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.
If Romney does end up being the nominee, I would prefer that he took down a fellow RINO with him, instead of one of our rising stars.
That way we could get rid of two with one swat.
Maybe we could get Romney to pick Lindsey Graham as his VP!
Because Bush endorses him.
(my two cents)
LLS
Romney won five primaries with the following percentages:
Idaho 61.6%
Illinois 46.7%
Hawaii 44.5%
Wyoming 44.2%
Arkansas 32.2%
Santorum also won five, with 32.8-51.2%
Gingrich won one with 47.2%.
I don’t see that as a clear win by Romney. If they were being honest, they would admit that the only clear win is when it essentially would not matter whether the other candidates stayed in an honest race, and Romney is nowhere near that level. In simple terms, conservatives don’t like him, and he is not growing on us. It’s time for Newt, Rick, and Ron to keep doing their best. I’m not optimistic about a convention in which Romney doesn’t have a first round win, but I’m a whole lot more optimistic about that than one in which he has a lock on the nomination to start.
RE: an open borders progressive with far more in common with Scott Brown than Ronaldo Magnus.
We ought to remind ourselves that Ronaldo Magnus gave us one of the most EXPANSIVE amnesty programs in decades.
I am out... I no longer am a member of the national republican party... only my state party.
LLS
Sorry, Jeb. Mr. Rubio is a not natural born ciizen, therefore ineligible to be President, which a Vice President must be.
But then, you’re a Bush, so who needs the Constitution.
Why don’t you have another meeting with Obama and your Dad in the Oval Office, and bring your mom this time?
Reagan also cut and ran from Lebanon... he was not perfect... but none of these politicians today could lick the dirt from his boots. rubio does not have any Reagan within him.
LLS
I’m looking the other direction. When Romney wins, we do NOT want to dilute the senate by one conservative vote.
Bush figures if he gets Rubio out of the way, he can run for Senate I guess.
There are those who think to be a natural born citizen one must be born in the USA or territories of parents who were U.S. citizens.
AND-
There are those who think one must be born a citizen under U.S. law (which should always reflect our best understanding of natural law) to be a natural born citizen.
The U.S. Constitution only contemplates two types of U.S. citizens going forward, those that are natural born - and those that must be “naturalized” into that state of allegiance.
Based upon that the only type of U.S. citizen excluded by Article II section 1 from the Presidency (and thus the Vice-Presidency) would be naturalized U.S. citizens.
Rubio was not naturalized.
He was born a citizen of these United States according to U.S. law.
I agree that Jindal would be an ideal vp...but I think he’d be an even better president.
On Laura Ingraham this AM, Major Garrett said this was Jeb Bush’s way of saying, “Do Not put Santorum on the ticket!”
Didn’t Rubio endorse Mittens in the FLA primary?
Quid pro quo on the endorsement, Jeb?
Because of JB’s endorsement?
You must have read “Family of Secrets”. Smart move.
Boob bait for Bubbas.
It’s 2008 all over again. The establishment knows they have foisted a turd on the base and now they want to polish it for us by adding a Veep with conservative credentials.
Same result, a blow-out beating will become a closer loss. But a loss nonetheless.
No sale this time.
I’ve been calling Jeb Mrs. Bush because he looks like his mother and he’s a pansy RINO. For some reason, the establishment have turned him into some kind of a kingmaker, whose endorsement means something. It doesn’t. I can’t imagine what type of small coterie that will now be moved to action because Jeb Bush has made a completely predictable and meaningless endorsement.
Romney and the Republicans will enjoy a landslide victory if Rubio is selected as the VP.
There is no choice other than Rubio.
“Jeb Bush: Make Rubio the VP nominee”
First Jebbie backs Willard for Prez., now Rubio for VP.
Are the Bushes still trying to drive immigration policy? Rubio is weak on immigration, like Jebbie, Jorge, and probably the rest of the family.
I like Rubio on budget issues. On immigration, he’s an establishment/Chamber of Commerce mouthpiece—part of the problem, not the solution. We can do better.
And the Bushes could do us a big favor by quitting the lectures on whom we should support and how soon we should wrap up the nominating process and just crawl under their rocks and shut up.
I also find it interesting that Morrissey is another one falling for the perennial race/ethnicity/gender pandering. Note how all his VP speculations (Rubio, Jindal, Haley) are minorities. Hey, Ed: I don’t care where their ancestors hailed from; give me the most conservative of them and I’ll back them. Let the Dims do the pandering. I’m sick of it.
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