The RPs Debate the GOP 2012 VP: The RP Provokes

 

Now that the Mitt Romney has won the GOP Presidential primary  (OK, it’s not official, but it’s been pretty much declared by the GOP Establishment and the mainstream media), it’s time to start prognosticating about who will be his selection as the Vice Presidential nominee.

 

So today at The Recovering Politician, our contributors will make their best guesses over the course of the day in our irregular Monday feature, “The RPs Debate.”

 

Tune in every half hour or so for a new response, featuring our bi-partisan, multi-cultural, and sometimes, downright wacky former politicians and Friends of RP.

 

 

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So I will get things started.  (I can’t be any worse than with my NCAA bracket.  Tied for 60th out of 77?  Ouch.)

 

The 2012 Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States will be…U.S. Senator Rob Portman from Ohio.

 

Portman is the rare pol who’s both beloved by the GOP base and respected across the aisle.  He has an extraordinary resume, with pretty much every box checked from elite education to congressional service to senior executive branch positions.

 

(Only flaw:  Unlike the dude who recently quit Goldman Sachs, Portman did NOT medal in the Ping Pong competition at the Maccabiah Games)  

 

But ultimately, Portman fulfills 2 central criteria for an outstanding running mate:

#2 — He can help deliver a must-win state for Romney — Ohio

 

#1 — Do no harm.  Especially in the post-Palin era, the last thing Romney needs is a VP candidate who will mire him in cycles of bad media.  Portman has been fully vetted over the years, and like the boss, he’s kinda boring.

 

Yes, I said it:  I claim Portman’s so-called leading flaw is actually a tremendous strength.  The Romney camp has understood for the entire campaign that boring is good — it is only when Romney went off script that he’s picked up problems.

 

Romney/Portman — It’s time for a return to Don Draper’s America.  What do you think?