Ryan/Rubio 2012?
The Ryan/Rubio ticket was proposed in an article from the Weekly Standard, and even though the idea is at best a fantasy, it’s an exciting fantasy, which is more than I can really say about any other candidate– except perhaps Mike Pence. Here’s the article:
Having just returned from the e21 and Manhattan Institute-sponsored Conversation with Paul Ryan(very ably conducted by Paul Gigot)–and having seen Marco Rubio speak recently as well, I’ll just say this: Wouldn’t it be easier just to agree now on a Ryan-Rubio ticket, and save everyone an awful lot of time, effort, and money over the next year and a half?
UPDATE: For what it’s worth, these were the first four of many e-mails to arrive, responding to the Ryan-Rubio blog post:
“Excellent, excellent choices! Unbeatable pair! I’m so excited – a reason for hope!”
“All I can say is: YES!!!!!”
“I don’t want to take away from some of the other potentially great candidates, but you are so right. Rubio is inspirational and Ryan is simply the best out there. His knowledge of the issues, particularly issues related to the budget, is second to none and he is able to communicate his position in a concise and understandable way.”
“Love it.”
To me, a Ryan/Rubio campaign is the conservative equivalent of Barack Obama’s messianic electoral victory in 2008. The only qualms to be had about the pair is that they have a decidedly significant lack of executive experience, but they’re smart enough to get the job done if they get some good people around them.
There’s nothing that can be criticized about their policy positions from a conservative standpoint either, and as for their character, who can doubt Paul Ryan after his leadership in bringing to light the doc fix exception and accounting gimmicks in the CBO analysis of Obamacare’s impact on the deficit? Or Marco Rubio’s stellar conduct when faced with allegations of being “anti-latino” because of his stance on immigration– even though he is the son of a Cuban immigrant himself? If we’re going to talk about electing a GOP President who is serious about cutting the deficit, there is no better person for the job than Paul Ryan.
Thoughts?
Buzz is that Mike Pence is eying the Indiana governor’s race, in ’12. Increasingly, it looks like that’s what he’s planning to do, so he may not be a factor.
Ryan is 40 years old and Rubio is 39. To even think that you could put them together on a ticket is just dumb. Bill Kristol is usually smarter than this, especially since neither of them will run for President.
Both of them will be on the nominee’s short list for Veep, though, and both of them are future stars in the GOP.
It’s just kind of a fun thing to consider is all.