One of the names the pundit class seems to constantly mention as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney on the GOP ticket is Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
But Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer says picking Portman would not make sense, at least politically. “The Portman thing puzzles me,” Krauthammer said Wednesday during the online segment of “Special Report.”
“If your problem is that you’re stiff, you’re not exciting, you’ve got green eyeshades and you’re great otherwise, but not exactly a charismatic character — why would you double down on that with a Portman?” he asked.
Krauthammer also said that if Romney picks Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, he will have “given the Democrats what they think is a lifeline because it changes the referendum on the incumbent, which is what it generally is, into an election.”
“I think Romney would like to have the option to swing either way,” he added. “If the economy improves, it is going to have to be a choice election. If the economy, you know goes south or doesn’t improve, I think he’ll try to run it as a stewardship election. He can win on that. It gives him a little bit more wiggle room.”