Romney to announce running mate on Saturday @9am ET in Norfolk, VA

[RogueBeaver]

Race 4 2012 claims the rollout is this week.

http://race42012.com/2012/07/16/the-race-4-2012-rumor-mill-back-end-edition/

[Mr. Morden]

Race 4 2012 claims the rollout is this week.

http://race42012.com/2012/07/16/the-race-4-2012-rumor-mill-back-end-edition/

Yeah, they point out that Romney has nothing on his schedule on Thursday and Friday.  Which, AFAIK, is true, as of now.  Politico's calendar has him campaigning in Bowling Green, Ohio on Wednesday, but then nothing on Thursday.  If anyone notices anything being scheduled for Romney for Thursday or beyond, then post it here.  For that matter, anything scheduled for any of the presumed short-listers.

And the AP has this:

link

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Also, on the Thune being vetted thing, the full context of his remarks don't sound as enticing as the earlier soundbite:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/07/thune-not-actually-such-a-vp-tease-129109.html

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[RogueBeaver]

Thune was always implausible. Personally I still think the final 2 are Pawlenty/Ryan, down to a knife blade.

[RogueBeaver]

Reuters claims the finalists are Portman/Pawlenty/Jindal, but again Jindal makes no sense because he hasn't spent any time with Romney. Romney won't pick someone he barely knows.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/16/us-usa-campaign-romney-vicepresident-idINBRE86F1BM20120716

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Reuters claims the finalists are Portman/Pawlenty/Jindal, but again Jindal makes no sense because he hasn't spent any time with Romney. Romney won't pick someone he barely knows.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/16/us-usa-campaign-romney-vicepresident-idINBRE86F1BM20120716

Ah, thanks for the update. Honestly, I just want it to be anyone but Pawlenty.

[Niemeyerite]

AND Jindal supported Rick Perry... I don't think Romney is the kind of person who'd choose a runningmate who supported a rival, an "enemy". I still think it'll be Thune or Pawlenty. Pawlenty is boring, but Portman is even more boring than Romney. And Thune looks a little like Romney (the latter being uglier than the senator).

[RogueBeaver]

Hagrid: Same here. Not that he's bad, but just so MEH. Still holding out hope for Ryan.

Julio: He said plenty of nice things about Romney before Perry entered and never criticized Romney. But they never connected for whatever reason, so he's not on the shortlist.

[Mr. Morden]

National Journal has their latest (possibly last) veepstakes rankings:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/your-favorite-vice-hotline-s-veepstakes-power-rankings-20120716

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[RogueBeaver]

National Journal has their latest (possibly last) veepstakes rankings:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/your-favorite-vice-hotline-s-veepstakes-power-rankings-20120716

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Doubt Rubio is either a quarterfinalist or finalist (except for keynote), otherwise agreed.

[GLPman]

Please don't let it be Pawlenty. I'm surprised that Ryan has made it this far. I wouldn't count Rubio out yet, either.

[Mr. Morden]

Some schedules this week for three of the most mentioned names:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/portman-keeps-vague-ohio-schedule-friday

Pawlenty: Scheduled to be in Minnesota for the rest of this week.

Portman: In Washington on Wednesday & Thursday.  "Portman spokesman Jeff Sadosky added to BuzzFeed that he will be in Northwest Ohio on Friday for a mix of official and non-official events."

Rubio: In Washington all week for votes.

[Mr. Morden]

While veep fever has picked up a bit, I don't think it's quite reached the frenzy that it did in the final days before both McCain and Obama's picks four years ago.  I remain somewhat skeptical that it's going to be announced this week.  If we don't have a specific time and place for the announcement announced or leaked to the media by this afternoon, then I don't think it's going to happen this week (which means that it won't happen until after the Olympics).

I mean, it's got to take more than a day to throw together a veep rollout campaign event.  Some of the details of the announcement event would have to leak out more than a day in advance.

[RogueBeaver]

Romney has announced the senior VP staff.

http://race42012.com/2012/07/17/romney-announces-vice-presidentd-staff/

[RogueBeaver]

Can anyone put up the full article? Thx.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/us/politics/romney-vice-presidential-search-began-months-ago.html?gwh=E93A55FCE987AD87C3257E64BB5BF0D8&pagewanted=all

[AmericanNation]

Ryan is the best spokesman for Romney, the best communicator, and probably the smartest (in some ways) guy on the short list. 

The number one problem for Romney his entire political career has been letting his opponent define him.  Ryan is the perfect guy to counter punch everything thrown at him and replace the smears with a better image.         

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57472590/rep-ryan-obama-is-dividing-distracting-the-country/?tag=untagged

[RogueBeaver]

Can only hope Romney sees it that way.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I'm still putting my money on Ryan.

Does anyone know Ryan's approval numbers in Wisconsin?

[RogueBeaver]

I'm still putting my money on Ryan.

Does anyone know Ryan's approval numbers in Wisconsin?

44/39 last I heard and according to PPP he does give Romney Cheesehead lift. (50/43 to 47/46, IIRC) Has both the Beltway crowd and the grassroots, whereas Pawlenty only has the Beltway.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I'm still putting my money on Ryan.

Does anyone know Ryan's approval numbers in Wisconsin?

44/39 last I heard and according to PPP he does give Romney Cheesehead lift. (50/43 to 47/46, IIRC) Has both the Beltway crowd and the grassroots, whereas Pawlenty only has the Beltway.

Ah, I see. I think Romney knows he needs to win Wisconsin if he wants to contend. If Ryan gives him a boost, then there's no doubt in my mind that he'd pick anyone else.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

If Romney needs to win Wisconsin to even contend, this race is over.

[AmericanNation]

http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/07/paul-ryan-rips-obamas-comment-that-if-youve-got-a-business-you-didnt-build-that-somebody-else-made-that-happen/

Ryan is always the best at this type of thing.  I read the commonplace line: 

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The way he says it (and carefully thinks about it) you realize that Obama really is extremely lazy.  He never engages in honest debate.  He never engages in energetic debate.  Obama is without a doubt intellectually Lazy.  Just a perfect point made in the "filler" of the comments.         

[RogueBeaver]

WI pads the margin, but it isn't 270. (more like 28/9x) VA is a much likelier contender for that role. If he's it, home state lift will be just a bonus.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Can anyone put up the full article? Thx.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/us/politics/romney-vice-presidential-search-began-months-ago.html?gwh=E93A55FCE987AD87C3257E64BB5BF0D8&pagewanted=all

Paywalls are irritating, but don't ask people here to violate copyright, OK?

[AmericanNation]

WI pads the margin, but it isn't 270. (more like 28/9x) VA is a much likelier contender for that role. If he's it, home state lift will be just a bonus.

Romney/Ryan can pull out these minimal paths pretty simply. 

269 - 250

270 - 259

[RogueBeaver]

OH and VA, probably in that order IMO, would topple first. Anyhoo, wrong thread for electoral maps.