The Vice President has always been over-looked in American history. However, it is very detrimental for the lead candidate in a nomination to choose their running-mate wisely. In the past, hit-or-miss nominees for the most part have usually resulted in a loss in the race for President. For example, in the 2008 election, Senator John McCain took a gamble and chose Sarah Palin who has been a magnet for drama; while Barrack Obama chose the wise and experienced Joe Biden to be the Vice Presidential nominee to compensate for his age and lack of experience. As we all know, Obama came away with the victory and McCain's gamble did not pay off.
Therefore, it is crucial for the to be determined Republican nominee in 2012 to choose the most qualified and conventional running-mate. Currently, the name that comes to mind when asked about who the Republican nominee for Vice President will be is Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Ever since Rubio won his seat in the Senate almost a year ago, he has been a plausible candidate for the nomination. On the surface he seems like a can't-miss candidate. Rubio's Cuban heritage can salvage the Republican Party's standing within the Latino community since they are usually strict on illegal immigration. Not only do some perceive him as the solution to the Republican's lack of Latino support which manifested itself when Obama won more than two-thirds of their votes in 2008, he gives them a leg up in winning his home state of Florida where twenty-nine votes are at stake. Add this with his conservative values and charismatic personality, it seems like he would be the backbone of any of the candidates for the Republican nominees future presidential campaign.
However, this picture is not nearly as perfect as it seems to be. In fact, it is unlikely that Rubio will be chosen to be the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President. Rubio would be faced with the same dilemma that was Obama was confronted with in 2008: his age and lack of experience. If Rubio becomes America's Vice President in 2012, he would be the youngest Vice President since John Breckinridge who served from 1857-1861. Although he is of Latino decent, his stance on immigration could ironically prevent him from gaining support with our nations Hispanic population. According to the president of the pro-Democratic group NDN Simon Rosenberg, "Despite being Hispanic, looking at his (Rubio's) overall record...he seems remarkably ill-suited to be the one reaching out to the largely Mexican migrant community in the key battleground states."
The main reason Rubio would be a highly risky move with a high risk of failure on the ticket is because he has been caught for lying several times about who he really is. Rubio has claimed to be the son of Cuban exiles from Fidel Castro's reign over that nation. This in part has been his claim to fame and a source of information for many. Unfortunately for Rubio, he has been exposed as a fraud in this regard. It has been revealed that Rubio's parents came to America two and a half years later than he has said. Therefore, it is likely to infer that he made this story up to boost the public's perception of him, gain support, and be a source of admiration. The video below is a segment from the Chris Matthews Show which digs deeper into this story:
The true irony here is that Rubio does not even want to run for Vice President. When asked about why he does not want to be the Vice President at this point of time he said, "I want to be a Senator, and I want to be a senator from Florida. I think in the United States Senate I can have a major impact on these major issues that we're facing." Although it does not seem like he will run this time around, I have a feeling once all of this is cleared up and he has some more experience under his belt, he will become a very powerful force for the Republican Party.
Links used:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54039.html
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/10/25/video-marco-rubio-rules-out-2012-vice-presidential-run-in-interview-with-bill-o%E2%80%99reilly-blasts-back-at-washington-post-for-%E2%80%98outrageous%E2%80%99-claims-about-his-familys-exile-from-c/
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/10/27/WP-Rubio-Risky-for-GOP-Ticket.aspx#page1
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