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Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) speaks at the 2012 Fiscal Summit in Washington, D.C.
LEBANON, OH -- There is something haunting a top contender for the Republican vice-presidential nomination.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, along with his brother and sister, own The Golden Lamb, a landmark hotel in the southwestern part of the Buckeye State, where scores of historical figures have spent the night.
It is the oldest continuously run business in the state and has housed the likes of Charles Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ulysses S. Grant. Twelve presidents have visited, and it has served as the backdrop for multiple campaign events, including a McCain-Palin rally in 2008.
But it is in a small room on the hotel's fourth floor that houses its spookiest lodger.
Through a glass encasing in the room, there is a plastic doll lying on a child-size bed surrounded by toys from the late 19th Century. It is here, where, "The restless spirit of a young girl materializes in this small room," at least according to a letter posted outside the door.
Portman neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a haunting spirit in his hotel. But he did say in an email to First Read that his mother "had some stories" from her time living there as a child and then later operating the business for seven years.
"She used to say there were some 'interesting' sounds she heard at night, including what she said sounded like a chain dragging on the carpet," Portman wrote. "Now that was some years ago, but, just saying."
Owning a self-proclaimed haunted hotel can be added to the list of quirky facts that have trickled out about the Ohio senator since he became a key surrogate for the GOP nominee. A knock against him during this season of VP speculation has been that he is boring. But friends and close aides are quick to push back against that narrative. They cite his dry wit and his penchant for adventure -- like the time he smuggled a kayak into China to ride the Yangtze River.
Not to mention the ghost.
The ghoulish girl, who some believe walks the halls of The Golden Lamb, is Sarah Stubbs, who, despite passing away in 1957, "cannot find peace in the world beyond," according the information outside the room. The story of Sarah's haunting is rather mundane compared to that of other ghost stories. She lived to be 79, and those familiar with the story acknowledge she lived a happy and stable life. However, her father passed away when she was a young girl and did not enjoy her time living at the hotel.
The Golden Lamb attempts to put to rest any confusion: "Investigators into the realm of the supernatural believe in the ‘Imprint Theory,’ which holds that traumatic experiences, such as the loss of her dear father and the move to new surroundings left an imprint on the youthful Sarah's spirit, so that she returns as a little girl, even though she died as an old woman many years later."
The hotel embraces the ghost story, but it is the history of famous guests that it most heavily promotes. Outside each room is the name of a person who either visited or stayed the night. You can make reservations for the "Martin Van Buren Room" or the "John Quincy Adams Room," though the staff is unsure if the famous guests actually overnighted in the exact room that bears their names. Along with the 18-room hotel, The Golden Lamb has multiple dining rooms, a tavern, and a gift shop.
Tim Price, assistant general manager at The Golden Lamb, said he has not had any paranormal experiences in the year and a half he's worked there, but he and other members can rattle off names of others who claim to have seen a ghost.
"If you want to see something, you'll probably see something," he said.
Price said Portman remains very involved in the management of the property and frequently stops by when in town. Despite working for a politician, Price says he has not been paying much attention to the speculation that his boss could be tapped as Mitt Romney's running mate.
When Price is asked if he thinks Portman would make a good vice president, he quickly nodded and said, "Yup."
And maybe, just maybe, he can bring his experience dealing with the supernatural to the White House, a place some believe is among the most haunted places in America - something Michelle Obama alluded to in 2009.
Leave a Comment:
Oh I don't know...
Could it be the ghost of "W" & The Dick?
Maybe, Rob should give Palin a call - she could hook him up with her Witch Doctor for a good old fashioned exorcism!
Hey FR, what's the President up to today?
Any plans on anyone getting together over the Gun Running Scandal?
Any more Dem's say they won't be in NC this summer?
How is the Economy doing?
Hey Andrew Rafferty, keep up with that hard hitting "Journalism"!
You guys are freakin hilarious!!!
Uh, WCA, if the comments this morning in First Thoughts are any indicator, we're supposed to be talking about Andrea Mitchell, Mitt Romney and WaWa today.
