hock clement: Veep Beat: Another Week, Still No VP

ROMNEY STAYS MUM ON VP: Another week has passed, and there is still no VP pick from Mitt Romney. Asked by reporters on the charter flight between Denver and Aspen Thursday whether he has made a decision yet about his VP choice, Mitt Romney shot down the question, saying, "Sorry guys, I got nothing for you."

In a radio interview with Sean Hannity, Romney said he has not made a final decision on his future running mate. "We have a large number of qualified people, and so I have a very strong group of people that I can consider," Romney said. "There's not a decision that's finalized yet."

Despite the delay, Romney believes his search process will result in the right selection for the country. "The process has worked really well," Romney said. "I have a good rapport with each of the people that we're speaking with. I'm pretty confident that this process will go in a way that's satisfactory to me and to the nation."

VP SEARCH HEAD TAGS ALONG: The head of Romney's VP search, Beth Myers, tagged along with the presumptive GOP nominee Thursday on his trip to Colorado, serving as a reminder of just how near the VP announcement looms. Myers chatted with press at his event in Golden and was spotted talking briefly Romney on the charter flight between Denver and Aspen. Myers will accompany Romney to Las Vegas today where he holds an event this morning.

ROMNEY SHARES STAGE WITH POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES: Surrounded by governors in what almost looked like a public tryout to find his running mate, Romney appeared on stage in Basalt, Colo., Thursday with a number of potential VP picks who all share the background of governing a state - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Jindal, who appeared publicly with Romney for the first time aside from fundraisers, spoke about the different visions Romney and President Obama offer the country. "President Obama, he believes in an Occupy Wall Street perspective that's all about saying you're entitle to your neighbor's property, to dividing us by class, by geography, by age because he doesn't have solutions," Jindal said. "Governor Romney understands that's not the future for our country. He understands the American dream is that it doesn't matter where you were born, it doesn't matter your race, your geography, your zip code, your gender."

McDonnell predicted his home state of Virginia would turn from "Obama blue to Romney red in 90 days" because the country is looking for a candidate who can restore the American Dream. "There's one candidate that really gets it. It's the man whose lived the American dream - Mitt Romney," McDonnell said.

Romney called Christie a "great closer" and let him round out the short speeches by the governors. "You know, I feel bad for the president. I really do, and here's why. You see, when you listen to the president talk about these things, he's missed the core issue that has made his presidency fail, and the reason why it's so clear to me today is because I'm standing on this stage with all these people. The core reason that his presidency has failed is he doesn't know how to lead," Christie said.

CHRISTIE INTROS ROMNEY AT ASPEN FUNDRAISER: Gov. Chris Christie introduced Romney at a fundraiser at the Little Nell Inn in Aspen, according to an Aspen donor who attended the event.

RUBIO: OBAMA DOESN'T BELIEVE IN 'MIRACLE OF FREE ENTERPRISE:' At a Strengthening the Middle Class event on behalf of Romney in Orlando Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio said President Obama does not believe in the "miracle of free enterprise," the Orlando Sentinel reported. "U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio laid the Republican perspective for President Barack Obama's speech in Winter Park today by declaring the election is a choice between someone who believes in 'the miracle of free enterprise,' Republican challenger Mitt Romney , and Obama, who does not,' the Orlando Sentinel reported. "At a morning rally in Orlando, standing in for Romney - who has said Rubio is on his list as a possible vice presidential running mate - the junior U.S. senator from Florida preached about how 'the miracle of free enterprise' supported by Romney made America exceptional. He declared Obama is 'wedded to the ideas of the old world.'"

PORTMAN DISPELS 'BORING WHITE GUY' LABEL, ONE BEER AT A TIME: Senator Rob. Portman is often tagged with the "boring white guy" label, but as ABC News' Gregory Simmons reported, Portman showed a lighter side when he sent a beer as a gift to a county commissioner. "Senator Rob Portman, R-OH, isn't taking the familiar criticism that he's a 'boring white guy' lying down anymore. To prove it, he sent a 12 oz. bottle of Bud Light as a gift to Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartman's office," Simmons wrote. "Hartman, who has known Portman for over a decade, was recently quoted in the senator's hometown paper saying, 'Rob Portman has had one beer in more places than any man in America.' The profile, which appeared June 25th in the Cincinnati Enquirer, painted a picture of Portman as a 'loyal soldier,' a man who never overindulgences and may be '?too boring to be vice president.' 'The Boy Scout reputation sometimes leads to teasing from friends who say they've never seen him drink or eat to excess, despite all the dinners, church festivals and political gatherings he's attended over the years,' the article said."

PERRY ON VP PICK: 'AS LONG AS IT'S NOT ME, I'LL BE COOL' Texas Gov. Rick Perry weighed in on veepstakes Thursday, telling CNN's Peter Hamby the vice presidential selection won't make much of a difference and he'll support anyone his one time foe Romney decides to pick, as long as it's not him. "The announcement of Mitt Romney's running mate won't do much to change the dynamics of the presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday," Hamby wrote. "Perry said the running mate pick will likely grab headlines for a couple of days before the focus of the race quickly shifts back to the choice between Romney and President Barack Obama. 'There are great and talented people out there, but vice presidential candidates are interesting choices that will probably only make two or three days worth of news, unless they make some huge gaffe,' Perry told CNN in an interview at the Republican Governors Association retreat in Aspen, Colorado. 'As long as it's not me, I'll be cool.' Perry invoked another famous Texan, John Nance Garner, to make his point. 'I think it was 'Cactus Jack' Garner, who was VP under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who said that being vice president is not worth a bucket of warm spit,' he said."

VEEP TWEETS @robportman: Ohio's @Judo_Kayla strikes gold! Congrats to Middletown's own Kayla Harrison for winning the 1st ever American gold medal in Judo! #TeamUSA

@marcorubio: @mittRomney agrees Olympians should not pay taxes on medals. Cmon @barackobamadont you agree? http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/02/

@reppaulryan: The complex tax code stifles economic growth. You deserve a tax code that is fair, simple & competitive. http://bit.ly/OE5rgX

@governorva: VA's back-to-school sales tax holiday starts tomorrow and ends Sunday. School supplies, clothing & footwear will be exempt from sales tax.

hock clement

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Veep Beat: Another Week, Still No VP

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