We are obviously nearing a point when Mitt Romney will select his running mate.
This is one of the few important choices a candidate gets to make before becoming president, and in that regard, many will interpret it as symbolic — as a signal of how he intends to govern.
And so, here is how I will likely interpret things…
If Romney selects Sen. Rob Portman or former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, I will read this as an attempt to do no harm. The unfortunate corollary to this might be to do little good. Both men are generally liked and respected by the establishment and the media, but neither man has an obvious raison d’etre.
Conversely, selecting Rep. Paul Ryan, for example, would signal a serious commitment to entitlement reform. Choosing Sen. Marco Rubio would send a message about achieving the American Dream. And picking Gov. Chris Christie would put the teacher’s unions on notice. But what does a Rob Portman pick signal?
Some additional unsolicited advice for Romney: Don’t surprise us.
I’ve long contended that part of the reason the media turned on Sarah Palin so promptly is that they didn’t get to help “vet” her.
Sure, some conservatives were talking her up (my former Townhall.com intern Adam Brickley even launched his now-famous “Draft Palin” website), but the press never seriously believed she would be picked — and the McCain team didn’t do them the courtesy of properly floating a trial balloon.
Now, you might be repelled by the notion that a Republican candidate needs to run his selection by the press first, and that would be a completely understandable response. But doing so might have either nixed the pick in advance — or, more likely — had the salutary effect of getting some opinion leaders on the record as being supportive of Palin (thus making it harder for them to later criticize the pick). At the very least, the press would have been made to feel that they had some input in the decision.
The press is ready for the following selections: Portman, Ryan, Jindal, Pawlenty Rubio, and maybe Christie. Should the selection be anyone else — be that Sen. Ayotte, Condi Rice — or some unnamed dark horse — the Romney camp would be well advised to begin floating that name sooner rather than later.