Our political Quote of the Day comes from NBC’s First Read team of Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower on what Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate says about him:
So how will this play out for Romney? By picking Ryan, he made the calculation that he needed to pick someone to help redefine himself, first and foremost. The move also serves to fire up conservatives, give the GOP ticket a jolt of youthful energy, and make the case he now stands for something big. But it also wasn’t the kind of VP selection we saw from George W. Bush in 2000 or Barack Obama in 2008 that essentially said: “I’ve got this thing.” Instead, by picking Ryan, Romney said: “I need some help.
Look for the focus on Fox News, and among conservative talkers to be on the big crowds Ryan is attracting — akin to 2008 when the news became how much the base loved Sarah Palin and was happy John McCain chose her. And look for Ryan to be a major force in the GOP and competitor against Jeb Bush, Chris Christie et. al in 2016 if Romney loses.
The big sticking point, again from First Read, is Florida:
*** The battle over Florida: In fact, Romney today campaigns in Florida. And he’s being greeted by headlines like this one from the Miami Herald: “Ryan could be a drag on Romney in Florida.” It is possible for Romney to get to 270 electoral votes without Florida — but it’s extremely unlikely. If Obama were to win Florida, Romney would need to win CO, IA, NV, NH, NC VA, and WI. In other words, he’d have to run the table. By the way, we can report that according to a Romney-Ryan campaign source, Ryan will make his first visit to Florida next weekend.
When Ryan goes to Florida, expect him to be well-prepared and his ever word, pause, facial expression will be vetted by the media and the Democrats — who’ll most likely preface his visit with a big ad buy.
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.