Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mitt Romney's Ohio Problem


            As goes Ohio, so goes the nations. This is the sentence that Mitt Romney should be repeating over and over until November 6. He should breathe this particular construction of words both day and night, awake and asleep, in moments of triumph and defeat, and through mouths of food. He should do this because no Republican has ever made it to the White House without winning Ohio since Abraham Lincoln. In order to defeat President Obama, Romney absolutely has to win in Ohio. And Romney’s chances of winning Ohio depend completely on who he picks to be his VP.
            As of now, there has been no final decision on who the VP will be. Some say Rubio. Others say Condi. And others still insist on former candidates like Pawlenty. But if Romney realizes that has to win Ohio at all costs, his pick should be Ohio Senator Rob Portman. Portman is a well known politician in Ohio, while being lesser known around the rest of the country. He stays out of the limelight, but has been campaigning with Romney for quite a while now. Romney needs a name that the people of Ohio trust, and a name that the rest of the country can accept.
            Portman could well be the most important person in the 2012 election.
            With the Republican National Convention fast approaching, Romney has a decision to make. He could pick a Sarah Palin type candidate, one who demands more attention than himself. He could pick a candidate like Condi to go after minority votes. He could go for Bachmann to gain Tea Party support. He could literally pick anyone. But if he were smart, he would pick Portman. Portman doesn’t necessarily promise Romney a victory Ohio. But any other candidate will nearly guarantee that Romney will lose the swing state, and thereby lose the election.
            Romney will undoubtedly pour mountains of money into campaigning in Ohio, but that still might not be enough. I’m not sure if Romney has realized yet that there isn’t enough money in the world to buy trust. He will have to barter for it, and he could sacrifice a lot more than a spot on his ticket to a guy from Ohio.
            Just remember, Mitt. As goes Ohio, so goes your legacy.