I generally ignore the New York Daily News but their piece on Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential announcement merits a little discussion. First, there’s the bottom line. Romney will not make an announcement until after the London Olympics conclude on August 12th, but he will make an announcement prior to the commencement of the Republican National Convention on August 27th.
Why isn’t Romney making the announcement before the Olympics? According to the article, this is partly because they feel it would look like a desperate attempt to change the subject from his tax woes, and partly because it takes a month or so to set up the staff for a running mate once one has been selected.. To me, that’s shoddy reporting. The second explanation obviates the need for the first.
The article also states that the two frontrunners are Rob Portman of Ohio and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. I think those are both solid picks in the sense that neither of them is certifiably insane, but they are hardly going to cause any excitement to the Republican base, the media, or anyone else not related to the candidate.
One observation about announcing the pick before the convention is that it takes away a lot of the suspense and interest in the convention. The American people may be curious to see Pawlenty or Portman speak, but the media already knows them well and won’t much care. Picking someone who is not known to the press, like McCain did in 2008, can help sustain interest and build suspense for the convention. However, the list of qualified candidates who are unknown to the press is pretty small. I also have not heard any leaks about any real wildcards (excepting Condi Rice). I think John Thune is in the mix, but the DC press corp knows him well. He looks the part, but he’s a pretty bland candidate who doesn’t bring much to the table.
Another thing to contemplate is what the Republican convention is going to look like. Will either Bush give a speech? How about Jeb? Cheney? Palin?
Can Romney even fill the primetime slots for all three nights?
