Virginia's attorney general before being elected governor.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/paul.jpg)
Rand Paul
U.S. senator, Kentucky
Choosing the freshman U.S. senator from Kentucky for the vice presidential spot could help bridge a schism in the Republican Party but wouldn't help the GOP ticket appeal to independents or crossover Democrats.
It could keep Paul's father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, from continuing his campaign into the Republican convention or mounting a third-party bid.
A libertarian who believes in limited government, Paul, 49, is one of the most prominent new members of Congress who rode the tea party movement's grass-roots energy and activism into office in 2010. He took the seat of retiring Sen. Jim Bunning by defeating the establishment-backed candidate Trey Grayson.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/pawlenty.jpg)
Tim Pawlenty
Former governor, Minnesota
The former Minnesota governor ended his 2012 presidential bid in August 2011 after a disappointing finish in the closely watched Ames, Iowa, Straw Poll and endorsed Romney a month later. That instantly created speculation that Pawlenty was positioning himself to be Romney's running mate.
But Pawlenty has insisted he's not interested in the No. 2 job, telling Fox News in April that he had "taken myself off the list."
Pawlenty, 51, is a former two-term Minnesota governor who served 10 years in the state House of Representatives. He was among those considered for Sen. John McCain's 2008 running mate before McCain chose then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/portman.jpg)
Rob Portman
U.S. senator, Ohio
The U.S. senator from Ohio is considered a safe bet to be Romney's pick. He's also considered to be a safe bet not to overshadow his boss.
Portman, 56, served as George W. Bush's budget director and U.S. trade representative before being elected to the Senate in 2010, winning retiring Sen. George Voinovich's seat with 57% of the vote. He served 10 years in the U.S. House before being tapped by Bush's administration.
His endorsement and campaigning for Romney is believed to a key to Romney's winning the state when the Republican nomination was still up in the air and he could play the same role in the key battleground state in the general election.
While he would bring solid economic credentials to the job -- "cool, analytical, data-driven, and conversant in the central issue of the day -- the economy," National Journal's Major Garrett described him in declaring in April that he would be Romney's running mate -- he would also bring memories of the Bush White House, under which the federal deficit ballooned.
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there's always palin :D
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(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/rice.jpg)
Condoleezza Rice
Former Seceretary of State
George W. Bush's secretary of state was the surprise top pick when a CNN/ORC International Poll offered a list of vice presidential possibilities to Republicans with 26% of those asked, 5 percentage points ahead of Rick Santorum, the second-highest choice.
CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said name recognition was the key to the results, pointing to a lack of awareness of many of the other potential running mates Romney might choose from -- Portman registered only one-half of 1% in the poll.
Rice, 57, doesn't share Republicans' dreams, though. She told Fox News in March, "I think we should go another direction and find somebody who really wants to be in elected office. How many ways can I say it? Not me."
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/rubio.jpg)
Marco Rubio
U.S. senator, Florida
The freshman Florida senator fits the bill in a few key areas: He's young, Latino and comes from Florida, another state that will be key in the general election. He says he would reject the job.
In fact, he told CNN's Candy Crowley the week before he was to campaign in April that he's done talking about it: "The last thing [Romney] needs are those of us in the peanut gallery to be saying what we would or would not do. I know that Mitt Romney's going to make a great choice for vice president."
Asked earlier in April if he would reject a vice presidential proposal, Rubio replied, "Yes."
Rubio, 40, is another tea party favorite elected in 2010. Florida's popular moderate Gov. Charlie Crist had intended to run for the Senate as a Republican, but Rubio's entry forced him to run as an independent. The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives and was its speaker before running for the Senate.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/paul.ryan.jpg)
Paul Ryan
U.S. representative, Wisconsin
A five-day stint with Romney on the campaign trail before his home state of Wisconsin voted fueled speculation that the House Budget Committee chairman was auditioning for the vice presidential job.
But Ryan, 42, another GOP rising star from a battleground state, also defers talk of being Romney's running mate.
"It's [Romney's] decision months from now, not mine. So why spend my time thinking about it? If this bridge ever comes that I should cross it, then I'll think about it then. It's not the time to think about it," he told the Wall Street Journal in April.
Ryan is the architect of the House GOP's controversial budget proposal, which Democrats have attacked but Republicans say is intended to save Medicare while reining in spending. Ryan also has assumed the role of the party's leader on fiscal and budgetary issues.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/santorum.jpg)
Rick Santorum
Former U.S. senator, Pennsylvania
It's hard to imagine the former Pennsylvania senator being Romney's running mate after the bitter campaign they ran against each other, but Santorum has promised to do anything he can to help get Romney elected.
With Santorum on the ticket, the GOP conservative base would certainly be energized, suggesting they wouldn't be unhappy with the ticket and not turn out vote. But Santorum would have little crossover appeal, with far right positions on abortion, same-sex marriage and other social issues.
Santorum, 53, isn't coy about whether he would accept an offer of the No. 2 spot. He'd take it in a heartbeat.
"Of course," he told Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody shortly after suspending his campaign. "I mean, look -- I would do in this race as I always say, this is the most important race in our country's history. I'm going to do everything I can."
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/sandoval.jpg)
Brian Sandoval
Governor, Nevada
The first Latino governor of battleground state Nevada, Sandoval, 39, on paper would appear to help Romney bring a key state into his column and make inroads into a key voting bloc in which he trails Obama badly.
But Sandoval, 49, didn't win the Latino vote in Nevada when he was elected governor in 2010 -- that went to Democratic opponent Rory Reid, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
And he has some differences with conservatives in his party, which could suppress turnout: He's pro-choice and broke a no-tax pledge as governor.
Sandoval endorsed Perry before he suspended his campaign and has not yet endorsed Romney.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/thune.jpg)
John Thune
U.S. senator, South Dakota
After deciding against his own 2012 White House bid, the South Dakota senator endorsed Romney in late 2011, saying, "He is a guy who has turned failing things around."
Thune, 51, is a GOP hero for toppling incumbent Democrat Tom Daschle in 2004 and was on many Republicans' wish list for a presidential run this time around. He is also chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, which controls the party's message in the Senate, and is often mentioned as a presidential contender down the road. He, too, would offer a balance to Romney's Northeastern base.
Thune has been noncommital about vice presidential aspirations; he has said he's not interested but at the same time said it was too early to start that conversation.
(http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/media/toomey.jpg)
Pat Toomey
U.S. senator, Pennsylvania
The freshman Pennsylvania senator is another tea party favorite who would do much to soothe conservatives who aren't quite convinced Romney truly shares their values.
Toomey, 48, challenged then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 primary, challenging the incumbent's commitment to fiscal conservatism, and narrowly missed unseating him. His second run against Specter in 2010 forced the incumbent to switch parties when polls showed him trailing Toomey among Republican voters. Toomey went on to defeat Democrat Joe Sestak, who had beaten Specter in the primary.
Toomey has strong budgetary and economic credentials and is a former president of the conservative Club for Growth. He also has appeal as helping to make Romney competitive in a moderate state that Obama won in 2008.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/04/politics/interactive.vp.candidates/index.html
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Jeb Bush is just what this country needs ::)
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McDonnell still open to VP spot
Posted by
CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz
(CNN) - Doing little to quiet vice presidential speculation, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia said he is open to assisting presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney capture the White House in any way he can.
"Anybody who asks me to help the party or help the ticket in some way so we can get Mitt Romney elected, you know I'm willing to consider doing," McDonnell told an Indiana GOP Spring Dinner Tuesday night. "But there's a lot of great people in our party and there's a really deep bench and a lot of people could serve Mitt Romney well."
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
The former state attorney general said he is not campaigning for the position and is happy serving as governor of Virginia, but continued to leave the door open to serving as Romney's No. 2.
"That's completely a choice that Mitt Romney needs to make about what he thinks that he would like to have as a running mate, and we'll just have to stay tuned and see what he says," McDonnell said, according to CNN affiliate WISH.
McDonnell's name is continually floated as part of the VP speculation that is front and center now that Romney is the all-but-declared Republican nominee.
A recent CNN/ORC International poll showed 1% of registered voters would pick McDonnell for the position, a figure largely based on name recognition. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice nabbed the top spot, followed by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
McDonnell hails from the important battleground of Virginia and repeatedly touts his record in the state, which has included a drop in unemployment and a budget surplus. However, he received national headlines earlier in the year when he signed into law a controversial bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion.
A super PAC supporting McDonnell released an ad this week in support of the term-limited governor, pointing to the commonwealth's economic recovery.
McDonnell endorsed Romney in January ahead of his state's primary and recently reiterated his openness to the VP spot during an appearance on CNN's "John King, USA."
"I'm chairman of the Republican Governors Association, so I want to win lots of Republican governor's races this year, but if somebody called me, I'd sure think about it," McDonnell said in February.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/25/mcdonnell-still-open-to-vp-spot/
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Thune puts damper on VP speculation
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak
Washington (CNN) – He's not saying yes, but he's also not saying no. Sen. John Thune, the number three Republican in the Senate, said Thursday he doesn't expect to be chosen as Mitt Romney's running mate.
Speaking before a meeting of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, Thune was asked whether or not he would run alongside Romney in his bid for the White House.
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
"I don't expect to be there, but I do expect to be in the Senate, hopefully working with a new president to take on big issues because in order to solve big problems, you gotta have presidential leadership," Thune said. "I always tell people that, you know, we have 535 members of Congress, there's only one president. There's only one person who can sign a bill into law. There's only person who has the capacity to lead the country, to engage with the Congress on solutions to the big issues."
Ever since Thune backed Romney in November 2011, his name has been mentioned as a potential No. 2 for the former Massachusetts governor. He backed Romney at a time when seven other candidates were still in the race, and voters were still deciding in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Thune, who represents South Dakota, would provide geographic balance on a potential Republican ticket, though he would not offer a large degree of ideological disparity with the likely GOP nominee.
In his speech Thursday, Thune hit on many of the same topics Romney addresses in his campaign speeches: President Barack Obama's economic record, American-produced energy and reining in federal spending.
Thune said he was confident Romney would be elected, but that the race would be close.
"I think this is gonna be a great campaign and probably a very close election," Thune said.
He added, "I do believe that Gov. Romney will be the next president and the reason I say that is I just think that people in this country when they are concerned about their economic futures, there's a lot of anxiety about just pocketbook, bread and butter, kitchen table issues, are gonna be looking for a different direction."
Thune decided against making his own presidential bid in February 2011, but is considered a GOP hero for toppling incumbent Democrat Tom Daschle in 2004. He chairs the Senate Republican Conference, which controls the party's message in the Senate, and is often mentioned as a presidential contender down the road.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/26/thune-puts-damper-on-vp-speculation/
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Thune might be the #1 safest choice for Mitt. He'll never overshadow him. Solid with the far-right. Military experience. Very good with economics. A clean cut smile, but won't overpower Romney.
I mean, palin was so energetic and vibrant that people viewed mccain as old just by standing next to him. Thune looks like a TV president, for pete's sake. And he'll never step on romney's toes in the name of his own political ambition. I could easily see Rubio or another new young hotshot going rogue like Palin did. She wasn't supposed to say 'palling around with terr'ists" but she did it anyway.
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The demographic studies have been done. The "ideal" running mate for Mitt would be a half-wit Southern lesbian Evangelical in a wheelchair.
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The demographic studies have been done. The "ideal" running mate for Mitt would be a half-wit Southern lesbian Evangelical in a wheelchair.
i heard the phrase 'low information voters' applied to the GOP primary voters. cracked me up. they said with a straight face cain was prepared on foreign policy and believed him when he said "i have done nothing inappropriate in 43 years". lolzer.
same applies to the left too, i suppose. ppl didn't konw obama's policies.
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i heard the phrase 'low information voters' applied to the GOP primary voters. cracked me up. they said with a straight face cain was prepared on foreign policy and believed him when he said "i have done nothing inappropriate in 43 years". lolzer.
same applies to the left too, i suppose. ppl didn't konw obama's policies.
::)
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Thune might be the #1 safest choice for Mitt. He'll never overshadow him. Solid with the far-right. Military experience. Very good with economics. A clean cut smile, but won't overpower Romney.
When and where did he serve?
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When and where did he serve?
v
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thune
shoot, i thought he served. who was that ideal candidate we were talking about with 4 years service...?
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Rubio seems to be on everyone's short list.
Boehner Lists Potential VP Picks
Friday, 27 Apr 2012
By Newsmax Wires
House Speaker John Boehner says there is a “long list” of candidates qualified to serve as presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana.
"There are a lot of people that I like. But this is a personal choice for Gov. Romney, and I'm confident that he'll have a running mate that will be helpful to the ticket," Boehner told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley in an interview scheduled to air Sunday. "I think the number one quality is, are they capable of being president in the case of an emergency?"
Rubio, a freshman tea partyer with Cuban roots, is seen as a top choice by many Republicans. And Portman and Daniels, who both served as budget director for President George W. Bush, are viewed as voices of experience and policy wisdom.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/boehner-vice-president-election/2012/04/27/id/437380
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Romney’s VP Choice: Pick Soon or Pick Later?
Friday, 27 Apr 2012
By Newsmax Wires
Top Republicans are split over whether presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney should wait as long as usual to pick a running mate.
Since 1976, all but one of the 10 non-incumbent presidential nominees revealed his choice of a running mate within a week of the party’s convention, The Hill reports. The GOP convention begins Aug. 27 this year.
Some GOP heavyweights want Romney to wait as long as possible to name his choice. That way he can see how the campaign evolves and score the biggest impact with his decision.
Others believe the former Massachusetts governor should act fast, boosting his fundraising and media coverage. That would also give Romney another hand in attacking President Barack Obama and presenting the GOP platform.
“I’d like them to drag it out as long as possible,” a top Romney fundraiser told The Hill. “The more he drags it out, the more press he gets, and the more press he gets, the better people get to know him.
The fundraiser sees a good chance that Romney will follow this advice. “It’s going to be a very deliberate process, and he’s going to come up with a very high-quality selection. When you’re a business executive you’re used to recruiting.”
As for the other side, Bradley Blakeman, who served as senior staffer for President George W. Bush, said that Romney should announce his decision in June. “If we stick to tradition over reality, we make a mistake. Right now we’re fighting with one hand tied behind our back,” he told The Hill.
The running mate would create “two moving targets to hit instead of just one,” allowing Romney to defend against the double-barreled attack of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, Blakeman said. “You need to use every weapon in your arsenal. To roll the dice at the convention and leave Romney to be beaten up as the sole person out there the next few months is a big mistake.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/romney-presidential-election-vp/2012/04/27/id/437367
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they're just saying that to suck up to the hispanic vote.
"oh, you know, he's considering rubio. he's really friendly to the hispanic community."
But after 2008, I doubt Romney chooses anyone with any Q marks. And Rubio has a lot of them. he'll be ready in 2016 if romney loses, and certainly ready for an unbeatable Rand/Rubio ticket in 2016 or 2020 :) But he's 40. He's been in national office for 14 months. Romney is smart enough to choose a respected repub who has been in office for 14 years.
Rubio will, without a doubt, be hit with hundreds of Qs that a person who has been in office for 20 years will know, but he wont. All the Qs' won't be "name 3 things you love best about reagan" lol. When he's asked about mistakes in US foreign policy in the 1980s that offer a lesson for today, and he gives some foreest gump answer like "Obama has failed us...", ppl will see that inexperience and shake their heads.
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Would definitely create a buzz with this pick.
Juan Williams: Condi Rice Could Be Game-Changing VP Pick
Monday, 30 Apr 2012
By Greg McDonald
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has emerged as a surprise and favored choice by potential GOP voters for Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate, according to Fox News consultant Juan Williams, who says she would be “a political game changer.”
Writing in The Hill, Williams emphasized that Rice would be the first African American woman on a major presidential ticket at a time when polls indicate the Republican Party is struggling to connect with female and minority voters.
“She would be a political game changer for the 2012 race,” Williams writes, adding that her selection could never “be dismissed as racial tokenism” because her credentials are beyond question.
“She is an experienced political player who has scars from previous battles; former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are still taking shots at her in their latest books,” Williams noted.
“And her expertise on foreign policy, as a former secretary of state, would compensate for Romney’s lack of international experience. As a governor and a businessman, Romney dealt almost exclusively with domestic policy.”
Williams cited a recent CNN/ORC poll of Republican and independent-leaning Republicans who put Rice first by 26 percent over Rick Santorum with 21 percent when asked who they favored as Romney’s running mate. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third with 14 percent each.
Williams said Rice has attracted a lot of attention lately because she is so much more than just an expert on foreign policy.
For example, he said she showed “a strong political spine” when she came out against individual states, like Arizona and Alabama, passing laws to increase “the pursuit of illegal immigrants.”
“That position — politically daring in the modern-day GOP — will be a big help as the Romney campaign tries to win over Latino voters,” Williams wrote.
But perhaps more important, said Williams, is the role Rice has played lately in drawing attention to the nation’s public education crisis and calls for reform. He noted that in a recent speech to the Heritage Foundation Rice described it as “the greatest threat to our national security” because America’s schools are “producing unemployable people who will ultimately be on the dole because they will have nowhere else to go.”
“By putting Rice on the ticket, Romney could reform his image and give the education reform movement a boost,” Williams concluded. “And win or lose in November, he will have created a political legacy for himself and done his country a great service.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/williams-rice-vice-president/2012/04/30/id/437447
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condi is brilliant, but articles like this are nothing more than newsmax sucking up to her.
romney is too smart to select someone so polarizing. she's gonna get the far-right, pro-bush, anti-obama vote. he's already got that.
she's way to venemous, though. he'll pick a plain, smiling, experienced gov who doesn't have that bush stink all over her.
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I wished mittens picked someone like Ryan or Daniels.
The VP position is mostly meaningless though.
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I wished mittens picked someone like Ryan or Daniels.
The VP position is mostly meaningless though.
Well, then. Maybe he should pick you.
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Well, then. Maybe he should pick you.
Myth would never pick me since I would actually take a chainsaw to the govt. And the welfare thugs.
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Myth would never pick me since I would actually take a chainsaw to the govt. And the welfare thugs.
You could always run independently, on the Copy & Paste ticket.
Cntrl C, Cnrtl V, Vote for Me!
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Rubio embracing this new version of the DREAM act. wonderful.
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Myth would never pick me since I would actually take a chainsaw to the govt. And the welfare thugs.
No. Because no one with a single working brain cell would pick you. They need a real VP, not some imaginary shut in.
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now, boehnner, romney and others have to decide if they want to get on board with this pseudo-DREAM bill that Rubio is writing with the dems.
hahahahhaha oh brother.
The diff between Rubio's bill and DREAM? Well, DREAM makes them legal now. Rubio's bill just takes away the enforcement - Yall are still illegal, but we guarantee you won't be deported.
Looks like far-right repubs who give a shit about our border have been duped by Rubio.
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Now Fat Man is campaigning.
Romney might convince me, Christie says
Posted by
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday said Romney "might be able to convince" him to serve as his No. 2 on the Republican presidential ticket.
"He might be able to convince me. He's a convincing guy, but I really love this job. I really want to stay in this job" Christie said during a high school visit in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey.
The popular Republican governor and early Romney backer said he is not interested in serving as vice president, but that he would be open to discussing the position with Romney.
"I really have no interest in being vice president, but if Governor Romney calls and asks me to sit down and talk to him about it, I'd listen because I think you owe the nominee of your party that level of respect and who knows what he's going to say," Christie said. "We'll wait and see."
After deciding against his own presidential bid in the fall, Christie said his temperament might prove difficult for the No. 2 role, something he reiterated on Monday.
"Do I really look like the vice presidential type?" Christie asked the group of students. "I don't think that's me."
Christie, who has gained a national reputation for his blunt talk and bold governing, is expected to campaign with Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who is facing a recall election next month.
The two are scheduled to attend a luncheon and rally on Tuesday in the Badger State.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/30/romney-might-convince-me-christie-says/
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he's way too volatile, angry, and unpleasant to the eyes.
romney is out of touch, but he's a smart man. he'll pick a bland yes-man. rubio. christie, yall are just too new and reckless.
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Bobby Jindal for vice president
By David Frum, CNN Contributor
updated 9:10 AM EDT, Wed May 2, 2012
Editor's note: David Frum is a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast and a CNN contributor. He is the author of seven books, including his new first novel, "Patriots."
Washington (CNN) -- Republicans have a Latino problem. Only about 6% of Latino voters agree that the GOP is the party most concerned for their interests. Nearly half choose the Democrats as the party most concerned for them.
Some Republicans are advancing a Latino solution: Nominate a Latino for vice president in 2012. The name most often mentioned is that of Marco Rubio, the junior senator from Florida.
There's a lot to admire about Rubio. His personal rise from hardscrabble immigrant roots confirms Americans' highest hopes for the country.
But Republicans make a big mistake if they imagine that the Rubio choice will gain them many Latino votes. Rubio is the wrong answer to the wrong question.
Here's the right question: Why do Latinos tilt so heavily Democratic?
Under the Census Bureau's newest and most sophisticated measure of poverty, some 28% of Latinos count as poor, a higher proportion than among African-Americans, 25% of whom are poor.
More than one-third of Latino voters fear their home could go into foreclosure. Only 23% of Latinos describe their personal finances as "excellent" or "good," compared to 37% of the total U.S. population.
Of Latinos who are legal residents of the United States, 28% lack health insurance. In the total U.S. population, only 17% lack health insurance.
