Hillary For Veep?
More and more chatter is flying around concerning the possibility of an Obama/Clinton ticket – chatter that is being pushed hard by Clinton insiders. I have always assumed Hillary wouldn’t want – and Obama wouldn’t offer – the slot of Vice President. It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that if the alternative is to return to the Senate, Hillary would prefer the Vice President’s quarters to Capitol Hill.
Would Obama offer her the slot? Maybe:
…Obama, in an interview with NBC News, refused to rule out the prospect. “There’s no doubt that she’s qualified to be vice-president; there’s no doubt she’s qualified to be president,” he said.
In an interview with CNN , he said he had not yet wrapped up the Democratic nomination, but when he did he would start the process of selecting a running mate. “She is tireless, she is smart. She is capable. And so obviously she’d be on anybody’s shortlist to be a potential vice-presidential candidate,” he said.
Speaking as a Republican partisan, I have to say that an Obama/Clinton ticket would probably be unbeatable (we face an uphill fight as it is). Sure, there are many, many people who would never vote for a ticket that had Hillary on it, but most of those people wouldn’t vote for Obama anyway. And she would gain more votes than she would lose, in all likelihood, with her proven strong appeal to Democrats (older, whiter, poorer) that Obama isn’t reaching – not to mention an already historic ticket that would become even more so (though we have had a female VP candidate already with Geraldine Ferraro).
Yes, there would be plenty of extra opportunity for mudslinging with her on the ticket, but that’s hardly the way I (or John McCain) want the Republicans to retain the White House…and the thought of Bill in the national spotlight virtually every day again? Lord, no, say it ain’t so…
Here’s hoping the bad blood between the two is strong enough to prevent a ticket that would probably be an irresistible force…
Interesting that you feel this way: I would think that enough swing voters thoroughly dislike her that she would weaken the ticket.
I would guess that the strongest ticket would have someone like Jim Webb or Chris Dodd in the VP slot –
Well, don’t forget that you would get the Clinton political machine behind the ticket, too – and as we have seen in this campaign, it is still formidable…
See, I would think that the Obama-Clinton fight has separated the two wings of the party so much that you’d have those Clinton supporters who see the VP slot as a slight and not vote for the ticket. Then you have the section that dislikes Hillary so much that they won’t vote for a ticket with her on it. If these voters are trying to decide which ticket to vote for on the people rather than the ideas, they’re probably moderates (in that they aren’t tied to an ideology), which leaves room for McCain to capture them. Or they could be committed liberals who are pissed about the makeup of the ticket and run off to Ralph Nader or whoever on the left, but I imagine that number is much smaller.
Well, I have no doubt that my view is probably the minority view among conservatives, but I think the combination of Obama and Hillary on the same ticket, while a nightmare for most right-leaning Americans, would have something for everyone who leans left…and I’m very anxious to avoid the extreme negativity that having Hillary on the ticket will bring out on BOTH sides…
Hillary as VP candidate gives Obama, the presidential candidate, the ability to run a Clinton-like campaign against McCain without getting his own hands dirty. A tricky road to navigate, but totally doable. How do they keep Bill out – he’s been a disaster for Hillary’s campaign?
I’m not convinced Obama and Hillary have the ability to set aside their differences and be together. Then again, Hillary is only in the Senate because she believed it positioned her best to run for President; I agree she does not want to be a senator past November.
Very interesting. Strange bedfellows and all that…
Here’s the problem I see with the logic: we assume Clinton brings along her primary coalition of older, whiter, bluer-collar folks. But, he says, why pick Clinton for that? Aren’t there a dozen other Democrats who would be even better at holding together the blue collar coaltion? Evan Bayh or Jim Webb perhaps? We have this strange idea that Hillary Clinton, who we always expected to be defeated in the primary when a Bayh or Warner blue collar coaltion steamrolled her black and rich coalition, is somehow now the spokesperson for Middle America. It just ain’t so.
If you want blue collar, you go with Bayh or Webb or maybe Rendell. If you want experience, you go with Richardson or Biden. If you want mad crossover skillz, you go with Sebelius or Napolitano. I see no strong argument for Clinton that can’t be made even more strongly for someone else – with the upside that most of those other folks haven’t tried to destroy Obama.
I think I speak for millions when I say that I used to like and respect Hillary. But she’s brought me to the point where Peggy Noonan (!!) seems like the voice of sweet reason. If I still had a CRT monitor, I think I’d want to put my head through it.
But I agree with Ryan.
While I don’t think there are many who would otherwise be inclined to vote for Obama, who would change their vote if she were VP, I don’t think there are many who would otherwise be inclined not to vote for Obama, who would change their mind if Hillary were VP.
Aside from her streetfighting skills (which one must still admire), I don’t think she brings much to the ticket.
I’m not sure if I admire her streetfighting skills, but I certainly admire her persistence and her guts — I think she’s a great role model for my daughter.
Does the VP make that much difference anyway? Just asking cuz’ I honestly don’t know and, due to work constraints, am unable to research at the moment.
Would Obama really offer the job of VP to Hillary? Poor guy would have to spend the next four years watching his back because the only thing standing between her and the Oval Office would be him.
TMS, I’m inclined to believe the answer is generally know. Perhaps for McCain because the VP will be like a preview of the next President (given the age issue), but otherwise I suspect not. Although I wouldn’t underestimate the ability of Clinton to whip up the right-wingers into a froth.
generally no
Pitiful.
Please, please let it be Snobama & the Hildabeast. It almost makes McCain seem possible. This would be the best team since Hitler and Stalin.
Mark, you clever guy, trying to convince your Democratic leaning readers that Obama/ Clinton would be formidable. Keep up the good work.
All you partisans pronouncing the fall match-up to be a cake-walk for your guy crack me up! Whether it is Obama vs McCain or Clinton vs McCain in the fall will make no difference in that it is going to be a very competitive and close race for the White House.
No doubt about it. Too much can happen between now and then. I don’t think we’ll have a clear sense of the winner until October at the very earliest.
Yes, and even then, who knows! Wasn’t Dukakis leading in October? Do I recall correctly that Kerry was winning, based on exit polls, at midday on election day?
Personally I think the back-and-forth is great on so many levels that I am hoping it just continues right up until election day.
This will not be competitive or close. It will be 1996 part two.
Also, to Thomas, Hitler and Stalin weren’t a team. Your comment is both offensive and nonsensical.
Well, not to defend the comment, but Hitler and Stalin were briefly a team, until Hitler invaded Russia, with disastrous consequences…