The bookies on the VP selection

Posted at 12:29 PM on July 18, 2012 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

The bookies might be as legitimate when it comes to political analysis as anything we're force fed in the news these days.

Gov. Romney is expected to pick a running mate soon, so that the London Olympics don't overshadow the pick.

Let's check Paddypower, which opened book on the Republican vice presidential pick last April, installing Florida's Marco Rubio as the overwhelming 11-to-4 favorite.

But that was then and this is now. Now, Rob Portman, the Ohio senator, is going off at 7-to-4 odds, but former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is drawing in the railbirds, too. Betting on either one will not pay for medical school.

Betting on Pawlenty requires ignoring history. Governors don't usually get on the ticket; the last one to be elected was Spiro Agnew. Only 4 of 25 people nominated by a major party came from the ranks of governors.

The last time it happened became a study in how not to pick a VP candidate.

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Comments (7)

I see Michele Bachmann made the list. Does the Muslim Brotherhood know about this?

Posted by Robert Moffitt | July 18, 2012 1:08 PM

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Mitt Romney is 150/1 to pick himself as VP?

Posted by BJ | July 18, 2012 1:15 PM

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Robert Moffitt - the statement above in the photo doesn't say who Romney will pick, but who the VP will be... I guess if the VP is Romney then it will mean that Ron Paul (who still hasn't conceded the republican primary) will have had to have beaten Romney out, and then picked him for VP?

I'm surprised Rand Paul is 1/16...

I was thinking Paul Ryan might be a choice he'd actually go for... he has name recognition after the whole financial show down, but not so much as to over shadow Romney, over all a good choice for the republican establishment if Romney wins or looses to have some one who is younger in there so as to get the name recognition to make a run in 4-8 years time when every the republican field opens up again...

Posted by jon | July 18, 2012 1:33 PM

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// Mitt Romney is 150/1 to pick himself as VP?

You don't need a PhD to make a bet.

Posted by Bob Collins | July 18, 2012 1:46 PM

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I was going to put the whole check on "all others" for even money but then realized Romney is not capable of independent thought.

Mr Portman welcome to the club of losing VP candidates. Joe Lieberman will be your tour guide.

Posted by matt | July 18, 2012 2:29 PM

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If you want to get a governor and an Agnew flashback you could go for Gov. Walker. Wasn't there talk of some sort of investigation of him in the run-up to the recall vote?

Posted by JackU | July 18, 2012 4:00 PM

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Bob - I'm shocked and dismayed that you removed my comment saying that I hoped Condi Rice would be the vp pick.

Was it the subtle suggestion that some tea partiers might be a little racist?
:-)

Posted by Jim Shapiro | July 19, 2012 1:23 PM

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