Host David Gregory noted Sunday on “Meet the Press” that some Republicans he’s talking to are becoming pessimistic about the party’s prospects for taking down President Barack Obama in 2012 – but Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell isn’t one of them.
“The president’s a great campaigner,” he conceded. “We expect a spirited campaign. We’re going to have great candidates.”
McDonnell said he’d like to see a governor run “because governors have to balance [a] budget, they’ve got to be decisive, they can’t make excuses, they’ve got to lead, and I think that’s what we need.”
“That’s what we need right now is decisiveness, and getting confidence back in the economy…we need pro-growth, pro-economic policies, we need to keep taxes in check, and we ought to have the fortitude to cut spending, and that’s what a governor I think will bring to the table, so I’m not at all pessimistic. I think we’ve got some good candidates, and they’ll get stronger, and through the [crucible] of these debates I think you’ll see a good candidate [emerge].”
A host of potential nominees spoke in New Hampshire over the weekend, including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Not brought up during Sunday’s discussion, at least with McDonnell, was whether he might enter the veepstakes for 2012 — an idea that McDonnell, the Vice Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has consistently batted away. Later on the program, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who has also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick, said he had no interest in the slot.
“I won’t consider it; I don’t want to be the vice president of the United States,” he said. “I want to be a Senator, and I want to be Senator from Florida.”
When pressed by Gregory, Rubio said that “under no circumstances” would he be on a ticket in 2012.
