Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a top contender for Romney’s VP pick, defended himself Tuesday against critics who say he’s boring. It’s better to be serious than a “celebrity” candidate, Portman said. “I like to think I am a serious legislator and trying to get things done. That’s my goal in life, to get things done. It’s not about sizzle for me,” Portman said on Fox News.
Portman then pivoted into the well-worn “celebrity” attack on President Obama:
I mean, America made a decision in 2008 to go with a president who did have sizzle. And look, he was kind of a celebrity. He also had a very compelling message which was, remember this, I’m going to bring people together to solve problems. Didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen because he didn’t have the experience, he didn’t have the record, he didn’t have the policies to do it.
This comes on the heels of a video from American Crossroads that ressurected the 2008 attack on Obama as a celebrity without substance.
