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

Chris Moody
·Political Reporter

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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