Election 2012

Romney Fever is Not Contagious

The enthusiasm is electrifying!

Senator Marco Rubio says that he would not accept the vice presidential nomination even if Mitt Romney personally asked him.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), one of the most buzzed-about potential running mates for Mitt Romney, says he will not be the party’s vice presidential nominee even if Romney personally asks him.

“I don’t want to be the vice president right now, or maybe ever,” Rubio said at a National Journal forum in Washington on Thursday. [...]

Still, Rubio’s comments Thursday went at least a half-step farther than previous denials. Asked whether he would turn down a direct request from Romney to join the ticket, Rubio replied, “Yes.”

Meanwhile, the results of a CNN poll conducted on the matter of vice presidential picks may leave you simultaneously baffled and amused.

A new CNN poll finds Republican voters split over whom presumptive nominee Mitt Romney should select as his running mate, with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leading a crowded pack.

A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday found that 26 percent of likely voters would like to see Romney tap Rice as his vice president. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who challenged Romney for the nomination before ending his campaign earlier this month, earned 21 percent support, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Tea Party favorite Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), tied at 14.

I cannot envision a scenario in which the Republicans nominate Rice, so the real takeaway for me is that the prospective vice presidential nominees are just as unpopular as the primary nominees were.

"Anyone but Romney" may apply to his VP pick as well.