Why would Obama want to carry "Clinton" banner at all ?

So Gov. Ed Rendell just acknowledged Obama will be the nominee.

The "Clinton banner" goes against everything Obama's core message is about.

The only demographic Hillary helps Obama court is older, white women. He can easily score that with another, more palatable, less divisive woman (Kathleen Sibelius?).

Furthermore, the Veep is a political position and both Obama and Clinton are originally from the same damn state - Illinois. This is not going to happen.

Read my goddamn lips - he will not offer it to her and I don't think she'd take it.

Greg, Your prediction was spot-on. The chorus will become pretty deafening by June. I pray Obama does not offer her the VP slot mainly on selfish ideological reasons, but if it becomes the political reality, so be it.

I believe he can win it wihtout her, and the arguments for her upsides (mainly her bringing her supporters) just don't outweigh the downsides to me (mainly the invigorated Republican that is salivating for a shot at her).

Sebelius is the best bet to win her supporters. But I'd prefer Webb or even Ed Rendell for what they can potentially bring tot he ticket.

So undiginified.

Maybe he's just supposed to ask and she's supposed to say no? Whatever else you can say about the guy, Rendell seriously wants to be part of the winning team. Plus he's a loud mouth who would say things like this. I think Mario Cuomo should go back to whatever he was doing. (What HAS he been doing?)

But honestly, I think this has more to do with them seeking their own place in the sun. I don't see why she would want to be VP.

She'd make a really bad VP.
She wants to be alpha too much to settle for being second - if she could settle for being second, she'd have conceded the nomination two weeks ago.

I have things to do - I'm out til later. But I promise y'all, if she is his running mate, I'll eat one of my Christian Louboutin pumps.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

CY'all later this aft.

Asking Hillary Clinton to be VP is like asking a hungry vampire to watch you neck.

BO/Biden '08

He should promise her in secret to put her at the top of his list for Supreme Court Justice nominees. Watching the repubs' helpless freakout at their worst nightmare scenario coming true would make a grand show. Why should Clinton settle for a measly eight years to quench her thirst for power?

All this "dream ticket" talk is a tactical silver bullet "dreamed up" by Hillary shills and others who are allowing themselves to be be psyched out by Billary's mind games re "the white working class vote."

It is completely ignoring any consideration of how Obama and Hillary (and Bill) would actually lead and govern together -- which is very poorly, indeed.

That being the case, the onus is on them to explain what Hillary can do for Obama as VP that she couldn't do vigorously campaigning for Obama as his chief surrogate and validator to her base, during the general election campaign.

Clinton's supporters are coming out in lockstep pushing this idea. Of course, until she steps out of the race for President, there's no reason Obama should respond to this at all. But, once she does, I hope to hear him gracefully decline the offer.

Judas! He told me three times to my face that he was going to suggest that Obama should be MY Vice President!

To my face!

I don't get it. Isn't Hillary "in it to win it"? Isn't she the more electable candidate? Isn't she going to get the nomination? What's all this veep talk about, is she conceding?

Can't have it both ways.

The fact that the Clinton folks are already pushing this so hard tells you they don't think it's likely to happen either. If they thought they truly had leverage on this issue, they wouldn't have to be so shameless about putting the idea out there.

Not saying it's impossible that they could strong-arm him into it (although I don't think they will), but they obviously don't feel like they have the leverage already or else why the advocacy campaign?

It's also possible Clinton has no desire for this to actually happen but just wants to damage Obama further by creating another manufactured issue for her supporters to hold against him.

If she really wants it, why not just ask directly?
(say, after she June 3rd, or thereabout).

~ J

Sebelius for VP!

All the positives of Clinton, without the negatives, plus the positives of Obama, just to reinforce him.

Add to that nearly four years of executive experiencce in a solidly Republican state and connections to Swing States Ohio and Michigan, and you get the real Dream Ticket.