Is it realistic to imagine that a Spanish-speaker on the national ticket will overcome these hard economic facts?
As glibly as pundits talk about "Hispanic voters," it's important to remember that a majority of American Hispanics identify themselves -- not as "Hispanics" -- but as Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and so on.
Almost two-thirds of U.S. Hispanics are Mexican-Americans. As Rubin Navarette recently pointed out on CNN Opinion, the values and interests of Mexican-Americans do not align naturally with those of Cuban-Americans like Marco Rubio.
"Thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which was enacted in 1966 -- or four years after Rubio's grandfather came to the United States -- Cuban refugees who flee the Island and reach the U.S. shoreline have a clear path to legal residency and eventual citizenship.
Mexican immigrants aren't so fortunate. So when Cuban-Americans do what Rubio has done since arriving in the Senate 16 months ago and take a hard line against illegal immigration, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have been known to cringe. After all, that's easy for them to say."
Under these circumstances, Republicans should be cautious about assuming that they can sway Latino votes with the symbolic politics of a Rubio nomination.
What would work better are policy changes and message changes to win back the 9 points worth of Latino votes that Republicans lost between the elections of 2004 and 2008.
Republicans tend to assume that immigration is the issue that most moves Latino voters. If that assumption was ever true, it is not true now. Latinos were hit hard by the economic crisis that began in 2007. They were promised "hope" by Barack Obama in 2008. Those hopes have been largely disappointed. But what are Republicans offering instead?
And to the extent that symbolic politics can sway votes, Republicans should be looking to groups more receptive to the core Republican message than Mexican-Americans are likely to be.
The Asian-American population is also growing fast, and many Asian groups -- Vietnamese-Americans and Indian-Americans to name only two -- are gaining their success in small business. They are natural targets for Republican recruitment.
In Britain, Australia, and Canada, conservative parties have done well with these immigrant groups. In fact, in the federal election of 2010, Canada's Conservatives won a plurality of the vote among voters who spoke Chinese at home.
For these voters, inclusion does matter. Symbols of inclusion can work.
As symbols go, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a doozy: a brilliant policy mind with an inspirational life story who has run an effective government in corruption-tainted Louisiana. He can talk data with Romney and credibly sit at the kitchen tables of the struggling middle class.
Which leads to this thought: Bobby Jindal for vice president!
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/02/opinion/frum-vice-president-rubio-jindal/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
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Not Santorum.
Reuters Poll: Republicans Back Santorum, Rubio for VP
Friday, 04 May 2012
Rick Santorum and Marco Rubio are the top two choices among U.S. Republican voters as Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.
Eighteen percent of Republican registered voters picked former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum out of a list of 19 potential running mates for Romney, the party's presumptive presidential nominee in the Nov. 6 general election.
Seventeen percent chose Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida. Rubio was also the most popular pick among members of the Tea Party movement, a group that Romney wants to win over as he works to solidify his support among the party's conservatives after a divisive primary fight.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush were tied for third among Republicans, with 13-percent support, and 12 percent picked former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
None of the other potential vice presidential picks was higher than 6 percent, largely because they are unfamiliar to most voters, Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson said.
Congressman Paul Ryan, well known in Washington for his cost-cutting budget plan, was one big name with scant support at just 4 percent. Despite campaigning with Romney in Wisconsin recently in what was seen as a try out for a possible vice presidential nomination, Ryan was familiar to only a third of the registered voters polled.
Almost a quarter of Tea Party members picked Rubio in the online poll, compared with 16-percent support among the group for Santorum, who ended his own presidential run last month.
But Rubio might not be the best choice of running mate if Romney wants to appeal to independent voters in the general election against President Barack Obama.
The 40-year-old Cuban-American senator was backed by only 4 percent of independents, behind other top Republican names mentioned in the vice presidential stakes.
There has been speculation he might help Romney win over Hispanics, with whom he trails Obama by a whopping 40 percentage points, but early polling has not borne that out.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/gop-santorum-rubio-vp/2012/05/04/id/438007
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Yikes -
The 40-year-old Cuban-American senator was backed by only 4 percent of independents
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Jeb Bush Insists No to VP, Urges Rubio Pick
Sunday, 06 May 2012
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he has no intention of being Mitt Romney’s vice presidential candidate, and is urging the presumptive GOP nominee to go with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio instead.
Bush gave the commencement speech at conservative Catholic Ave Maria University on Saturday. Just before he spoke university President Jim Towey the group if they thought Bush should be president. The crowd roared its approval.
Before the speech, reporters drilled Bush repeatedly on the VP question.
"Wow, no foreplay," he quipped. "I'm not going to be vice president. I'm an active supporter of Gov. Romney. I humbly suggest he seriously consider Marco Rubio."
Rubio, Florida’s Cuban-American senator, is the most eloquent speaker for Hispanics in this country, Bush said, according to NapleNews.com. He added that Romney should focus on a "proactive immigration policy that promotes legal immigration. We can't send a signal that we want to be the old white guy party."
Florida will be key to the presidential election, Bush said, adding: "We're the purplest of all purple states. If the president wins Florida, Romney has to do a lot more elsewhere."
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/jeb-bush-rubio-romney/2012/05/06/id/438141
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Somebody was talking her up to me the other day. She looks good on paper.
Ayotte: I’m more qualified than Obama
Posted by
CNN's Ashley Killough
(CNN) - Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, eyed as a possible running-mate pick for Mitt Romney, said on Sunday she was more qualified than Barack Obama was in 2008.
“I have, some would say, better experience than Barack Obama had when he was a senator, having been the chief law enforcement officer of my state, (then) to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee,” Ayotte said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
Before winning her Senate seat in 2010, Ayotte served as the state’s attorney general for five years. She was a major surrogate for Romney on the campaign trail and has appeared with the former Massachusetts governor at several events during the primary season.
Ayotte said Sunday she was “honored” to be mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate, but asserted her “focus is on serving New Hampshire.” She pointed instead to other potential contenders, namely Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
“There are so many good candidates,” she said.
When looking for a running mate, Ayotte added that Romney should consider not only the person’s geographic background, but their “qualifications and knowledge of the issues.”
Last week, former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a Romney supporter, said Ayotte is a "strong candidate" but argued the fact that both she and Romney are from the Northeast could be a disadvantage.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/06/ayotte-im-more-qualified-than-obama/
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Personally, I think his best bet is Ron Paul by far at this point. Not foe personal reasons, but for the buzz, youth, and crossover appeal.
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Personally, I think his best bet is Ron Paul by far at this point. Not foe personal reasons, but for the buzz, youth, and crossover appeal.
He doesn't have enough supporters to make an impact. Just look at the number of votes he has gotten so far. If he wants buzz he should pick a woman or someone like Rubio.
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If he wants to win he should pick a "safe" candidate like Portman or the VA gov.
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If he wants to win he should pick a "safe" candidate like Portman or the VA gov.
agreed.
choosing a rock star who hasn't been at the national stage 2 years would be a mistake.
besides, obama is an unpopular incumbent who has done a terrible job - If romney can't win with a safe pick, he doesn't have the tools needed to do a good job as president. In other words, if you aren't an effective enough manager to win a campaign against a guy with a record like obama's... you're going to be impotent on a world stage against leaders who are pretty tough.
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Thune doesn't say no to No. 2 spot
Posted by
CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz
(CNN) – Republican Sen. John Thune on Sunday said he doesn't hold "aspirations" to serve as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, but did not rule out accepting a potential offer.
When asked if he would say "yes or no" to the No. 2 spot if it was offered, the South Dakota senator and early Romney backer said he is keeping his options open.
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
"You never rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference. If you're serious about that, obviously you don't foreclose options," Thune said on "Fox News Sunday."
Thune, now in his second term, reiterated his pledge to help the presumptive GOP presidential nominee while he attempts to "make a difference" in his current role as a senator.
"That's the job I have. I don't aspire to anything else," Thune said. "Obviously, the Romney team, his campaign team are going to carefully vet some folks that they're looking at. We've got a lot of good options out there, and I just hope to contribute in some way to the success of this ticket in the fall."
The third-ranking Senate Republican decided against a presidential bid of his own in February 2011 and has been mentioned by political observers as a potential vice-presidential candidate. Thune has enjoyed a relatively high profile since he ousted three-term incumbent and Democratic leader Tom Daschle from his Senate seat in 2004.
Romney appointed Beth Myers in April to lead his search for a running mate, a process the former Massachusetts governor has said he hopes remains out of the public sphere.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/13/thune-doesnt-say-no-to-no-2-spot/
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Conservative leader: Obama marriage announcement comes at a cost
Posted by
CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz
Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage will hurt him in states he captured in 2008, the president of American Values, Gary Bauer, predicted Sunday.
“I think the president this past week took six or seven states he carried in 2008 and put them in play with this ill-conceived position,” Bauer said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage on Wednesday after previously saying his opinions on the issue were “evolving.”
However, the conservative leader said Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, should not focus solely on social issues and should instead “explain to the American people why he would be a great president.”
“I think you do that by giving your views on a whole range of issues,” Bauer said. “If he does that he’ll be very successful.”
Bauer appeared on CNN alongside Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who said social issues should not be a “central point” of Romney’s campaign, but said defending the family “should be a priority.”
“I just think he needs to continue talking about all of the issues that are important to evangelical voters, and I think yesterday was a good start,” Perkins said of Romney's commencement address at the Christian Liberty University on Saturday. “He didn’t dance around the issues; he talked about the common values that he shares with the evangelical community.”
The influential social conservative criticized Romney earlier in the presidential cycle for not speaking out strongly enough on social issues and more recently said he should learn from the campaign message of Rick Santorum, who repeatedly invoked such issues during his failed bid White House bid.
On Sunday, Perkins said Obama's statement helped boost Romney's standing with evangelicals, who overwhelmingly support him over the incumbent president, according to recent polling.
“I think the president is what helped Romney this week the most this week with his announcement,” Perkins told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
Yet Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois disagreed, telling CNN the president will not "lose votes that he otherwise hadn't lost" following the marriage declaration.
"I'm not sure the evangelicals were going to lean toward President Obama anyway," Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, said.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a swing state that banned same-sex marriage in 2006, predicted the announcement would have little impact in his state, which supported Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
"I think what the president's personal opinion is and how he's wrestled with this is just another example of who he is and the strength of his character," Hickenlooper said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I don't think that's going to affect - have much effect in Colorado."
Turing to vice presidential politics, Perkins and Bauer also offered their suggestions for who should be the former Massachusetts governor's running mate in 2012.
Perkins' pick: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal or former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
Bauer's pick: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/13/conservative-leader-obama-marriage-announcement-comes-at-a-cost/
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Newt: Rubio Will Make Great President Someday
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 07:46 PM
By Jim Meyers and Kathleen Walter
Newt Gingrich tells Newsmax the GOP has a number of “first-rate talents” to choose from in selecting presumptive presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate.
But when asked what Gingrich would do if Romney tapped him for vice president, the former House speaker says in an interview with Newsmax TV:
“I would ask him to think long and hard about why he was doing that.
“I think he’s probably going to tap someone who’s younger, somebody who brings significant ability to help win the election this fall, and we have a number of very exciting people, whether you’re talking about Senator Marco Rubio in Florida, Senator Rob Portman [in Ohio], Senator Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, people like Condi Rice, former secretary of State. We have a lot of talent in the Republican Party.
“You ask three things about a potential vice president. One, could they be president? Two, are they philosophically broadly compatible with the nominee? And three, can they help you win the election? You ask them in that order. There are a number of first-rate talents he could pick that would strengthen the ticket and our chances of winning this fall.”
Asked if Rubio would make a good vice president, Gingrich responds: “Sure. I think he’d make a good president someday. He’s a very very smart, very competent person.”
Gingrich also says there are no potential candidates who would concern him if selected as Romney’s running mate.
He adds: “I’m assuming they’re going to pick somebody who is pro-life and I assume they’re going to pick somebody who believes marriage is between a man and a woman, because those are the two key issues that would lead to a genuine rebellion in the party.
“But given that those are both Romney’s positions, he shouldn’t find any difficulty having somebody who agrees with him on those two issues.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/gingrich-rubio-vice-president/2012/05/15/id/439200
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Romney Campaign Begins Vetting VP Choices
Friday, 18 May 2012
By Newsmax Wires
The campaign staff of Republican presidential nominee-to-be Mitt Romney has begun the process of sorting through his potential running mates.
The vetting team, led by Romney adviser Beth Myers, has started contacting the choices, a source close to the Romney campaign told The Hill. The Romney campaign wants to avoid a repeat of 2008, when the campaign of Republican nominee John McCain wasn’t ready for the hoopla created by his selection of Sarah Palin.
Among those thought to be on the list, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan declined to comment. South Dakota Sen. Johnson told The Hill he hasn’t been contacted by the vetting squad.
Potential candidates will have their entire lives examined — voting records, tax returns, children, spouses, etc. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 and was vetted by McCain’s campaign, said it’s not a pleasant process.
“During the Gore vettings, somebody said to me, ‘It’s like having a colonoscopy without painkillers,’” he told The Hill. “I heard they had gone back and read editorials I had written for the Yale Daily News in 1963. They asked very explicit questions.”
Michael Berman, who helped investigate Geraldine Ferraro for Walter Mondale in 1984, said Romney is smart to get started on the process early. “The place where people get in trouble is when you don’t give yourself enough time,” he told The Hill.
Berman said more and more elements of candidates’ backgrounds are being investigated, as each campaign learns from mistakes of prior ones. “That which becomes controversial has increased over time,” he said. “With the explosion of news sources, a little nothing can be turned into something.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/romney-campaign-election-vp/2012/05/18/id/439539
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Asked if he'd run with Romney, Pawlenty doesn't say no
Posted by
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) - Tim Pawlenty didn't use on Thursday the one word which most potential GOP vice presidential picks have used this year when asked if they would accept the number two spot: "no."
"I'm going to do whatever I can to help Mitt Romney defeat Barack Obama," he said in an interview on MSNBC. "I've just been telling people, look, I think I can help in other ways but obviously anyone would be honored to serve if asked."
The former Minnesota governor is co-chair of Romney's campaign, and deflected questions about whether Romney's campaign was vetting him for the position, saying campaign policy is "that we don't talk about the vice presidential" selection.
"That's something that we're just going to leave for another day and another time, not because I'm trying to be coy with you... that's just the campaign policy, we don't discuss the details of that process," he said.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota similarly did not shoot down the idea of his own spot on the ticket, saying on Sunday, "You never rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference. If you're serious about that, obviously you don't foreclose options."
Pawlenty and Thune's responses offer a contrast to adamant rejections of the position by others, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Their answers were closer to those Pawlenty has given previously, such as in a Monday interview when he said, "I'm going to take my name off the list, so if ... you're a journalist, an observer, remove my name from the list."
Pawlenty quit the presidential race after the Iowa straw poll in the summer of 2011, and has since been a prominent supporter of Romney. He was considered a likely pick to be the 2008 vice presidential nominee.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/17/asked-if-hed-run-with-romney-pawlenty-doesnt-say-no/
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T-Paw could win this election for Rmoney with his awesome use of lada gaga references.
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Long but very good commentary.
Veepstakes: How Might Romney Narrow Down the Field?
Joel K. Goldstein, Guest Columnist May 23rd, 2012
Although his vice presidential selection is likely months away, we suspect that even now, Mitt Romney and his team are beginning to narrow down their list of possibilities. Joel K. Goldstein, the nation’s foremost authority on both the selection and service of modern vice presidents, explains how outside factors influenced previous candidates’ choices, and what Romney’s selection may tell us about him and his decision-making style. Goldstein, the Vincent C. Immel Professor of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law, is the author of The Modern American Vice Presidency: The Transformation of a Political Institution (Princeton University Press, 1982) and numerous other works on the vice presidency, presidency and constitutional law. — The Editors
Mitt Romney faces a complicated vice presidential choice, and his predicament traces to two factors: His campaign has multiple needs and the pool of potential candidates offers imperfect options. Romney’s situation is not, however, novel. If history is a guide, his options will sort out over time and, like his predecessors, he will ultimately choose from imperfect alternatives.
Vice presidential selection is inherently contextual and relational. It is contextual because the choice invariably depends upon a range of factors over which the candidate has relatively little control, including the race’s apparent competitiveness, the issues most likely to be important and the candidates who are available. Facing an unfavorable political landscape in 1984, Walter F. Mondale saw a need to reshape the terrain and tried to do so by choosing the first woman running mate, Geraldine Ferraro. He might have made a different choice if polls had forecast a closer race. Tax and economic issues seemed a favorable place for Bob Dole to make his stand in 1996, which helped explain the choice of Jack Kemp.
The choice of a running mate is also relational because a presidential nominee must always choose a running mate based upon needs particular to the candidate doing the selecting. The familiar concept of “ticket-balancing,” implies just that — the presidential nominee selects a running mate in relation to his or her own strengths and weaknesses. George H.W. Bush was a good choice in 1980 for Ronald Reagan, who wanted a running mate from the more moderate wing of the party and one with some national security credentials, but Bush would have been a less compelling running mate in 1980 for Gerald Ford. Joe Biden made great sense for Barack Obama, but might have been less likely had Hillary Clinton been the nominee. Mondale was a perfect fit for Jimmy Carter, but an unlikely running mate for Frank Church, Morris Udall or Hubert H. Humphrey. A reinforcing choice, as Bill Clinton made in selecting Al Gore, shares this relational character. In choosing Gore, Clinton underscored attributes — that he was a southern centrist from the baby boomer generation — that were linked to his own biography.
Most polls forecast a competitive presidential race. If this expectation holds into the summer, Romney will be less likely to attempt to remake the political landscape with an unconventional selection and will be more likely to seek a running mate who appears to be a plausible president. Recent history suggests that most presidential nominees facing competitive races choose a running mate who would make a credible president. Determining whether someone satisfies that test involves subjective judgments, although some other criteria will help inform the decision. These include the amount of experience candidates have in traditional vice presidential feeder positions, their prior consideration for the presidency, their prior consideration for vice president and, most subjective, the way other officials and opinion-molders perceive them.
Since 1976, most first-time vice presidential candidates have been plausible presidential candidates based on these sorts of measures. Those chosen averaged 14.5 years in traditional feeder positions (governor, member of Congress, high executive official) for the vice presidency. All but Ferraro, John Edwards and Sarah Palin had at least 10 years experience in such positions, and Edwards had the compensating credentials of having been runner-up to John Kerry in the 2004 presidential primaries and a serious VP contender for Al Gore’s ticket four years earlier. Surely Dole, Mondale, Bush, Lloyd Bentsen, Al Gore, Jack Kemp, Joe Lieberman, Dick Cheney and Biden were among the leading political figures of their generation when chosen. Dan Quayle had served 12 years in Congress and was building a record in the Senate.
Many of those around whom vice presidential speculation has centered this time do not measure up based on these criteria. Indeed, many of those most prominently mentioned this year have extremely limited experience, have not demonstrated their presidential qualities through a presidential race, or have not even previously been considered for the second spot on a ticket. Chris Christie (NJ) and Bob McDonnell (VA) have been governors for three years; Marco Rubio (FL), Kelly Ayotte (NH) and Rand Paul (KY) have been senators for only two years; and Nikki Haley (SC), Susana Martinez (NM) and Brian Sandoval (NV) have been governors for only two years (all figures rounded up). Based on prior service in traditional feeder positions, these levels place these candidates near the Sarah Palin-Spiro Agnew line (i.e. two years as governor), hardly an aspirational standard.
Of course, one or more of these people may be among those extraordinary figures who are ready to perform well on the national stage in 2012 even though their resumes are short and they have not yet demonstrated success in presidential politics. Many are now trying to make their case during this several-month vice presidential audition period. And perhaps anti-Washington sentiment makes this year an anomaly. Selecting a political neophyte presents risks, however. These figures have not been tested by campaigns comparable to a presidential contest, and such a choice would draw inevitable comparisons to John McCain’s designation of Palin. If the person selected did not perform well, Romney’s judgment would be questioned.
The risk for Romney would be even greater because his own career in public service is short, consisting of a single term as governor of Massachusetts, and he does not have experience in foreign policy or national government. These gaps in Romney’s resume further diminish the prospects of those mentioned above. Indeed, every governor nominated for president since 1976 has chosen a running mate with extensive experience in national government. Thus, Carter chose Mondale, Reagan chose Bush, Michael Dukakis picked Bentsen, Clinton selected Gore and George W. Bush selected Cheney. For Romney to choose a relative newcomer to high public office would represent a break from the path of these recent governor-presidential candidates.
Conversely, Romney might try to emphasize his theme that he is an economic turnaround expert by selecting a running mate who reinforces that message. That might lead Romney to choose a running mate with experience, but in creating jobs rather than in national public service.
To be sure, the Republican Party does include figures who fare better on some of the standard measures for qualifying running mates. Gov. Mitch Daniels (IN, 10 years), Sen. Rob Portman (OH, 16), Sen. John Thune (SD, 14), Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA, 8), Rep. Paul Ryan (WI, 14) and former Govs. Jeb Bush (FL, 8) and Tim Pawlenty (MN, 8) have all served at least eight years in traditional feeder positions and several were viewed as plausible presidential candidates earlier in this cycle. Jindal and Pawlenty were among those who made McCain’s vice presidential shortlist. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (PA) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR) might also qualify based on the relative success of their presidential runs this year and in 2008, respectively. Yet the acrimonious nature of this year’s campaign will surely disqualify Santorum. A runner-up occasionally has been chosen (Bush, 1980, Edwards, 2004), but they left the race once the ultimate result was evident and conducted less divisive campaigns than did Santorum. Those who run but finish further back in the pack rarely are designated, and Pawlenty’s poor showing certainly did not bolster his chance to become Romney’s choice. Biden is the one exception to this latter pattern, yet he ran against a stronger field in 2008 than this year’s Republican contest featured and, unlike Pawlenty, brought a long record of national public service to the ticket.
