Posted on 03/22/2012 8:24:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Yesterday's endorsement of Mitt Romney by former Florida governor Jeb Bush sent the implicit message that the time had come to wrap up the nomination process and begin focusing on the general election. Bush made that more explicit in an interview with Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Salena Zito --- and Bush had an idea how to make the ticket even stronger:
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has earned the right to take on President Obama in November.
“It is time to get behind the nominee,” Bush told the Tribune-Review on Wednesday during a visit to Pittsburgh. “And it is time for the country to focus on the most important thing, which is to elect a president who will create a climate for high growth and job-creating abilities for our country.”
Does he want to be VP? No, but he knows the man for the job:
“Marco Rubio,” he said of the freshman Florida GOP senator, who served as a volunteer on Bush’s governor’s campaign. Bush described Rubio, 40, as “dynamic, joyful, disciplined and principled.”
“He is the best orator of American politics today, a good family man. He is not only a consistent conservative, but he has managed to find a way to communicate a conservative message full of hope and optimism,” Bush said.
No doubt, Rubio would be a popular choice for a running mate in the GOP. He routinely wins the polls here at Hot Air for the slot, for example. If Romney does win the nomination — and that seems just short of certain now — he’d need a popular figure like Rubio among conservatives, and I’m not sure there’s another choice that could help him consolidate the base as effectively.
However, I’m still not sold on this as an effective general-election choice. Rubio has not had any executive-branch experience yet, and has been in the Senate for a mere 14 months. He needs more time to garner broader experience before one can make the claim that he has a resumé that justifies him being one heartbeat away from the Presidency. (Yes, I know Obama only had two years in the Senate before beginning his run for the top spot. Look how well that’s working out.) As talented as Rubio is, he has a brilliant career ahead of him if he shows some patience and builds a record of more than just fabulous oratory. He needs a full term in the Senate with his name on significant legislation, then a term as governor in Florida. With that kind of record, Rubio might be unbeatable in any cycle. With four or eight years as VP after less than two in the Senate, Rubio could end up being a historical footnote.
Bobby Jindal makes more sense as a running mate in this cycle, or Nikki Haley, both of whom are governors outside of Washington with Southern draw. Jindal probably would be better in getting conservatives to coalesce behind him, and he has a real track record of political reform in his second term in the top spot in Louisiana.
Update: Fox asked Rick Perry about rumors of his being on the shortlist, and Perry says that rumor is all it is:
“Texas governor versus VP? The balance on that one isn’t even close,” Perry said. “I would suggest to you that’s deep in the rumor category and I got a better gig where I am, thank you.”
Perry would make a pretty good running mate, though, and would help Romney get conservative backing. I don’t see Perry in a #2 slot, however, and I doubt he sees himself there either.
I have wondered about the same things.
[U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section I,Clause V] See Post #98.
I cannot believe you said that about Rubio!!!!! KMA!
That pool boy shot was a low blow and inappropriate. Stop lumping all Hispanics in with the scum buckets from Mexico that sneak across the border and use and abuse our country. They can only dream of having half the class Marco has.
Tell me how that POS in the White House now is anymore qualified than Rubio. He as a community organizer who went to Harvard and lost his license to practice law. Why? Shhhh nobody is supposed to know why.
Rubio was raised in Miami, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. He graduated from the University of Florida. He earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996 while interning for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In the late 1990s he served as a City Commissioner for West Miami. Rubio was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th House district. He was elected Speaker in November 2006 and served until 2009. 2010 He was elected to the US Senate.
f he goes on the ticket as VP the lawsuits and controversy will start immediately
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LOL!!! I don’t think so, are you serious? lawsuits will start because why? One of his parents wasn’t born here or wasn’t a citizen when he was born? Neither was the Kenyan’s. I don’t think that is one road they will travel down, UNLESS neither of Rubios’s parents were citizens when he was born.
Balderdash!