Didn't you get the memo?
Nah, noid, I don't get any "memo's"
I suppose crummy old posters like us can talk about what ever we want, but I thought that First Read "The first place for news and analysis from the NBC News Political Unit", might have something better to talk about.
So anyway, did you see that dude kick the line judge at the French Open? Now that was funny.
Sorry...it's tennis. I care about tennis about as much as I care about dressage and stories about Lindsey Lohan passed out in a hotel.
Dang it, I knew I should have plugged the Lohan drunk at the hotel thing instead.
Not a big tennis fan myself, but anytime a guy kicks an official, I think it's worth watching.
Here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py86iMkf8iw
Indeed, you love it so much you continue to do it on nights and weekends.
If this gun running thing was such a scandal then why are the republicans not interested in the actual republicans who started the program and ran it for years before President Obama was elected.
Just like the deficit, the republicans voted to create the deficit on purpose with tax cuts during war time and now want to blame the deficit on everybody but themselves.
The republicans create a mess and then want to blame the ones who inherited their mess instead of the ones who started it. Right, WCA?
Ones would have to be smart to see through all the lies the republicans are telling to convince you that President Obama inherited a good economy with no deficits and no gun running programs already in place.
Unfortunately the republicans are not interested in the truth of any kind they are only interested in making the rich richer even it it sends America into another recession. Then they want to call us dumb for loving America and wanting to care for all our people and not just the rich 1%.
VOTE FOR AMERICA AND REAL FREEDOM...VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT 2012
I saw it WCA. Yes it was funny. The Heat/Thunder game was NOT lol
Seriously, I mean seriously serious seriously? If this was even tangibly based in reality, it would still have a difficult time rising above the realm of the ridiculous.
I guess one guy goes on vacation and the whole operation goes to hell.
Ghosts,... c'mon, get freaking real.
Where is the story no one is reporting, the Ron Paul hijacking of Teapublican delegates? Now there is some scary horror there, if your name is Willardistic Mittronic Rombot.
Hey, as long as we're in the realm of the ridiculous and freakin' hilarious, is this Rob Portman's VP audition?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku28P0UsCCo
Take that, Marco Rubio and Bob McDonnell!
PS - Is his nickname really "Snooze Button"?
...but, see, Lohan passed out in a hotel isn't news.
Now, if she were passed out at The Vatican...THAT would have been news!!!
AmericansFirst - I'll probably vote for a couple of Democrats, if that is OK?!
As long as you vote to boot Obama out ....
Indeed. Let's stick Romney in there. In less than four years we too can be Ireland.
Brilliant logic! But I guess I have yet to hear any logical comment from a resident of Alaska. They voted in Palin after all.
This article raises another question for everyone to ponder.
We've all heard many people saying that they don't believe in "GOD".
Many of those same say they they have had some sort of experience with paranormal activity and that they believe in ghosts.
How can anyone believe in ghosts and still have trouble believing in God? Wouldn't they both be in the exact same realm? It seems to me that both would be disembodied cosmic entities. If one existed, couldn't the other?
Just asking................................
Obama has been nothing but a complete disaster ....
And you know it ....
Sorry if you got a tattoo of Obama on your forehead or somewhere else ....
Obama has failed badly ....
We're broke ....
Or haven't you heard .... ??
Specifically, how has he been a disaster? List me his policies that have been disastrous.
Poor Romney, doesn't have a ghost of a chance, even if he chooses Portman, who comes with a ghost.
Mainly the tax payer cost of Obama now ....
The tax payer debt and deficit he's dumped on us ....
Or haven't you heard .... ??
I'm sure those newborn taxpayer babies will pay it off for us.
That sounds like Obama logic .... "LOL"
That's Alaskan logic apparently. Such fine schools they must have up there. Turning out such highly educated individuals.
See how grumpy Obama makes you .... "LOL"
That's OK ....