In addition to being presidential, potential running mates will need to prove to Romney’s vetting team of lawyers, accountants and other nitpicking specialists that their (and their families’) backgrounds contain no blemishes that would be too difficult to manage. Generally speaking, some past possibilities have been unable to survive a vetting screen because of reputed (or confirmed) philandering, questionable financial dealings, bizarre habits or a tendency to go rogue. These or other such stains may remove some of those who figure in speculation. And some will not get the nod because of their association with policy positions Romney may seek to avoid. Howard Baker’s role in securing ratification for the Panama Canal treaties damaged his chance of being Reagan’s running mate. Being pro-choice has, in the past, disqualified Sen. Alan Simpson (1988), Gov. Tom Ridge (2000, 2008) and Lieberman (2008). Sandoval will likely be this year’s casualty on these grounds, as will former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has described herself in the past as “mildly pro-choice” (as well as supportive of some affirmative action). Ryan might be an appealing choice, but he comes with his controversial budget plan. Romney has endorsed it, but will he really wish to be defined by that blueprint by choosing him?
Like any presidential nominee, Romney’s choice will respond to his needs as a presidential candidate. Romney enters the race with some obvious weaknesses. First, as mentioned above, Romney’s lack of national security credentials makes it less likely that he will choose someone whose exclusive experience has been as a state governor.
Moreover, the conservative base of the Republican Party has had misgivings about Romney, which contributed to his difficulty securing the nomination against this year’s weak field. Every recent Republican nominee from the more moderate wing of the party (Bush 1988 and 1992, Dole 1996, McCain, 2008) has felt compelled to select a running mate popular with the party’s conservative base. It seems likely that he will need to choose someone who at least will not offend, and perhaps will excite, the Republican base. Romney will want his choice to produce a happy and unified convention.
Yet Romney must balance his desire to pacify the conservative, evangelical base of the Republican Party against his need to appeal to independent and undecided voters in swing states. If he chooses a right-wing hero to prove he’s a true believer, he may offend independent voters. If he makes a choice to appeal to independents, he could provoke a conservative revolt or, perhaps more likely, an apathetic base.
Romney faces problems with other demographic groups, women and Hispanics among them. Some recent polls showed him far behind among Hispanics, an important voting bloc in some swing states, and lagging among women, especially unmarried women. Yet choices thought to appeal to Hispanic voters, like Rubio, Martinez, Sandoval or Jeb Bush, or women, like Ayotte, Haley, Martinez or Rice have other drawbacks, including those suggested elsewhere in this discussion.
Romney’s affluence, coupled with his occasional gaffes that emphasized his economic status (e.g., his $10,000 bet, his wife’s two Cadillacs, etc.) may cause him to look for someone who would not replicate his elite pedigree. Such considerations could work against Portman or Bush among others, and in favor of someone like Pawlenty.
Finally, Romney will be constrained by some filters that are independent of anything he has done. Although past Republican nominees have frequently chosen running mates with substantial experience in the executive branch (e.g., Bush in 1980, Kemp in 1996, Cheney in 2000), this qualification may have less appeal this time. Many of the possible candidates are associated with the George W. Bush administration either based on service (Daniels, Portman, Rice) or family (Jeb Bush). Does Romney wish to associate himself with that administration by choosing a running mate with such baggage? To do so would emphasize the extent to which America’s economic problems predated President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Republicans in Congress will also have one or two strikes against them. Sitting members of the House of Representatives are almost never selected as running mates, in part because they are perceived to have a stature deficit relative to senators, governors or members of the executive branch. Ferraro is the only sitting House member to be selected since 1976, and she was chosen at a time when there were no Democratic women in the Senate and only one recently elected woman Democratic governor. William Miller, in 1964, is the only other House member chosen going back more than 75 years. Barry Goldwater, who had limited options, chose Miller due to his proclivity at provoking Lyndon B. Johnson. Ford was selected under the 25th Amendment, but that was an extraordinary situation.
The bias against choosing a member of the House might count against Ryan, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA) or Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA). Moreover, such a selection would associate Romney with the unpopular Congress and perhaps enhance Obama’s ability to tie Romney to it. That consideration might also affect the likelihood that Romney would select Thune, Portman or another Republican senator. Incidentally, although the Senate is an incubator for Democratic running mates, only 20% of Republican vice presidential candidates since 1952 (Nixon, Dole and Quayle) were sitting senators when chosen.
If history is a guide, Romney’s options will clarify in the coming months. The ultimate nominee is almost never apparent in late May of election year. Few would have predicted Mondale, Dole, Bush, Ferraro, Bentsen, Quayle, Gore, Kemp, Lieberman, Cheney, Biden or Palin at that time in the year each was chosen. As the convention approaches, Romney’s relative electoral strengths and weaknesses will become more apparent, and his options will narrow as various prospective choices rise or fall based on the outcomes of the vetting, their own conduct and strategic considerations. And he will probably achieve a better sense of his relative comfort level with the various alternatives as a political partner.
Ultimately, Romney will need to choose between imperfect options. Presidential candidates always do. Bush was a great choice for Reagan in 1980, yet he had labeled Reagan’s signature policies “voodoo economics,” had never been elected to anything outside of Texas’s Seventh Congressional District (although he had won seven primaries or caucuses and previously been considered for the vice presidency) and Reagan had reservations about him. Bentsen disagreed with Dukakis on various issues. Clinton’s selection of Gore violated conventional practices regarding ticket-balancing. Dole chose Kemp although the two had well-publicized differences, which Kemp had exacerbated when he endorsed Steve Forbes at a point when Dole’s nomination was inevitable. Cheney, Biden and Palin were from tiny, safe states.
In picking a running mate, Romney will tell us something about himself. In addition to being contextual and relational, a vice presidential choice is idiosyncratic. It matters who is making the choice and who has his or her ear. Within the constraints a nominee faces, the choice tells us something about the selector’s values and decision-making style and ability. McCain was perceived to undermine his promise to put “Country First” when he chose Palin. Reagan, Dukakis and Dole signaled they were open to a spectrum of views when they chose Bush, Bentsen and Kemp, respectively. The choice of Cheney in 2000 reassured voters that Bush would choose experienced and able advisers whereas Gore’s selection of Lieberman, an early critic of Clinton regarding the Lewinsky affair, signaled an emphasis on values, independence from Clinton, and boldness in selecting the first Jewish American to run on a national ticket.
Romney, like his predecessors, faces constraints in making his vice-presidential choice. How he decides from a menu of imperfect options will reveal something about him. That, after all, is part of what presidents do, and how they should be judged.
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/
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Romney should pick Christie or Susana Martinez.
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Romney should pick Christie or Susana Martinez.
christie is disgusting on the eyes.
he's a loose cannon who will PLUMMET with women.
polls show he does nothing to help when on the national ticket.
he's an undisciplined mouthpiece for lower spending while shady budgeting in his own states, taking choppers to limos then flying to iowa...
And he's got what, 2 or 3 years of national experience?
Wow, why settle for minimal experience when you have people who have performed at a high level for 10 or 15 years WITHOUT weighing 340 pounds?
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Personally, I think his best bet is Ron Paul by far at this point. Not foe personal reasons, but for the buzz, youth, and crossover appeal.
Rand Paul is better. That would get some Ron Paul supporters on board without pissing off neocons of the Mark Levin/Sean Hannity ilk.
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He doesn't have enough supporters to make an impact. Just look at the number of votes he has gotten so far. If he wants buzz he should pick a woman or someone like Rubio.
If you look at some of the older PPP polls which have a Obama v. Romney v. Paul match-up, Romney gets destroyed thanks to Ron Paul. If you look at some of the Obama v. Romney v. Johnson match-up polls, Romney is in trouble. Picking a libertarian-conservative like Ron Paul or Rand Paul could help him with Democrats, independents, and the youth vote. Romney's biggest problem is that he's too much of an Establishment GOP guy to do anything like that.
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Romney Woos Senator Paul
By Robert Costa
Sources close to Senator Rand Paul tell National Review Online that Paul and Mitt Romney had a private meeting on Wednesday. Details of the topics discussed are hazy, but Paul — the son of Texas congressman (and presidential candidate) Ron Paul — reportedly found the meeting productive.
The one-on-one conversation in the nation’s capital lasted 30 minutes. Sources say the tone was cordial but it wasn’t meant to be an exchange of pleasantries. The Kentucky Republican focused his questions on policy.
Senator Paul is one of the GOP’s rising stars. Many of his father’s followers are wary of Romney, the presumptive nominee. Ron Paul has slowed down his campaign in recent weeks, but tension between the party’s libertarian wing and Romney supporters remains.
For now, there’s no word from Paul World beyond that; no word on whether Romney sought an endorsement or brokered a deal regarding the Tampa convention. But it’s clear Romney is intent on wooing Senator Paul, who has been touted by his father’s aides as a potential presidential candidate down the road.
(http://www.nationalreview.com/sites/default/files/nfs/uploaded/u917/2012/05/paul%20romney.jpg)
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/301001/romney-woos-senator-paul-robert-costa# (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/301001/romney-woos-senator-paul-robert-costa#)
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Romney Woos Senator Paul
By Robert Costa
Sources close to Senator Rand Paul tell National Review Online that Paul and Mitt Romney had a private meeting on Wednesday. Details of the topics discussed are hazy, but Paul — the son of Texas congressman (and presidential candidate) Ron Paul — reportedly found the meeting productive.
The one-on-one conversation in the nation’s capital lasted 30 minutes. Sources say the tone was cordial but it wasn’t meant to be an exchange of pleasantries. The Kentucky Republican focused his questions on policy.
Senator Paul is one of the GOP’s rising stars. Many of his father’s followers are wary of Romney, the presumptive nominee. Ron Paul has slowed down his campaign in recent weeks, but tension between the party’s libertarian wing and Romney supporters remains.
For now, there’s no word from Paul World beyond that; no word on whether Romney sought an endorsement or brokered a deal regarding the Tampa convention. But it’s clear Romney is intent on wooing Senator Paul, who has been touted by his father’s aides as a potential presidential candidate down the road.
(http://www.nationalreview.com/sites/default/files/nfs/uploaded/u917/2012/05/paul%20romney.jpg)
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/301001/romney-woos-senator-paul-robert-costa# (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/301001/romney-woos-senator-paul-robert-costa#)
Rand Paul is awesome. His take down of the EPA bitch over his toilets is epic.
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Romney should pick Christie or Susana Martinez.
Christi would be a good pick.
I think if he doesn't pick Rubio he'll probably pick someone "safe" like Portman.
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If you look at some of the older PPP polls which have a Obama v. Romney v. Paul match-up, Romney gets destroyed thanks to Ron Paul. If you look at some of the Obama v. Romney v. Johnson match-up polls, Romney is in trouble. Picking a libertarian-conservative like Ron Paul or Rand Paul could help him with Democrats, independents, and the youth vote. Romney's biggest problem is that he's too much of an Establishment GOP guy to do anything like that.
A poll showing Obama v. Romney v. Paul isn't realistic at all. Paul doesn't have the money or the following to run as an independent. I doubt he could get on the ballot in all 50 states. He also doesn't have the votes. Here is the primary/caucus vote tally to date:
Romney - 6,904,809
Santorum - 3,664,006
Gingrich - 2,568,313
Paul - 1,651,141
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/republican_vote_count.html
Not nearly enough support. Very vocal supporters, but they are small in number.
And I guess we'll see how big of an impact Gary Johnson makes as the libertarian nominee. The libertarin nominee in 2008, Bob Barr (a stone cold idiot), got 524,524 votes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008#Turnout I doubt Johnson does much better.
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In a three-way race, Ron Paul would get 15% to Romney's 33% and Obama's 45%: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/08/obama-stronger-vs-romney-with-3rd-party-bids.html (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/08/obama-stronger-vs-romney-with-3rd-party-bids.html)
Johnson polling at 7% nationally in a three-way race to Romney's 40% and Obama's 47%: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/santorum-down-five-romney-seven-vs-obama-nationally.html#more (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/santorum-down-five-romney-seven-vs-obama-nationally.html#more)
Johnson polling at 15% in New Mexico: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NM_425.pdf (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NM_425.pdf)
Johnson polling at 7% in New Hampshire: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NH_051512.pdf (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NH_051512.pdf)
Johnson polling at 9% in Arizona: http://www.uncoveredpolitics.com/2012/05/24/ppp-survey-shows-johnson-polling-at-9-in-arizona/ (http://www.uncoveredpolitics.com/2012/05/24/ppp-survey-shows-johnson-polling-at-9-in-arizona/)
So yes, the libertarian vote is important if Romney wants to win the general election. And that's why picking up Rand Paul as a veep might not be a bad idea. The real question is whether or not libertarians would vote for Romney even if he had a good VP choice.
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The libertarian vote is not going to decide the election in 2012. They are not enough libertarians to make a difference. The 2008 election shows that. "There are roughly 250,000 registered Libertarian voters nationwide." http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=424675.0
Insignificant.
What Romney needs to win in November is the independent vote and some crossover Democrats. That's how Obama won in 2008. Independents and crossover votes (Republicans and Democrats) decide presidential elections, not libertarians.
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FOX News just released the transcript.
Romney: "Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. Please endorse me. "
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Romney's Search for Running Mate Enters Audition Phase
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Mitt Romney's vice presidential search has entered a new phase: auditions.
As his campaign evaluates potential running mates, Republicans with a possible shot at the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket are starting to engage in unofficial public tryouts for the traditional vice presidential role of attack dog.
Democratic President Barack Obama is "the most ill-prepared person to assume the presidency in my lifetime," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared in a speech in Kentucky this week. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told South Carolina Republicans that there hasn't been such a "divisive figure in modern American history" as Obama.
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, speaking Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library — it's a favorite venue for Republicans seeking more attention — said Obama "wants to take us further in the wrong direction." In an Alabama appearance this month, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called Obama "the most incompetent president since Jimmy Carter."
Not that any of them — or any of the others who may have landed a spot on Romney's list — are talking about becoming vice president. Nor are any of them acknowledging that they're trying out for the role or saying the Romney campaign has asked them to do so. Top Romney aides are sworn to secrecy, as are potential running mates and their staffs — an example of the Romney campaign's closely controlled, no-leaks culture.
But their high-profile appearances come more than a month after Romney assumed, for all practical purposes, leadership of the Republican Party. His vice presidential search is well under way, with his Boston headquarters engaged in a secretive process of weighing the pros and cons of each potential pick.
With three months to go until Republican National Convention, his campaign has little time to waste as it meticulously prepares the presumptive Republican nominee to make one of his most important decisions. With it will come implications not just for whether he'll win the White House but how he would govern.
Knowledge of the process is limited to a few of Romney's highest-level aides. Information is on a "need-to-know" basis — and as far as those aides are concerned, there are few people inside the Boston headquarters at 585 Commercial St. who need to know, let alone reporters and other outsiders. The Republicans who discussed the vice presidential selection process did so on the condition of anonymity because the campaign has barred staff from talking about the selection in public.
The process is so secret because it's so sensitive. A vice presidential vetting is possibly the most intense background check in politics. Everything is fair game: voting records and the political past, to be sure, but also personal issues.
"You're sitting down with someone and asked if they've ever had a marital problem, if their spouse has ever cheated on them, if they've ever sought mental health counseling — that's just the beginning," said Sara Fagen, who worked for President George W. Bush and for Romney's 2008 presidential campaign.
If past campaigns are an indication, that level of probing will happen later, after Romney's campaign has narrowed the list to a few people who are under serious consideration. Earlier in the process, potential choices are typically asked fewer invasive biographical questions, as the campaign itself runs through all available public information.
This more basic information will help the campaign narrow the list — and evaluate and prepare to deal with potential trouble spots in the backgrounds of those who make it through. The campaign team will have to be prepared to deal with past statements that might publicly contradict Romney or give Obama's team an extra opening to criticize his Republican opponent. The Democratic president had to deal with this in 2008, when Republicans gleefully circulated a clip of Joe Biden, now Obama's vice president, saying Obama was "not ready" to be president.
The Republicans who are informally auditioning each would bring different strengths — and drawbacks — to the ticket.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman supported Romney early, has a solid rapport with the candidate and hails from a critical battleground state that could decide the election. But he wouldn't necessarily appeal directly to Hispanic or women voters.
Jindal, the Louisiana governor, could help Romney turn out the religious right and would add diversity to the ticket as an Indian-American, but he struggled during a national debut rebutting the 2010 State of the Union address.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell appeals to social conservatives but signed a controversial state law that requires Virginia women to have an ultrasound test before an abortion.
New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who's campaigned frequently with Romney, could help with female voters and in her swing state of New Hampshire. But she's from New England, the same region of the country as Romney, while Christie, a conservative favorite who can work a crowd, is from New Jersey.
Rubio could bring Florida, always a deciding factor in a general election, and appeal to Hispanics, a fast-growing voting bloc, but he's run into some trouble over a foreclosed home and possible misuse of an official credit card. Ryan is a serious, leading policy mind with a bright future. But while Romney has endorsed the Wisconsin congressman's controversial budget, picking Ryan could shine a brighter spotlight on a plan that would make major changes to Medicare.
As deliberations and the informal auditions continue, potential candidates are perfecting their non-denial denials about providing any information to the Romney campaign.
"The Romney campaign has a policy, and I'm a national co-chair of the campaign, that we don't talk about the vice presidential policy in terms of timing whether it relates to me or anyone else or the aspects of that," former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, another possible pick who was featured in a new ad Romney released Thursday, told MSNBC last week when asked if he'd agreed to be vetted. "That's just the campaign policy. We don't discuss the details of that process."
"I'm not getting into that. I'm not changing any of my answers," Ryan told the Washington Examiner's editorial board recently when asked about the process. "I get asked this every time I walk down the street. I'm not giving you any answers."
Or they're not saying anything at all. After a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, reporters questioned Rubio about whether he was being considered for vice president.
"Senator, would you like to answer any questions about vice president?" one reporter asked.
Rubio, smiling, turned and walked away.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Romney-VP-audition-search/2012/05/24/id/440225
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Romney could pick VP early, and cash in often
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON | Fri Jun 1, 2012
(Reuters) - Senator John McCain waited until just before the 2008 Republican convention to name his vice presidential pick, sticking to a timing tradition thought to pump up party activists before the big push to Election Day.
This year, there is at least a small chance that Republican Mitt Romney might break with tradition and name his vice presidential choice earlier in the summer, according to people advising the campaign.
Romney and a small circle of confidants are working quietly on a list of high-profile Republicans being considered for the No. 2 position. The confidants include his wife, Ann, long-time adviser Beth Myers and campaign manager Matt Rhoades.
Outside advisers to the Romney campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say he has the option of announcing his choice well before the Republican convention where Romney will be nominated, in Tampa in late August.
The tradition is to announce the No. 2 around the time of the convention to inspire grassroots activists and seek maximum publicity for the final two-month push to the November 6 election.
But in this case, the Romney team has discussed whether to announce the pick a few weeks earlier to generate buzz for his campaign during August and help raise campaign funds.
It is far from clear, according to the outside advisers, on whether this route will be taken. But many Republicans see an advantage in going early.
"You double your ability to campaign, you double your ability to raise money," said one Republican official. "You get a longer media halo," said another.
Romney's list is a closely guarded secret, but speculation has centered on a host of Republican leaders including Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Over the coming weeks, those on the list will undergo a background investigation, turning over financial records and any other documents to lawyers hired by the campaign to provide as full a picture as possible of their lives.
THE VETTING WINDOW
Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who was a senior adviser to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, said the probing is extensive because the vice presidential choice is the first high-profile decision the candidate makes and it must be done correctly to show Americans the candidate can be trusted.
"It was everything you could imagine, making available your tax returns over X number of years, documents on everything you owned, anything that could prove embarrassing," said Lehane.
Gore started out with about 20 names. Then the list was cut to 10 and then down to five and the rigor of the vetting became more serious. He eventually chose Senator Joe Lieberman, a moderate Democrat who later became an independent and was a top choice for McCain in 2008.
"A lot of these folks didn't get through the initial vet - not necessarily because of anything scandalous. You start to look at votes, at positions. At the end of the day you end up with a limited number of folks," said Lehane.
Once the vetting is complete, only a handful of names are usually left, leaving the candidate with a choice of which direction to go in.
"At that point it's a decision for the candidate for his comfort level, confidence in the person and maybe political considerations," said a Republican official involved in past vetting procedures.
Romney could try to appeal to Hispanics, for example, by picking the Cuban-American Rubio, or he could try to improve his chances in the swing state of Ohio by choosing Portman. Many other names offer similar scenarios.
Romney's campaign says his main qualifications are for someone who could take over as president should anything happen to him, and someone with whom he has a high level of comfort.
Most Republican analysts expect him to pick a relatively safe choice to avoid a repeat of McCain's 2008 pick of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who enlivened the Republican conservative base but was seen as not up to the job of vice president.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/01/us-usa-campaign-romney-vp-idUSBRE85018O20120601
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Romney could pick VP early, and cash in often
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON | Fri Jun 1, 2012
(Reuters) - Senator John McCain waited until just before the 2008 Republican convention to name his vice presidential pick, sticking to a timing tradition thought to pump up party activists before the big push to Election Day.
This year, there is at least a small chance that Republican Mitt Romney might break with tradition and name his vice presidential choice earlier in the summer, according to people advising the campaign.
Romney and a small circle of confidants are working quietly on a list of high-profile Republicans being considered for the No. 2 position. The confidants include his wife, Ann, long-time adviser Beth Myers and campaign manager Matt Rhoades.
Outside advisers to the Romney campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say he has the option of announcing his choice well before the Republican convention where Romney will be nominated, in Tampa in late August.
The tradition is to announce the No. 2 around the time of the convention to inspire grassroots activists and seek maximum publicity for the final two-month push to the November 6 election.
But in this case, the Romney team has discussed whether to announce the pick a few weeks earlier to generate buzz for his campaign during August and help raise campaign funds.
It is far from clear, according to the outside advisers, on whether this route will be taken. But many Republicans see an advantage in going early.
"You double your ability to campaign, you double your ability to raise money," said one Republican official. "You get a longer media halo," said another.
Romney's list is a closely guarded secret, but speculation has centered on a host of Republican leaders including Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Over the coming weeks, those on the list will undergo a background investigation, turning over financial records and any other documents to lawyers hired by the campaign to provide as full a picture as possible of their lives.
THE VETTING WINDOW
Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who was a senior adviser to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, said the probing is extensive because the vice presidential choice is the first high-profile decision the candidate makes and it must be done correctly to show Americans the candidate can be trusted.
"It was everything you could imagine, making available your tax returns over X number of years, documents on everything you owned, anything that could prove embarrassing," said Lehane.
Gore started out with about 20 names. Then the list was cut to 10 and then down to five and the rigor of the vetting became more serious. He eventually chose Senator Joe Lieberman, a moderate Democrat who later became an independent and was a top choice for McCain in 2008.
"A lot of these folks didn't get through the initial vet - not necessarily because of anything scandalous. You start to look at votes, at positions. At the end of the day you end up with a limited number of folks," said Lehane.
Once the vetting is complete, only a handful of names are usually left, leaving the candidate with a choice of which direction to go in.
"At that point it's a decision for the candidate for his comfort level, confidence in the person and maybe political considerations," said a Republican official involved in past vetting procedures.
Romney could try to appeal to Hispanics, for example, by picking the Cuban-American Rubio, or he could try to improve his chances in the swing state of Ohio by choosing Portman. Many other names offer similar scenarios.
Romney's campaign says his main qualifications are for someone who could take over as president should anything happen to him, and someone with whom he has a high level of comfort.
Most Republican analysts expect him to pick a relatively safe choice to avoid a repeat of McCain's 2008 pick of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who enlivened the Republican conservative base but was seen as not up to the job of vice president.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/01/us-usa-campaign-romney-vp-idUSBRE85018O20120601
Word is, if Romney picks Rubio, Obama can kiss Florida goodbye. I've also heard that LA governor, Bobby Jindal, has an outside shot.
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Word is, if Romney picks Rubio, Obama can kiss Florida goodbye. I've also heard that LA governor, Bobby Jindal, has an outside shot.
I was thinking it would be Portman, but I'm starting to think it might be Rubio.
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I was thinking it would be Portman, but I'm starting to think it might be Rubio.
I would prefer jindal over Rubio tbh.
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I would prefer jindal over Rubio tbh.
I like Jindal. Just really starting to look into Rubio, but he presents himself very well and has a solid background. I like The Fat Man too.
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Bobby Jindal Rising as Romney’s VP Choice
Wednesday, 06 Jun 2012
By Ronald Kessler
Ronald Kessler reporting from Washington, D.C.— Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is rising as Mitt Romney’s possible pick for vice president, according to campaign sources.
Last month, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist touted Jindal for the vice presidential slot in an opinion piece for Politico.
Norquist tells me he wrote the piece knowing that “Jindal is a leading option.”
Jindal is rarely mentioned in speculation about Romney’s possible choice. A rising star in the Republican Party, he suffered a setback when he bombed delivering the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s first speech to Congress on Feb. 24, 2009.
Adding Jindal to the Republican presidential ticket would bring to Romney’s fold neither a swing state nor a major ethnic minority. But such political considerations are not foremost in Romney’s mind. He has said he is only interested in choosing a candidate who would make a good president.
As he constantly points out, Romney is a conservative businessman, not a politician. He amassed a fortune of more than $200 million not by making cynical political calculations but by looking for the best — often novel — opportunities and by hiring people based on character, competence, and quality.
Jindal qualifies on all counts — and has an inspiring life story that epitomizes the American dream.
Jindal’s mother Raj was three months pregnant with him when his parents came to this country from Punjab, India in 1971. The daughter of a bank manager, Raj had a scholarship to study for a doctorate in nuclear physics at Louisiana State University.
The family was poor and had no car. But Jindal’s mother read to him each night. His father, Amar, had a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and eventually got a job with a railroad. He reminded his son almost daily how lucky they were to live in America. Amar was disappointed if his son earned only As in school. He had to bring home A-pluses.
Jindal’s name is Piyush Jindal, but at the age of four, he decided to take the nickname Bobby — after the youngest son in the TV series “The Brady Bunch.”
“Every day after school, I’d come home and I’d watch ‘The Brady Bunch,’” Jindal explains. “And I identified with Bobby, you know? He was about my age, and ‘Bobby’ stuck.”
As a teenager, Jindal competed in tennis tournaments and started a computer newsletter, a retail candy business, and a mail-order software company.
Jindal attended Brown University, where he led the College Republicans and graduated with honors in biology and public policy. He became an intern on the staff of Rep. Jim McCrery, a Republican from Louisiana. After days of performing menial duties, Jindal approached his boss.
“Congressman, I really appreciate the opportunity to be here in Washington and to be one of your interns,” Jindal said, according to McCrery. “For the last few days, I’ve been in the back office doing the filing and sorting and all of those things, and I don’t mind doing that, but I was just wondering, while I’m here, if you could give me an assignment.”
Impressed at Jindal’s pluck, McCrery said, “Write a paper on Medicare and how you solve it.”
Two weeks later, Jindal submitted the paper.
“I read it, and it was excellent,” McCrery says. “For him to grasp as well as he did the Medicare program in such a short period of time was nothing short of amazing.”
Jindal accepted a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University, where he studied public health policy.
Like Romney, Jindal’s first job entailed making companies run more efficiently. For a year and a half, he worked for McKinsey & Co., a leading management consulting firm.
In 1996 at the age of 24, Jindal was named secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, the state’s largest agency. Jindal cut millions of dollars in waste and fraud. He found that Louisiana was paying lump sums to hospitals at the beginning of the year based on how many Medicaid patients they estimated they would treat. The state rarely checked to see if they had actually treated that number. State-financed clinics that employed a dozen people had no patients.
Jindal went on to be president of the University of Louisiana System. In 2001, President George W. Bush named him assistant secretary of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
After an unsuccessful run at Louisiana governor, Jindal was elected a congressman in 2004 and re-elected two years later. He was the second person of Indian extraction to serve in Congress.
In 2007, Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana and was sworn in on Jan. 14, 2008. Last October, he won re-election with 66 percent of the total vote.
As governor, Jindal has tightened ethics rules, fought government regulation, and six times reduced taxes, including the largest income tax cut in the state’s history. Under Jindal, the state’s credit rating improved. Previously near the bottom of the Better Government Association’s integrity index, Louisiana now ranks fifth in the country.
Jindal refused $98 million from President Obama’s stimulus bill, saying he would not participate in a program aimed at expanding state unemployment insurance coverage. After the federal money ran out, the state’s businesses would have had to pick up the slack by paying higher taxes.
After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion, Jindal aggressively led the cleanup effort.
“The difference between him after the BP oil spill and his Democratic predecessor [Gov. Kathleen Blanco] after Katrina could hardly have been more stark,” former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has said. “He was decisive, he was knowledgeable, and he was working hard for his people.”
This year, Jindal won impressive legislative victories, signing into law bills that cut state agency spending, allow parents to apply public school financing to private school education with tuition vouchers, tie teacher tenure to student performance, make it harder for newly hired teachers to secure tenure, and replace traditional pension plans with 401(k)-style retirement plans for newly hired state workers.
Like Bill Clinton, Jindal is a policy wonk who overwhelms reporters with statistics. Local reporters try to ask him multiple questions so he won’t spend the next 10 minutes spewing out facts about one issue.
Jindal is married to Supriya Jolly Jindal, whom he first met her when they both attended high school, the Baton Rouge Magnet School. Born in New Delhi, Supriya is the daughter of Indian immigrants. He asked her out, but she turned him down because her family was moving.
“She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen,” he said later.
After becoming secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Jindal asked her to attend a Mardi Gras ball when another date canceled on him. On their second date, they had dinner at Bella Luna in the French Quarter and went on a river boat cruise. They became engaged a few months later.
Supriya graduated magna cum laude with honors from Tulane University in chemical engineering and has a master’s degree from Tulane in business. She is working toward a Ph.D. in marketing from Louisiana State University.
At her first job at a Monsanto Co. plant along the Mississippi River, she could be found climbing a tank vessel wearing a hard hat and steel-toed boots. For fun, she says, she solves calculus problems.
“Kathleen [Blanco] is right, I married better than I deserve,” Jindal has said, referring to his Democratic rival during his first run for governor.
The Jindals have three children: Selia, ten; Shaan, seven; and Slade, five. Bobby delivered Slade at home before an ambulance could arrive. A nurse helped out by telephone.
“It was the most amazing moment of our 10 years of marriage when I was able to hand her our son,” Jindal say. “We had to have confidence and trust in each other. It was a miraculous moment.”
At 40, Jindal looks like he is in his 20s, but he does appear older now than when he gave the Republican response to Obama’s speech to Congress in 2009.
Jindal himself has described his response as a disaster. He read from a single teleprompter and delivered the talk in a sing-song tone. Normally a rapid speaker, he tried to slow himself down with artificial swings in his voice. But he left the impression he was talking down to his audience.
“Look, I’ll be honest, I’ll take responsibility for it,” Jindal said later. “The delivery was awful. It turns out I can’t read teleprompters, turns out I’m much better talking to people.”
Now Jindal eschews teleprompters and relies on a polite, self-deprecating manner to win over his audience. In his second inaugural speech as governor, Jindal leaned over backwards to pay tribute to his predecessor and rival Blanco.
In Norquist’s Politico piece, “Why Mitt Romney Should Tap Bobby Jindal,” the ringleader of the conservative movement points to Jindal’s support of school choice and the fact that he has kept his pledge as governor not to raise taxes.
“Jindal has balanced a budget every year as governor and never resorted to higher taxes,” Norquist wrote in the piece co-authored with Patrick Gleason, ATR’s director of state affairs. “Jindal has sought to make his state as economically competitive as possible.”
While a firm conservative, Jindal is known — like Romney — as a problem solver rather than an ideological politician. He is a hero to gun advocates, having sponsored the so-called Katrina bill that barred law enforcement from confiscating privately owned guns during federal emergencies.
“I can’t think of a governor who’s done more to stand up and protect the Second Amendment than Bobby Jindal,” Chris Cox, the National Rifle Association’s chief lobbyist, says.
Jindal is a hot commodity at GOP fundraising events, including with Americans of Indian extraction, whose median income is twice the national average.
Evangelicals love Jindal’s talks when he gives testimony to his conversion from being a Hindu to a Roman Catholic. Explaining how his journey as a teenager to Catholicism began, Jindal has said, “I was touched by the love and simplicity of a Christian girl [whom Jindal was dating in high school] who dreamt of becoming a Supreme Court justice so she could stop her country from ‘killing unborn babies,’” referring to abortion.
“Jindal is one of the smartest guys in any governor’s office or in politics,” Dave Keene, former chairman of the American Conservative Union, tells me. “He is totally qualified to be vice president.”
Rush Limbaugh refers to Jindal as the “next Ronald Reagan.”
While Jindal may not move a major demographic, the presence of a non-white on the Romney ticket would signal that Republicans are inclusive.
Former Mississippi Gov. Barbour remembers that when Bill Clinton first ran for president, people said the only thing they knew about him was that he gave a terrible speech at the Democratic convention in 1988. In the end, says Barbour, “that didn’t turn out to be the only thing they knew about him. The same is true with Bobby.”
Ronald Kessler is chief Washington correspondent of Newsmax.com. He is the New York Times bestselling author of books on the Secret Service, FBI, and CIA.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/jindal-romney-vice-president/2012/06/06/id/441401
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why pick rubio? He supports obama's DREAM act.
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why pick rubio? He supports obama's DREAM act.
::)
(http://img2-1.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/021230/182732__pinocchio_l.jpg)
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Rubio defends scaled-back DREAM Act, says it addresses ‘humanitarian issue’
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his plan to develop a scaled-back version of the DREAM Act, arguing that his proposal represents not amnesty, but an effort to tackle the “humanitarian issue” of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). (AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad/AFP/GettyImages) In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Rubio said that his proposal, which is in the works, would provide not a “special pathway” to citizenship for young people in the country illegally but rather a non-immigrant visa that would allow those people to serve in the military or attend college and then later apply for citizenship through the traditional route.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has yet to state a position on Rubio’s plan, and Rubio said Sunday that he did not expect Romney to weigh in on the proposal because it has yet to be finalized.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/rubio-defends-scaled-back-dream-act-says-it-addresses-humanitarian-issue/2012/05/06/gIQArB8r5T_blog.html
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Rubio defends scaled-back DREAM Act, says it addresses ‘humanitarian issue’
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his plan to develop a scaled-back version of the DREAM Act, arguing that his proposal represents not amnesty, but an effort to tackle the “humanitarian issue” of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). (AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad/AFP/GettyImages) In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Rubio said that his proposal, which is in the works, would provide not a “special pathway” to citizenship for young people in the country illegally but rather a non-immigrant visa that would allow those people to serve in the military or attend college and then later apply for citizenship through the traditional route.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has yet to state a position on Rubio’s plan, and Rubio said Sunday that he did not expect Romney to weigh in on the proposal because it has yet to be finalized.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/rubio-defends-scaled-back-dream-act-says-it-addresses-humanitarian-issue/2012/05/06/gIQArB8r5T_blog.html
why pick rubio? He supports obama's DREAM act.
Do you ever tell the truth? ::)
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Do you ever tell the truth? ::)
Its sad isnt it?
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sad that 'conservatives' would back any candidate who wants to let all the illegals stay?
i agree.
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sad that 'conservatives' would back any candidate who wants to let all the illegals stay?
i agree.
Bro - you have kneepadded a communist for the last 3 years. You are not in a position to be casting aspersions.
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Bro - you have kneepadded a communist for the last 3 years. You are not in a position to be casting aspersions.
im a kneepadder, whatever - but i sure as fck don't support letting all those illegals stay.
RUBIO DOES!
You can reconcile that any way you pleace.
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sad that 'conservatives' would back any candidate who wants to let all the illegals stay?
i agree.
Can't keep the lies straight. You voted for Bob Barr in 2008, and he supports amnesty.
Did Bob Barr swipe his immigration policy from Barack Obama (or Bush, McCain, Clinton,...)?
Libertarian Party contender for president Bob Barr was interviewed by Neal Boortz a few days ago, and the audio and a partial transcript is here. Part of the conversation involved immigration matters, and based on that I have trouble seeing any major difference between Barr's positions and those of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, George Bush, Teddy Kennedy, and on down the line. In fact, it's like his campaign was the recipient of a blank cardboard box with just the word "POLICY" stenciled on it.
On the audio, he implies that he supports a form of amnesty where illegal aliens who are caught in the interior, as long as they passed a background check, would get to remain. He doesn't specify whether that would be as a "guest" worker or whether they'd get on the "path to citizenship". Asked about this, he says:
"I think as a practical matter, that makes a lot of sense. I'm not sure how you would go about rounding up millions of people and trying to deport them. The key here is security..."
Now, compare that to BHO:
"We are not going to send [illegal aliens] home... I want us to have an honest conversation about this." ...Mr. Obama said many illegals have "settled," "bought property" and have children who are U.S. citizens. He said the country would have to devote "all our law enforcement resources to rounding up people without papers, even if they weren't causing any trouble," and once that's done, the country would have to "empty out our jails..." ..."Imagine what that would look like, basically detaining, putting in jail 12 million people. We're not going to do that..."
And, in fact, all of those listed above have made similar arguments. And, all of those arguments are wrong: they offer a false choice and fail to note other alternatives such as attrition. Under that plan we'd enforce the laws now and reduce non-emergency benefits to illegal aliens, causing many to leave voluntarily. Neither an amnesty nor mass deportations would be required.
Barr also said that neither the Dems nor the GOP are making border security a priority. To a large extent that's false, since the leaders of both parties supported "comprehensive immigration reform" and all three major candidates support some form of border enforcement, or at least pretend to.
As a political matter, Barr's position makes little sense (unless there's "something else" involved). He doesn't seem to have an ideological standpoint on this issue, and aside from using them to get the nomination there's little reason for him to reach out to the extremist libertarians on this issue. On the other hand, there's nothing to differentiate him from the three major candidates on immigration, an issue that many people care about and that the vast majority of Americans would care about if someone were able to explain everything involved in this issue.
Barr is also going to face a lot of heat from the GOP; see for instance Sean Hannity's attempts to portray him as someone who'd like to make crack and heroin legal. He's going to be ferociously attacked by he has no effective way to fight back against McCain. McCain's weakest point is immigration, yet he can't attack him on that issue since their positions are basically the same.
If Barr saw the light and decided to very aggressively go after all three major candidates on this issue he could have a very powerful impact on the presidential race. He'd have to explain everything involved, including topics that are frequently ignored such as the political power that foreign governments have been able to obtain inside the U.S. and the fact that illegal immigration is an indicator of political corruption. He'd also have to deflect attacks from those who support illegal activity, but that really isn't that difficult. And, he'd have to aggressively attack his opponents on this issue such as by sending his representatives to their campaign events to ask them embarrassing questions designed to point out the hugely obvious flaws in their policies and designed to discredit them.
However, based on what I've seen so far it looks like Barr isn't going to run an "insurgent" campaign but simply one designed with other goals in mind.
5/17/08 UPDATE: Barr appeared on the Glenn Beck show a few days ago and continued to sound as sleazy and misleading as his opponents as well as other hacks who support massive and/or illegal immigration. Asked whether he'd "ship [illegal aliens] home or not", Barr said:
When you find them, you ship them home, absolutely.
What Barr forgot to mention was that, based on what he's said earlier, that would only occur after having granted an amnesty, and he's only referring to those who came after the amnesty or those who didn't take part in the amnesty. He then said that he'd fine employers and was asked about the border fence. He said he wouldn't build it:
First of all, I think it would be terribly costly. And whatever border fence you build, people are going to find a way to get around it, go under it, go over it, somehow... I think it would look absolutely awful. And even though it`s a fence to keep people from coming in, as opposed to the Berlin wall, it gives the same impression. Not the impression I want to give the world about America.
Needless to say, it's not difficult to find other hacks saying something almost identical to that.
http://24ahead.com/blog/archives/007625.html
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:o
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Daniels 'Pretty Sure' He’s not Being Vetted for VP
Wednesday, 06 Jun 2012
Newsmax Wires
Indiana GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate for presidential nominee Mitt Romney, says he’s “pretty sure” he’s not being considered for the slot.
Asked by Bret Baier of Fox News how he knows that he’s not on Romney’s short list, Daniels responded, “Let's just say that I have strong confidence that the nation will not face that problem,” according to The Hill.
Baier followed up, “So you're not being vetted?” Daniels’ response: “Well, you wouldn't know if you were, but I'm pretty sure no.”
Daniels reiterated his call for a truce on social issues in the interview, a stance that may not endear him to the conservatives Romney must inspire to win the election.
“I think when we've got an emergency [the country’s debt burden] that threatens us all — rich, poor, across every boundary that might otherwise divide us, we ought to concentrate on that,” he said. “That’s our common enemy, therefore our common opportunity . . . We ought not let other honest disagreements get in the way until we've dealt with that.”
When Baier asked whether that stance will hurt his chances of becoming Romney’s running mate, Daniels said, "Well, fortunately for us all, we're never going to know . . . That's not going to happen — the national ticket you hypothesize."
Daniels sees a chance for a bipartisan agreement on tax reform. “Tax reform is very exciting to me because many Democrats agree,” he said. “Lower rates, along with fewer loopholes and exemptions, have been proven as a job creation strategy.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/daniels-romney-vice-president/2012/06/06/id/441391
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I think it's a three horse race between Portman, Rubio, and Christi.
CPAC attendees prop up Rubio as other potential VPs audition
Posted by
CNN Political Reporter Shannon Travis
Rosemont, Illinois (CNN) - Marco Rubio has repeatedly pushed back against talk of becoming Mitt Romney's running mate. The Florida senator has previously said, "I'm not going to be the vice president," and in another instance suggested former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for the job.
Despite that, Rubio's name consistently percolates near the top of many potential VP lists.
The latest came on Friday evening, as Rubio won the vice presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Chicago.
Rubio did not attend the gathering. Yet his tea party street cred and youth have made the senator a popular figure in the conservative movement. Republicans also point to his being Hispanic and from the battleground state of Florida as reasons to put Rubio on the GOP ticket.
Not all conservatives think Rubio should, or will, get the nod. Critics point to his relative lack of national experience as a reason that Romney should pass him over. Others say he's never faced the rigorous public vetting in a national campaign.
The CPAC VP straw poll likely means relatively little in the actual vice presidential selection process. However, it'll surely loom large in the guessing game.
Five other potential running mates attended the overwhelmingly conservative-friendly event: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Each of them appeared to be in full-on VP audition mode, mounting harsh political attacks against the president.
Christie used both humor and policy swipes.
"When I landed here today in Chicago, I stopped in the airport for a minute because I heard the president was going to speak on the economy," Christie said. "I said I've got 10 minutes to waste, why not?"
The governor added: "Barack Obama's leadership is driving this business, the USA, towards a fiscal cliff. We better stand together in the next five months and stop him from doing it."
Paul called the president, "the great speech maker in chief" and accused him of "taking the last year and a half of his presidency to campaign."
In a post-speech interview with CNN, the Kentucky senator said it would be "an honor" to be considered for Romney's VP.
And the Louisiana governor followed many speakers in a sort of pep rally over Gov. Scott Walker's recall survival in Wisconsin. Jindal swiped at the president's absence in Wisconsin in the final days of the recall.
"There are many reasons maybe [Pres. Obama] didn't want to come to Wisconsin," Jindal said. "Did he not go to Wisconsin because maybe he thought he wouldn't be an asset?"
Other speakers – such as former presidential candidates Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann – also spoke.
Santorum's speech came as he emerged from a stretch of public silence to preview his political future. But on the same day that he announced the formation of a political committee and pledged to campaign for Romney, Santorum also detailed a "dual mission" of keeping Romney's feet to the fire on conservative issues.
The gathering – the first of two regional Conservative Political Action Conference events expected this year – happened in President Barack Obama's home state. The site was just a short trip from the president's downtown Chicago re-election operation.
"Conservatives take back the Midwest," blared the headline on a promotional flier that also said attendees would "take the fight for the future of America directly to President Barack Obama's backyard!"
And yet, conservatives face an uphill climb to make sweeping gains in the Midwest. According to CNN's analysis of the electoral landscape, Illinois is reliably Obama territory; and Wisconsin and Michigan both favor the president. Iowa and Ohio – two states Obama won in 2008 – are toss-ups. Only Missouri and Indiana are listed as leaning Romney.
The event was sponsored by the American Conservative Union. Thousands of conservatives attend CPAC's annual gathering in Washington D.C. Moving the event to Chicago is only the group's "second-ever regional event," organizers said in a news release.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/08/rubio-wins-cpac-vp-straw-poll/?hpt=hp_t2
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Thune a sleeper pick? I doubt it, but Bush won with someone from a small too.
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/thune-romney-vice-president/2012/06/11/id/441874
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Thune a sleeper pick? I doubt it, but Bush won with someone from a small too.
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/thune-romney-vice-president/2012/06/11/id/441874
THune would be a MUCH safer pick than an angry fat Christie, or a truth-stretching, DREAM-supporting Rubio.
He's about as conservative as you can get. No military or huge foreign policy, VERY good on energy and will be a SAFE pick. No flubs, no gotcha Qs... dude was bosn in 1961, won't embarass romney, won't be a wildcard.
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THune would be a MUCH safer pick than an angry fat Christie, or a truth-stretching, DREAM-supporting Rubio.
He's about as conservative as you can get. No military or huge foreign policy, VERY good on energy and will be a SAFE pick. No flubs, no gotcha Qs... dude was bosn in 1961, won't embarass romney, won't be a wildcard.
thune was my pick for prez
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thune was my pick for prez
i was high on him for a long time. I think he knew early on he couldn't compete with the $ of Romney...
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Still in it. Definitely on the short list.
Romney Declares Marco Rubio Still in Consideration for VP
by Chris Laible | June 19, 2012
HOLLAND, MI - Marco Rubio is still on the list for Vice President.
In a hastily arranged news conference outside of Captain Sundaes, a local ice cream shop in Western Michigan, Mitt Romney announced the Florida senator is being "thoroughly vetted" for the job, calling an earlier report Rubio was out "entirely false."
"There was a story that originated today - apparently at ABC - based on reports of supposedly outside, unnamed advisors of mine," Romney told a group of reporters at an unplanned stop. "They know nothing about the Vice President selection or evaluation process." "There are only two people in this country who know who are being vetted and who are not, and that's Beth Myers and myself," he continued.
Romney took no questions following his statement.
Myers, a long-time trusted advisor and campaign manager during his presidential run in 2008, was picked by Romney to head the selection process in April shortly after he clinched the nomination. At that time, she promised to make the vetting process the most thorough ever.
Rubio has long been under speculation as a short-list candidate for Vice President. Young, charismatic and Cuban, he has quickly risen within the ranks of the Republican Party. Many view his moderate stance on immigration as a potential bridge to the Latino community - a group Romney desperately needs to win over in order to succeed in November.
Hard-line stances on immigration by prominent conservatives have driven many Hispanics to the Democratic Party over the years. Currently, President Obama is leading Romney among Hispanic voters by a 2-1 margin. And the report Tuesday could have angered or driven more Hispanics away.
Romney's statement was the second instance when the campaign hastily arranged a statement for the press on his current 5-day bus tour. The President's change of policy relating to young illegal immigrants dominated headlines on the first day, forcing Romney to address reporters following an event in Milford, NH.
The supposed leak to ABC News is uncharacteristic of a usually tight-lipped, fiercely loyal, and disciplined campaign. Campaign manager Matt Rhoades is known for his intolerance of non-public information finding its way into reporter's hands.
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/06/19/romney-declares-marco-rubio-still-consideration-vp
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Pawlenty Mum About Potential VP Nod
Sunday, 24 Jun 2012
By Amy Woods
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, rumored to be on Mitt Romney’s potential running-mate list, said Sunday he would be “honored to be asked” but believes he can better serve the Republican presidential nominee as a volunteer.
Pawlenty appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” after attending a big weekend campaign retreat for Romney in Utah.
Pawlenty, a former presidential candidate himself, is now a Romney surrogate, appearing on the campaign trail and consistently on talk shows to promote the GOP nominee.
Pawlenty was considered at one point during the 2008 presidential campaign to be a sure bet to share the ticket with then-Republican nominee John McCain. But then the Arizona senator picked former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin instead.
“I think I can help him best in other ways,” Pawlenty said, mentioning serving as a surrogate speaker. He said he has been encouraging those inquiring about his reaction to a potential vice-presidential role “to look at other prospects.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Pawlenty-Romney-VP-pick/2012/06/24/id/443253
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I really don't give a damn about the vp pick tbh. Romney needs to just keep hammering gaybama on his record of failure.
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I really don't give a damn about the vp pick tbh. Romney needs to just keep hammering gaybama on his record of failure.
I care, but it's likely not going to swing the election one way or the other. What it will show me is what kind of judgment he has.
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I care, but it's likely not going to swing the election one way or the other. What it will show me is what kind of judgment he has.
susana Martinez , gov of NM is my top pick.
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susana Martinez , gov of NM is my top pick.
She looks good on paper. I still haven't really looked into her yet.
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susana Martinez , gov of NM is my top pick.
there are way safer picks out there. you dont have to hispander. she's a bit on the sandy side and was a piss-ant liberal until 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Martinez
way safer with a pawlenty or portman. they are neutral choices that make romney remain the star on the ticket and deliver zero doubt of competence. Nobody is going to say pawlenty isn't ready for the job. he's a little geeky, but he'd be a fine prez if needed. Rubio? Still a rookie lol.
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there are way safer picks out there. you dont have to hispander. she's a bit on the sandy side and was a piss-ant liberal until 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Martinez
All the link says is this: "In 1995, Martinez changed her membership from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party."
Is there something else to support your claim that she was a "piss-ant liberal until 1995" or are you just making stuff up again?
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Nobody is going to say pawlenty isn't ready for the job.
Considering that only criterion that really matters when evaluating a VP candidate is: "is he or she ready to be President on day 1?" then it seems to me that GOP voters already said Pawlenty isn't ready for the job.
he's a little geeky, but he'd be a fine prez if needed.
If that's true, what does that say about the political process that left Pawlenty in a ditch, on the side of the road, months ago? Especially when you consider that Michelle Bachmann wasn't left in the ditch until about 300 miles later.
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Considering that only criterion that really matters when evaluating a VP candidate is: "is he or she ready to be President on day 1?" then it seems to me that GOP voters already said Pawlenty isn't ready for the job.
You can say the same thing about Biden, who Democrats repeatedly rejected. Shows how insignificant the VP choice can be.
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You can say the same thing about Biden, who Democrats repeatedly rejected. Shows how insignificant the VP choice can be.
Of course, the choice of Vice President isn't an insignificant choice - and shouldn't, because the Vice-President may, very well, actually become the President. And that's not an insignificant choice.
Now, as to Biden, of course I could say the same thing about him, and I would have too, if the issue had been raised. Frankly, I don't think that Biden was a great choice for a Vice-President, and I certainly wouldn't want him as President.
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Of course, the choice of Vice President isn't an insignificant choice - and shouldn't, because the Vice-President may, very well, actually become the President. And that's not an insignificant choice.
Now, as to Biden, of course I could say the same thing about him, and I would have too, if the issue had been raised. Frankly, I don't think that Biden was a great choice for a Vice-President, and I certainly wouldn't want him as President.
I said it can be insignificant. It often is. For the most part, people vote the top of the ticket, so the VP choice doesn't determine the outcome of presidential elections.
I just raised it. Biden ran for president more than once. Never sniffed the nomination. He would be a disaster as president. Although we already have a disaster in the White House.
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I just raised it. Biden ran for president more than once. Never sniffed the nomination. He would be a disaster as president. Although we already have a disaster in the White House.
That's not true, is it? I believe he was considered a very strong contender back in 1998, but an allegation that he plagiarized a speech he gave dealt his campaign a huge blow. I didn't pay attention to politics back then, but from what I understand, the plagiarism boiled down to a sentence or two - a bit he had used many times before and always with an attribution - but I haven't been bothered to look into it too much.
With all that said, yes... the guy is a walking, talking disaster. I shudder to think he's next in line to the Presidency.
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That's not true, is it? I believe he was considered a very strong contender back in 1998, but an allegation that he plagiarized a speech he gave dealt his campaign a huge blow. I didn't pay attention to politics back then, but from what I understand, the plagiarism boiled down to a sentence or two - a bit he had used many times before and always with an attribution - but I haven't been bothered to look into it too much.
With all that said, yes... the guy is a walking, talking disaster. I shudder to think he's next in line to the Presidency.
Yes, it is true. He was never a legitimate threat to win the nomination. There was no presidential election in 1998.
And no, he wasn't going to win and was not a serious threat before his plagiarism was uncovered.
Biden was trounced in 2008. Soundly rejected by Democrats.
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Yes, it is true. He was never a legitimate threat to win the nomination. There was no presidential election in 1998.
And no, he wasn't going to win and was not a serious threat before his plagiarism was uncovered.
Biden was trounced in 2008. Soundly rejected by Democrats.
I meant 1988 - sorry for the typo - and from what I read, he was considered a serious candidate with a good chance at the time, until the plagiarism accusation threw him off track. Whether he could have won it is another issue.
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I meant 1988 - sorry for the typo - and from what I read, he was considered a serious candidate with a good chance at the time, until the plagiarism accusation threw him off track. Whether he could have won it is another issue.
Nobody was a serious candidate in 1988. Except for Mitt Romney, who has been running for president for like the last eight years, candidates generally don't become "serious" until about 12-18 months out. I don't know what you read, but I remember 1988, 1990, 2000, and 2008. I could be wrong, but I don't recall Biden ever being a serious threat. Democrats didn't like him.
Which gets back to the original point that you made about Pawlenty: "it seems to me that GOP voters already said Pawlenty isn't ready for the job." Democrat voters said Biden wasn't ready for the job, but Obama chose him anyway.
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Nobody was a serious candidate in 1988. Except for Mitt Romney, who has been running for president for like the last eight years, candidates generally don't become "serious" until about 12-18 months out. I don't know what you read, but I remember 1988, 1990, 2000, and 2008. I could be wrong, but I don't recall Biden ever being a serious threat. Democrats didn't like him.
I'm just going by what I read, as I was a kid back then.
Which gets back to the original point that you made about Pawlenty: "it seems to me that GOP voters already said Pawlenty isn't ready for the job." Democrat voters said Biden wasn't ready for the job, but Obama chose him anyway.
That's a fair point. Makes you wish we could choose for the President and the Vice-President separately, doesn't it?
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I'm just going by what I read, as I was a kid back then.
That's a fair point. Makes you wish we could choose for the President and the Vice-President separately, doesn't it?
Nah. I like the idea of the presidential nominee being able to choose his running mate. I think a leader should be given a lot of lattitude in picking his right hand man.
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Nah. I like the idea of the presidential nominee being able to choose his running mate. I think a leader should be given a lot of lattitude in picking his right hand man.
I don't - the Vice-President isn't really the "right hand man" - some are completely sidelined. The VP has no responsibilities (except his ex-officio role as President of the Senate and the caster of a tie-breaker vote) other than being eligible and ready to accede to the Presidency if something happens to the President.
I believe in healthy competition and choice: I may want to order a burger, but I don't want to be forced to get sweet potato fries just because the chef thinks that sweet potato fries go well with meat.
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I don't - the Vice-President isn't really the "right hand man" - some are completely sidelined. The VP has no responsibilities (except his ex-officio role as President of the Senate and the caster of a tie-breaker vote) other than being eligible and ready to accede to the Presidency if something happens to the President.
I believe in healthy competition and choice: I may want to order a burger, but I don't want to be forced to get sweet potato fries just because the chef thinks that sweet potato fries go well with meat.
It's true he has few responsibilities and authority, but he is in the president's ear as much or more than anyone in his cabinet.
The healthy competition and choice comes during the primary.
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It's true he has few responsibilities and authority, but he is in the president's ear as much or more than anyone in his cabinet.
Only as much as the President wants him to be in his ear.
The healthy competition and choice comes during the primary.
Right, if your idea of competition is choosing half a meal and rolling the dice on the other half. Do you frequently order: "filet mignon, medium, and just whatever the fuck the chef feels like dropping on my plate"?
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Only as much as the President wants him to be in his ear.
Right, if your idea of competition is choosing half a meal and rolling the dice on the other half. Do you frequently order: "filet mignon, medium, and just whatever the fuck the chef feels like dropping on my plate"?
No. I'm a vegetarian. :)
But I don't have a problem with the prez picking his right hand man. I don't see a contested VP primary adding much, except much more money and making an already too long primary season that much longer. Plus the presidential nominee shouldn't be saddled with someone he doesn't like or want.
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Rice on being VP: 'No way'
Posted by
CNN's Ashley Killough
(CNN) – Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday shot down speculation that she could appear on the GOP presidential ticket with Mitt Romney.
"I didn't run for student council president. I don't see myself in any way in elected office. I love policy. I'm not particularly fond of politics," she said on CBS's "This Morning."
While the former Bush official had largely stayed out of the 2012 race this year, Rice made a speech at a retreat for Romney supporters and donors this weekend in Utah, a little less than a month after she endorsed the presumptive GOP nominee.
She also hosted her first Washington fund-raiser Monday night in support of ShePAC, a super PAC dedicated to helping women running for office.
But despite her recent political forays, Rice forcefully closed the door on a potential gig as Romney's vice presidential pick, saying she simply was not interested.
"I'm saying there is no way that I will do this, because it's really not me. I know my strengths, and Gov. Romney needs to find someone who wants to run with him," Rice said, adding she'll support his decision.
Pressed on whether she would turn down an offer, Rice argued it was a hypothetical situation unlikely to come true.
"It's not going to happen," she said.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/26/rice-on-being-vp-no-way/
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At super PAC fundraiser, Condoleezza Rice knocks Obama for immigration move and predicts Romney victory
. . . Rice, whose name is increasingly coming up as a possible candidate to become Romney's running mate, ended her talk with a shout-out to the former Massachusetts governor. . .
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/super-pac-fundraiser-condoleezza-rice-knocks-obama-immigration-093226858.html
I wish they would! ::)
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she's not polarizing at all. Really would cut thru to moderates. A great choice.
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she's not polarizing at all. Really would cut thru to moderates. A great choice.
I would feel perfectly fine w Condi as VP.
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At super PAC fundraiser, Condoleezza Rice knocks Obama for immigration move and predicts Romney victory
. . . Rice, whose name is increasingly coming up as a possible candidate to become Romney's running mate, ended her talk with a shout-out to the former Massachusetts governor. . .
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/super-pac-fundraiser-condoleezza-rice-knocks-obama-immigration-093226858.html
I wish they would! ::)
What's it like living as a limousine liberal in San Francisco (cut-off from the country's economic problems) while holding a job in an ivory tower?
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I wish they would! ::)
Me too. :)
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I would feel perfectly fine w Condi as VP.
We know you'd feel perfectly fine voting Joran Vander sloot at the top of the ticket.
So your endorsing condi as veep is a little iffy.
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Fat Man is still campaigning for the job.
Christie would 'answer the call' on becoming veep
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak
(CNN) – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, while not saying he would definitely accept a spot on Mitt Romney's Republican presidential ticket, did say Tuesday he would give such an offer due consideration.
"I love being governor of New Jersey, you can tell. I think every day the way I do my job I love it. But the fact is, if Gov. Romney picks up the phone and calls, you have to answer the call and listen at least," Christie said on CNBC.
The outspoken New Jersey governor said he wasn't confident that he would wind up becoming Romney's pick.
"I doubt it," Christie said when asked if he thought he would be asked to join Romney's ticket.
The choice for running mate, Christie said, was Romney's decision alone.
"This is an election with one voter, Mitt Romney," Christie said of the selection process. "He gets to decide who he thinks should be the best vice president of the United States, the person best prepared to serve with him to turn this country around."
Christie continued: "I certainly am not weighing in, saying who I think it should be." :-\ :-[
Asked about recent calls from Rupert Murdoch and Jack Welch for Romney to drop some of his campaign advisers, Christie said the Republican candidate's team was fully qualified to run a national operation.
A comment Monday from one of Romney's senior advisers calling a fee in President Barack Obama's health care law a "penalty" rather than a "tax" shouldn't be taken too seriously, Christie said.
"Let's not focus on what spokespeople are saying. Spokespeople get in and fill in space on the cable stations, no offense. What I want to know if what the candidate says. And Gov. Romney's been very clear about what this election should be about," Christie said.
Christie decided against his own presidential bid in the fall after calls from some national Republicans for him to jump into the race.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/03/christie-would-answer-the-call-on-becoming-veep/
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Talked to a Romney supporter yesterday who has these in his top three:
Rubio
Rice
Ryan
Made a good case for Ryan, who really hasn't been on my radar. He would be the most articulate person to talk about Obamacare and the healthcare debate in general, plus he might be good for Wisconsin and Minnesota.
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ryan's plan is just too negative for old voters.
rice isn't easy on the eyes - neocons love her but nooo way.
rubio is a kid. He has less experience than obama had - palin problem all over again. and he supported the obama dream act by blabbing about wanting to do the same thing. he brings zero relevant experience other than his heritage.
Romney will choose someone safe. he's very smart like that. Someone that lets him be the star on it. one of those 2-time governors, etc. You know that no matter how boring he is, T-Paw isn't going to embarass Romney. Christie WOULD. Rubio is a gotcha Q away from questions of competence. Ready by 2020 or maybe even 2016- not now.
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Rice would be a good pick.
Ann Romney: Woman Being Eyed for Ticket
Thursday, 05 Jul 2012
Mitt Romney's wife says her husband is thinking about picking a woman to be on his ticket this fall.
Ann Romney told CBS News, "We've been looking at that and I love that option as well."
She said the person selected for the No. 2 spot on the Republican presidential ticket should be "someone that obviously can do the job but will be able to carry through with some of the other responsibilities."
Several women have been mentioned as possible vice presidential candidates — among them former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Governors Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Susana Martinez of New Mexico; New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State.
Two other high-profile Republican women, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota are not considered likely candidates.
It was Palin who broke the mold when John McCain chose her as his running mate in 2008. She was the first woman to be nominated on a Republican ticket for the White House.
Kerry Healey, who was Romney’s lieutenant governor when he was governor of Massachusetts, told Newsmax that the candidate works well with women. She pointed out that his administration in Boston was 50 percent female.
“We were the only state in the nation that had that at the time,” said Healey, now the Romney campaign’s special adviser and foreign-policy coordinator. “He did that deliberately.
“He values women’s contribution in the workplace. He also had a very family-friendly environment within our administration,” Healey added. “He not only respected our work as women, and as coworkers, but he also respected our roles at home.”
Healey said that whomever Romney chooses, it will be someone “who would be a full partner, who would work as a key member of his administration.
“And that that person would be given significant responsibility,” she emphasized.
But it will also have to be someone who can match Romney’s energy on the campaign trail — and that won’t be easy. “He is one of the most energetic and patient campaigners I have ever seen,” she said. “He is simply indefatigable. He will be in five different locations in a day, and give five very strong, impassioned speeches, and never lose energy. It’s extraordinary.”
Of the possible candidates, Rice, 57, is the one with the best name-recognition, but she has repeatedly said she is not interested in the job. She recently placed first in a CNN poll as Republicans’ top preference for the job.
Pundits believe she would energize the party and give Romney a huge boost with her foreign policy credentials.
