The case for Rob Portman to be vice president

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Today we make the case for Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, the presumed frontrunner for the veep slot.

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* The anti-Palin

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Everyone but McCain now concedes that Palin, who had spent two years as the governor of Alaska before she was plucked from obscurity, was ill-prepared for the job and, ultimately, undermined McCain’s “experience matters” argument against then Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

The Romney team has let almost nothing about the candidate’s criteria for a ticketmate slip but one thing they have made clear is that competence and a readiness to do the job are by far the most important things he wants in a running mate.

Portman oozes competence. He’s spent time in both the executive and legislative branches and everywhere he’s served he’s won kudos for his abilities. It’s hard to imagine that even his staunchest Democratic opponents would be able to argue that Portman wouldn’t be up to the task of being vice president or even president.

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A Portman pick could be sold as an example of Romney’s seriousness and focus not just on winning the presidency but also governing the country.

* Double threat: Most of the candidates still being talked about as Romney’s vice presidential pick have a similar resume to the former Massachusetts governor. That is, they are/were governors with very limited foreign policy experience.

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That’s not the case with Portman who boasts real credentials domestically (head of the Office of Management and Budget, House Member, Senator) and internationally as the U.S. Trade Representative during the Bush Administration.

While the trade representative isn’t on the same level as, say the Secretary of State, Portman allies note that no one else on the short list can say they have sat at the table with other heads of state and negotiated real trade initiatives.

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* Ohio, Ohio, Ohio: Without a victory in Ohio on November 6, the electoral math gets very iffy for Romney. And, while the recent history of VP nominees helping to deliver a state or a region is decidedly dicey, there is an argument to be made that Portman actually can make a difference in the Buckeye State.

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* Low expectations: The rap on Portman is that he’s a boring guy who no one knows. That fact virtually ensures that if Portman is the pick the narrative that will emerge will be along the lines of “he’s more interesting that you might think!”. It’s just how these things tend to work.

Already Portman’s impersonation of a chicken and his near-death experience while kayaking are starting to build out the “this guy is interesting” storyline.

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Combine his deep resume with a sympathetic more-interesting-than-you-think narrative and Portman may well be the perfect Romney pick.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-case-for-rob-portman-to-be-vice-president/2012/07/31/gJQAwM52MX_blog.html