He has that effect on all of his supporters .... "LOL"
Everything is big in Alaska, sorry Texas, even egos are apparently bigger in the 49th State. Educatiion obviously isn't. Well, you can't have everything.
Apparent our friend from Alaska thinks it is okay to spend bilions of TAXPAYER dollers to fund a couple of wars off the books but not okay for rich people to pay taxes. Warped thinking at its finest. Unfortunately the government ends up doing for its citizens what those citizens can't or won't do for themselves. Since private industry isn't creating jobs despite tax cuts up the gazoo but send jobs off shore (for even greater profit, of course) the government must step in with either jobs or relief. We can't be allowed to look like Engand in the days of Charles Dickens or like Somalia today.
Fiesty: (post 1.0)
WOW, another FIRST POST in an MSNBC article, to go along with your two FIRST POSTS yesterday.
19 Jun – First Read – Romney Says Marco Rubio Being Thoroughly Vetted
19 Jun – First Read – Would Wealthy Really Pay Same Share of Taxes Under Romney
Please tell us, are you an MSNBC staffer or do you work for the DNC? Who is your MSNBC contact that allows you access to all the First Read articles so you can launch your leftist diatribe each day? It's so sad to see that MSNBC has turned over their supposedly open forum for comments to a paid partisan political hack in this manner.
I just wonder, when Obama is bounced out of office as soundly as Tom Barrett was defeated in Wisconsin, will you just fade away or will you continue with your hate filled soliloquies?
NOBAMA 2012!
.
I see biginalaska is like the rest of the teapubs. Ask for specifics and their eyes glaze over and they get this blank expression. LOL
Figures. Romney will go after a person from a swing state in his effort to garner more votes.
Not a bold move or an innovative one. Many have done similar things in the past to win an election.
But choosing the wrong running mate can and often does come back to haunt you. We need only to look back at the last presidential election to see how much Palin did for McCain. Not to say that McCain would have won without her, but he took a huge hit with her.
Couldn't be scarier than 4 more years of obama.
Indeed. We could be Ireland after four years of Romney.
Such aspirations...
Obama's poll numbers are still looking really gloomy for him .... "LOL"
Obama must be loosing his mind from staying below Romney in the polls for weeks now .... "LOL"
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows Mitt Romney attracting 48% of the vote, while President Obama earns 44%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and another five percent (5%) are undecided ....
Brilliant grammar there champ! Another testament to No Child Left Behind.
mmmmm bigben. Yummy:) Nice to see you!
Nothing Obama does is helping him in the polls ....
Sorry ....
Even the democrats are running to the Romney camp by the millions .... "LOL"
Nicer to see you GermanGem .... ; )
Bad, right? I mean we are in another recession.
Oh wait, we are not we didn't follow the republicans plans of austerity and we are not in another recession like the countries who did follow the republicans policies.
The scary part is people who are so dumb that they would vote with their hate and would rather see America fail that re-elect the man who turned the recession around.
Other countries are looking at a stimulus as it has turned around our economy even though we are growing slowing we are growing in the right direction and we are not in a double-dipped recession like the countries who pushed the republican policies of austerity.
I can't figure out why a country growing slowly is more scary than voting for Romney whose policies promise us another recession. Miss Gem would vote for another recession on purpose and then want us to believe she is smart.
VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE....VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT 2012
You haven't seen Obama's massive crushing debt and deficit then ....
That all tax payers need to pay back at some point ....
Every tax payer owes about $181,000 now ....
Which includes new born's ....
Lovely .... "LOL"
Uh....newborns are not taxpayers.
What school did you graduate from again? Oh that's right...Alaska. Got it.
Then I'll call it citizen ....
Feel better ....
All U.S. citizens owe almost $181,000 each of Obama's massive debt ....
Feel better .... "LOL"
See how grumpy Obama makes you .... "LOL"
au contraire ruken. 4 more years of obama we will be like greece. but we won't be subservient to germany. we will be subservient to china.
No, all taxpayers owe 138k. Every citizen owes just over 50k.
Didn't that fine Alaskan school teach you to read before that chapter of newborn baby taxpayers?
