Paul Begala: I Know Who Romney’s Running Mate Will Be & it won’t be Ryan or Rubio.
Paul Begala: I Know Who Romneys Running Mate Will Be
Apr 9, 2012 1:00 AM EDT
Dont believe the hype: it wont be Ryan or Rubio.
You heard it here first: Mitt Romney is going to select Rob Portman, the junior senator from Ohio, to be his running mate. I have no insight into how Romney will make this decision. But I had a front-row seat at what I believe was the best veep choice of my lifetime.
When Bill Clinton was choosing his running mate in 1992, I made a pitch for Sen. Harris Wofforda visionary who had worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Wofford seemed perfect because he would have balanced the ticket, and thats what conventional wisdom considers most important: Clinton was young, Wofford was older; Clinton was a Southerner, Wofford was from Pennsylvania; Clinton was a governor, Wofford served in Congress; Clinton was a Protestant, Wofford was a Catholic; Clinton was a moderate, Wofford was a liberal. But Clinton was blown away by his meeting with Al Gore and settled on him quickly, even though Gore was the same age, same region, same religion, and same ideology. Why pick him? I asked. Because, Paulie, Clinton said in a near whisper, I might die. Gulp.
I wasnt in the room when George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney. (Well, Cheney actually chose Cheney, but never mind.) Cheney wasnt picked for his animal magnetism, and Wyomings three electoral votes werent a factor, so politics had nothing to do with it. Obamas choice of Joe Biden was likewise about governing, not campaigning. Delaware was never in doubt, and Bidens global experience and middle-class sensibility made him a great choice.
Can Romney, with his Etch a Sketch character and Slinky spine, make a nonpolitical decision on his veep? Hed better. Above all, he needs an anti-Palin: someone who will not overshadow him, someone who will not blow up in his face, and someone who will fit Romneys play-it-safe, buttoned-up image.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/04/08/paul-pegala-i-know-who-romney-s-running-mate-will-be.html
I heard Condoliza Rice.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,712 posts)So I can see if Paul Begala turned out to be right...
FarPoint
(12,444 posts)Portman is creepy to me..I was forced to meet him once at a government job he was visiting. He shook my hand, his hand was wet and clammy...It gave me a shivering, nausea feeling...I left the job site right afterward. Maybe that was a "sign" of future evil doings were in his future.
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)...least of all a black woman. He's going to lose anyway, and it's just another black eye for the female gender.
Seems they pull in a female (R or D) when they are going to lose, whether as tokenism or an excuse. And whoever she would be would almost automatically have comparisons ... pro or con ... on her hair, her clothes, her glasses, her shoes, her weight, ad nauseum ... to, by constantly reminding us of the last failure, Ms. Palin. We need at least another election cycle to more fully retire and purge our memory data of the Wasilla Quitter, former beauty queen.
Hillary may not be my favorite, but she has matured politically, showed amazing class and style when Obama defeated her, developed a senior advisor aura about her on the international stage, and has done an excellent job. I think/hope she can make it in 2016. Rubio as Hillary's VP....hmmm.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,712 posts)And Rubio is a very evil man, from what I hear. He's also a Republican.
Sorry to rain on your daydream...
marmar
(77,091 posts)nt
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)think he is a teabagger (am not sure). Rubio has baggage. He is a liar.