Posted on 06/28/2012 5:00:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
"Rubio, Rubio, Rubio."
You hear the chants all across the country. On talk shows, on cable TV, on blogs and in op-ed columns, everyone with a conservative bone in his body is urging presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney to choose the smart and dashing Marco Rubio as his vice president.
The conservative crowd's clamor for Rubio is beginning to worry me. It could backfire. For one thing, it's setting up Romney for a disaster.
If he doesn't choose Rubio -- and I would agree with that decision -- it's going to disappoint a lot of Republican voters who think Rubio is the key to de-electing President Obama. And when voters are disappointed, they don't show up to vote.
Don't get me wrong. Rubio is great, maybe the best young talent in the Republican draft pool. The first-term Florida senator is already a superstar and ready for the big leagues -- and that's the biggest problem I have with picking him.
When you're trying to get elected president, you don't pick a superstar for your running mate. You pick someone boring, someone who is not going to eclipse you the way Sarah Palin outshined John McCain just four years ago.
I admit it wasn't hard to outshine McCain. But if he hadn't been so desperate to put some life into his lackluster campaign, he would have done the wiser thing and chosen someone even more boring than himself.
It was Reagan and Bush I. Bush I and Quayle. Clinton and Gore. Gore and ????? Whoever it was, he or she was so boring I can't remember their name. Was it Kerry? Biden?
Just joking, but you get the point. In 2000, the Bush II-Cheney ticket turned out to be a mini-mistake. Dick Cheney was so experienced and such a strong personality that he acted like a co-president for eight years, which only caused trouble for George W. Bush.
There's only room for one star on the ticket. Romney doesn't need Rubio or Chris Christie or Condi Rice, or even Paul Ryan. He needs a Tim Pawlenty, a Rob Portman or a Bob McDonnell -- a non-star.
He needs someone who's a virtual unknown to the voting masses, but nonetheless experienced in governing and ready to do the VP's thankless jobs of attending funerals and waiting for the chance to break a tie vote in the Senate.
Nobody ever votes for a president because they like the VP. Romney has to be the only star. Period. He has to be the focus of the Republican ticket.
Unlike McCain, who had to appear with Palin most of the time just to draw a crowd, Romney needs to have a VP who can campaign for him elsewhere without attracting all the media attention or showing him up.
That might be hard. Mitt is not exactly known for his star power. But he doesn't need to be exciting to win the White House. He needs to show voters that he has the ideas and the governing skills to pull the economy out of the deep ditch Mr. Obama's got us stuck in.
Rubio will have his day. So will future Republican all-stars like Christie, Ryan and Bobby Jindal. The GOP has a deep bench.
But Mitt's the GOP's QB now. He's got to ignore the crowd of conservatives who want him to throw the long bomb to Rubio. He's got to call his own play for VP -- and make it good but boring.
A lot of conservatives are not in love with Rubio. And if Obama isn’t constitutionally eligible, how is Rubio?
And he will put Romney over the Top.
Also, what is it about the GOP that they keep leaning toward people who are technically ineligible? There were questions about McCain, there are questions about Romney, all the hoopla about Rubio (where the question is even clearer)... Can't they find anyone who is just a citizen born here to parents who were citizens? How hard can that be??? Or, are they really just fine with blurring the constitutional lines, right along with the progressive democrats?
commies pushing for rubio or jindal so there will be balanced ineligible tickets.
Why is Rubio the right person for the job?
Michael engages in conventional wisdom revisionism here.
Palin was a huge net add to McCain’s campaign. She gave him a chance to win until his idiot handlers had him suspend his campaign over the financial crisis—and essentially handed the victory to Obama.
Rubio will put Romney over the Top.
THE ANSWER IS!
Rubio is another scumbag open border traitor.
Also no other would help give votes to Romney.
I agree completely
Winning usually requires a 'winner' ~ someone who instinctively loves the sting of the contest, and knows where to reach out on leadership issues.
We've had this problem ever since somebody ~ the Mittbots and some FR Conservative wannabees came up with the idea that after the 2010 historic victory we needed a new RNC chairman from Wisconsin.
This guy has been a loser too. 2011 was hardly something to write home to mom about, and 2012 is beginning to look that way. When we should be able to pick up a veto proof Senate, we might not even be able to take over the Senate!
The Republican campaign machinery is so broken we need to jack it up and drive a brand new GOP under it. Call it GOP-w, for Republican Winners. Just get rid of that GOP-e ~ the Republican Losers, and their loser candidates.
I don’t know. I voted for Palin for VP. I still have the bumper sticker on my car. I’ll vote Romney no matter what but it would be fun to have a bit of sparkle on the ticket.
Ditto and i will not vote for Rommney if he picks a constitutionally-challenged VP.
born May 28, 1971 in Miami, FL (Meets the Jus Soli Requirement)
Parents were
Mario Rubio born in Cuba, naturalized Nov. 5, 1975.
Oria Garcia born in Cuba, naturalized Nov. 5, 1975.
Parents were NOT US Citizens at the time of his birth (Does NOT meet the Jus Sanguinis Requirement)
Marco Rubio is NOT a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN.
Marco's status is the same as that of Barry Soetoro, aka Barack Hussein Obama, who is NOT a Natural Born Citizen.
I just wish the so called moderates would hike up their big girl panties and join the democrats and quit trying to finish off the GOP.
He is not the right person for the job right now. He needs about 20 more years of experience. If Romney were to win and drop dead, I’d like someone that at least somewhat knows what they are doing to step in. Rubio gives a good speech, and for the most parts portrays a good philosophy, but he isn’t ready to run the federal government. I would like to see him run for governor of Florida next.
Your assessment is a little short on facts. I’m still waiting for why you think Rubio is the answer.
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