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Four years of Romney and his supply-side economics and we'll be like Ireland.
I hope you don't fiscally manage your home finances .... "LOL"
4 more years of Obama and we could be about $20 trillion or more in debt .... "LOL"
Or is that not much to you .... "LOL"
Ya know ruken, for a guy who flaunts a phony degree here at FR, you sure seem to intent on telling everyone how much smarter you are than them.
To bad your posts don't show it.
@ WCA and neither does his made up honors and "brilliant" rebuttals.
Coming from an idiot that spends his weekends trolling this site? ROFL.
Wow 181,000 for every citizen? Any idea on what the total on that would be big? Can you read that many zeros? Math is not your strong suit huh?
Portman will bring the ghost of Spiro Agnew to Willard's campaign!
This is kind of a silly story - only item worth noting is in the 8th paragraph:
Can we expect to learn that this mild-mannered, Romney wannabe has 'high-school bullying' ghosts in his closet as well?
Hey Ursula,
Maybe the ghosts ate some dogs also. We definitely know how may President Obama has in his Closet.
It is a silly story.
That guy is just as CREEEPY as Romney !
And Obama is 1,000 times creepier .... "LOL"
Obama will be behind in the poll numbers tomorrow also .... "LOL"
What haunts Rob Portman's political prospects most is the years he spent helping George W Bush destroy the American economy... as his trade czar and as his budget director, Portman bears direct responsibility for many of the decisions that cost millions of Americans their jobs.
That, not cutesy little human interest stories planted to make him sound interesting, is what will define him if he becomes Bain Capital's running mate.
If Portman's having spirit problems, he outta call "Ghost Busters". This is definitely one of the silliest articles I've seen on FR... News must be sparce today....
MNSBC; When you can't say some thing good about Obama, don't say nothing at all ayah.
This was the same crap that the republicans were spewing during the last election.
Fortunately enough people saw through the pandering and lies and voted for a president instead of another puppet for Norquist.
This election is a choice. If you love America and her people and want to continue to grow our country for all our people then vote for a democrat.
If you think only the rich are important and are willing to face another recession to give Romney and his rich friends permanent and larger tax cuts then vote for a republican.
How dumb do you have to be to think that increasing our debt and borrowing even more money from China to give more tax cuts to our richest citizens is a good ideal for America? Ask ben, he knows.
Obama supporters = : (
Romney supporters = : )
"LOL"
Yep, we need to carry Ohio more so than we need the illegal votes! Portman would assure that and with Rep. Gov. , he can afford to step out of the Senate.
?
Portman for Veep? Now there is a spooky thought.
Save it for Hallowen, please. I believe in ghosts as much as I believe W will get a third term some day.
What haunts Rob Portman? Probably the recurring nightmare of walking in on Santorum and Romney in a love clutch..........
Wow I am such an edumacated voter now after reading this story.
Now a real haunted story would be a short tour of "Feisties" head & thought process & how she receives ESP messages from MSNBC so she is always the first to post her idiotic, Obama fan mail comments.
I love the Montana Obama Outhouse!!
Vote the Socialist out in November.
Why trashing ever VP candidate? Because MSNBC knows what most in Washington know. Obama's re-election possibilities are in deep trouble. When an incumbent President can't come close to 50% in the polls, he is in deep trouble. Why? Because over the last 50 years, the undecided voting block has always gone about 80% for the challenger. Undecides have seen the incumbent for 4 years and in most cases have formed an opinion on him. They are now viewing the challenger to see if he tops their negative opinion of the incumbent. Unless Romney makes a huge mistake, he is probably in. This is why Obama MUST score a big victory in the debates.
Trashing? Why sucah a drama queen Ray? Something you want to get off your chest?
I'll vote for Natalie Portman.
I can't believe I actually read the entirety of this article. Some ghost must have made me do it.
There will be a lot more hauting Portman after the tea party gets through with him. HAH!
Mittbusters to solve the ghost and economic problem? Trial Balloon Pops.