# Rubio/Pawlenty **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 14, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529 "2015-11-14T04:43:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GloryDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GloryDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GloryDays)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/1 "2015-11-14T04:43:57Z")
I think if Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wins the GOP nomination, he should pick former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty as his vice presidential running mate. Pawlenty has been out of politics for 4 years now, ever since he dropped out of his failed 2012 presidential bid, and Romney passed him over for vice president for Paul Ryan, but Pawlenty can help Rubio with working class voters in the Rust Belt area (Ohio, Michigan, etc). > **[How Tim Pawlenty came to be everyone’s favorite failed presidential candidate...](https://www.minnpost.com/dc-dispatches/2015/09/how-tim-pawlenty-came-be-everyone-s-favorite-failed-presidential-candidate/)** > > History is littered with the remains of failed presidential candidacies. What makes Pawlenty’s so special? > **[Tim Pawlenty Goes for the Vice President Slot, Again](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/06/tim-pawlenty-goes-for-the-vice-president-slot-again/258694/)** > > Forget Marco Rubio. The former Minnesota governor, passed over in 2008, would be a strong addition to the Romney ticket. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/2 "2015-11-14T06:48:37Z")
I sure hope Rubio picks a complete LOSER like Pawlenty as his running mate. Him getting shredded in the vice presidential debates is going to make the bombing of Dresden look pleasant in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/3 "2015-11-16T04:52:59Z")
Pawlenty has always had the virtue of being safe and ready to be President, plus he has working class cred. I don’t know how well he’d do in a debate, but getting shredded in a VP debate isn’t exactly a big negative. Quayle survived it just fine. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/4 "2015-11-16T14:49:19Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Pawlenty has always had the virtue of being safe and ready to be President, plus he has working class cred. I don’t know how well he’d do in a debate, but getting shredded in a VP debate isn’t exactly a big negative. Quayle survived it just fine. But does Pawlenty really want to spend four years as the butt of “President’s Health Prayer Club” jokes? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/5 "2015-11-16T15:46:30Z")
Pawlenty makes Mike Dukakis look positively charismatic. There’s nothing he brings to the table that anybody else wouldn’t bring more of. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/6 "2015-11-16T17:41:20Z")
That’s not really true. He’s got a working class background and experience in a blue state. I suppose Scott Walker has that too, but Walker is a much more contentious figure. Pawlenty brings the advantages of Walker in a general election without the disadvantages. But for a VP, the most important things are to set up a possible successor and for the candidate to not hurt the ticket, while giving a shot at a better performance in a region or state. Pawlenty covers all those bases. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/7 "2015-11-16T17:46:01Z")
Republicans are not going to carry Minnesota no matter who they pick so if you think Mr. Excitement helps your ticket, knock yourself out. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/8 "2015-11-16T19:13:24Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Pawlenty has always had the virtue of being safe and ready to be President, plus he has working class cred. I don’t know how well he’d do in a debate, but getting shredded in a VP debate isn’t exactly a big negative. Quayle survived it just fine. I know, right. I mean, his career since practically defines the phrase “on a rocket.” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/9 "2015-11-16T21:57:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Republicans are not going to carry Minnesota no matter who they pick so if you think Mr. Excitement helps your ticket, knock yourself out. The polls say otherwise: [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/mn/minnesota\_rubio\_vs\_clinton-3588.html](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/mn/minnesota_rubio_vs_clinton-3588.html) The dangers of a seriously flawed candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/10 "2015-11-16T22:16:33Z")
Do you understand that general election polls today don’t mean anything? I mean, it’s been pointed out in this forum dozens of times, but here you are doing it, like it means something. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/11 "2015-11-16T22:21:01Z")
General election polls aren’t predictive, but they do show how things are right now, and right now most Republicans are more popular in Minnesota than Hillary Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/12 "2015-11-16T22:33:44Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > General election polls aren’t predictive, but they do show how things are right now, and right now most Republicans are more popular in Minnesota than Hillary Clinton. ‘How things are right now’ in terms of how two candidates with very different name recognition - one of whom is looking relatively good right now because he mostly gets to get up on stage with nine morons - stack up is meaningless. Of course you know this, but Rubio beating Clinton in a traditionally blue state makes you feel really, really good, and you really want to believe it, so you do. Rubio won’t win Minnesota. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/13 "2015-11-16T23:10:34Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > General election polls aren’t predictive, but they do show how things are right now, and right now most Republicans are more popular in Minnesota than Hillary Clinton. They show nothing relevant to the 2016 general election. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/14 "2015-11-16T23:22:27Z")
They show that only 41% of voters in Minnesota of all places will vote for Hillary Clinton today. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/15 "2015-11-16T23:24:03Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They show that only 41% of voters in Minnesota of all places will vote for Hillary Clinton today. Whether true or not, this is not relevant to the 2016 general election. Trust Nate Silver. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/16 "2015-11-16T23:25:20Z")
Nate Silver would also tell you that things could get worse, not better. There is no law of nature that says that any state HAS to vote red or blue in 2016. There is no “blue wall” and a bad candidate who no one trusts can lose Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/17 "2015-11-16T23:32:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Nate Silver would also tell you that things could get worse, not better. There is no law of nature that says that any state HAS to vote red or blue in 2016. There is no “blue wall” and a bad candidate who no one trusts can lose Minnesota. This contradicts nothing I’ve said. Silver rejects your focus on general election polls this early. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/18 "2015-11-17T00:05:04Z")
But he does not reject the possibility that Republicans could in fact win Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/19 "2015-11-17T00:09:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > But he does not reject the possibility that Republicans could in fact win Minnesota. Neither do I. But this poll tells us nothing – I see no more reason to believe they are likely to do so than at the same time in 2011 or 2007. ---
**Author:** ![montag01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@montag01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/montag01)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529/20 "2015-11-17T04:48:36Z")
I would think Rubio would go for Kasich first. He appears to have a pretty good approval rating in Ohio, something like 60%. That could translate into a couple of percentage points for Rubio in the election, which might be enough to swing the state. And he’d have all the same appeal factors as Pawlenty, right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubio-pawlenty/737529.md?page=2)