Posted on 08/01/2012 4:53:00 PM PDT by Sark
Any day now, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will announce his handpicked vice president. While the media isn’t outright hysterical over the coming decision as of yet, expect the hype to build with each passing day now that we’re in August. Just like every other presidential election cycle, this “veepstakes” has received far too much attention. Hundreds of columns have flooded newspapers and magazines nationwide with dead-sure predictions of who Romney will select. Television pundits solemnly state that the vice presidential choice will have enormous ramifications for the race.
Yes, there’s no doubt that the quadrennial veepstakes is overhyped. When it’s time to pull the lever in early November, few people will ultimately vote based off of the bottom half of the ticket. Just about everyone makes their choice based on the presidential nominee. This has led some wizened political sages to disregard the vice presidential selection entirely.
While I understand their disinterest, I don’t share it. In my view, vice presidential nominees serve as both an add-on to the candidate and a sort of super-surrogate. It’s the vice president’s job to shore up the candidate’s weaknesses while promoting the campaign’s primary message. In this way, an effective vice president can strengthen the candidate while a bumbling one will do just the opposite. So, although hardly anyone will cast their vote for the vice president,many will vote because of the vice president.
Today, I want to take a look at Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is one possibility to be Romney’s right-hand man in the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at principlesandpolicy.wordpress.com ...
I don't know if there is a home run pick for VP, but there are a couple of potential picks he could make that are guaranteed to turn both the potential and the usually reliable republican voters into sworn enemies of the GOP.
Those would be a very big deal, so I'm hoping he goes with boring instead.
Healing is preferable to all out infighting war that would give the show to obama.
I don’t want mitt taking any Tea Party candidates out of the Senate. We need Rand there. We can afford a congress critter or governor. How about Palin?
“Rush was right and wrong today about the VP pick not being a big deal....”
Just means he knows already who it is.....a milque-toast...mebbe Pawlenty?
I will take Paul Ryan over some of the others that have been mentioned.
I don’t know who you’re talking about, but it’s just your opinion anyway.
Ryan would be a great choice, as would Rubio. And I fully expect no announcement will be made until the convention just as with Palin.
Rush was right about one thing: There WAS a mistake on the 2008 ticket, but Sarah Palin was not it.
Smells like a Veep tour.
Just saying.
Rush was insinuating Palin was the mistake on the ticket? (I couldn’t listen today). I certainly hope he wasn’t!
Many people do not know this, but Mitt Romney provided evidence to the GOP that he is a natural born Citizen.
Now, why would he do that, then pick Rubio or Jindal when neither man is NBC?
Scott Walker will be with Mitt in VA on Saturday.
As to Rubio, he would be an excellent choice if Romney wants to pick a Constitutional fight, while alienating otherwise dependable republican voters and donors.
Picking Rubio would also go a very long way toward starting a third party, one which would draw largely from the GOPe's faithful. People are ready. The GOPe has experience with how that goes for them.
If that's the fight you want, pick Rubio for VP and you'll surely have it along with a bunch of other consequences to go with your political expediency. Hey, great plan for winning an election!
Or Rubio could continue to represent the people who elected him, even if that means he fights for his amnesty for illegals program while in the Senate. If only he'd use his time, position and opportunity to educate and lead by example. Oh well...
And Romney could choose someone who is absolutely above board, principled and qualified. Someone who has done a few things in life other than "elected office" and who we might want to run the place after Romney's time in the light is over.
You know, maybe Romney should have the VP job and let Palin run for President in his place. Landslide!
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