Ayotte, 43, was by Romney’s side in a July 4 parade in Wolfeboro, N.H. and would add undoubted glamour to the ticket. But she has two disadvantages, she is untested on the national stage and two New Englanders on the ticket could be seen as a disadvantage in many parts of the country that believes the North East is too liberal.
Haley, 40, would also be a glamorous addition. The Indian-American is a tea party favorite who could help shore up Romney’s support among conservatives. However her ratings in the Palmetto State are below 50 percent.
McMorris Rodgers, 43, has been pushing her name to the forefront of potential female candidates. She is the top-ranking Republican woman in the House as vice chair of the Republican Conference, but Washington State is not considered in play for the Romney campaign and he might want to choose someone who could help him win a swing state.
Martinez, 52, has the dual advantage of coming from a swing state and being a Latino, a group that Romney knows he needs to win over if he is to be successful in November. But she does not have a high profile outside her state and has clashed with Romney over immigration.
Other outside possibilities for Romney’s running mate include former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, both 57.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/ann-Romney-VP-woman/2012/07/05/id/444445
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Talked to a Romney supporter yesterday who has these in his top three:
Rubio
Rice
Ryan
Made a good case for Ryan, who really hasn't been on my radar. He would be the most articulate person to talk about Obamacare and the healthcare debate in general, plus he might be good for Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Do it Mitt. :) Would love this pick.
Condi Rice on Romney's ticket would spark big change in 2012
By Sabrina Schaeffer
Published July 13, 2012
FoxNews.com
(http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Opinion/Condoleezza_Rice-AP.jpg)
April 17, 2012: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice answers questions from reporters about the issues she discussed with business students during a private presentation to them at Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. ((AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis))
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has moved former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the top of his possible VP roster according to reports that first came out Thursday night. If true, Rice is a choice that could inject some much needed enthusiasm into the GOP’s campaign.
In an April CNN poll of Republicans, respondents favored Rice overwhelmingly and she drew the highest level of support as Romney’s potential running mate. The poll also revealed that Rice had the approval rating of 8 -10 Republicans.
As a former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser under George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice would certainly change the direction of the conversation.
In contrast to the 2004 election when national security was the focus of the campaign, this year the economy, with unemployment hovering about 8 percent, has been front-and-center. And Romney has struggled at times to demonstrate his commitment to free-market principles.
But it appears the Romney campaign is changing gears and wants to remind voters that the president is also America's commander in chief. Apart from the GOP debate sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute last fall, national security and foreign affairs have been largely absent from the 2012 presidential election discussion.
At a time when the economy seems to be the most visible threat to our security, it’s not clear if Americans will see this choice as a distraction. Still Rice is a symbol of international proficiency that should not be overlooked.
The Independent Women’s Forum honored Rice for her service in 2006 when we presented her with the Woman of Valor Award. It’s then that she discussed “the non-negotiable demands of human dignity:… the rule of law and limits on state power, free speech and tolerance of difference, freedom of worship, equal justice and property rights and finally, but not last, respect for women.”
What’s more, as the war on women narrative is intensifying, Rice can push back on this rhetoric and help put it into a global perspective – shedding light on the real atrocities that take place against women around the world.
At a time when the women’s vote is in play, she could have a real impact with women voters, sending a strong message to the Obama campaign that Republicans oppose the kind of cradle-to-grave policies the president has advanced in the name of “protecting” women.
Rice could also help articulate the message that women - and men - benefit from less government and more freedom in education, health care, entitlements, and the workplace.
A political science professor, Rice has recently been speaking out about education reform, criticizing the shortcomings of America’s K-12 system and supporting more competition in education through school choice.
Ultimately, however, this is still the bottom of the ticket, which historically doesn’t usually have a serious impact on voter behavior. Individual-level factors like demographics, registration laws and education might determine turnout more than the VP candidate. And even more important than who’s on the ticket could be a voter’s own sense of value to the election process.
So a better question to ask is: Does Condi Rice help restore feelings of political connectedness? Do her foreign policy bone fides span the partisan divide? Does Condi encourage feelings of civic engagement?
In the end, these are the questions the Romney campaign ought to ask. Because come next January it’s essential that the country move beyond the class warfare, the gender warfare, and the identity politics that have come to define this campaign.
Rice recently said, “It is time for all of us, in any way we can, to mobilize, get our act together, and storm Washington, D.C.” The question is: is that the spark that will ignite big change?
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/13/condi-rice-on-romney-ticket-would-spark-big-change-in-2012/
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More floating to gauge reactions.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Romney-VP-Portman-safe/2012/07/14/id/445331
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Democratic Super PAC Releases Files on Potential GOP VP Contenders
Friday, 13 Jul 2012
By Todd Beamon
Mitt Romney isn’t the only one sizing up vice presidential candidates.
Democratic researchers for the super PAC American Bridge 21st Century have spent several months examining the backgrounds of several potential Republican running mates.
The super PAC posted the information on its new website, VeepMistakes.com, which debuted on Friday. It features more than 1,300 pages of opposition research and many video clips.
So far, the super PAC is focusing on the three prospects that have generated the most speculation as running mates for the former Massachusetts governor: former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
“In 2008, nobody was prepared for the disaster that was vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin,” Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge, told ABC News. “And while even Mitt Romney couldn’t top that pick, the front runners he’s considering are all deeply flawed in their own right.
“This year, we are going to make sure that the public has as much information as possible, as early as possible, on the extreme and out-of-touch positions of the candidates Mitt Romney would put a heartbeat away from the presidency,” Mollineau said.
The website uses playing cards — with the three possible running mates depicted as jokers — to make its point. Its file on Pawlenty spans 492 pages, while Portman’s runs nearly 350 pages and Rubio’s is 555 pages.
Its main points are that Portman bears part of the responsibility for the country's financial problems as he was George W. Bush's budget director; that Pawlenty's time as governor led to increased unemployment and poverty and that Rubio lacks experience.
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Veepmistakes-files-VP-contenders/2012/07/13/id/445318
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"Portman bears part of the responsibility for the country's financial problems as he was George W. Bush's budget director"
I think that's a good thing. He knows how NOT to waste money. He did it the wrong way, and now he knows he should do the opposite.
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The more I read and hear about Rubio, the more I think he should be the pick. I like Rice too and think she would be a great pick, but social conservatives were up in arms over her; threatened to stay home if she is the pick. Ryan would be good. West and the Fat Man would be good.
But what I think he'll do is pick a governor like Pawlenty, Jindal, Huckabee, or someone like Portman or Ayotte.
Eric Fehrnstrom: Mitt Romney Could Announce Vice Presidential Pick This Week
By STEVE PEOPLES 07/16/12
BATON ROUGE, La. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could name his running mate by the end of the week, a top adviser said Monday.
The announcement, if it happens according to the adviser's timetable, would come several weeks before presidential candidates traditionally reveal their picks for the second slot on the ticket. It would also come as Romney's campaign seeks to deflect intensifying criticism from President Barack Obama, other Democrats and some Republicans over Romney's business record and refusal to release years of personal income tax filings.
Outside a Louisiana fundraiser on Monday, senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Romney hadn't finalized his decision but that an announcement could come within days.
Asked specifically whether Romney could announce his vice presidential pick this week, Fehrnstrom said: "Technically it could, but the governor hasn't made a decision. It will only happen after he makes a decision."
Romney traveled to Louisiana to attend a private fundraiser alongside Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is among those on Romney's short list for vice president. Romney raised an estimated $2 million at the event, where 40 donors paid $50,000 to attend.
Fehrnstrom said Romney and Jindal met privately earlier Monday but did not discuss the vice presidential selection process.
Jindal has been campaigning aggressively for Romney in recent weeks, as have others thought to be under consideration. They include Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, among others.
"Maybe you've noticed, our president has run an increasingly desperate and negative campaign. It seems like every time you turn on the TV you hear another false and malicious attack," Jindal told Romney's donors. "This president cannot run on his record. He has to lie about Gov. Romney's record."
Romney did not address speculation about his running mate, but praised Jindal's work in Louisiana.
"What I have seen watching this governor in the short years he's been here has really opened my eyes," Romney said.
Choosing a running mate is perhaps the most important decision Romney will make before the Nov. 6 general election, now less than four months away. In the 2008 presidential race, Sen. John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin helped define his losing bid.
Romney has emphasized experience as the most important attribute in a running mate. Careful and risk averse, he's expected to make a relatively safe pick that won't shake up the race or overshadow his candidacy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/mitt-romney-vp_n_1677086.html
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haha that'd be the ultimate cool move to remove bain from the headlines. one of the morning joe guests today was convinced it was coming.
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Thune says he's spoken with Romney's Veep team
Posted by
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) - As chatter amplifies surrounding Mitt Romney's choice for running mate, one potential pick confirmed Monday he had spoken with the Romney aides responsible for leading the all-important search.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota confirmed with The Hill that he had met Beth Myers, who is leading Romney's search for a vice presidential pick. However, a transcript of the interview released later Monday indicated Thune told the newspaper "it wasn't a meeting about what you think it's about."
The full transcript also notes that Thune added he had not been to Boston "recently" to meet with Romney's team.
In interviews over the past several months, Thune has not ruled out joining Romney on the Republican presidential ticket.
In May, he said on Fox News, "You never rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference. If you're serious about that, obviously you don't foreclose options."
And speaking at an insurance industry event in April, Thune said he would be happy to remain at his post in the Senate.
"I don't expect to be there, but I do expect to be in the Senate, hopefully working with a new president to take on big issues because in order to solve big problems, you gotta have presidential leadership," Thune said. "I always tell people that, you know, we have 535 members of Congress, there's only one president. There's only one person who can sign a bill into law. There's only one person who has the capacity to lead the country, to engage with the Congress on solutions to the big issues."
Ever since Thune backed Romney in November 2011, his name has been mentioned as a potential No. 2 for the former Massachusetts governor. He backed Romney at a time when seven other candidates were still in the race, and voters were still deciding in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Thune, who represents South Dakota, would provide geographic balance on a potential Republican ticket, though he would not offer a large degree of ideological disparity with the likely GOP nominee. Thune is well respected among social conservatives.
Thune decided against making his own presidential bid in February 2011, but is considered a GOP hero for toppling incumbent Tom Daschle, the top Democrat in the Senate, in 2004. Thune chairs the Senate Republican Conference, which controls the party's message in the Senate, and is often mentioned as a presidential contender down the road.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/16/thune-says-hes-spoken-with-romneys-veep-team/
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thune is the fcking man. awesome choice.
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Dick Morris to Newsmax: Rubio Is the ‘Only Choice That Makes Sense’
Monday, 16 Jul 2012
By Paul Scicchitano
With The New York Times reporting that Mitt Romney has made a decision and could announce his running mate as early as this week, political guru and best-selling author Dick Morris tells Newsmax.TV that he is convinced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will get the nod, but not necessarily before the Republican National Convention.
“It’s the only choice that makes sense,” insisted the Fox News analyst in an exclusive interview on Monday. “It would be a mistake to announce it this week, or next, or next. He should save it for the convention because the key question is how many people will watch the convention? We need that suspense to be hanging in the air. But in an effort to kill the suspense, I believe that it will be Rubio, and I believe that he decided that a while ago.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Morris also said:
• President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could try to pull an “end-run” around the Second Amendment and Congress by approving a United Nations treaty on international arms sales that restricts gun ownership by private citizens.
• Egypt is likely to become a worse ally to the U.S. than Pakistan despite receiving $1.3 billion each year in military foreign aid.
• Bain Capital is an “overwhelming success story” for Gov. Romney and the Republican challenger must start making that case to the American people.
• Republicans are likely to pick up 11 seats in the Senate, which would give the GOP an all-important majority.
. . . .
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rubio-romney-vp-candidate/2012/07/16/id/445539
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Romney has been silent on the UN treaty to take guns away.
So either Romney is an anti-gunner, or Dick Morris is a conspiracy theorist.
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Sarah Palin was the better choice, says McCain
by Alexandra Petri
Why pick Palin, not Romney, as a running mate?
“Oh come on, because we thought Sarah Palin was the better candidate,” John McCain told reporters Tuesday. “Why did we not take Pawlenty, why did we not take any of the other 10 other people. Why didn’t I? Because we had a better candidate, the same way with all the others.”
Ah.
I’d say it’s about time for some of that quote-doctoring and remark-approving that has been much in the news lately.
Andy Borowitz has been having a field day with this on Twitter. “McCain: "Romney had all his money hidden in Switzerland. Sarah Palin was better, because she had never heard of Switzerland.”
The best way to get out of a hole is not necessarily to dig a larger, more disturbing hole.
Why not Romney? Not because there was anything menacing in his tax returns. Because Sarah Palin was better. That’s right. Sarah Palin was better. Sarah “Refudiate” Palin, who would not let the public rest until a Lifetime original series was dedicated to her, whose meandering remarks left you feeling as though you had been struck from behind by a blunt object, whose mere mention made millions of campaign-watchers cry out in terror and then go suddenly silent — was a better choice.
According to what criteria? Relative bizarreness of children’s names. Hair care? Even then, the race is tight.
Unless the sole criterion by which the McCain campaign selected its helpmeet was resemblance to Tina Fey, I am not sure what the explanation was. Sarah has — er, more X chromosomes? She lives in a more remote area of the world? She has never strapped an animal to the roof of her car that was not already deceased?. I suppose she shook up the race more, in the sense that a tossed grenade shakes up a cocktail party.
McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt implied that it wasn’t that Mitt had any dark secrets but rather that he and McCain, combined, simply had too many houses. Ah. (This turns out to be one of those situations where the more you talk, the less it helps.)
Then again, Mitt Romney’s campaign seems able to alter the stream of time. Perhaps John McCain can retroactively retire that quote.
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Poll: How much does VP pick matter?
Posted by
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) - How much of an impact will Mitt Romney's much anticipated choice of a running mate have on the battle for the White House?
According to a CBS News/New York Times national poll released Wednesday morning, 26% of registered voters say the choice matters a lot to their vote, with 48% saying it matters somewhat. One in four questioned in the survey say the choice of a vice presidential nominee doesn't matter at all to their vote.
The CBS News/New York Times poll was conducted July 11-16, with 1,089 adults nationwide, including 942 registered voters, questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/poll-how-much-does-vp-pick-matter/
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I predict it will be John Thune or Tim Pawlenty.
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I predict it will be John Thune or Tim Pawlenty.
Its going to be T-Paw.
T-Paw plays better in Ohio, PA, MI, etc.
Thune is even more boring than T-Paw, but is further to the right.
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Its going to be T-Paw.
T-Paw plays better in Ohio, PA, MI, etc.
Thune is even more boring than T-Paw, but is further to the right.
33,
Why would Romney ignore rubio or christie?
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33,
Why would Romney ignore rubio or christie?
Rubio does not want it - but he may be begged for it. I like Rubio though since he is clear, concise, agressive, and will attack the failed record of obama
Christie might be in play - since he will face a hard race vs cory booker.
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Rubio does not want it - but he may be begged for it. I like Rubio though since he is clear, concise, agressive, and will attack the failed record of obama
Christie might be in play - since he will face a hard race vs cory booker.
So you believe that Rubio is just as experienced as Thune or T-paw?
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So you believe that Rubio is just as experienced as Thune or T-paw?
No - but we are in an age where experience does matter remember?
Obama 2008 anyone?
Obama had the same record in 2008 as if Rubio ran in 2012.
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No - but we are in an age where experience does matter remember?
Obama 2008 anyone?
Obama had the same record in 2008 as if Rubio ran in 2012.
In 2008, you said Obama was dangerously under-experienced for the job - YOU WERE RIGHT.
And the same things apply to Rubio right now. Christie as well.
If you want to excuse Rubio's lack of experience for "Obama did okaY', I'll accept that. But if you tell us obama has no experience, and you tell us he did a shitty job...
Then you adjust Rubio has no experience.... Well, safe to say Rubio is going to do a shitty job too.
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In 2008, you said Obama was dangerously under-experienced for the job - YOU WERE RIGHT.
And the same things apply to Rubio right now. Christie as well.
If you want to excuse Rubio's lack of experience for "Obama did okaY', I'll accept that. But if you tell us obama has no experience, and you tell us he did a shitty job...
Then you adjust Rubio has no experience.... Well, safe to say Rubio is going to do a shitty job too.
Christie is a gov and was State AG and and a Fed Prosecutor.
Rubio does not have enough experience IMHO . He is good for the attack dog role, but he needs more time.
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Christie is a gov and was State AG and and a Fed Prosecutor.
Rubio does not have enough experience IMHO . He is good for the attack dog role, but he needs more time.
Still - Rubio doesn't have the backbone to call Obama an illegal who was born in Kenya. Rubio cowers to fears of being called names by MSNBC.
He's a phony wimp just like the rest of them. Give Alan keyes the job. He'll hand out brochures from that Kenyan hospital at every campaign stop.
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Still - Rubio doesn't have the backbone to call Obama an illegal who was born in Kenya. Rubio cowers to fears of being called names by MSNBC.
He's a phony wimp just like the rest of them. Give Alan keyes the job. He'll hand out brochures from that Kenyan hospital at every campaign stop.
Rubio has his own NBC issues
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Rubio has his own NBC issues
NBC? You mean lying about his parents being refugees, when in reality they came and went under Castro like it was no big thang?
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Jeb Bush's veep picks
Posted by
CNN's Ashley Killough
(CNN) - Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, rumored to be among those under consideration for Mitt Romney's running mate, praised the presumptive GOP nominee's campaign on Wednesday for the way it has handled the vice presidential search, and made his own prediction for when Romney will announce his selection.
"I like the fact that the Boston campaign has kept it close to the vest. I think it's kind of humiliating for prospective candidates to be carted out in a public way. There's only gonna be one winner, right? So it's good to do it the way they are doing it," Bush said in an interview with WCPO, a local affiliate in Cincinnati.
Bush made his comments while in neighboring Hamilton, where he appeared at an event for Romney-his first official campaign appearance for the Republican candidate this cycle.
The former governor has previously said "under no circumstances" would he accept an offer to be Romney's running mate. And his son, George P. Bush, said on CNN last week that Jeb Bush is not being vetted by the Romney campaign.
But that didn't stop him from weighing in on the selection process Wednesday, saying he expects Romney to make his announcement "soon" or after he returns from his overseas trip, which he starts next week.
"Either way I think he's got a real wealth of choices to pick from," he said.
While speaking at the event, Bush made a few recommendations of his own for Romney's running mate. He argued Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is a "fantastic young man" and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio would be "equally good."
"It's a luxury of very good choices that he has," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing who he picks."
Also in Ohio Wednesday, Romney told a crowd of supporters in Bowling Green that he has not yet decided on his running mate.
"I can assure you that even though I have not chosen the person who will be my vice president, that person will be a conservative, they will believe in conservative principles," Romney said.
Along with Bush and Romney, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal also campaigned Wednesday in Ohio, where he held an event in Columbus.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/jeb-bushs-veep-picks/
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jeb isn't the candidate tho. Well, until romney resigns.
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Romney VP vetting chief mentions McDonnell
Posted by
CNN Political Reporter Shannon Travis
Ashburn, Virginia (CNN) – The woman in charge of the secret search for a running mate for Mitt Romney made rare public comments on the vetting process itself on Tuesday.
In praising the "deep bench" of Republican vice presidential potentials, Beth Myers even mentioned one name that's sure to inflame the guessing game.
"One thing that is true is this year, we have a ton of qualified Republicans," Myers told a group of women voters in Ashburn, Virginia. "It is amazing. It made my job really, really hard. Because it wasn't a year where there were three people who might fit the bill."
"We have a deep bench, including your governor – an incredibly able guy," Myers added, referring to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
"All sorts of really great people. And I'm sure that whoever Gov. Romney decides to pick will be a great addition to the ticket."
In May, McDonnell said in a radio interview that he was not being vetted by the Romney campaign and that he planned to finish his term as governor.
Myers is not known to make public comments about the VP search. During her speech, she used a personal anecdote to make that point clear.
"Wherever I go, and its been very strange, I can't tell [anybody] - because I'm a pretty open person - but I can't tell anybody about this, at all," Myers said. "I cant tell you who we're looking at, when we're going to make this decision – other than to say that it will be before the third night of the convention, sometime between now and then."
"And my children and husband are really kind of upset because they'll start - I can sort of tell they're plotting against me. And they'll have like this, dinner table, just a casual conversation, 'Gee, who would be a good VP?' And I just sit there silently."
The event was specifically geared towards courting Virginia's female vote. The state, which Obama won in 2008, is a pitched battleground. Also attending the event were Tiero Cuccinelli, wife of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Susan Allen, wife of GOP senate candidate George Allen, Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's wife, Jean Ann Bolling, and Virginia Delegate Barbara Comstock.
All of them made several references to the need for female support to help Republicans in November.
"To win Virginia, we know that we've got to reach out to everyone. But especially to women voters," Bolling said.
Bolling added: "We need to get our message out and to convince the women to vote for Mitt Romney. Democrats say that they have an edge with women voters. But I say that our challenge, as Republican women for Mitt, is to change that dynamic and to change it here in Virginia."
But not all of it was pretty.
Cuccinelli, the attorney general's wife, opened her comments by saying, "I just want to say, I love being a Republican woman. I don't know about you all. But I think Republican women are more intelligent, more talented and you guys are a heck of a lot more beautiful than the other side."
Later, when asked by CNN to explain the comments, Cuccinelli said she meant no offense.
