Posted on 08/07/2012 10:24:33 AM PDT by Red Steel
Yesterday, I suggested there were some clues pointing to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) as Mitt Romney’s VP pick. There might be clues leading to other figures (e.g. Mitt Romney will be in Ohio next week, Sen. Rob Portman’s stomping grounds). Anyone in the party or pundit class trying to influence the pick is probably barking up the wrong tree...
But a number of readers were puzzled: Why McDonnell? Rather than make the case for him, let’s look at how Romney, the only voice that matters, would see him and another frequently mentioned contender, remembering that Romney likes to gather a bunch of data and then make a decision. (Don’t expect any flights of fancy on a decision as big as this.) He and his staff know that while the pick itself might not win or lose the election, the rollout will be a critical moment when the undecided...
This means Romney is unlikely to choose anyone who hasn’t already been “road tested” as a surrogate and been interviewed by national media. He’s going to want to pound home his theme that he’s the experienced executive who has figured out where President Obama has gone wrong, is going to set aside Obama’s collectivist ideas and can revive the economy. He won’t want to wig out the base...
McDonnell resisted all entreaties to raise taxes as governor. He stuck to his game plan, namely make the state business friendly, balance the budget and reform government. All of this will have impressed Romney. McDonnell has worked rather well with Democrats...
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is another top contender, and for good reason...
-snip-
Romney isn’t likely to choose an inexperienced or an erratic candidate, and he sure isn’t going to pick someone who’s a stranger to him or the campaign.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ryan, Ryan or Ryan. If Romney wants to win, Ryan should be his VP nominee.
I saw Hannity interview Rubio. Very impressive. Any negatives? Hannity will do a one hour show with him Friday.
Dark Horse is Gov. Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico. Solid conservative background, pro growth/reduce spending pedigree. Much better qualifications than Sen. Rubio and would drive the Dims batty. Remember, Gov. Palin wasn’t on any of the short lists last time.
Alan West fits the bill for me.....
Notice NO MENTION of Rubio.
The Washington comPost is scared to death of that possibility.
Hannity is hardly the barometer for conservatism. If he’d give up his stupid football, I might listen to him. His blatantly rhetorical questions are a joke.
N.B.C., or not ?
.
Plenty of negatives!! A disaster at handling his finances & all in favor of the 'Dream Act'.
Sean Hannity is the last person who could influence my vote. He chickens out on so many Conservative issues....just hasn't got the guts!
Rubio WILL NOT BE VP!
Bob McDonnell is the only correct choice.
“Dark Horse is Gov. Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico.”
Did you notice PR competing as a nation in the London Olympics?
No reflection n Gov. Fortuno, but I believe the status as a territory would be a problem for a significant number of voters.
Born in Puerto Rico. US Citizen. Google him and watch some videos. His policies saved Puerto Rico from becoming Greece. (his words, not mine)
“I saw Hannity interview Rubio. Very impressive. Any negatives?”
He needs to issue a public apology to Michelle Bachmann and then renounce the pro-muslim brotherhood, pro-dream act positions he has taken recently.
“Bob McDonnell is the only correct choice.”
He is the best choice. But Ryan or Portman will also do.
.
West would be a good choice, but how many African Americans will support a conservative over a democRAT?
Gov. Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico: BS from Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. Juris Doctor in Law from University of Virginia. 2004, elected Resident Commisioner for Puerto Rico, serving in the US Congress. 2008 elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Inherted a $2 billion deficit, now down to $332.7 million. Budget will be balanced by July 2013. Ticked a lot of people off in the process. Stuck to his guns and got the job DONE!
McDonnell has worked rather well with Democrats...
______________________________________
Always the deciding qualifier for the GOP VP...
Do i really need the /s
This is the column from Jennifer Rubin, WaPo’s in-house conservative and a HUGE Romney supporter.
Rubio has plusses and minuses. It is true that he is of Cuban descent, to which many Hispanics do not relate, but his wife is from Colombia.
So besides the fact that he’s inexperienced, anti-Bachmann, pro-Muslim, pro-illegals, and ineligible, he’s OK?
Vets for Allen West!
Vets for Allen West!
Why not Allen West for VP?
Rubio WILL NOT BE VP!
Bob McDonnell is the only correct choice. -------------------------------------------------------
more and more people are agreeing with you
Sorry, Mitt. Too late.
I agree!
Fortuno is NOT an NBC.
Yes, Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship. It is, however, statutory citizenship granted per Congress, as PR is an unincorporated territory and the U.S.Constitution does not apply in PR. Same goes for those born in the Panama Canal Zone.
I understand the desire for Ryan but think to move him to VP would be a poor choice.
Paul Ryan is more valuable right where he is. He is the primo, number one, big cahona money man in congress. He is the best possible person with whom a Romney administration must work. The Ryan plan is already existing and ready to go with a few amendments to bring it up to the minute. He knows the House and has the feel of money matters like no one else. He needs to stay. The House is after all where the money legislation must come forth
I personally like Ron Portman,and not just because like me, he is an avid kayaker. He has been around and also knows money. The Portman/Ryan combo with a good money man from the senate will be able to provide the brains, experience and shear political muscle to take on the economy. He is also from Ohio and can provide a strong economic message to counter the constant barrage of lies the unfortunate folks in Ohio are subjected to.
“how many African Americans will support a conservative over a democRAT?”
It sure kicks the racist ball off the court...I know that won’t stop them, but it makes some waffle babies more comfortable pulling R.