My understanding is that the parents were not citizens at the time of Marco’s birth. Trust me if they try to put him on the ticket it will create a problem we don’t need this year. There are plenty of eligible people to be tapped for VP. Why go down that road? We need to get rid of BHO.
Jim, your post #66 was way out of line, most unbecoming of a Conservative FReeper.
On September 9, 2011, Martinez admitted to the public that she did not know whether her paternal grandparents immigrated to the country illegally. On more thorough research it turned out that they were illegalShe is descended from Mexican Revolutionary General Toribio Ortega. A member of the Democratic Party until 1995.
There are only two potential candidate for VP that have nat. recognition are household names and have charisma. One is Sarah and the other is Marco Rubio.
If you don't get that do us all a favor and STFU.
The shame of his sitting in our White House and being saluted by our United States Marines, when he dares to board our Air Force One is appalling - on a daily basis.
He must be punished by imprisonment for his criminal intrusion into American governance. However, in all likelihood the courts - lacking the stones to defend the Constitution - consistently turn away all pleas to hear the evidence against the criminal fraud alien.
Comes now the postman.
He tells us the criminal fraud alien not only knew terrorist Bill Ayers - contrary to his lying denials during the 2008 presidential campaign - but he was actually financed as a 'foreign' student by the 'progressive' Ayers family.
His deceit and treachery continues unstopped by everyone - including the GOP to this very minute. They too are dining with Satan using our dinnerware, while holding hands with Rat 'progressives' ( Communists USA ) who have much to do between now and January 19th to assure their destruction of our beloved country.
Damn them all for failing to adhere to their oath of office. Damn them all. Drain the swamp and cage every surviving creature. It’s time to start over again before there is nothing left to save.
Mitt the Mormon on the ticket with Rubio who is also a Mormon ‘of record.’ I don’t think that will go over well at all.
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is the junior United States Senator from Florida....
Rubio was born in Miami, Florida,[5] the second son and third child of Mario Rubio (1927–2010)[6] and Oria Garcia (born 1931). His parents were Cubans who had emigrated to the United States in 1956 and were later naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1975.
I know this is from Wiki but it's in line with what I've read from other sources. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio
I also recall a debate about the status of Cuban immigrants may have an affect on his NBC status but I never really studied it all that much.
Ooops, I meant #132 for you.
Ah, mlo, the long time barry the Kenyan defender. Hunting down any post on FR to defend your hero in the WH aren’t you?
Question... do you think our founding fathers thought ii was A-OK for 2 foreigners to come to America, pop out babies here and that those babies would then be eligible to be groomed and possibly reach the presidency? Or do you think due to the fact that we had just gained our independence they wanted to make sure that the President had NO divided loyalties?
I highly doubt that was their intention and I believe the term “natural born” used ONLY for the President meant something that applied to no one else. Something to make sure he had little chance of being loyal to another country.
Under your theory, Al Quaeda, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, etc. members can immigrate here, have babies, and be President. They infiltrated and lived here for years while they planned 9/11. They lived in upscale neighborhoods, nobody suspected anything.
I doubt our founders wanted a President that wasn’t 100% loyal to the America and no other country. It’s clear that Soetro favors Muslims. His book Dreams, is about a man he never knew, saw one time in his life, yet is someone whose visions he shares. This is a prime example of why the term natural born, I believe, was to avoid divided loyalties.
Number of Mosques In U.S. Jumps 74 Percent Since 2000.
More Than 3/4 of Mosques in US Promote Jihad
http://www.limitstogrowth.org/articles/2011/06/05/more-than-34-of-mosques-in-us-promote-jihad/
He isn't.
Maybe he needs to earn his accolades
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and Hussein’s accolades were/ Marxist? Community organizer? race baiter?
Isn’t that the CA AG 0bama supported that Kam Kuwata didn’t? Wasn’t she involved in fleecing Feinstein?
None of these gop’ers... with the exception of Newt
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We do agree on that and we both wanted Sarah so we are on the same page on some things.
LOL!
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