Myers has previously worked for Romney in several stints, including as his chief of staff during his Massachusetts governorship. In her comments, she ticked off the names of women in key posts during Romney's term and in Romney's campaigns.
She even used stories to play up Romney's personal appeal amid criticism that the candidate is too stiff.
Myers talked about Romney's former company, Bain Capital, helping to found the office supply store, Staples.
Romney "wasn't sitting up on high and sort of saying to people, 'You go do this'," Myers said. And she mentioned a video that exists showing "the day that the first Staples opened, of Mitt stocking the shelves and someone saying, 'No, no, no. It doesn't go there'."
"He's the kind of guy who gets in there and gets his hands dirty."
Myers also joked about Romney's sizable family, which includes 18 grandchildren.
The candidate "truly is happiest around Ann [Romney] and the boys. And his grandkids," Myers said.
Myers continued: "If you want to make money, bet somebody, if you go ask Ann Romney, if you see her, 'Is anyone expecting a baby?' I mean, it's a sure thing. And she'll always say, "Shhh, shhh - but how did you know?'"
"How did I know?" Myers continued, referring to a hypothetical conversation with Ann Romney. "It's always somebody pregnant in your family. And they're a beautiful family."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/24/romney-vp-vetting-chief-mentions-mcdonnell/
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we haven't had a rubio circle jerk in like 12 hours. the guy would make a great veep ya know. very experienced.
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I agree.
Jeb Bush Wants Romney to Choose Rubio for VP
Wednesday, 25 Jul 2012
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he thinks Sen. Marco Rubio is ready to be vice president and that he has shared those thoughts with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Romney has said the first-term senator from Florida is among those he is considering to be his running mate.
Romney is expected to announce a decision sometime before the Republican convention late next month in Tampa, Fla.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Bush says he pitched Rubio during a recent conversation he had with Romney. He says that Romney didn't indicate which way the search for a vice presidential candidate was taking him.
Bush left office in 2007 and remains influential in Florida and Republican politics.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Romney-JebBush/2012/07/25/id/446575
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I prefer jindal TBH.
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right or wrong, the perceptoin will be delivered to mainstream voters that rubio isn't ready.
right or wrong, it WILL be the outcome. ROmney knows it. He doesn't want to be the uglier, older man on the ticket. He'll choose a guy more like him. watch and see.
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right or wrong, the perceptoin will be delivered to mainstream voters that rubio isn't ready.
right or wrong, it WILL be the outcome. ROmney knows it. He doesn't want to be the uglier, older man on the ticket. He'll choose a guy more like him. watch and see.
Jindal is the perfect pick IMHO.
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Jindal is the perfect pick IMHO.
no way dude. THe same people who told CNN cameras "I voted hilary cause I dont like his skin color" or "he looks like an arab" will CERTAINLY pause at jindal's appearance.
I will agree that Portman is a 1-point swing. He might give romney a point, or cost one. Rubio? I'd ssay he's a 4 point swing. Might help more, but might hurt more. I see romney as lifetime being risk-adverse. Rubio gets the neocons wet... BUT... rubio was on the wrong side of dream. Rubio hated the Arizona law.
Once yall GET him, you may realize you don't want him.
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I prefer jindal TBH.
Jindal would be a good pick. I think Rubio would be better. I also think most of the people rumored to be on the short list would be fine.
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Jindal would be a good pick. I think Rubio would be better. I also think most of the people rumored to be on the short list would be fine.
republicans hate obama so badly... ROmney could pick anyone and yall would declare him/her competent. See: 2008.
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republicans hate obama so badly... ROmney could pick anyone and yall would declare him/her competent. See: 2008.
People who are still memorized by Obama, defend almost everything he says and does, and regurgitate his talking points on a daily basis will criticize anyone Romney picks. See: 2008 to 2012.
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People who are still memorized by Obama, defend almost everything he says and does, and regurgitate his talking points on a daily basis will criticize anyone Romney picks. See: 2008 to 2012.
Thune would be an excellent choice. Rubio would be problematic.
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Thune would be an excellent choice. Rubio would be problematic.
Thune would be good. Rubio would be better. He will only be problematic for Team Kneepad. But like I said, everyone on the alleged short list is good.
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Jindal is the perfect pick IMHO.
Was just looking at his background again. Very impressive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Jindal
Looked at Nikki Haley too. Looks very good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Haley
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Romney surrogates make Veep choices known
Posted by
CNN's Kevin Liptak
(CNN) – As Mitt Romney tours London on the first stop of his overseas trip, prominent surrogates for the presumptive GOP nominee are making their choices for his running mate known stateside.
House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday he was rooting for Sen. Rob Portman, who, like Boehner, represents Ohio.
“I’m partial to Rob Portman,” Boehner said on Fox News. “I’ve been a long-time friend. He’s a United States senator from Ohio, served as the director of Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush, also served as the U.S. trade rep, served in the House of Representatives as well. Knows his way around Washington, and I think he’d be a great asset for Governor Romney.”
Boehner seems to have narrowed his list since April, when he told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley there were three names he had in mind for Romney’s running mate.
The top Republican in Congress said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, along with Portman, fit his criteria that the pick be capable of serving as president.
"There are a lot of people that I like. But this is a personal choice for Gov. Romney, and I'm confident that he'll have a running mate that will be helpful to the ticket," Boehner told Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
"I think the number one quality is, are they capable of being president in the case of an emergency?" Boehner added.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani offered a different name Thursday, saying he’d like to see Rubio picked. Giuliani said the Florida senator was “the most exciting” name floated for Romney’s running mate.
"He's of a different generation," Giuliani told News Channel 8 in Tampa. "He makes outreach much more possible to a younger people – people in their 30s where the Republican Party has a little bit of a deficit."
Meanwhile, several names floated as Romney’s choice have been stumping for the candidate while he embarks on a three-nation foreign tour.
Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia made several stops in Iowa Thursday. The two potential vice presidential choices teamed for an event in Coralville. McDonnell also stopped in Davenport, while Jindal held an event in Des Moines.
Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, also considered a possible Romney running mate, made an appearance for the campaign in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/27/romney-surrogates-make-veep-choices-known/
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Virginia sets example with another budget surplus, as McDonnell burnishes VP profile
Published July 31, 2012
FoxNews.com
(http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Politics/McDonnell_Romney.jpg)
FILE: June 27, 2012: GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at a campaign event in Sterling, Va. (AP)
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is touting his state's ability to do something many other governments could not -- end the year with a surplus, for three years running.
In times of budget strain and pain, the state's record begs a question. What's Virginia doing right?
McDonnell cited several keys to Virginia’s financial success during years of tough economic times, including a focus on economic development and job creation. “That is what’s driving the economic surplus,” he said.
But the governor also stresses another rule in Richmond which hasn't quite made its way to Washington. McDonnell says he told state Cabinet members and agency leaders early in the year to maintain quality service and pay their bills but don’t spend all of the money in their budgets – something the federal government has failed to do.
“That's what Washington does,” he said. “That’s why they have trillion-dollar deficits. There’s a lack of discipline.”
The rosy budget news, meanwhile, has allowed McDonnell to raise his stature as a potential vice presidential contender on the Mitt Romney ticket. While touting the state's finances this week, the governor rapped President Obama and Congress for their fiscal shortcomings.
McDonnell said Monday that Virginia has finished fiscal 2012 with roughly $129 million more in the general fund that forecasted. The state finished with a $311 million general-fund surplus in fiscal 2011 and a $220 million surplus in fiscal 2010.
He said the state’s unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, well below the national average of 8.2 percent, has resulted in a steady flow of income and sales taxes.
The state also is expected to report in mid-August as much as $100 million in savings and account balances left over from agencies, based on numbers from previous years.
As for Washington, McDonnell was especially critical of the massive, across-the-board spending cuts that will soon kick in because Congress failed to negotiate a balanced-budget deal.
“They basically hung the Sword of Damocles over everybody’s head,” he said.
McDonnell made clear dramatic cuts are need and blamed both political parties and chambers of Congress for the current budget crisis. However, he appeared most critical of Obama.
“The president has been invisible,” he said, “a bystander on this issue.”
The 58-year-old governor has appeared numerous times on the campaign trail with Romney.
McDonnell said this spring he was not a potential candidate, but over the past several weeks he has instead said he will not discuss the issue.
Still, McDonnell is on several short-lists for the job, with the Romney campaign recently mentioning his name and expected to make a pick within the next few weeks.
Virginia’s general fund pays for such core state services as public safety, health care and aid to public schools.
The surpluses, however, don’t represent year-over-year growth.
Collections for the fiscal year that ended in June 2009 were $14.3 billion, a 9.2 percent drop from almost $15.8 billion for the previous budget year just as Wall Street began a frightful slide.
One year later, fiscal year 2010 collections dipped to $14.2 billion, the smallest general revenue yield since 2006.
The rebound began in fiscal 2011, when collections barely topped $15 billion. Monday's report means general revenues are about at their 2008 levels, McDonnell said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/31/virginia-sets-example-with-another-budget-surplus-as-mcdonnell-burnishes-vp/?test=latestnews
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I have a strong feeling McConnell is the pick.
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I have a strong feeling McConnell is the pick.
He'd be a good choice.
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I have a strong feeling McConnell is the pick.
McDonnell is everything Romney wants. Very good with the right, but not a rabid screamer. Does agree with obama on some issues like Charter Schools, but strong conservative record. He spends a little more than he should, but military experience and will be excellent on nat'l stage. No 'deer in headlight' moment like Palin, Rubio would guarantee.
Great option. FInally, look at the dude. If romney could build a candidate from clay - good look but not too good looking - this would be the guy.
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Place your bets: GOPers start speaking up on veeps
By: Emily Schultheis and Maggie Haberman
August 1, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner is “partial” to Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and thinks he’d be a “great asset.” Jeb Bush and Rudy Giuliani think Florida Sen. Marco Rubio would be the most exciting. And Gov. Scott Walker thinks “there’s nobody better” than Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.
As the hour draws near for Mitt Romney to pick his running mate, a slew of prominent Republicans are making their own feelings known — laying down markers of their own in very public ways that let them either claim ownership, or express disappointment, down the road.
“It’s almost devolved into an NBA or NFL draft, with everyone offering advice on who Romney should pick,” said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, a veteran of Al Gore’s 2000 campaign.
To a certain extent, it’s inevitable: veepstakes speculation is, said California-based GOP consultant Rob Stutzman, “the best parlor game to get everyone through the summer.”
And with a nominating process that basically wrapped up in the spring, there’s been a long time for people to mull their choices — and everyone from Boehner to Giuliani to Bush to William Kristol is offering their own suggestions and predictions for the presumptive Republican nominee.
“It’s becoming increasingly common if only because the speculation has become increasingly intense,” said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.
The public musings and advice this year are, some observers say, more intense for Romney than they’ve been in the past.
“Romney in particular is probably getting a little bit more from the chorus than you typically get,” Lehane said. “And I think that is at some level a function of real concerns about the operation of his campaign to date. … That has created a lack of discipline among Republicans so that people do feel liberated and free to offer their opinions out there.”
Most of the chatter so far has been in favor of one particular candidate or another, rather than negative feelings toward any of the potential short-listers — like in 2008, when conservatives blasted Sen. Joe Lieberman as a possible running mate for John McCain.
The latter is much more important for the campaign to take into account as they make their choice, Lehane said.
“Counsel and advice and opinions and thoughts that you’re getting from the peanut gallery out there … is relevant to the degree that you may pick someone who will be problematic for the base,” he said.
The talk has been especially intense around Rubio, a rising Hispanic star at a time when the party’s base has had a rightward shift on immigration, and who many believe could help Romney in key swing states in the general election.
“Some of this is rooting for the home team and that’s understandable,” said Florida-based GOP strategist Rick Wilson. “I would say that both Jeb and Rudy backing Marco is because those are two guys that have watched Hispanic numbers and those are two guys who are good talent-spotters.”
Indeed, Bush has been pushing aggressively for Rubio since the day he endorsed Romney through a statement. And Giuliani was a backer of Rubio in his Florida race against Charlie Crist in 2010.
Either way, the public chatter won’t undermine the Romney campaign’s sense of ownership of the process if the candidate makes it clear he’s in charge, Stutzman said.
“[The Romney campaign in] Boston probably pays attention to it, but at the end of the day, Beth [Myers] has run a very rigorous process and it’s a pretty personal decision for Romney,” he said. “And I think he wants to make sure he’s driving it, as opposed to what we saw with the McCain campaign four years ago.”
Former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer agreed.
“I think it is going to be very hard to influence the governor’s decision, but you certainly can take a stand on behalf of someone in whom you believe,” Fleischer said.
Still, those familiar with the VP selection process say outsiders are much more likely to have an impact if they make their preferences known privately, rather than publicly.
“Those with opinions that they’d like taken seriously would be far better off going through a private channel,” said David Wade, who handled press for John Kerry’s ’04 campaign. “Then again, when they go public with their recommendation, it’s typically a sign that no one’s asking for their private opinion to begin with.”
Jeb Bush, for one, said publicly that he told Romney privately he wants Rubio — a dual approach.
And public opinions might be totally different than those a politician would express to Romney privately — a way to appeal to either their own electorates or other politicians with whom they’d like to curry favor.
“When you start making public announcements, it’s more about sending public announcements to a particular group of voters but for your own political purposes,” Schnur said. It helps a politician “play to the home-state crowd or Buckeyes, improve your Latino credentials by pitching for Rubio, show off your budget-cutting credentials by recommending Ryan … and so on.”
That could be the case with Boehner, Walker and Bush, all of whom have publicly thrown their hats in the ring for fellow home-state pols.
“There’s a public dialogue and a private dialogue, and I believe there’s probably variation [between] the two,” Stutzman said.
As Romney makes his eventual choice, his decision won’t please everyone who’s spoken their mind publicly — a fact that may ruffle the feathers of those whose preferred candidates weren’t chosen.
Still, given the slate of oft-discussed potential choices, observers say Republicans will probably fall in line and support whomever Romney chooses.
“Unless he appoints someone who is pro-choice or so far out of the modern mainstream of the Republican Party,” Fleischer said, people will “quickly absorb the choice and refocus on the (candidate) at the top” of the ticket.
Former Ronald Reagan campaign manager Ed Rollins agreed: “Unless it’s an outrageous choice [the inclination will be for] people to say, let’s move on.”
Indeed, unlike in 2008, Stutzman said he doesn’t expect there will be any major outcry from party members, given how widely acceptable many of the presumed short-listers are to the GOP as a whole.
“People will close ranks behind any of the common list of six or so names that we are all hearing about,” he said. “They would all be good picks — I don’t think anyone will growl about them.”
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=420FAE91-B907-4C70-960D-E21C5085A40C
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Virginia sets example with another budget surplus, as McDonnell burnishes VP profile
Published July 31, 2012
FoxNews.com
(http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Politics/McDonnell_Romney.jpg)
FILE: June 27, 2012: GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at a campaign event in Sterling, Va. (AP)
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is touting his state's ability to do something many other governments could not -- end the year with a surplus, for three years running.
In times of budget strain and pain, the state's record begs a question. What's Virginia doing right?
McDonnell cited several keys to Virginia’s financial success during years of tough economic times, including a focus on economic development and job creation. “That is what’s driving the economic surplus,” he said.
But the governor also stresses another rule in Richmond which hasn't quite made its way to Washington. McDonnell says he told state Cabinet members and agency leaders early in the year to maintain quality service and pay their bills but don’t spend all of the money in their budgets – something the federal government has failed to do.
“That's what Washington does,” he said. “That’s why they have trillion-dollar deficits. There’s a lack of discipline.”
The rosy budget news, meanwhile, has allowed McDonnell to raise his stature as a potential vice presidential contender on the Mitt Romney ticket. While touting the state's finances this week, the governor rapped President Obama and Congress for their fiscal shortcomings.
McDonnell said Monday that Virginia has finished fiscal 2012 with roughly $129 million more in the general fund that forecasted. The state finished with a $311 million general-fund surplus in fiscal 2011 and a $220 million surplus in fiscal 2010.
He said the state’s unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, well below the national average of 8.2 percent, has resulted in a steady flow of income and sales taxes.
The state also is expected to report in mid-August as much as $100 million in savings and account balances left over from agencies, based on numbers from previous years.
As for Washington, McDonnell was especially critical of the massive, across-the-board spending cuts that will soon kick in because Congress failed to negotiate a balanced-budget deal.
“They basically hung the Sword of Damocles over everybody’s head,” he said.
McDonnell made clear dramatic cuts are need and blamed both political parties and chambers of Congress for the current budget crisis. However, he appeared most critical of Obama.
“The president has been invisible,” he said, “a bystander on this issue.”
The 58-year-old governor has appeared numerous times on the campaign trail with Romney.
McDonnell said this spring he was not a potential candidate, but over the past several weeks he has instead said he will not discuss the issue.
Still, McDonnell is on several short-lists for the job, with the Romney campaign recently mentioning his name and expected to make a pick within the next few weeks.
Virginia’s general fund pays for such core state services as public safety, health care and aid to public schools.
The surpluses, however, don’t represent year-over-year growth.
Collections for the fiscal year that ended in June 2009 were $14.3 billion, a 9.2 percent drop from almost $15.8 billion for the previous budget year just as Wall Street began a frightful slide.
One year later, fiscal year 2010 collections dipped to $14.2 billion, the smallest general revenue yield since 2006.
The rebound began in fiscal 2011, when collections barely topped $15 billion. Monday's report means general revenues are about at their 2008 levels, McDonnell said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/31/virginia-sets-example-with-another-budget-surplus-as-mcdonnell-burnishes-vp/?test=latestnews
The state, which is required to make payments each year to the Virginia Retirement System for public employees, reduced its payments by $620 million, promising to return the money with interest starting in 2013. It made an early payment of more than $20 million this year, Finance Secretary Richard D. Brown said.
(…)
Retailers are required to pay sales tax to the state early for one month — allowing the state to collect the tax in June, during the previous fiscal year, instead of in July, during the next fiscal year. Businesses oppose the policy, and legislators are phasing out the practice.
So, in other words, what we’ve got here are accounting gimmicks. In one case, the State legally permitted itself to defer a contribution to public pensions that were twice as big as the reported budget surplus. In the other, they legally permitted themselves to collect thirteen months of sales taxes for a twelve month fiscal year. The impact of both of these should be rather obvious. Reduce obligations while you are increasing revenues and, wow what do you know, we’ve got a surplus.
This isn’t at all new. As Virginia political bloggers Norm Leahy and Adam Bitley noted last August, the legislature used virtually the same accounting tricks to create the $220 million surplus that was reported last year.
It’s also not unique to Virginia. The same techniques are used in states across the country, and in the Federal Budget. Call it “off book budgeting.” Call it “creative accounting.” Call it whatever you like really, but it’s a pretty stark demonstration of the just how hard it really is to believe any government when they say their budget is balanced. More likely than not, they’ve used one or more of these gimmicks, plus a few others, to defer budget items and artificially increase revenue to make it appear that the budget is in balance when it really isn’t.
Here in Virginia we have a “surplus” of $311 million. That money will go, by law, in to education funding and into the state’s “rainy day” fund. In reality, though, is what we’ve got a cooked set of books that says “+$311,000,000″ with a little entry at the bottom of the page that says “I.O.U. $620,000,000.00.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t call that a surplus. Check your own state, I’ll bet you’ll find the same thing.
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Late last month, NBC News anchor Brian Williams, reading from a script, asked Romney whether it was true that the former Massachusetts governor was going to choose a “boring white guy” for the vice-presidential slot.
Romney quipped: “You told me you were not available.”
lol
Dick Morris: Rubio Should Be Romney's VP Pick
Friday, 03 Aug 2012
By Greg McDonald
Political strategist Dick Morris says Mitt Romney should choose Sen. Marco Rubio as his vice presidential running mate, because he would help the presumptive Republican nominee with Latino voters in key battleground states beyond Florida.
Morris said Rubio would be an asset in states including Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. He would also help energize a younger group of voters for the Republican ticket.
“I think Rubio is the one he should pick,” Morris told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren Thursday.
But noting how “very risk averse” the vice presidential vetting process can be in a campaign, Morris said Romney and company may decide to choose “a boring white man.”
“If you're not going to go with . . . Rubio, you're probably going to choose a boring white man, and it might be [Former Minnesota Gov. Tim] Pawlenty — it might be [Sen. Rob] Portman from Ohio,” Morris said.” My own personal choice among boring white men would be [Bob] McDonnell, the governor of Virginia, because he has a tremendous record of balancing the budget and cutting spending without raising taxes.”
He said, however, that none of “those boring white men help you win, but they simply don’t make you lose.”
This is not the first time the question of Romney choosing a “boring white" man as his running mate has come to the forefront.
Late last month, NBC News anchor Brian Williams, reading from a script, asked Romney whether it was true that the former Massachusetts governor was going to choose a “boring white guy” for the vice-presidential slot.
Romney quipped: “You told me you were not available.”
Morris noted that aside from bringing in the Latino vote, Rubio could help energize the campaign coming out of the GOP convention in Tampa at the end of August.
But he acknowledged that Romney advisers could have a problem with “speculation that there are scandals and skeletons in Rubio’s closet.”
Morris said he had checked out reports that Rubio was tied into some political scandals as a member of the state legislature and may have been under investigation for a credit-card scandal.
But he said Rubio had been cleared of any ethics violations and is not under any kind of investigation.
Morris said, however, even the hint of an issue could push Romney aides to make another choice.
