Washington number crunchers are finally getting some respect.
Just take a look at Mitt Romney’s search for a Republican vice presidential running mate.
With the economy the top issue in the Nov. 6 elections, Romney’s short list of his possible picks features two of Congress’s most wonkish guys.
One, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, served as President George W. Bush’s budget director, and is now viewed as a top contender.
The other, Paul Ryan, is chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee.
Numbers crunchers have long been seen as political stiffs.
They could bore a crowd, not build one.
They could inform a generation, not inspire one.
Times have changed.
“Being wonkish is no longer a liability. It’s politically sexy,” said Greg Valliere of Potomac Research Group, a private firm that tracks Washington for investors.
