# Robert Portman for VP? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 17, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553 "2012-07-17T18:58:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/1 "2012-07-17T18:58:15Z")
He’s more conservative than Romney, which will round out the ticket. He appears to be popular in Ohio which may help win this crucial swing state. He’s not Catholic like Ryan, though I’m not sure why some people find this to be an issue. And more personable than Tim Pawlenty. What would some negatives be for Portman as compared to Pawlenty, Ryan, or Daniels? ---
**Author:** ![greenslime1951](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/2 "2012-07-17T21:34:29Z")
Rats, I misread this and thought you said _Natalie_ Portman for VP. We missed the chance to elect a hot babe for veep last time around, and this time, the hot babe would be smarter than a walnut. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/3 "2012-07-17T21:37:39Z")
I think he’s overall one of the better VP picks-although it may be nice to hire someone with foreign policy experience. Although OTOH the ticket will be a bit dry maybe its a good thing after 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/4 "2012-07-17T21:42:33Z")
[He’s said to be one of the finalists along with Pawlenty.](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/us/politics/romney-vice-presidential-search-began-months-ago.html?hp) I don’t know much about him. I think Daniels is out of the running, or dropped out, because he agreed to become president of Purdue next year. It’s not an unbreakable commitment but he probably would not have made it if he expected to be considered for a place on the ticket (or wanted to be considered). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/5 "2012-07-17T22:28:21Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I think he’s overall one of the better VP picks-although it may be nice to hire someone with foreign policy experience. Although OTOH the ticket will be a bit dry maybe its a good thing after 2008. As long as it loses, the country wins. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/6 "2012-07-17T23:24:02Z")
W’s budget director for VP? Would Mitt really go there? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/7 "2012-07-18T00:23:07Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > W’s budget director for VP? Would Mitt really go there? That’s really the only obvious negative (besides the blandness). Portman was inextricably tied to both Presidents Bush. The aforementioned lack of FP experience doesn’t help, but I’m not sure how much it hurts. Romney can’t really use FP as a weapon in the campaign anyways (unless something flares up between now and Nov). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/8 "2012-07-18T01:21:02Z")
Despite having easily won election to the Senate in 2010 over a tired old Dem, Portman’s still not all that well-known here. He might make a little difference in carrying Ohio, but couldn’t deliver the state, as such. He is pretty bland. He also would already (as would just about any public officeholder these days) have released a lot more of his past taxes than Romney has, which will (I hope) lead to the question, “Why do we know more about your running mate’s taxes than we do about yours, Mr. Romney?” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/9 "2012-07-18T01:36:16Z")
Who? All I know about this guy is that his last name contains in it the name of a type of red wine (which I do not personally care for). So based on this limited amount of knowledge; I’d never vote for the guy and don’t much like him. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/10 "2012-07-18T03:14:02Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > He appears to be popular in Ohio which may help win this crucial swing state. I wouldn’t say he’s popular. I mean, he’s not _un_popular either, but people just have [no idea who he is](http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/06/obama-lead-in-ohio-down-to-3.html): > [@](#): > > Rob Portman continues to be at the center of Vice Presidential buzz but that’s not doing much to raise his profile in his home state. Only 63% of Ohio voters have an opinion about him with 32% approving and 31% disapproving. PPP’s polled on almost every Senator in the country and there isn’t any other one who fewer people have an opinion about in their home states. If Portman was added to the ticket it would have basically no impact on the overall numbers, with Obama leading a Romney/Portman ticket 47-43. He won by a large margin in 2010, but beating Lee Fisher isn’t exactly a huge accomplishment. Lots of people have done it. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/11 "2012-07-18T14:05:16Z")
> [@greenslime1951](#): > > … and this time, the hot babe would be smarter than a walnut. Quite a bit smarter! > [@Wikipedia article on Ms. Portman](#): > > As a student, Portman co-authored two research papers that were published in scientific journals. Her 1998 high school paper, “A Simple Method to Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar”, co-authored with scientists Ian Hurley and Jonathan Woodward, was entered in the Intel Science Talent Search.[42] In 2002, she contributed to a study on memory called “Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy” during her psychology studies at Harvard.[43][44] ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/12 "2012-07-18T14:20:48Z")
For those who want to know more about Sen. Portman: [Rob Portman - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Portman) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/13 "2012-07-18T14:24:54Z")
Nothing like having a near unknown being a heart-beat away…good thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/14 "2012-07-18T14:35:27Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > For those who want to know more about Sen. Portman: [Rob Portman - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Portman) > [@Wiki](#): > > Portman acquired a reputation as “one of the few Republicans who regularly form alliances with important Democrats to get legislation enacted.” Get a few Democrats to say in strategically placed ads that they could work with him because he is willing to cooperate with them, and the Teapers will have a shit fit. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/15 "2012-07-18T14:47:48Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Nothing like having a near unknown being a heart-beat away…good thinking. The guy’s been in one political office or another since the first Bush administration. Ohio voters may not be terribly familiar with his record, but he has a pretty long record to find out about if people are interested (as they presumably will be if he is the VP nom). He’s hardly an “unknown”. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/16 "2012-07-19T01:37:37Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The guy’s been in one political office or another since the first Bush administration. Ohio voters may not be terribly familiar with his record, but he has a pretty long record to find out about if people are interested (as they presumably will be if he is the VP nom). He’s hardly an “unknown”. No, he’s not unknown. But even here in Ohio, he’s hardly a household name. So if part of the strategy of picking him is the hope of picking up a significant number of Ohio votes, I don’t see him being a big plus. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/17 "2012-07-19T04:16:07Z")
> [@Ruby\_Slippers](#): > > No, he’s not unknown. But even here in Ohio, he’s hardly a household name. So if part of the strategy of picking him is the hope of picking up a significant number of Ohio votes, I don’t see him being a big plus. People in Ohio don’t know who their United States Senator is? ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/18 "2012-07-19T04:35:00Z")
I’d like to see a Jindal/Romney ticket, but that’s just me. I think that lots of people don’t know who their US Senators are - I, for one, don’t know who my two representatives are. Not that they merit attention for whatever sleaziness they have probably been up to … ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/19 "2012-07-19T04:36:28Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > I’d like to see a Jindal/Romney ticket, but that’s just me. > > I think that lots of people don’t know who their US Senators are - I, for one, don’t know who my two representatives are. Not that they merit attention for whatever sleaziness they have probably been up to … How could you have 2 Representatives?😕 Or did you mean senators? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553/20 "2012-07-19T10:14:32Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > People in Ohio don’t know who their United States Senator is? I’m sure some do. I’m also sure many don’t. I used to work on Capitol Hill (for an earlier Senator from Ohio), and when I met non-Hillies, I was often surprised to discover how little they knew or cared about their representatives in Congress. That was more than 25 years ago, but I doubt it’s changed that much. We hear a lot of noise from strong partisans on both sides, but they’re really just a loud minority. It’s the quiet, mostly apathetic majority that everyone’s trying to reach. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-portman-for-vp/628553.md?page=2)