Politico's Maggie Haberman and former RNC chair Michael Steele join Hardball to discuss the report today that Senator Marco Rubio is not being vetted for Mitt Romney's running mate, and speculate on who may be on Romney's short list.
We noticed a fascinating, yet disturbing, report in today's excellent First Read article about Mitt Romney's selection process of his vice presidential running mate.
It appears that Romney is not seriously considering a woman, even though he has many qualified Republican females to choose from, including: former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, governors Jan Brewer, Mary Fallin and Nikki Haley, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
So why not a woman on the ticket? After all, the Republicans broke that barrier four years by picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Oh wait, it turns out that Palin is precisely the reason why Team Romney is NOT seriously looking at a woman to join the ticket. Palin is often cited as one of the reasons why Sen. John McCain lost to then-Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
Here's what Michael O'Brien of the NBC News Political Unit wrote:
In particular, few women except for New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte – a freshman lawmaker from New England with only scant federal experience – are thought to be under consideration by Romney.
"I think, unfortunately, Palin poisoned the well on that," said one informal Romney adviser, fretting that any woman selected as VP would draw inevitable comparisons to the former Alaska governor. "I would guess if I were inside the Romney mind that they're worried that any woman chosen will be subjected to a higher level of scrutiny. "
O'Brien reports the three men at the top of Romney's short-list appear to be former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.
Who do you think Romney should/will pick?



I don't give a care whatsoever! There isn't one single republican worthy of office, period!
Obama/Biden 2012 Forward ~
There is a TYPICAL open minded Liberal
What an OXY MORON
That is how Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel keeps winning every election even though he is a CROOK
I'm disappointed. I wanted that witt sara to run again. ROTFFL
They couldn't come up with anyone better than the loser romney, I wonder who the veep looser will be. Don't hold your breath. Remember the last selection in the last Republican convention. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!
considering who is running the white house now, ( should have been Hillary ), Howcome Obama never picked a woman? instead you get a guy who is a tad older then McCain and not much brighter then Palin and cant keep his foot out of his mouth. :)
If Obama would have picked a woman OMG the Teapublicans would have all died of SHOCK!
Ha Haaa RobMe has poisoned his Own Ticket - he is sooo stupid ---- But Yeah palin has definitely injected her poison into the mix -- Crazy stupid w!!ch !!!! OMG-OMG !!!
robMe thinks that he is Important ---- I say that he Is Impotent !!!! and again --- why anyone would stand for this goofball is way-way beyond Me and themselves - they are beyond being reasoned with - they are Lost !!!
THERE IS THE BIRD......so glad to see ya!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow == t.T. -- Surfer Bird !!!!!
Hey TM !!!!
mittsy RobUs - Will Never Amount to Anything - Other Than A Thief of the American People !!!!
HOLLAND, Mich.—Mitt Romney said Tuesday his campaign is vetting Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential vice presidential candidate, contradicting several reports suggesting otherwise.
Romney told reporters Rubio is being "thoroughly vetted" for the VP job and described stories reporting contrary news as "false."
"There was a story that originated today apparently at ABC based upon reports of supposedly outside unnamed advisers of mine," Romney said. "I can't imagine who such people are. But I can tell you this: they know nothing about the vice presidential selection or evaluation process. There are only two people in this country who know who are being vetted and who are not: And that's Beth Myers and myself. And I know Beth well. She doesn't talk to anybody. The story was entirely false. Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process."
His comments came during a previously unscheduled stop just before the final rally of his bus tour along the shores of Lake Michigan here. His campaign had gathered a small pool of reporters to whom Romney made the statement.
Earlier Tuesday, Romney had declined to comment on the VP process, telling Fox News's Sean Hannity in an interview set to air tonight that he wouldn't comment on speculation about Rubio.
Condoleezza Rice, you liberals ever hear that name before?
A black women that is smarter than 100% of the dopes in the white house now!!!
You MSNBC and the other Obama lap dog media poisoned the well
When you send 100 reporters to Alaska to dig through Palins trash when you request all her emails when she was governor but ignore the fact that Obama blocked all access to any of his records when he was a senator or his time in college when you have big time Obama contributors call hell bitch twat and @!$%# but wouldn't even read Obama book and if you did you didn't report one thing that was in it or ignore the fact that Obama joined the socialist new party when he was a senator
Another half wit Right wing bobble head hear moan and cry about how bitterly unfair it is that the politicians on you side are stupid
it's called smart politics get rid of it before they can try to invent some crap to use against you. Course determined to find some conspiracy/illuminati connection that didn't stop you so you denied his citizenship, you denied his allegiance to the nation, the religion he has, the political opinions of his wife
so in the pursuit of those you ended up with a nominee who is according to Newt "committed to being fundamentally dishonest"(I agree Gingrich is right once in a while) and has no spine or core instead of someone smart
Romney has to go with someone who is more boring than he is. Hence, my money's on Rob Portman or Pawlenty. He would never pick Rubio. He'd upstage Romney, plus he has all the problems of Palin: Too inexperienced. Too young. Romney thinks Portman will deliver Ohio.
