UNLIKE SARAH PALIN...:

The GOP's Veep Favorite (Mark McKinnon, 12/11/10, Daily Beast)

Think about it. If anyone other than the former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gets the Republican nod for the top spot, it’s a no-brainer to pick Senator-elect Marco Rubio of Florida as the VP on the ticket.

Look at all the boxes he would check:

• A Tea Party favorite
• And a young, fresh face
• With a solid conservative record
• From the critical state of Florida
• He has a compelling American story
• And a rationale greater than himself for running, and for governing
• He appeals to the base
• He appeals to younger (and older) voters
• And he attracts Hispanic voters

If Palin chooses to run and is not the presidential nominee, Rubio fixes what will certainly be the “Palin problem” for the GOP. With her unmatched magnetic appeal, which attracts headlines as well as campaign donations, there will be enormous pressure on whomever is nominated for president to pick Palin as a running mate.

...he'd be the least, rather than the most, qualified candidate on either ticket, with no executive experience. If he wants to be president one day he should have run for governor.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 12, 2010 8:28 AM