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

[California8429]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/08/pawlenty-in-michigan-for-romney-well-know-soon-enough-about-v-p/

T-Paw names everyone he thinks is on the list.

Interesting that Martinez was one of the first he said even though she's been announced for a speaking spot. And Petraeus at the end...

Then again it's really Romney and Beth Myers and those being vetted that know who's being vetted.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Rob Portman stumped for Romney in Colorado today:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/rob-portman-romney-vice-president-tim-pawlenty/1#.UCLD86PAEtU

[All Along The Watchtower]

Christine Todd Whitman: "Portman Will Be VP Pick"
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/07/whitman-portman-will-be-vp-pick/

[Mr. Morden]

It's obviously not a secret that the announcement will be soon, but what does "in just a few days" mean?

He's referring to the weekly contest to win a chance to meet Romney and the soon-to-be-named running mate.  A couple of weeks ago, the campaign started running a weekly contest, which would have a new winner every week until the announcement is made win the chance to meet with Romney and his running mate, once the running mate is named.  Details listed here:

https://www.mittromney.com/donate/vp

RP: Not next week. Palin was announced 3 days out, Biden 5.

What?  Biden was announced on Saturday before the convention, just two days before it started (though the news leaked out late on Friday night).

[Mr. Morden]

Wikipedia has restricted the editing of Wikipedia articles for Pawlenty, Portman, Ryan, Rubio, Jindal, Christie, and Petraeus, following a Colbert Report segment in which Colbert urged viewers to edit the articles for their favorite veep contender:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/08/wikipedia-locks-possible-vps-pages-131458.html?hp=l6

Only established users will be able to edit the articles in question until Wikipedia removes the restrictions.

On the schedules of some of the veep contenders for the next few days....while Ryan goes on vacation, we have:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-vice-presidential-contenders-keep-busy-on-the-trail-as-convention-nears/2012/08/08/c5e20abe-e179-11e1-ae7f-d2a13e249eb2_story.html

Jindal in CO on Thursday
Pawlenty in NH on both Friday & Saturday
Portman was in CO on Wednesday, but not sure about the rest of the week

I still don't know where Romney himself is going to be on Friday.

[Lief 🗽]

Imagine the scene at the convention when Scott Walker announces the next VP of the US, his good friend: Paul Ryan! 

A lib's worst nightmare?

hah... hahahahaha, haha. Good one.

Anyway the obvious "problem" with Paul Ryan is that it completely changes the narrative of the campaign (or at least what Romney wants the narrative of the campaign to be; he's done an incredibly poor job of actually shifting the discussion to this) from a referendum on Obama's handling of the economy to (at best) a choice between the Paul Ryan budget and the Obama budget or (at worst) a referendum on the Ryan budget. And I have no idea why Romney would rather fight on those grounds.

[Torie]

Mittens will be close to deranged if he does not pick Portman. Is he?

[Averroës Nix]

The Ryan chatter baffles me, too. I don't understand why a politician who has systemically avoided discussing policy specifics throughout the campaign would choose a running mate who's known for doing exactly that.

[Keystone Phil]

Mittens will be close to deranged if he does not pick Portman. Is he?

Deranged? No offense to Portman but why would this guy appear to be a Messianic figure?

[Lief 🗽]

Mittens will be close to deranged if he does not pick Portman. Is he?

Deranged? No offense to Portman but why would this guy appear to be a Messianic figure?

It's not that Portman is a Messianic figure; it's that he's so obviously a better choice than Ryan or Pawlenty.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I think this is definitely a dead heat between Portman and Ryan. Pawlenty's just Portman's BWG second fiddle, so he's not important. If I were Mitt, I'd definitely pick Portman. Better to be safe than sorry.

[AmericanNation]

Jindal in CO on Thursday
Portman was in CO on Wednesday, but not sure about the rest of the week

...and Ryan is on vacation in CO.  Interesting coincidence.  

Looking at the map, I think Ryan "compliments" or boosts the ticket in:
1)Wisconsin
2)Iowa
3)New Hampshire
4)Colorado
*Ohio and Michigan are tough calls because dems might succeed in demonizing regardless of who the VP is, so Ryan's bump may well be negated/irrelevant there.