I hope he's wrong.
Opinions coming from people who thought Governor Scott Walker would LOSE
"Too inexperienced. Too young" That coming from people that voted for then Senator Obama
No we had hoped he would lose and money wouldn't buy an election only tea bagging republicans predict wins no matter how badly they field is slanted against them then whine when they don't get their way. I guess you also ignore where Wisconsin's congress is no longer slanted to the right and Walkers ability to get things passed with a rubber stamp congress is now a thing of the past. Wisconsin might have kept Walker but they tied his hands as well, some win.
Marco Rubio would be an awful VP choice for Romney, if you care about the US in the hypothetical scenario where he wins, I mean don't you we should let Marco Rubio be a Senator for an entire term before making him Vice President? I wonder if he's found that second page of his speech yet.......
Who ever they pick will be a boring white guy so don't look for enthusiasm coming from this
T-Paw apparently doesn't want to be VP, and next to Romney the shear lack of anything interesting happening in the atmosphere around them would cause a black hole
Paul Ryan is too existing and so to avoid the Palin effect they likely won't pick him. He will energize the democrats too much.
Jan Brewer or Nikki Haley...???....I don't think they want a 08 repeat....they might as well pick mama moose
How much of a hypocrite can you lefties be? You elected a man PRESIDENT of the country who had not served a full term as Senator and yet you are worried about whether Rubio s qualified to be VP because he has not served an entire term?
Sometimes you guys just make it too easy...at least try to think your posts through before you hit the enter button.
just saying...
CC is not a democrat storm he is what you tried to claim you were but reality is you have no clue just your Fox news opinions.
Storm Obama had no experience and I did not elect anyone, Hillary should have one the nomination. But more importantly if Obama had no experience and that was bad how is picking someone else with no experience a good thing?
what a presumptuous idiot you are
you tried to elect a vp with no experience, vetting, or debate talents and became nothing more than an embarrassment for the nominee John McCain. He deserved more than mama mouse, she did nothing but disgrace both him and the party. McCain had no chance of winning that year, it just wasn't going to happen, but Palin just made the whole thing which had substantive and mostly honorable into a joke. How dare the party of put that women as the second slot on his ticket? What a total betrayal to a mostly alright guy
and before anyone says otherwise John McCain does deserve some amount of respect for fighting for the country and for being a general straight shooter. Compare that to now and Mitt Romney....the McCain campaign operated with more honor and dignity than the Romney campaign has already proved their capable of
In the future CC, if you are going to call someone else a presumptuous idiot, at least use proper sentence structure in your post. This would include, but not be limited to, proper capitalization, punctuation and spelling. Just as an FYI...it should have been won, not one. Additionally, it should have been they're, not their.
It is better to be a presumptuous idiot than an educational idiot.
just saying..
Right because storm can't refute your post he is going to attack sentence structure because that is all he has left. In storms mind it doesn't matter if it is bull @!$%# or fact all that counts is sentence structure and spelling.
Who ever he decides to run as his VP will not help him win the election.
They want someone that won't outshine Romney. That will be a feat in itself. So it looks like dull, old Rob Portman may be their guy. Or John Thune, another fireball. :)
hold on to your girdle there Maude..whoever he picks wont satisfy anyone here anyway, but if they dont vote for Romney, they must all be racist, or from the ghetto
wont matter, if Romney wins, there will be alot of people seeking therapy.
wont matter, if President Obama wins "there will be alot of people seeking
therapyunemployment checks" and the National Debt will be over 22 TRILLIONunjustly: Obama with a democratic congress will put people to work and earn money for doing something the country needs. Instead of handing out a check for 67 weeks and getting next to nothing in return. But the Teapublicans love austerity by giving a check for 67 weeks and then just say screw them get a job and the whole time blocking every avenue to pass a jobs bill that isn't a Teapublican trojan horse that really gives even more breaks too and already fat wallet for businesses that haven't created the heralded trickle down jobs in 12 years. This unemployed people now called non-contributors by the radical right are left to spend what ever the might have left looking for a job that doesn't exist. And are now part of the people who have stopped looking for a job and are left to die in the streets and under the failing bridges lost with no hope. These once hard working Americans had a home but have now lost it to forecloser adding to the strain on the banks because of the self destruction of Wall Street banksters who caused it in the first place because of the removal and lack of regulation of banking practices. The home can't be sold because there are no jobs so it is abandon and written off as a total loss and than its loss is passed on to the taxpayer. Now the house can't be sold and its left to the local government to demolish it at a cost once again to the taxpayer. Forced austerity how it working for you?
