Frank Bruni, "And Now, the Veepstakes": The Republican VP Candidate Is of No Consequence?

Did you happen to see the word association game that Jay Leno played with Mitt Romney last week on The Tonight Show concerning potential Republican vice presidential candidates? Romney labeled Chris Christie "indomitable" and characterized Marco Rubio as "an American leader." Needless to say, Romney was circumspect enough not to categorize Christie "obese" or term Rubio as "someone capable of garnering the Hispanic vote."

Today, in a New York Times op-ed entitled "And Now, the Veepstakes" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/opinion/bruni-and-now-the-veepstakes.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss), Frank Bruni opines that Romney's choice of a running mate will not impact upon the ultimate results in November:

"You show me a voter so taken with a vice presidential nominee that he or she swallows real reservations to vote for the ticket and I’ll show you a member of the veep-to-be’s extended family or someone else angling for an invitation to the inauguration."

In this particular instance, I disagree with Bruni. First, I think the US presidential election is going to be very close, barring a surprise upturn in the economy. Second, if Christie can deliver New Jersey, or if Rubio can deliver Florida to the Republicans, this could make all the difference. Third, I believe that if Rubio can make even a slight impact upon among Hispanic voters, who comprise over 16% of America's population (see: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134844466/census-hispanics-are-16-percent-of-u-s-population), this could alter the results of the election.

Christie? A third of Americans are obese, and I don't think his girth will weigh against him. Quite the contrary: I believe his gruff personality could serve a valuable counterweight to Romney's pristine, not-a-hair-out-of-place, image.