Why Robert Portman?

Robert Portman is the type of candidate that Democrats all over the country dream of having the Republicans run: a Bush alumni with little name recognition and direct ties with many unpopular issues. I won't lie, there are plenty of times where I just have to sit back and ask myself "what the hell are they thinking?"

So in the spirit of knowing the enemy, I want to review Portman's strengths. Just what is it that he brings to the table?

Item #1: Money

Well the most obvious thing he's got is money, quite a bit of it actually. Portman had a significant wad of cash left in his old House campaign fund before he even started his Senate run. It doesn't really what your message is in politics; you'll need money for people to actually hear it.

Portman's independent funding may also leave to Ohio Republican Party with extra cash to play defense or to boost other candidates.

Item #2: Connections

Portman also has connections. While many of us hope these connections will be the very things that sink him, you have to remember that good ole Dubbya isn't exactly the rallying point that he used to be. By next November, he might not be relevant at all.

Furthermore, Portman seems to be trying to position himself as a kind of outsider’s insider, saying he knows how the system works and will use that knowledge to Ohio's advantage.

Well here's the thing about that, I'm 22-years-old and I too know a bit about how the system works. You sell little pieces of your soul everyday to get a fraction of what you want, and then you turn around and call it a huge success.

While I have to respect Portman's taking the issue head on, I can't really see this working out (especially following an election where changing the system was a major talking point for both sides of the aisle).

Conclusion:

So am I saying that Robert Portman is infallible? Not even close, the man has many flaws that we'll all take great joy in pointing out later on in this race (and the wait is just killing me). All I'm saying is that we need to start thinking about Portman as a serious candidate, whether he is or not.

When he comes to your town, go see him. Get him on the record on many issues now, while he's still appealing to the Republican base. Don't you remember all that fun stuff Jerid found when he did the same thing to the Republican Presidential candidates during the New Hampshire Project? This will also create plenty of fun later on when Portman tries to back away from many of these claims.