Posted on 05/11/2012 8:15:47 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
As Mitt Romney mulls who to pick as vice president, members of Congress in both parties agree that among their colleagues there is no better pick than Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
More than half of Democrats and exactly half of Republicans surveyed in National Journal's Congressional Insiders Poll said that Portman, a first term Republican, would make the best pick, among current members of Congress.
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Which type of politician would make the best choice for Mitt Romney to tap as vice president? |
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| Democrats (19 votes) |
Republicans (23 votes) |
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| Member of Congress | 37% | 26% |
| Governor | 16% | 39% |
| Former officeholder | 21% | 9% |
| Other (volunteered) | 26% | 26% |
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Of the most-talked-about congressional candidates, who would be the best pick? |
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| Democrats (19 votes) |
Republicans (24 votes) |
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| Sen. Rob Portman | 58% | 50% |
| Rep. Paul Ryan | 21% | 17% |
| Sen. Marco Rubio | 11% | 21% |
| Sen. Kelly Ayotte | 5% | 8% |
| Sen. John Thune | 0% | 0% |
| Other (volunteered) | 5% | 4% |
"At least he could likely deliver Ohio," said one Republican.
Among Republicans, the next most popular pick was Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., with 21 percent support, followed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., (17 percent), and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., (8 percent). Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., received no votes among either Democrats or Republican lawmakers.
After Portman, Democrats ranked Ryan, Rubio and Ayotte in order as the best picks.
"Portman conveys seriousness of purpose," one Democrat said. "The rest are political supernovas who will fade away fast."
Another Democrat conceded that Portman would "be a solid, well-vetted candidate who is also a family man who can sell to Middle America."
Portman, who spent more than a decade in the House and worked in both Bush administrations, "understands how to make the executive branch run. He could turn the VP position from a cipher into a [chief operating officer] for government," said one Republican.
Democrats are hoping to make Ryan's Medicare proposal a central issue this year. And some suggested they'd welcome him to the ticket - as a boon for Democrats. "Why not put the architect of the effort to repeal Medicare on the ticket to defend that move personally?" one Democrat said.
Among the GOP boosters of Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman, one Republican said, "If Romney wants the election to be economy and spending, put your best man on the field."
Or Romney could put a women on the field, another Republican suggested, pitching Ayotte. "White women are the most important demographic in this election. She is new to the national scene, but she is smart, tough, poised, knows how to 'make a case,' and offers Romney cross-generational appeal. It would mean taking a risk, but one that reflects well on Romney."
Lawmakers were more split over what type of politician - a member of Congress, a governor or a former officeholder - Romney should tap as vice president. A plurality of Republicans (39 percent) said he should pick a governor, but nearly a quarter volunteered another answer.
"What matters is the person's credibility on jobs, not their current job," said one Republican.
But relationships on the Hill matter, chimed in another Republican. "Politically, a governor or former officeholder would probably be best right now, but Mitt Romney needs someone he can trust who will work the Hill. Ask any member, and they'll tell you Obama failed miserably at the task."
Democrats preferred a member of Congress (37 percent), though a quarter volunteered another answer, with many saying the profession of Romney's pick wouldn't matter much. "Any of the above. It's who, not what," one Democrat said.
Congressional Insiders, eh?? And that’s supposed to be reassuring?
What ever they choose, I would run the exact opposite direction.
Col. Allen West would be the best pick. Instant defense gravitas and a guaranteed hissy fit from the ultra left.
Portman is a non-entity with, if anything, less personality than Romney (that’s not easy to pull off) and is at best a cipher to the Conservative/TP base. He might bring Ohio but frankly even that is not certain. I would count Florida as more important and Rubio as a far better selection.
I just threw up in my mouth a bit.
Portman????????? Have you ever heard him speak? AAAAAAAAACH. B O R I N G....... monotone and passion free zone.
We need someone exactly like Allen West. A no nonsense guy. But will Willard even consider him? Will the GOPe tell us to pound sand again? Sarah was excellent. Allen West would be outstanding. How can we convince Willard of this?
Even though I and other conservatives have vowed not to vote for either Romney or Obama, Romney will still win in a landslide. That being said, here is absolutely no reason for him to chose a running mate based upon what state he needs to carry.
That being said, if he wants to truly unify the party and guarantee a super majority in both houses, then he needs to pick a true Tea party type conservative, and I do not care which one. However, it should be a person that every one of his conservative primary opponents agree upon.
The difference between a milk-toast Rhino running mate and a hardcore conservative for a running mate means he either wins by 45% to 55% with a mere majority in both houses compared to a 61% to 39% win with a super majority house that would ensure the end of man, m,any liberals programs and strong economic recovery that will take less than 2 years to take effect.
Then we can complete the "ALL-RINO" Ticket that way.
WHITEBREAD AND VANILLA! lol
Martinez (R-NM) for Veepee!
“Martinez (R-NM) for Veepee!”
That’s what I am talking about. Although they won’t be able to vett her. When she was three, she accidentally pulled her dogs tail. /sadist
Who the heck is Rob Portmam?
Ohio Senator.
Was Portman a trade representative who exported American jobs to the world? Maybe that’s a good fit for Romney.
19 and 24 votes, respectively, is hardly a sample size that will give a statistically meaningful result. Silly article.
But we definitely need someone on the ticket to excite the base because the guy at the top certainly doesn't.
Col. West may not be the only choice to do this, but he'd certainly be a good one.
Remember this one?
One White, One Black, One Blonde........
As the current pretender to the top of the Republican ticket shows, we have absolutely no influence on whomever he picks.
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