BUMP!
_______
BTW, I think that Romney should SEAL his Federal and State Tax Records when he announces who his Veep will be.
I do not know why he should not seal his federal and state tax records given the AnointedIdiot has sealed virtually every record he has.... =.=
B I N G O !
8 USC section 1402 “ All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after 1/13/1941 are NATURAL BORN CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.”
If Romney chooses a fellow white Anglo-Saxon male as his running mate, he might as well choose Dan Quayle, wherever he may be, and be done with the whole presidential race.
This is 2012. Minorities and women have made enormous political strides during the past few decades. Popular, charismatic Republican governors and Senators of many ethnic backgrounds dot the landscape. And Mitt Romney already has the white Anglo-Saxon male vote completely sewn up.
Marco Rubio, an Hispanic-American from the must-win state of Florida, is standing like a pot of 24-carat political gold just waiting to be picked up by Romney for a certain presidential victory, as Senator Rubio would add Florida to Romney’s win column and pick up enough Hispanic-American votes to put the ticket well over the top.
Will Romney choose Rubio, or spend the rest of his life regretting he didn’t, starting on the day he chooses the terminally bland Senator Whitebread for VP and wonders why the air suddenly seems to have gone out of his campaign?
Actually, he's been great at getting democrats to work with him. It's fine to have agreements, so long as the donks are the ones crossing the aisle.
Mittens desperately needs an *interesting* and *charismatic* VP pick. Having a second boring white guy on board the ticket is not going to help it out at all.
"All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899, and prior to January 13, 1941, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, residing on January 13, 1941, in Puerto Rico or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty and not citizens of the United States under any other Act, are declared to be citizens of the United States as of January 13, 1941. All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, are citizens of the United States at birth. "
It says nothing about natural born.
LIAR!
Don’t ever try this with me again. I won’t tolerate purposeful fraud. Nowhere does it state in 8 USC section 1402 “natural born citizens”.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
8 USC § 1402 - Persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899
All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899, and prior to January 13, 1941, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, residing on January 13, 1941, in Puerto Rico or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty and not citizens of the United States under any other Act, are declared to be citizens of the United States as of January 13, 1941. All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, are citizens of the United States at birth.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1402
Identity politics is politics of division and is not a conservative value. And if Romney’s smart about this, he won’t even think about picking Rubio for numerous reasons.
If Romney wants to please his liberal base, he should go with a big-state female minority who shares his vews - Maxine Waters.
Thank you. I'm not understanding the Rubio hype. The "DREAM" act pandering was disgusting enough. After the Muslim pandering I was completely done with him. He'd be a terrible pick.
As to the person I think it will be (not my choice, but my guess), I’ve ranked them in four categories, and from most likely to least likely within each group:
Top tier, the finalists (1-4): Marco Rubio, Bob McDonnell, Paul Ryan, Rob Portman
Second tier, possible (5-8): Tim Pawlenty, Susana Martinez, Kelly Ayotte, John Thune
Third tier, not likely (9-10): Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal
Shed a tear, no chance: Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Condoleezza Rice, Michele Bachmann, Allen West, Herman Cain
"All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899, and prior to January 13, 1941, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, residing on January 13, 1941, in Puerto Rico or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty and not citizens of the United States under any other Act, are declared to be citizens of the United States as of January 13, 1941. All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, are citizens of the United States at birth."
That would seem to say that Fortuno would be eligible, would it not? Born in Puerto Rico after 1941, to citizen parents, he is a "citizen of the United States at birth," i.e., a "natural born citizen."
No, this is called a statute or regulation or man-made law that makes a person a citizen at birth. There would be no need to have the law in the first place if he was a natural born citizen.
A handful of Supreme Court opinions tell you who are natural born citizens, unfortunately for Fortuno and Rubio, they both don't meet the natural born requirement in accordance with the intent and meaning to the US Constitution Natural Born Citizen Clause.
In two different occasions during Congressional hearings, the Puerto Rican born, New York Bronx Cong critter Serrano tried to get Supreme Court justices to say citizens born in Puerto Rico are natural born US citizens, and in both times the Supreme Court justices avoided and evaded his questions.
Puerto Rico has consistently rejected statehood, refusing to join the union.
Why should a Puerto Rican even be considered for President under those conditions? Furthermore, the U.S.Constitution doesn’t follow the flag into unincorporated territories.
Arizona, where Sen.Barry Goldwater was born, was an incorporated territory and considered a part of the contiguous U.S.A. Anyone born there of citizen parents was considered not just a U.S. citizen but a natural born Citizen.
Gov.George Romney, a very liberal Progressive who wanted to be President and campaigned as a Republican in 1964, was born in Mexico of U.S. citizen parents, and was not a natural born Citizen. He withdrew from the Presidential race. (Mitt Romney, his son, provided proof to the Republican Party that he is a natural born Citizen, as did Rep.Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.)
Puerto Ricans have statutory citizenship. They cannot vote in Presidential elections unless they’ve permanently moved to the United States mainland.
A Puerto Rican who lives on the mainland and marries another citzen, and their children are born on the mainland, those children are considered natural born citizens.
Bobby Jindal.
N.B.C., but he has to move to the mainland to vote for himself, LOL!
In honor of tomorrow, I'd move the Fat Man from the third to the first tier.
Um let me see, someone who can step right in and fullfill his agenda:
Hillary.
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