WASHINGTON, August 11, 2012 — If you have the ap for that, you will be among the first to know who Mitt Romney chooses for his Vice Presidential running mate.
CNN broke the news just before midnight Friday that Romney will announce his choice tomorrow at the start of his 4-day bus tour to promote “The Romney Plan For A Stronger Middle Class.”
Romney’s choice will be be revealed at 9 a.m. EDT at the Nauticus Museum, where the USS Milwaukee is tethered as a part of the museum. Romney is kicking off a 4-day bus tour through swing states Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio.
The short list includes former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Ron Portman, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who is currently predicted to be the choice.
The announcement comes earlier than pundits thought; many predicted that Romney would wait until Monday, after the Olympics close. The annoucement now may be an attempt to deflect the negative Democratic advertising and bring out a possible, powerful message that Romeny is in touch with middle America.
Representative Ryan, 42, is a favored choice for his “youthful vigor” and his basic decency as he makes statements like “I love the idea of Barack Obama. I love the fact that we elected an African-American man as our president. I think that is a really cool thing. I just don’t like the ideas coming from Barack Obama.”
CNN reports that some downsides to Ryan include:
• Ryan is a House member popular in what was once considered a competitive swing district, but he has never run statewide.
• He has no foreign policy experience.
• Some, especially after the perceived debacle of John McCain’s 2008 Sarah Palin pick, will question whether a 42-year-old House member is ready to be commander-in-chief.
“He is without question one of the stars of the Republican future over the next 10 to 20 years,” CNN’s David Gergen says. “Whether he is ready at this moment, only the campaign trail could tell, and he’s going to get, I’ll tell you, he is going to take a real beating.”
Ryan would be a bold and interesting choice. As House Budget Chairman Ryan has definitive ideas on solutions for America’s repair. And a debate against Joe Biden would be nothing short of political entertainment at its best.
Tomorrow will tell. If Romney’s choice is Ryan, it will shake up this race.
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