“The problem is that the very fear of that could inhibit them from doing what they should do, which is to pick Rubio,” Morris said.
Asked if House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan was also a possibility, Morris seemed to rule him out.
“Paul Ryan is brilliant. I think he’s wonderful,” Morris said. “But he proposed replacing Medicare with a voucher system. He’s since backed off that and said, ‘I’ll keep Medicare as an option.’ But in doing that, he would attract so much fire over that.”
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/romney-rubio-vp-/2012/08/03/id/447477
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New Push for Ryan as Romney's Vice Presidential Candidate
Monday, 06 Aug 2012
By Dan Weil and Patrick Hobin
The push for House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan to be named as presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate is fast gaining momentum.
Even one of his chief rivals for the role, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is touting the Wisconsin congressman.
"Picking somebody like a Paul Ryan would send a very powerful message that this [Romney] administration was serious about Medicare reform, entitlement reform, shrinking the size of government, and doing so in a courageous way," Jindal said over the weekend.
The Weekly Standard’s influential Stephen Hayes and William Kristol also published a column over the weekend urging Romney to choose Ryan or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Jindal, who has until now been considered one of three favorites, along with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, made his comments at the Red State Gathering in Jacksonville, Fla.
One of the most significant moves to a Romney-Ryan ticket could be the fact that Ryan has just updated his Federal Election Commission filings for his PAC and cancelled an appearance at an anti-Obamacare rally Friday.
As is customary in a game in which candidates feign disinterest in the job until they are actually named, his aides are warning against drawing any conclusions from the moves.
Ryan skipped his speech at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Defending the American Dream Summit because he “wanted to get back and see his family,” Ryan campaign spokesman Kevin Seifert said.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s Prosperity Action Committee PAC filed amended versions of its three most recent monthly fundraising reports, Politico reports.
But Seifert said the reports simply had to be changed when Ryan’s staff discovered that a contribution received in April was inadvertently included for both Prosperity Action and the representative’s joint action committee. That error then continued into later reports.
“It’s a pretty easy explanation. Basically, it was cleaning up an error that had been made in April 2012 regarding money that had been doubly counted,” Seifert said.
In The Weekly Standard piece, the magazine's editor, Kristol and senior writer Hayes urged Romney to "go bold" with his choice. They said the two men “more than anyone else, embody Republican hopes and conservative change.”
They lay out the argument that the selection of a running mate speaks loudly to voters in terms of why they should vote for him. “Voters seem to care,” they wrote. “In a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, 74 percent of registered voters said the selection of a running mate will matter—48 percent saying it matters ‘somewhat’ and 26 percent saying it matters ‘a lot.’ In a close election, as this one seems likely to be, Romney’s pick could help determine the outcome.”
Putting Ryan on the ticket, they argued, “would ensure that the presidential race is a contest of ideas, not just personalities. In a country where conservatives outnumber liberals two-to-one and where President Obama is thought to be more likable than Mitt Romney by huge margins (+30 according to USA Today/Gallup, +38 in the Washington Post/ABC poll), this strikes us as a good idea.”
“If Ryan’s budget is going to be a central part of the debate over the next three months, who better to explain and defend it than Paul Ryan?” they wrote.
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/ryan-vice-president-romney/2012/08/06/id/447681
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Ryan is a CONSISTENT conservative. I'm not sure he'd be interested in serving with a flipflopper like romney.
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Ryan is a CONSISTENT conservative. I'm not sure he'd be interested in serving with a flipflopper like romney.
Ryan would have been a better pic for Prez.
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Ryan would have been a better pic for Prez.
agreed one million percent.
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Democratic Super PAC Releases Files on Potential GOP VP Contenders
Friday, 13 Jul 2012
By Todd Beamon
Mitt Romney isn’t the only one sizing up vice presidential candidates.
Democratic researchers for the super PAC American Bridge 21st Century have spent several months examining the backgrounds of several potential Republican running mates.
The super PAC posted the information on its new website, VeepMistakes.com, which debuted on Friday. It features more than 1,300 pages of opposition research and many video clips.
So far, the super PAC is focusing on the three prospects that have generated the most speculation as running mates for the former Massachusetts governor: former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
“In 2008, nobody was prepared for the disaster that was vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin,” Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge, told ABC News. “And while even Mitt Romney couldn’t top that pick, the front runners he’s considering are all deeply flawed in their own right.
“This year, we are going to make sure that the public has as much information as possible, as early as possible, on the extreme and out-of-touch positions of the candidates Mitt Romney would put a heartbeat away from the presidency,” Mollineau said.
The website uses playing cards — with the three possible running mates depicted as jokers — to make its point. Its file on Pawlenty spans 492 pages, while Portman’s runs nearly 350 pages and Rubio’s is 555 pages.
Its main points are that Portman bears part of the responsibility for the country's financial problems as he was George W. Bush's budget director; that Pawlenty's time as governor led to increased unemployment and poverty and that Rubio lacks experience.
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Veepmistakes-files-VP-contenders/2012/07/13/id/445318
Still engaging in gutter politics.
Obama campaign looks for dirt on Rubio, Portman
Published August 07, 2012
FoxNews.com
The Obama campaign launched a pre-emptive strike Tuesday on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, attempting to gather dirt on the potential vice presidential pick by asking Floridians to share with the campaign “the good, bad and ugly” about him.
Ashley Walker, director of Obama for America in Florida, blasted out the email Tuesday soliciting unflattering information on Rubio.
“Share what you think the rest of the country should know about what Rubio’s really done in Florida,” Walker wrote, “the good, bad and ugly. And why he’d be a disaster as our next vice president.”
The effort marks a new phase in the Obama campaign's push to undermine Romney's highly anticipated selection of a running mate. That selection could come any moment, and Republicans have been building anticipation in recent days by announcing, a few at a time, the speakers for the GOP convention. It is presumed that whoever is on the convention speakers list at this point is no longer being considered for Mitt Romney's ticket.
Rubio, who so far is not on the convention speakers list, appears to be a finalist on Romney’s list for a running mate, with less than three weeks remaining before the party’s national convention in Tampa, Fla.
The first-term senator and Tea Party favorite will join Romney in the Florida leg of his “The Romney Plan for a Stronger Middle Class" bus tour that starts this weekend.
Two other potential Romney running mates also will be on the tour. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will join when the tour begins Saturday in his home state. And Ohio Sen. Rob Portman will join when the tour concludes Tuesday in his state.
Rubio will join when the bus arrives Monday in Florida.
“We know Marco Rubio all the way from his time in the Florida House of Representatives to his election to the U.S. Senate,” Walker continued. “But most Americans don't know him or the extreme, tried-and-failed policies he'd bring with him to a Romney administration. As Floridians, it's our job to share what we know about Marco Rubio with the rest of Americans. Your feedback will help hold Rubio accountable, if and when Romney chooses him.”
In the letter, Walker also accuses Rubio when in the Florida legislature of balancing the state budget by “sticking it to the middle class” and in Congress of leading the way “on almost every extreme position Mitt Romney has embraced.”
The Obama campaign also reportedly sent out a similar letter in Ohio regarding Portman.
“If and when Romney does select him, we need to be able to tell the full story about his record on Day One, which could very well be in the next few days,” according to the letter, reported by Politico. “As one of the architects of the top-down Bush budget, Portman practically invented the policies that punished middle-class families while exploding the deficit, and crashing our economy. ... Let's make sure we're ready.”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/07/obama-campaign-looks-for-dirt-on-rubio-portman/
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Romney's VP List Gets Trimmed Still Further
Tuesday, 07 Aug 2012
By Patrick Hobin
With each name announced for a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney’s list of potential running mates seemingly gets shorter.
Now Jeb Bush, Mary Fallin and Rick Santorum can be crossed off the vice presidential list.
The former Florida governor had drawn some speculation that he would be picked by Romney but he was confirmed on Tuesday as a speaker in Tampa, Fox News reported. Being tapped for a speaking role at the convention historically means a person will not end up as the vice presidential candidate.
Oklahoma Gov. Fallin too gained some support as a new face who could give Romney a boost, but was also considered an outsider for the role
Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania and presidential candidate, was never high on the list of speculated Romney running mates.
A former adviser told Fox News that Santorum accepted the invitation to speak at the Tampa convention, to be held Aug. 27-30.
"He is certainly looking forward to sharing with America the reasons President Obama must be defeated, and inspiring conservatives all across the country to help elect Mitt Romney," the adviser told Fox News.
Fox News said Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky will also speak.
Republicans have not yet announced the convention keynote speaker, a coveted spot that is most times used to highlight a rising political star. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but if he ends up as Romney’s choice for running mate would almost certainly be ruled out.
Seven major convention speakers were announced Sunday night. They include four sitting governors — Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Rick Scott of Florida, and John Kasich of Ohio — as well as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Now attention as Romney’s running mate can turn to those who have not been named to speak — a list that includes all the VP favorites: Christie, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.
In addition, there are those expected to join Romney's upcoming bus tour, which begins Saturday in Virginia: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Romney-running-mate-speculation/2012/08/07/id/447826
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Well this is different.
Petraeus on Romney's mind for VP nod?
by | August 07, 2012
Stirring the veepstakes pot just a little more, Drudge Report published an "exclusive" story Tuesday claiming President Obama thinks rival Mitt Romney wants to name Gen. David Petraeus as his running mate.
The White House quickly shot down the claim. Romney, though, did not respond when reporters asked him directly Tuesday whether he met with Petraeus in New Hampshire, as suggested by the Drudge story.
The report claimed Obama "whispered" to a fundraiser this week that he thinks Romney wants to name Petraeus. "The president wasn't joking," the source said, according to Drudge.
The report succeeded in prompting a question at Tuesday's White House press briefing.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney cautioned the media to be "mindful of your sources."
"I can say with absolute confidence that such an assertion has never been uttered by the president." Carney said. "And again be mindful of your sources."
"Drudge is wrong?" a reporter asked, incredulously.
"Apparently so," Carney said.
Carney went on to say Petraeus is "currently serving very well" as director of the CIA, a post he assumed after leading U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Romney was coy when asked in an interview with Fox News for an update on the VP process.
"I'm a week closer than I was a week ago," he said. "I am not going to give you anything on the VP front."
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/08/07/petraeus-romneys-mind-vp-nod/
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Unveiled! When VP picks officially became #2
As the world waits to see who Mitt Romney picks as his running mate, we thought it'd be the perfect time to look at how past presidential candidates rolled their No. 2 out.
By Ed Hornick
updated 1:17 PM EDT, Tue August 07, 2012
Here is a list of when the presidential candidate rolled out their running mates -- and how close it was to the party convention.
2008
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
Announced on August 23, two days before the convention
John McCain
Sarah Palin
Announced on August 29, three days before the convention
2004
John Kerry
John Edwards
Announced on July 6, 20 days before the convention
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney
Kept Cheney as his running mate
2000
Al Gore
Joe Lieberman
Announced on August 7, seven days before the convention
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney
Announced on July 25, six days before the convention
1996
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
Kept Gore on the ticket
Bob Dole
Jack Kemp
Announced on August 10, two days before the convention
1992
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
Announced on July 9, four days before the convention
George H.W. Bush
Dan Quayle
Kept Quayle on the ticket
1988
Mike Dukakis
Lloyd Bentsen
Announced on July 12, six days before the convention
George H.W. Bush
Dan Quayle
Announced on August 8, the second day of the convention
1984
Walter Mondale
Geraldine Ferraro
Announced on July 12, four days before the convention
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Kept Bush on the ticket
1980
Jimmy Carter
Walter Mondale
Kept Mondale on the ticket
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Announced on July 16, the third day of the convention
1976
Jimmy Carter
Walter Mondale
Announced on July 15, the last day of the convention
Gerald Ford
Bob Dole
Announced on August 19, the last day of the convention
1972
George McGovern
Thomas Eagleton (announced on July 13 -- the last day of the convention; He withdrew on July 31)
Sargent Shriver announced new VP pick on August 8 -- 26 days after the convention
Richard Nixon
Spiro Agnew
Kept Agnew on the ticket
http://www.hlntv.com/slideshow/2012/07/30/us-vice-presidential-rollouts?hpt=hp_t1
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so lame that every 10 days, Drudge has the "inside scoop" on the latest veep.
He flirted with neocons with Condi. He flirted with hispanic voters with rubio. He's flirting with military voters now with patraeus.
Next it'll be women voters (unless condi counts? lol) and whatever other group his team says he sucks at"
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New Push for Ryan as Romney's Vice Presidential Candidate
Monday, 06 Aug 2012
By Dan Weil and Patrick Hobin
The push for House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan to be named as presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate is fast gaining momentum.
Even one of his chief rivals for the role, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is touting the Wisconsin congressman.
"Picking somebody like a Paul Ryan would send a very powerful message that this [Romney] administration was serious about Medicare reform, entitlement reform, shrinking the size of government, and doing so in a courageous way," Jindal said over the weekend.
The Weekly Standard’s influential Stephen Hayes and William Kristol also published a column over the weekend urging Romney to choose Ryan or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Jindal, who has until now been considered one of three favorites, along with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, made his comments at the Red State Gathering in Jacksonville, Fla.
One of the most significant moves to a Romney-Ryan ticket could be the fact that Ryan has just updated his Federal Election Commission filings for his PAC and cancelled an appearance at an anti-Obamacare rally Friday.
As is customary in a game in which candidates feign disinterest in the job until they are actually named, his aides are warning against drawing any conclusions from the moves.
Ryan skipped his speech at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Defending the American Dream Summit because he “wanted to get back and see his family,” Ryan campaign spokesman Kevin Seifert said.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s Prosperity Action Committee PAC filed amended versions of its three most recent monthly fundraising reports, Politico reports.
But Seifert said the reports simply had to be changed when Ryan’s staff discovered that a contribution received in April was inadvertently included for both Prosperity Action and the representative’s joint action committee. That error then continued into later reports.
“It’s a pretty easy explanation. Basically, it was cleaning up an error that had been made in April 2012 regarding money that had been doubly counted,” Seifert said.
In The Weekly Standard piece, the magazine's editor, Kristol and senior writer Hayes urged Romney to "go bold" with his choice. They said the two men “more than anyone else, embody Republican hopes and conservative change.”
They lay out the argument that the selection of a running mate speaks loudly to voters in terms of why they should vote for him. “Voters seem to care,” they wrote. “In a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, 74 percent of registered voters said the selection of a running mate will matter—48 percent saying it matters ‘somewhat’ and 26 percent saying it matters ‘a lot.’ In a close election, as this one seems likely to be, Romney’s pick could help determine the outcome.”
Putting Ryan on the ticket, they argued, “would ensure that the presidential race is a contest of ideas, not just personalities. In a country where conservatives outnumber liberals two-to-one and where President Obama is thought to be more likable than Mitt Romney by huge margins (+30 according to USA Today/Gallup, +38 in the Washington Post/ABC poll), this strikes us as a good idea.”
“If Ryan’s budget is going to be a central part of the debate over the next three months, who better to explain and defend it than Paul Ryan?” they wrote.
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/ryan-vice-president-romney/2012/08/06/id/447681
Report: Romney Campaign Officially Vetting Paul Ryan for VP
Posted on June 23, 2012
by Madeleine Morgenstern
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has submitted paperwork to the Romney campaign and is officially being vetted for the vice presidential nomination, National Review reported late Friday afternoon.
Citing unnamed sources, writer Robert Costa said he was “reliably informed” of the development with the House Budget Committee chair.
Ryan endorsed Romney earlier this year and has repeatedly joined him on the campaign stump. Ryan’s camp declined to shed any light on the revelation, telling National Review, “Respecting their campaign’s internal process, we’re not going to comment.”
Though the Romney campaign has been tight-lipped about the possibilities for his No. 2 spot, the former Massachusetts governor admitted this week that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is being “thoroughly vetted” after reports circulated that he was not under consideration.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-romney-campaign-officially-vetting-paul-ryan-for-vp/
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No way he pick Governor UltraSound
My guess is he will pick a woman though I'm not sure who that will be yet
He is going to have to find someone who has not yet released their taxes to the public so that their disclosure does not conflict with his
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Sabato's final top five: Pawlenty, Portman, Rubio, Jindal, and Ryan.
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/final-veepstakes-ratings-pawlenty-portman-continue-to-top-list/
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WSJ Backs Paul Ryan for VP
Thursday, 09 Aug 2012
By Patrick Hobin
As Mitt Romney readies to announce his running mate choice, advice and speculation are reaching a fever pitch, with the Weekly Standard practically begging him to select Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin or Sen. Marco Rubio of Fla. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page weighed in, making the case for Romney to pick Ryan.
The editorial said that Ryan “represents the GOP’s new generation of reformers” and makes sense strategically because choosing him will bring the focus back on the economy and bigger ideas. The editor of the National Review, Rich Lowry, has also backed selecting Ryan.
“The case for Mr. Ryan is that he best exemplifies the nature and stakes of this election,” the Journal wrote. “More than any other politician, the House Budget Chairman has defined those stakes well as a generational choice about the role of government and whether America will once again become a growth economy or sink into interest-group dominated decline.”
“Against the advice of every Beltway bedwetter, he has put entitlement reform at the center of the public agenda — before it becomes a crisis that requires savage cuts,” the editorial read. “And he has done so as part of a larger vision that stresses tax reform for faster growth, spending restraint to prevent a Greek-like budget fate, and a Jack Kemp-like belief in opportunity for all. He represents the GOP's new generation of reformers that includes such Governors as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and New Jersey's Chris Christie. …”
The Wall Street Journal continued: “Personalities aside, the larger strategic point is that Mr. Romney's best chance for victory is to make this a big election over big issues. Mr. Obama and the Democrats want to make this a small election over small things — Mitt's taxes, his wealth, Bain Capital. As the past two months have shown, Mr. Romney will lose that kind of election.”
“To win, Mr. Romney and the Republicans have to rise above those smaller issues and cast the choice as one about the overall direction and future of the country,” it went on. “Americans tell pollsters they are anxious and unhappy precisely because they instinctively know the country is troubled in ways it hasn't been since the 1970s. They know the economy is growing too slowly to raise middle-class incomes, while the government is growing too fast to be affordable.”
The Journal concluded, “There's a lot of overlap between the various arguments for Romney choosing Ryan, with this last point as the biggest connecting theme: that Romney has to run a bigger campaign about bigger ideas than he has so far, and choosing Ryan would be the shortest route to that destination.”
Romney will choose his running mate ahead of the Aug. 27-30 Republican National Convention in Tampa.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/journal-endorses-ryan-vice/2012/08/09/id/448042
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Giuliani: 'My Instinct Tells Me" Romney Will Pick Rubio for VP
Friday, 10 Aug 2012
By Greg McDonald
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says although he would prefer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, his “instinct” tells him Mitt Romney will choose Marco Rubio as his running mate, because the Florida senator will give the presumptive Republican nominee more clout with Hispanic and younger voters.
Giuliani also told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday President Barack Obama should fire a campaign official that “lied” about having any knowledge of a Super PAC ad that essentially accuses Romney of causing the death of a woman.
“She’s a liar,” Giuliani said of Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, who pleaded ignorance in a CNN interview about the story behind the ad created by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA.
“You have to go after them as liars,” Giuliani told Hannity, but quickly added: “We can’t prove the president is lying. I think it’s a very serious charge to say the president is lying.
“But to say that the president is surrounded by liars is a pretty accurate charge,” Giuliani continued. “Who wants to be surrounded by liars? What is Obama going to do about her?”
Republicans have been pushing for Obama to not only fire Cutter but to denounce the Priorities ad, which features Missouri steelworker Joe Soptic, who blames Romney’s investment firm Bain Capital for laying him off and leaving his family without healthcare coverage. His wife later died of cancer.
Cutter, when first asked about the ad, sought to distance the Obama campaign from it, saying she had no knowledge of Soptic’s story. But on Thursday, Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed that Soptic was the same steelworker who appeared in an earlier Obama campaign ad.
Weighing in on the vice-presidential choice, Giuliani said although he personally would prefer Christie get the call, he said, “My instinct tells me Marco Rubio.”
He said the Florida senator would give Romney “more of an outreach to the Hispanic vote” and “more outreach to young people.”
Rubio also would have “very strong impact with conservative Republicans — without turning people off — without making moderate Republicans or center-right people who may be independent, feel uncomfortable,” Giuliani said.
“I think he has a real ability to talk to them. I think he would be fabulous at debates. I think he would be fabulous in interviews,” Giuliani added.
The former mayor also urged the Romney campaign to get more aggressive in its appeal to independent voters by doing a better job of defining what the former Massachusetts governor would do as president.
“I think the undecided break to Gov. Romney,” he said. “But those undecided are undecided for a reason. . . . They are undecided because of Obama and that’s the vote that we have to appeal to.”
He suggested that Romney focus “100 percent of the time on the economy” as he campaigns “because it’s a disaster what [Obama] has done” and because that’s the issue that most concerns undecided voters.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rubio-giuliani-romney-vp/2012/08/10/id/448178
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great pick, rubio. We don't need experience when we have hope. Sounds familiar.
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Talked to a Romney supporter yesterday who has these in his top three:
Rubio
Rice
Ryan
Made a good case for Ryan, who really hasn't been on my radar. He would be the most articulate person to talk about Obamacare and the healthcare debate in general, plus he might be good for Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The Romney supporter was right about Ryan. Good choice.
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Ryan is perfect.
Ryan is like a true spotlight on obamas wasted 4 years and failures.