NBC's Chuck Todd Uses Sarah Palin to Disqualify Marco Rubio as Potential VP
Appearing on Tuesday's NBC Today, political director Chuck Todd warned
Mitt Romney against picking Marco Rubio as a vice presidential running
mate with a negative comparison to Sarah Palin: "The drawbacks –
inexperience. Do you want to pick somebody who basically has the
same amount of time in statewide office that a person who was on the
ticket last time by the name of Sarah Palin had?"
Todd oddly asserted: "...he's never really been vetted. When you say
vetted, his campaign for the Senate, he breezed through. He never had
the rough and tumble." In what way did he "breeze through"? Rubio had a
long and contentious primary battle with former Florida governor Charlie
Crist, who then proceeded to run in the general election as an
independent. Rubio had to defeat both Crist and the Democrat to win the
seat.
Todd
also suggested that Rubio was also the wrong kind of Hispanic to appeal
to Latino voters: "...it isn't a home run that a Cuban-American is
going to appeal to Mexican-Americans where it counts in places like
Colorado and Nevada, and New Mexico."
Co-host Matt Lauer piled on: "And [Rubio] has made a couple of
misstatements in the past that have kind of cost him a little bit." He
then wondered: "Marco Rubio has a very big personality. Is that a good
thing? Do you want to add personality or might that overshadow the
candidate?" Todd replied: "They don't want somebody to overshadow him
[Romney]. And I think that this is a demerit, if you will, for Marco
Rubio..."
Continuing to cite Palin as someone that no potential running mate
should emulate, Todd offered this suggestion for the Republican VP: "If
you put Sarah Palin into a computer and you said, 'give me the opposite
of,' you would get [Ohio Senator] Rob Portman. You know, he is quiet. He
is workman-like. This is a guy from, by the way, the swing state of
Ohio. Has a lot of experience in government."
Todd still found a problem with Portman though: "I think his biggest
demerit is going to be his years in the Bush administration. I think
having Bush – quote/unquote 'Bush baggage' – not going to be good."
After dismissing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as another pick
that might "overshadow" Romney and worrying that former Florida Governor
Jeb Bush's "last name might be a problem," Todd again brought up Palin
in discussing the possibility of Condoleezza Rice:
I think it's going to be tough to pick any woman because of the
inevitable comparisons to Sarah Palin, that whole idea of the ten-day.
However, Condi Rice is somebody who has her own persona outside of – she
wouldn't feel this idea that she would be compared for ten straight
days after the pick to Sarah Palin.
Here is a full transcript of the April 24 exchange:
7:14AM ET
MATT LAUER: Five states hold Republican presidential primaries today,
including Pennsylvania, where Mitt Romney turned some heads by
campaigning on Monday with Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Some believe it
may have been a trial run or a preview of the Republican ticket. Chuck
Todd is NBC's political director and chief White House correspondent.
Chuck, good morning to you.
CHUCK TODD: Good morning, Matt.
LAUER: Marco Rubio, first-term Cuban-American senator. He could help
Mitt Romney with Latino voters. The Tea Party loves this guy. And he
happens to be from the battleground state of Florida. Check, check,
check. What am I missing?
TODD: No, you're not missing much. Plus he's young. And there is some
idea that you need a generational lift for the Republican ticket. And he
might be able to have an appeal to more youthful voters. There's a lot
of positives here, but there's some negatives.
LAUER: So what are the drawbacks?
TODD:
The drawbacks – inexperience. Do you want to pick somebody who
basically has the same amount of time in statewide office that a person
who was on the ticket last time by the name of Sarah Palin had? So,
that's number one. Two, it isn't – it isn't a home run that a
Cuban-American is going to appeal to Mexican-Americans where it counts
in places like Colorado and Nevada, and New Mexico. And the third thing
is, he's never really been vetted. When you say vetted, his campaign for
the Senate, he breezed through. He never had the rough and tumble.
LAUER: And has made a couple of misstatements in the past that have
kind of cost him a little bit. Talk about personality and chemistry,
okay? Mitt Romney, let's be honest here, is not known as the biggest
personality in the room. Marco Rubio has a very big personality. Is that
a good thing? Do you want to add personality or might that overshadow
the candidate?
TODD: They seem to be focused on this idea. They don't want somebody to
overshadow him. And I think that this is a demerit, if you will, for
Marco Rubio, a demerit for Chris Christie, even a Jeb Bush. Anybody that
will look bigger. You don't want your nominee to look small compared to
the running mate.
LAUER: Another guy getting some attention right now is Rob Portman, he's a senator from Ohio. Why is he getting the attention?
TODD: If you put Sarah Palin into a computer and you said, "give me the
opposite of," you would get Rob Portman. You know, he is quiet. He is
workman-like. This is a guy from, by the way, the swing state of Ohio.
Has a lot of experience in government. Would allow this idea, Matt, of
doubling down on, okay, it is time to go after the budget and go into
the weeds.
LAUER: Yeah, but two very, quiet, subdued, subtle guys. How's that going to work on the campaign tram?
TODD: Well, and that's what's unclear. You know, what's interesting
about Portman is that he's always played the person who fills in for the
debate. He's done the practice debate guy. So he has more personality
than he gets credit for. I think his biggest demerit is going to be his
years in the Bush administration. I think having Bush – quote/unquote
"Bush baggage" – not going to be good.
LAUER: The next few names, let's just go scale of one to ten, ten being
certainty, one being never gonna happen. Chris Christie, you brought
his name up before.
TODD: Yeah, I think he's going to get vetted, but I think over time
because of the overshadow – the idea that he could overshadow the
nominee, that's going to be a problem.
LAUER: Jeb Bush. You know, he said they've been trying to get him to
run as the presidential candidate for ages now. He made some waves last
week when he said maybe he'd consider the number two slot.
TODD: If they care about the Hispanic vote, I actually think Jeb Bush
is a better pick than Marco Rubio. Because he would be able to appeal to
Hispanics in a way Marco Rubio wouldn't. But I think, again, the Bush
last name might be a problem.
LAUER: You've got a long shot on your list, Condoleezza Rice.
TODD: Well, I do. I think it's going to be tough to pick any woman
because of the inevitable comparisons to Sarah Palin, that whole idea of
the ten-day. However, Condi Rice is somebody who has her own persona
outside of – she wouldn't feel this idea that she would be compared for
ten straight days after the pick to Sarah Palin. And that's why I think –
plus foreign policy, that matters.
LAUER: Alright, Chuck Todd. Chuck, as always, good to see you.
TODD: You got it.
LAUER: Pleasure.
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.