Friday, May 23, 2008

Hillary pushed as VP

News reports are circulating that Hillary Clinton supporters, including Bill Clinton, are beginning to push hard for an Obama-Clinton ticket.

CNN reports that some Clinton supporters have made their wished known directly to the Obama camp. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), en. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), and Clinton campaign national co-chairwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) are among those who have mentioned an Obama-Clinton ticket recently.

There is even a website, DraftObamaClinton.com, dedicated to promoting such a ticket.

Maybe not surprisingly, there is some resistance to such a movement among Obama's more steadfast or vocal supporters. Those especially who have fought in the trenches may not be particularly warm to the idea and would rather have someone who has been a faithful Obama supporter like themselves.

However, history shows us that often candidates must forget past squabbles to win in November.

Here are a few of the pros and cons of Hillary as a possible VP:

* Hillary obviously has built up a great following that would have broken all records had Barack not been around. She can immediately mobilize probably the great bulk of this following to support an Obama-Clinton ticket. Otherwise, some animosity among the most strident Clinton supporters may be hard to overcome.

* Clinton is skilled on the campaign trail along with Bill, and both are proven as capable fundraisers. Right now, the Republican National Committee has about ten times more cash on hand than the Democratic National Committee. So, we cannot just look at John McCain's funds in analyzing campaign cash.

* A lot of women are going to be disappointed that Clinton is not on the top of the ticket. This could be remedied somewhat by choosing a woman VP other than Hillary, but maybe not as effectively.

* Many people think that Hillary is too much establishment for Obama's change message, but it counts on how you look at it. Obama's message is unity, and he has to start with his own party. One thing that many did not like about the old Clinton triangulation strategy was how "liberals" were locked away in the basement. Change would mean that Obama would not do the same to conservative Democrats, even if some progressives might want a little revenge.

* Hillary has some strength among "Reagan Democrats" an area where Obama might be weak, although this has not really been established for the general election. However, to be conservative who else has proven strength among the same demographic across several states?

* Having Bill Clinton in the White House may be a problem, but in reality Bill will not be in the White House. Unless he gets an appointment, there should be no reason that Bill Clinton would be present at Cabinet meetings, press conferences, etc. Maybe he will be at occasional functions when spouses are normally present but not during day-to-day operations. Bill has plenty of other things to keep him busy.

* Barack must make sure that Hillary knows the role and powers of the vice presidency and will not try to run things behind the scenes like Dick Cheney. Both Hill and Bill must eat humble pie to show they will respect Barack's position as the elected commander-in-chief.

1 comment:

IanMc said...

Obama is the future.

Hillary is the past.

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