vice president clinton: “no… way!”
by Tom Carey
Published: May 26, 2008
With Senator Obama now just 65 delegates away from securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, much of the speculation now turns to whom he will choose as his runningmate. The names being floated right now are many: John Edwards, Sam Nunn, Bill Richardson, Jim Webb, Bob Casey, Chuck Hagel, Tom Daschle. These are just a few of the people likely to be considered to occupy the bottom half of an Obama ticket. Many are now asking the question, “Would Barack Obama ever choose Hillary Clinton as his vice president?” For me the answer is clear: when Hell’s hockey team wins the Stanley Cup.
I was lucky enough to hear Newsweek’s Chief Political Correspondent and frequent visitor to MSNBC, Howard Fineman, speak in Philadelphia on campaign ’08 this past Tuesday. During the Q & A portion of the program, I was glad when someone asked this question. Would Senator Obama ever pick Hillary as his runningmate? Fineman’s answer was both entertaining and telling. After diplomatically explaining that many members of the Obama campaign view the Clintons with a great deal of antipathy, Fineman said that when he posed the question to a senior Obama campaign official he got the following answer: “No… way!”
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that many insiders with the Obama campaign feel this way about the Clintons. After all, despite all the success of the 1990s, Senator Obama has run an equally successful campaign without the political games that the Clinton White House specialized in for eight years. However, despite the growing divide between the Obama and Clinton campaigns, there are other important reasons why I feel Hillary Clinton would never be seriously considered for the no. 2 spot.
1) The Promise of Change – Obama has run a campaign entirely focused on change, not just in the realm of policy but also regarding the kind of politics our leaders conduct. All the division associated with the Clintons over impeachment, triangulation and scandal would prove that Obama was never honest about his plans for real change in Washington. This promise of change and something new is what sustains his political appeal and to lose it would be disastrous.
2) Electoral Math – Many have suggested that Obama needs Clinton because of her ability to beat John McCain in Ohio, Florida and Michigan. People who make such an argument miss the fact that Obama plans to run and win with a new electoral calculus. He will target states like Virginia, Georgia, New Mexico, Colorado and South Carolina. These are places where Democrats typically do not win, but Obama can change that. His substantial support from African Americans and his ability to reach out to independents will sustain this new math - without the addition of Clinton to the ticket.
3) Bill Clinton: Part Deux? – Bubba caused enough trouble for his own presidency during the 90s and he has become increasingly combative at the thought of being made a has-been among Democrats, given the ascendance of Obama. Ask yourself, what would it be like for President Obama to battle Vice President Clinton and the omnipresent consigliere Bill Clinton for four, possibly eight years? To have to battle two Clintons at once, within your own administration, would be absolutely untenable for Obama, if not an act of political suicide. Let’s face it, anyone hoping for a joint Obama/Clinton ticket needs to accept a harsh reality- the “senior Obama campaign official” got it right.
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May 26th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Great points all around.
An Obama/Clinton ticket would be horrendous, and I can’t see Obama going against his entire message and campaign and picking Hillary. Nor do I see her wanting it; she’ll hold out for 2012 and a “See, I told you so” revenge run should Obama lose.
Arizona Governor Janet Naplitano would be a good pick. She’d appeal to Hillary’s base of middle-aged white women, appeal to Hispanics and the Southwest (where Obama is weak), and she has executive branch experience as a governor. She’d also counter McCain’s support in their home state. I wonder the liklihood of the first black man and first woman on the same ticket. Can we really make two giant steps forward in one election? (Though, this election has already disproved much of conventional wisdom, and if there’s any year when that match up is likely, it’s this year.)
If he wants to make appeasement with Hillary’s camp and counter McCain’s military record, Gen. Wesley Clark (an avid Hillary supporter) would be a good pick.
Edwards wasn’t an asset in 2004, and there are many better options this year, so he’s out. Bill Richardson may be too linked to the Clintons given his years of service in that administration, even though he is now their “Judas.” (Plus, if he has skeletons in the closet, Billary — or at the very least, James Carville — wouldn’t be above sharing that with non-Obama supporters.)
May 30th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
When the New Jersey Devils take the Cup next year, there won’t be a presidential election. How is Obama supposed to make Hillary a running mate then?
June 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
she would totally have him whacked…