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Rob Portman on politicians: ‘It's not about sizzle for me'

ByChris Moody
May 02, 2012, 3:27 PM

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Lacking charisma could be a positive for a Republican presidential duo facing a "celebrity" president like Barack Obama, said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a man rumored to be on Mitt Romney's vice presidential shortlist and known more for his legislative prowess than for his ability to hype a crowd into a frenzy.

In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Portman downplayed the importance of—in his words—"sizzle" in a candidate.

"I'd like to think I'm a serious legislator and trying to get things done," Portman said in the  interview that aired Tuesday night. "That's my goal in life, is to get things done. It's not about sizzle for me. I think it's fine. 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."

Watch the full video at FoxNews.com.

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• Gingrich to formally end 2012 presidential campaign: A moonshot comes to earth at last

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• Grover Norquist to endorse Mourdock after Lugar rejects no-tax pledge

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr. Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

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