VP Beat: Rubio on Divisive Politics, Trump Wants In?
Published at
Mike Stobe/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — PORTMAN ADMITS HE’S ‘BORING’ Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, in an in depth Washington Post profile of the first term Ohio senator, admits, “I told my staff that I’m so boring that I didn’t even know I was boring.” Portman later added smiling, “However the press wants to characterize it is fine.”
RUBIO DECRIES DIVISIVE POLITICS: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., lamented the divisive state of politics Wednesday, accusing politicians of fostering a culture of ineffectiveness and division and placing the blame for much of this with a veiled swipe at President Obama. “Last three and a half years after our elections, irrespective of how you felt about how they turned out, we all had hope that this nation would embark at a new moment, where somehow we would rise above the petty politics of the moment and have a real honest societal wide conversation about what kind of country we want to be, what kind of role we want to play in the world, and what kind of role we want our government to play in our lives. Well any hope of that is now gone,” Rubio said during his keynote address at the Latino Coalition’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. Wednesday afternoon. “What you have today is nothing less than a whole sale effort to pit one group of Americans against each other on issue after issue.”
TRUMP CHIMES IN ON VP: PICK ME! Donald Trump weighed in on the veepstakes race in an interview with Newsmax Wednesday. “You have a lot of really good candidates,” Trump said to Newsmax. “Chris Christie’s a great guy. He’s a friend of mine. You really have someone really good there. Rob Portman, who I don’t know, but I hear fantastic things about. Certainly he’s been very well vetted over the years. He’s a professional who’s been there a long time. He’s been through it. He knows the game and he’s a very, very solid citizen… “On a younger side, you could look at Sen. Rubio, who I think could help with Hispanics. But he is young, and I think he sort of doesn’t want to go through it and doesn’t want to do it.” But Trump joked about his own potential candidacy telling Newsmax with a smile. “They have a lot of very good people…Probably the best choice of all would be Donald Trump.”
JINDAL’S LATEST DENIAL: Appearing on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal responded to a question about whether he would join Romney on the GOP ticket if asked. “I’m not going to speculate on hypotheticals, but I’m going to do everything I can to support Romney and whoever he selects as vice president because we can’t afford another four years, but I’ve got a job that I want.” When host Chuck Todd pointed out that it wasn’t a denial and asked “You know that right?” Jindal just chuckled and tried to change the topic to college football. You can watch that video here.
PAWLENTY CAMEO: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a former presidential candidate himself, makes a cameo in Romney’s latest general election TV ad entitled “Day 1, Part 2.”
DANIELS AND THE INDY 500: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will be the honorary starter at this weekend’s Indy500, WIBC reports. “I really caught my breath first and I literally started to say, ‘Awww….. Jeff you want to get somebody else,” Daniels said of when he was asked to wave the green flag to start the race. “There’s got to be a better idea but then I thought no, that’s a nice offer and besides, what kid that grew up in Indiana didn’t fantasize about being able to see the start from that vantage point?” Daniels said he will practice before the race on Sunday.
BUSH ABROAD: The China Post reports former Gov. Jeb Bush is traveling on a three-day trip to Taiwan this week.
CHRISTIE HITS THE SHORE: N.J. Gov. Chris Christie hits the Jersey Shore Thursday with a tour and press conference in Atlantic City ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, ABC News’ Shushannah Walshe reports. Christie famously warned shore-goers last summer to “Get the hell off the beach” last summer as Hurricane Irene barreled towards the shore.
MARTINEZ OK AFTER HARD LANDING: The Santa Fe New Mexican reports New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and her husband were not hurt after a private plane they were flying in late Wednesday night touched down without its landing gear deployed at Santa Fe Municipal Airport. The couple was returning from a meet and greet campaign event for New Mexico Senate candidate Angie Spears in Tucumcari.
GOP GOVS HELP OUT WALKER: As part of a concerted effort by the RGA to boost Gov. Scott Walker’s standing in the state ahead of recall election, three GOP governors – Nikki Haley, Bobby Jindal, and Bob McDonnell – will head to the Badger State over the next two weeks to campaign with the embattled governor. Jindal is on deck, McDonnell will help out on Tuesday, and Haley will be there next Friday. They will join N.J. Gov. Chris Christie and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who have already traveled to the state to hit the trail with him.
LOOK AHEAD: Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush will address the NALEO conference in Orlando in late June.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio