Romney considering Wyden as running mate
Sources close to Republican presidential front-runner Willard "Mitt" Romney report that Romney has included Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden on a short list of potential running mates for the November election. The Romney camp is reportedly interested in Wyden in response to his tireless work providing cover for Republican agendas on health care and taxes.
"It's perfect, when you think about it," said a senior member of the Romney campaign staff. "The Jewish thing cancels out the Mormon thing, you pick up a lot of liberal New York money, he draws in the West Coast and the techies, and you get an experienced, Teflon-coated candidate to cheese it up on the back of the stage."
Wyden, 61, has represented Oregon in Congress for 31 years. He has been in the Senate since 1996, and he serves on the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Energy and Natural Resources Committees, plus some others. Among his "bipartisan" proposals have been to abolish the federal estate tax and to privatize parts of Medicare. Wyden nearly single-handedly derailed the public option feature of the administration's health care reform proposals.
Wyden was unavailable for comment on the Romney rumor. A neighbor at his home in the Eastmoreland section of Portland said the senator was not at home. "He was only here once," the neighbor said. "He didn't stay long." Wyden's wife and children live in New York City.
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Comments (20)
Jack Bog's Blog...
...with onion(s)
Posted by cc | February 29, 2012 4:24 PM
Re: ""The Jewish thing cancels out the Mormon thing,..."
The "Mormon thing" was cancelled very recently by Santorum's reactionary Catholic thing. The American Pope-in-waiting has already unpacked. GOPers can live with the magic underwear thing. But thanks for the chuckle thing.
Posted by Gardiner Menefree | February 29, 2012 4:30 PM
"Wyden, 61, has represented Oregon in Congress for 31 years."
You might want to reframe that. I thought we only one senator.
Posted by Steve | February 29, 2012 5:15 PM
ROTFLMAO
Posted by Nonny Mouse | February 29, 2012 5:28 PM
Nothing wrong with introducing more private options in medicare, which is projected to bleed heavy red ink in the coming decades unless adjusted.
Most folks don't want ObamaCare so Wyden is not all bad on this score.
Other than this, Wyden has been about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. So, this is one of those cases where you promote incompetence to a figure head position like vice president.
Go, Ron. If you are lucky, you might not have to pretend anymore about being an Oregonian eventhough your family has residence in New York.
Posted by Bob Clark | February 29, 2012 5:33 PM
This is a joke, isn't it? Romney would have made a good VP to Daniels as President. But the good guys never make it to the game. Same everywhere. Do we really get what we deserve? How does that figure? Anymore there is a political machine that grinds these candidates out and we are left with bare shelves with very little to choose from.
Posted by Nolo | February 29, 2012 6:01 PM
Oops, Jack. One local news outlet ran with this. You have more influence than you know. Or people are desperately gullible.
Posted by Liberal Media | February 29, 2012 6:01 PM
If Oregon Democrats think that Wyden represents them, you are right.
Posted by Jack Bog | February 29, 2012 6:04 PM
This is so dumb in so many ways that it shows how little Wyden thinks of Oregonians.
http://wyden.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=23480833-b360-4e5e-aec3-6380eb1a1d52
Posted by INFO | February 29, 2012 6:30 PM
Liberal Media -- you big tease! Where's the link???
Posted by Concordbridge | February 29, 2012 6:30 PM
We do not reveal sources.
Posted by Jack Bog | February 29, 2012 6:37 PM
I don't find it funny, mainly because to me, as a conservative independent, I find Wyden fairly prototypical of Oregon Democrats, along with Kitzhaber, Goldschmidt, Kulongoski, Vera Katz, David Wu, Sam Adams, etc. I stopped the list there for brevity's sake, not because I ran out of names (the list goes on and on). I say if you want really want change, stop impugning the "tighty righties," and come over to the light side. One-party rule always leads to corruption. Always, always, always.
Posted by boycat | February 29, 2012 6:43 PM
Wyden is a Republican from New York. If you can't see that, I can't help you.
Posted by Jack Bog | February 29, 2012 6:46 PM
This is perfect - Wyden is Romney's Sarah Palin, except further to the right of Romney than Palin was to the right of McCain. This should fire up the base.
Posted by Eric L | February 29, 2012 6:51 PM
If Romney had lost Michigan, his plan was to drop out and try to primary Obama. Obama's corporate masters would have certainly had some conflicted loyalties then.
Posted by Eric L | February 29, 2012 6:55 PM
Is Feb 29th the "NEW" April 1st now?
Posted by LTJD | February 29, 2012 8:11 PM
Watch out, Bojack. I think Romney may have a plan in the works to have you baptized a Mormon!
Posted by Peter Apanel | February 29, 2012 8:18 PM
It's only funny until the next time Wyden gets elected. Too bad most of the "aware" Democrats and Independents who read this blog will still fill in the same blue bubble on their ballots instead of voting for someone who actually lives here.
Posted by Mike (the other one) | February 29, 2012 9:27 PM
Well with Wyden on the ticket at least there would be one conservative...
Posted by tankfixer | February 29, 2012 10:54 PM
Since Pelosi thinks she's a centrist, I suppose Wyden could be a conservative.
Posted by David E Gilmore | March 1, 2012 8:04 AM