   

[Keystone Phil]

Mittens will be close to deranged if he does not pick Portman. Is he?

Deranged? No offense to Portman but why would this guy appear to be a Messianic figure?

It's not that Portman is a Messianic figure; it's that he's so obviously a better choice than Ryan or Pawlenty.

I don't think he's "obviously better" than Pawlenty in the "boring white guy" test but point taken.

[RogueBeaver]

If Romney goes with Ryan it will have a lot to do with their very close personal and political relationship, per both Karl and Costa.

Pawlenty's in MI this morning. Ryan in WI, Portman in OH. Portman also said yesterday he's likely staying in the Senate, so I think we can scratch him off even more than we have already.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/09/on-the-trail-august-9-2012/

There's been some minor buzz about a potential rollout tomorrow but I doubt that. Not when we know everyone's schedule for the tour.

[Torie]

Mittens will be close to deranged if he does not pick Portman. Is he?

Deranged? No offense to Portman but why would this guy appear to be a Messianic figure?

Since I am not being considered, such "Messianic" figures simply are not there in the pantry available for consumption.  The closest we have to that is a chap who happens to have been born in Kenya Hawaii, and I don't think he is available.

[pepper11]

Looking at the map, I think Ryan "compliments" or boosts the ticket in:
1)Wisconsin
2)Iowa
3)New Hampshire
4)Colorado
*Ohio and Michigan are tough calls because dems might succeed in demonizing regardless of who the VP is, so Ryan's bump may well be negated/irrelevant there.

This. And he can lose Ohio if he wins 3 of those 4.

[Vern]

I still think its not going to be someone everyone is talking about..

[Mr. Morden]

Portman also said yesterday he's likely staying in the Senate, so I think we can scratch him off even more than we have already.

Come on, that's just typical veepstakes humility / not wanting to look too desperate for the job.  Doesn't come close to being a real denial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiAzFETBW6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGMBAUFG7Cc

[RogueBeaver]

Pawlenty will be on MTP and This Week on Sunday.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/archive/2012/08/pawlenty_does_d.shtml


Ryan: It's the chem.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/313555/ryan-way-robert-costa?pg=1

[RogueBeaver]

From Romney's interview with Chuck Todd (H/T R412)

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[muon2]

It may well be a pick like GHWB in '88. There was a short list of vetted candidates and a day for the nominee to make the choice. The night before that choice the advisers went to bed thinking it was John Danforth, but the nominee got up the next day and announced that it would be Quayle.

Romney may be given similar latitude, and his choice could be a dark horse from the list of vetted candidates. If so, it may all depend on factors that affect Romney the day before his choice.

[Supersonic]

From Romney's interview with Chuck Todd (H/T R412)

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Ryan, for sure.

[RogueBeaver]

Yep. There's no other way to interpret that quote. This feeds my suspicion that Bob Costa's intentionally mangled final sentence in "Ryan's Schedule" was a hint that he'd be returning early from Colorado next week.

So when and where? I'd say either WI or IA, 2 swing states that aren't on the bus tour.

[Mr. Morden]

Again, sorry to throw cold water on this, but I wouldn't read too much into Romney's comments about "strength of character, a vision for the country that adds something to the political discourse about the direction of the country".  He has to say stuff like that.  Do you expect him to say that he'll pick a running mate who doesn't add something to the political discourse?

Anyway, at one point I was thinking that there was a chance Romney would make the announcement in Tampa, if he was there for the Florida leg of his bus tour, simply for symbolic reasons, because it's the site of the RNC.  But it looks like he *won't* go to Tampa when he visits Florida on Monday:

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/08/romney-headed-to-miami-monday-to-launch-his-bus-trip.html

I still think there would be some logic to teasing the announcement at the beginning of the bus trip, and then making the announcement at the end, but I guess that would put us at perhaps Tuesday evening for the end of the bus trip now.  Or maybe it will be later in the week.

[RogueBeaver]

NBC agrees with us.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/ns/politics/