With the Republican establishment lining up behind Mitt Romney, and the general-election phase apparently getting underway in earnest, this is about the time we'd expect to see GOP officials signaling their willingness to join Romney's ticket. Virginia Gov. Bob "Mandatory Ultrasound" McDonnell (R), for example, has already talked up his availability, as have Romney's ostensible rivals.
Associated Press
Here's an image we apparently won't see at the Republican convention in Tampa.
It comes as something of a surprise, then, some of the names rumored for the VP short list are already saying they're not interested. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), for example, told ABC she would turn down a spot on Romney's ticket if it were offered.
Despite her stalwart campaigning on [Romney's] behalf, Haley claims she has no interest in being his running mate. If offered the vice presidential slot, Haley said she would not take it.
"I'd say, 'Thank you, but no,'" she said. "I made a promise to the people of this state. And I think that promise matters. And I intend to keep it."
Similarly, Ken Auletta talked to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) about possible vice presidential ambitions. After saying, "Yeah, I'm not going to do it," the senator added:
"I'm not going to be the vice-presidential nominee. If I say I'm not going to be it, obviously I'm not going to accept it."
Told that he hadn't said "I'm not going to accept it" before, Rubio replied, "Well, now you've got it straight for the story." [Update: The interview was originally part of a New Yorker piece that ran earlier this year, not last week.]
In other words, two of the more prominent names on the likely Republican short list have now said, publicly and on the record, that they not only aren't seeking the job, but would turn it down if the position were offered.
These two might very well decide to do the exact opposite if the invitation were no longer hypothetical -- I find it hard to believe Rubio meant what he said to Auletta -- but the comments don't reflect GOP confidence in Romney's chances. Right about now, Republicans should be clamoring to get on the list, not off it.
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Newt and Rick are willing, but my guess is that Romney will end up begging someone in the David Petraeus mold. Romney won't want social conservatism to be seen as his number 2 asset (assuming economics is his perceived first). So I'm guessing he will pick someone who can bark, snarl and ride on top of the car.
An my guess this will be the same guy who is depicted on the March 12, 2012 cover of the New Yorker.
Nikki Haley has to deal with the rumors and/or possibility of being indicted. Rubio is very problematic because of his Mormon background (One Mormon is hard enough for the Republican base to deal with) and his bio turned out to have several holes in it.
Ditto what you said on Haley. She has her own issues to deal with that have nothing to do with her promises to the people of SC. And Rubio may have some of the Cuban vote, but he does not have the Hispanic vote overall. Not a big plus. He might help Romney get FL, which is important, but not anywhere else.
He is as vapid as Paul Ryan.
This reminds me of Groucho saying he wouldn't join any club that would have him as a member. . .
Any sane republican ( if this is not an oxymoron) will avoid this ticket like the plague if they have any future political aspirations.
Exactly. Romney loses, his VP pick is suddenly a has-been and loses his "turn" four years from now.
You know it's bad that even the most problematic of "potential VP candidates" don't want the position and are vocal about it.......
...or so they say! Maybe this is one of Mittens' contrived tests. Deny it once, then change your mind. BOOM! You're hired!
Maybe I'm missing something, but this just seems to be two instances of the classic case of taking yourself out of consideration when you know you aren't going to get the job. It's always better to have removed yourself from consideration rather than to be seen as lacking in comparison to whoever the eventual VP nominee is. Both Haley and Rubio were long-shot picks beloved of the punditocracy but unlikely to make any significant impact on the ticket.
Even if Haley's reply is a complete load of BS, at least her reply is semi-intelligent and even complimentary BS as opposed to Rube's. Pass the popcorn, nobody wants to be Rmoney's running mate!
I think he should pick Haley as his running mate. She might win over some female votes.
Oh please oh please oh please let it be Jindal. Jindal, Jindal, Jindal!
Though for the record I'm with Steve (as usual) in that I don't think Rubio is a serious enough person to stand by what he just told the reporter, and I continue to think any other choice by the GOP amounts to conceding the election. I just don't see what choice they have, given that there is no electoral college scenario that both wins for them and doesn't include Florida.
They've made their bed. Now they've gotta lie in it. Dopes.
There is only one name that makes sense in the bizarro world of the republican party. Only one man has what it takes to be Mitt Romney's running mate, and that man is...
Michael Steele.
I'm sorry. I don't believe that either Haley or Rubio aren't interested. Let's remember, Dick Cheney wasn't interested in the VP spot for W. Cheney was heading the search for the VP until he inserted himself into the top spot.
No, I suspect what is happening here is that both of these individuals are trying to get rid of skeletons in their closets. Rubio, for one, is rushing to get his memoir/autobiography published MONTHS earlier so that it can be out well before the GOP convention. He hasn't really accomplished much so the concept that his personal history is worthy of memoir is a little presumptuous. In that light, it seems more like he's trying to control his narrative before the media starts looking into what the real story is. He's already been caught in one lie. Haley is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Haley pissed off the TP when she endorsed a non-TPr (Romney) prior to her state's primary. She made the calculus that it was in her best interest to do so early.
Nope, until the pick is officially announced. I won't believe that either of these individuals are seriously turning it down this far in advance.
Romney needs to shore up his support with the evangelicals so he will pick a southern white evangelical for his VP. It will be someone who will have not been involved in any controversial legislation regarding abortion or contraception that would affect the women's vote.
Oh! He's going to pick a pony! I get it...
Mr. Romney will name whoever the Koch Brothers' Syndicate tells him to be his running mate. Since Mr. Romney, in my opinion, is hell bent on being the President of the United States just for the title and the pomp, he will serve as the puppet for this syndicate and the vice president will serve as the shadow president, as was Mr. Cheney. This shadow president will ensure that the puppet follows orders from the Syndicate and follows the ALEC script.
Why do you think Cheney got a new heart?
Romney/Cheney 2012
What bothers me about Romney is that his loyalty may be with his Religion. We will never know because he never talks about it. Is he alienating himself from the Mormon church. If he is then that says a lot about his character. I think Americans just want to know if his decisions will be based upon his religion. But, a lot of Americans are in the dark as to his beliefs. We already know that his base is the 1% and that will definately have an influence on his decisions. He is very dishonesty I just don't see him winning. He is not answering the American Peoples' concerns. You can't just run on the fact that your a Republican and that's it.
According to the birfers Obama CAN'T be President because his father was not an American citizen. But yet, Rubio is perfectly acceptable even though BOTH parents were not Americans until after he was born.
Anyone else see the hypocrisy?