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Does Portman Have the Edge in VP Sweepstakes?
Real Clear Politics ^ | May 23, 2012 | Erin McPike

Posted on 05/23/2012 10:14:57 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued

Rob Portman has been preparing for this for years.

Although the Ohio senator offers the standard line that he doesn't expect to be picked as Mitt Romney's running mate, the trajectory of his career and his political conduct in Washington have made nearly everyone in politics almost certain that he’ll be plucked for this year's Republican presidential ticket.

Bob Paduchik, a veteran consultant who ran George W. Bush’s re-election effort in Ohio as well as Portman’s Senate campaign in 2010, bottom-lined it: “Rob Portman is uniquely qualified to do the job on Day One. I can’t think of another candidate who’s as qualified as Rob Portman.”

And that is because Portman has had a wealth of impressive jobs: congressman, U.S. trade representative, George W. Bush’s budget director and now senator. He’s also a lawyer -- even serving as associate counsel in the White House in the early 1990s -- and has been a small business owner.

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: 2012veep; oh2012; portman; portman2012
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1 posted on 05/23/2012 10:15:03 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued
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To: Las Vegas Dave; LS; TonyInOhio; fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican; Impy; GOPsterinMA; randita; Sun; ..

Rob Portman is an acceptable choice, if not an exciting one. IMHO, he would be a better choice for the top job than Mitt Romney. The big question is how much will he help the ticket in Ohio?


2 posted on 05/23/2012 10:17:23 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Obama and Company lied, the American economy died)
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To: Clintonfatigued

“George W. Bush’s budget director”

In answer to the question in the title: No.


3 posted on 05/23/2012 10:25:31 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
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I’ve thought Portman was the choice for awhile.

1) He has a good mix of experience that will allow Romney to “double down” on the economy.

2) He seems utterly safe and will not cause some kind of media hysteria..unless there is something unknown. Romney does not, IMO, have to swing for the fences and risk a strikeout here. A Double is perfectly fine.

3) Ohio and by proxy, Florida and VA. I think a safe choice as this all but locks up Florida, North Carolina and Indiana...and plays well in Ohio, Florida and VA.

4) It also doubles down on “experience” and dovetails with a wide array of economic experience.

The only real negative I see is the “budget director for Bush...don’t want to go back to 2008” oversimplistic line Obama is sure to use. But I think Portman/Romney can knock that one out of the park rather easily.

Unless there are things I don’t know...


4 posted on 05/23/2012 10:25:52 AM PDT by Crimson Elephant
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To: Clintonfatigued

Too plain white bread. Need some diversity—Jindal, Rubio, or Condoleeza.


5 posted on 05/23/2012 10:27:41 AM PDT by Harley (Will Rogers never met Harry Reid.)
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To: Crimson Elephant

none of the VP analyses I’ve seen considers how the candidate would do in a debate with Biden, or how they would stack up against Biden. Heck, Gary Busey would meet this criteria.

Its one of many big elephants in the room.......


6 posted on 05/23/2012 10:31:19 AM PDT by GotMojo
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To: Clintonfatigued

The question is will he help carry Florida, New Mexico and Colorado which all three have a large Hispanic population. Rubio could do it. Susan Martinez could do it. Portman or Ryan???? Good guys, but I dunno.....


7 posted on 05/23/2012 10:45:42 AM PDT by no dems (TED CRUZ: A PROVEN CONSERVATIVE FOR U.S. SENATE FROM TEXAS.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Heh. The potential “anti-Palin” VP selection. He’s got LOSER written all over him, just like Romney.


8 posted on 05/23/2012 11:01:12 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Here are RINO Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s positions on some very important issues:

Please go to this site: http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm

Please read Portman’s positions on Immigration — he is for WIDE OPEN borders.
Here more info on his immigration views: http://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/congress/623/reportcard/CAREER/

Portman voted in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 — read about the Act here: http://www.heritage.org/research/education/bg1775.cfm

These statements are taken from the Health Care section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003) He voted NO on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)

Portman is a free trader like Bush.
This statement is taken from the Energy and Oil section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: He voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. (Jun 2000)
These statements are from the Foreign Policy section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: Voted NO on keeping Cuba travel ban until political prisoners released. (Jul 2001) He voted YES on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. (May 2000)
Please read the Free Trade section.

IMHO, Portman is a high priest of the economic theocracy that places the needs of multinational corporations over the needs of AMERICANS. If the Chinese could vote, he would win the presidency by a landslide.


9 posted on 05/23/2012 11:07:26 AM PDT by bimboeruption (Clinging to my Bible and my HK.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Oh, ROB Portman... nevermind.

10 posted on 05/23/2012 11:10:06 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: GotMojo
none of the VP analyses I’ve seen considers how the candidate would do in a debate with Biden, or how they would stack up against Biden

Anyone who can string two sentences together can beat Biden in a debate.

11 posted on 05/23/2012 11:14:42 AM PDT by kevkrom (Those in a rush to trample the Constitution seem to forget that it is the source of their authority.)
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To: Crimson Elephant
“The only real negative I see is the “budget director for Bush...don’t want to go back to 2008” oversimplistic line Obama is sure to use”

To be countered with “It was Reid and Pelosi’s Congress”

12 posted on 05/23/2012 11:41:35 AM PDT by DAC21
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To: Crimson Elephant

‘zackly, #2.


13 posted on 05/23/2012 11:52:00 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: bimboeruption

I believe that grass roots conservatives should concentrate on the down-ballot races, like Congress and state legislatures.


14 posted on 05/23/2012 12:42:46 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Obama and Company lied, the American economy died)
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To: Clintonfatigued; All

Rob Portman is the definitive, neo-classical Earth Whore+.

Can he make Slow Joe look bad in a debate?


15 posted on 05/23/2012 1:32:35 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (We may die, but DISCO LIVES FOREVER!!!)
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To: Clintonfatigued

I don’t think a veep ever helps a top of ticket guy-—with the exception of Palin. I think she increased McCain’s vote by perhaps 5% net (admitting that she lost him some votes, too). Portman? nothing.


16 posted on 05/23/2012 1:53:10 PM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually (Hendrix))
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To: Harley

Condie, no way; pro abortion, quite the scholarly lib. Jindal hasn’t shown a backbone.


17 posted on 05/23/2012 3:58:16 PM PDT by CincyRichieRich (Keep your head up and keep moving forward!)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Portman would “seal the deal” for me: No vote for Preezy.


18 posted on 05/23/2012 4:07:19 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Obama considers the Third World morally superior to the United States.)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Portman is a good man, and would make a good VP. He also could use the office as a springboard for the future if so inclined. As for Ohio, he has most name recognition in the swing counties to the south, around Columbus, eg. Ohio is a tossup now, and Romney's to lose, but Portman would definitely deliver Ohio into the Romney column.
19 posted on 05/23/2012 6:29:13 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: Clintonfatigued; ADemocratNoMore; Akron Al; arbee4bush; agrace; ATOMIC_PUNK; Badeye; Bikers4Bush; ..
Special thanks to Clintonfatigued for the ping!


Ohio Ping!

To be added to the Ohio Ping List, please freepmail,
(the three of us), Flutters, Whenifhow, and LasVegasDave.

20 posted on 05/24/2012 1:20:58 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave ("All 57 states, or is it 58, must stand together and defeat O-bozo! VOTE the usurper out!!")
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