XXX you got to understand the stupidity of the right they believe they are going to get the golden key handed to them to enter the 1% club no matter how far they are behind, they also exaggerate their own wealth to themselves.
Unbelievable isn't it! Its like they would put their hand in boiling water if they were told it wouldn't burn them. That's how they get their SMARTS! And the 1% club will use it over their thick skulls!
xxx...I am not willing to say that the Republicans will be able to take the White House or the Senate but I am very confident that they will not be giving control of the House back to the Democrats in 2012. Obama better learn how to do a better job of compromising...as should the Republicans. Otherwise, if he wins, it will be a long 4 years.
just saying..
Then storm proves what we just said.
I would have to say its not so much the disappearing old GOP and being replaced by Teapublicans. But its the unyielding hand of Grover and the Tea People that have made it impossible because they are dead set on making Obama a one term president. Needless to say it wouldn't have made any difference if it was Hilary Clinton save perhaps it would have been the first two years on passing a budget plan that would have been filibustered instead. Obamacare was blown out of shape by guess who! The thing was made up by the democrats alone and was presented to the Congress all 2400 pages of it. The Teapublicans were outraged and with some reason as they had no say about it up to that point. The best parts of it are now gone and pales of its former self. I myself was not wanting this butchered version of it to pass. I liked the Public Health Care Option or the one before it. But it was turned as a threat to Grandma and pull the plug was the Tea Party cry for the repeal of it and Obama. Under explained and misunderstood it has been doing some good things and one of the biggest Health Ins. Co. said they continue the coverages if the SCOUS ruled against. It was a republican idea awhile back and even Romney had a hand in making it happen because of his "Romneycare" that is still in place today. Too say its crazy for Mitt to be against his own successes is to say at least funny. So you see its not that think Obama needs to change so much except for not leaving the people in the congress & Senate out of making laws & bills. But now the hate and unmovable tea party has made it imposable. And what pisses me off the most is that the whole time they talk about cutting peoples benefits that they have earned under contract for their whole lives, now would be taking the brunt off the cuts! While NOT ONE in Congress & Senate and all the way up to the President hasn't even lead by example. One other thing this whole time has gone by and the national debt has risen to almost 16 trillion dollars and not one real thing has been done to really help. To make the president a one term president is a shame to sabotage his attempts to succeed just to make him look bad with not concern for the welfare of the country. They should have let at least some of his plans though and if they didn't work well then fine! At least they would have had a valid reason for calling his presidency a failure. The way it is we all will be paying for it a hell of allot longer! And its added to every day. How can they stand in front of the display showing the debt clock running like a asteroid from space about to hit the Earth with such a pompous attitude and point the finger in the other direction. So that's all I have to say about that! Aren't you glad you asked?
XXX...will you please put the above post in some type of reasonable format to that those of us with a college education can at least try and understand what you are saying? The opening sentence isn't even a proper sentence.
Why is it that most of you lefties who post on this blog have no concept of how to properly structure and punctuate a paragraph? Are you the result of what happens when we allow the government to educate our kids?
just saying..
Just saying nothing which proves you have nothing worth saying, But we already knew that the first time you posted and the ignorance leaped off the page.
What a laugh McCain lost because he picked Palin a woman! Ha ha ha! Its because she's an idiot! And the Maverick did it on purpose to let the better man take over in this time of trouble.
Aww, I'm so disappointed. Boo-hoo. There's no Repub woman worth running. They're all Stepford Wives!
There is no repub man worth running. LOL
Touche Mom! LOL
Hey it would save money!<s>
Rachel Maddow is a republican and is running for Queen against Scott Brown! LOL!
Sarah who?
A has been that never was....what a joke.
Not only is Bristol going to have a show, but now Todd is getting a reality show. You just know who is going to be sticking her big elk snout into both shows. I curse John McCain for unleashing this Palin Plague down on us.
Maybe we can arrange to get her to wrestle a rabid grizzly bear!
A reality show for a Palin is an oxymoron.
And Bristol is another type of moron.
therealChris, is this your WAR ON WOMEN ?
Willard has picked his VP but he won't tell them! I hope its Cheney and it will be still someone else's heart!
pick a parts man.............