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Editorial: The Importance of a VP Candidate

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(WOIO) -

When Ohio Senator Rob Portman was thought to be Mitt Romney's ideal pick for the vice presidential nomination, the talk was about whether he could help deliver Ohio for the republicans in November.  

Well now that Romney has tapped Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, the speculation naturally has turned to his chances of delivering that state for the Republicans.  Given all the talk on cable news shows and elsewhere, you'd think that a presidential candidate's pick of a running mate was the single most important decision of the whole campaign.  

But in the rear view mirror of history, we can learn that in only rare cases has the VP pick helped win an election for a presidential candidate. The one VP candidate who historians say did help deliver a general election was Lyndon Johnson, JFK's running mate who helped carry Texas.  And, ironically, it was Johnson who declared that the vice presidential job itself was about as important as a bowl of warm spit.

Write and let me know what you think.  I'm Bill Applegate.

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