First Read has some "leaked" names that are being considered by Barack Obama's vetting team to be on the ticket as Vice President (I put "leaked" in quotes because nothing this high up would be accidentally leaked in a campaign like this). Here they are, and whether I think they should be on the ticket or not (note: a vote of "Eh" does not mean I don't want them on the ticket, just that I'm not sure how much they bring to the table):
Hillary Clinton: No
John Kerry: HELL No
John Edwards: Eh
Evan Bayh: No
Kathleen Sebelius: Yes
Ted Strickland: Eh
Mark Warner: HELL Yes
Tim Kaine: Yes
Jim Webb: Yes
Bill Nelson: No
Jack Reed: Eh
Joe Biden: Yes
Chris Dodd: Eh
Tom Daschle: No
Sam Nunn: Eh
I would say that the only glaring omission from this list is Bill Richardson, who could possibly put Obama over the top in several Western states. There was a question over Ed Rendell as well, but I don't think Pennsylvania is as much of a swing state as everyone says. Other than that, no surprises. Of course, the whole thing could very well be a red herring designed to distract the "Oooh, shiny object!" media.
As you can see, I'm fairly partial to the Virginia delegation. I think an Obama/Warner ticket would be unstoppable. But Mark Warner seems pretty committed to running for the Senate. Barring that, Obama/Sebelius or Obama/Webb would be great. Maybe they could make Edwards Attorney General and Richardson Secretary of State.
Now, my Hillary-supporting (now Obama-supporting) mother has a very interesting take on this. She actually doesn't like the idea of an Obama/Clinton ticket, since Hillary doesn't help Obama that much in the states where he needs it. However, even though she likes Sebelius a lot, she says that putting another woman on the ticket would be a slap in the face to other Hillary supporters. I suggested that maybe they could put Hillary in charge of carrying out Obama's health care plan, since that would be some form of vindication. She liked that idea, but I still can't discern who she wants for VP.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Veepstakes
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3 comments:
As a Virginian, I say "no" to Mark Warner as veep. Not because I don't like him, but because I don't want to turn a guaranteed Senate seat into a contested one.
I'm also confused about all the love Sam Nunn is getting in the blogosphere. He helped found the DLC. I thought the blogs hated the DLC.
Personally, I don't want another Senator on the ticket. Either a governor or someone like Clark.
I tend to agree that having a woman on the ticket would probably be a slap in the face to Hillary supporters, and I worry about Webb's comments about the Tailhook scandal possibly doing the same.
As for Richardson...eh. He was clearly the most conservative of the democratic candidates, and while he is a Governor and would help in the west, I'm not so sure about him being VP.
I actually like the idea of someone like Daschle, though, even though he hasn't been in politics for 6 years or so. I'd go for Biden or Dodd we well if we had to pick a Senator.
What about Tim Kaine then?
I guess Wesley Clark is another big omission too.
I guess out of the three Virginians, Kaine would be the best, but then you're looking at two candidates with a combined 7 years as governor or senator. Not a heck of a lot of experience there on the ticket as a whole, and I'm sure McCain will let people know about it.
I just think he needs someone with considerable experience - including executive and/or military experience to help silence that attack.
Sure, they're still going to use it, but it won't be quite as effective. Heck, one of the selling points for Bush not knowing a thing is that everyone around him were geniuses and it worked (and I'm sure Obama knows a heck of a lot more now than Bush did then).
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