Honestly, besides the vague promise of uniting the party (which would happen if she suspended her campaign and endorsed Obama) what does Hillary bring to the ticket? I mean, she brings her eyepopping 54 point negative rating, a bunch of scandals from the 90's (and perhaps beyond?) that the Republican's have been waiting a decade to push, some mindboggling comments endorsing the Republican nominee over the Barack, and the single most unpredictable and out of control American politician currently living attached to her hip. Oh, and a universally acknowledged unquenchable ambition with the potential to hijack Obama's message.

Besides that, seriously what would Hillary Clinton positively bring to the ticket that someone else wouldn't do much better with a lower profile? She hasn't made that case at all to anyone outside of the Clinton universe.

How unseemly

WILL BEG FOR VP

Clintons with class - oxymoron

Hillary's supporters are also a rather more mature lot.

No way!

It seems the only ones pushing this nightmare ticket are clinton supporters.

Even mainstream David Gergen said Obama would need a food taster if she were a "heartbeat away".

Strickland- yes; Richardson-yes; Rendell-why? Edwards-why?

Hillary -- no, no, no, never.

The Obama camp has been very smart throughout this campaign. I can't imagine they will make a mistake such as this.

I agree, Obama will make the right choice.

I'm a little curious if Hillary is pushing her surrogates to keep proposing her as VP, meanwhile she pretends herself that she's not interested.

If this a little ego game, where she wants to act as if "the people" are clammering for her as VP, while she would only "reluctantly" accept such an offer?

Nope, not Hillary. Here are the top 3.....

http://indepthleft.blogspot.com/2008/05/and-nominees-are.html

Tena - "No candidate picks a running mate from the same fucking state or part of the country if at all possible."

But there are exceptions to every rule: Clinton/Gore (neighboring states, similar age, similar philosophies) And in that particular instance it was somehow seen as a genius stroke: caring enough about the manner in which the country would be run to assure that if something happened, the person taking over would have the same goals, etc. I remember at the time -- it went against all logic but it just FELT GOOD. It felt like he (Clinton) cared enough about the country that he wanted to be sure his 'mandate' was carried out, even if he shouldn't be around. (Yeah, I know - but that's how it felt.)

I think Obama should go for the same kind of person: someone who shares his passion for changing things, would want the same kind of changes, would work in the same calm, inclusive way, would be a strong person in their own right. And - as with Gore - someone who can supplement areas of inexperience: legislative, executive, foreign affairs. Obama strikes me as a pretty good instinctive executive (as shown by how his campaign has run) so the knowledge and experience of Congress and foreign affairs would be more important, IMO. Look for the right person and let geography and who would carry what state fall out as it may... Obama is seen as truly authentic so it should be a choice that he would, on his own, make because *he* thinks it's the best person.

Personally, I can't imagine a better combo that Obama/Biden ... but there are others. Richardson, Clark, Hagel (!), Bayh, Rockefeller (bet he'd get WV then). I'm afraid that taking another woman instead of Clinton might anger more than mollify ... but, still, if it was a woman that Obama thought was best.

For a new name -- William Cohen, Clinton's Secy of Defense, former Senator *and* a Republican.(But, now that I think of it, I guess that would be almost too 'cute' or something, however, since his wife is black and he was best man at the wedding of John and Cindy McCain.)

In any event, Clinton does NOT qualify: very different philosophy and 'vision', very different way of achieving things -- no one is going to believe that she is truly his first choice, the person he thinks is best -- and no executive experience, little legislative experience (less than Obama, in fact).

If he could offer and she declined, great, that should please her supporters -- but that's one heck of a risk. But there has to be something big and good for which she *would* be a first choice that he could offer. (I still want to see her on the Sup. Ct. ... would love to see her make life miserable for Scalia, Thomas, etc.)

So what would the Clinton banner look like?

I'm thinking it's the picture of the kitten hanging from a tree branch (the hang in there kitten)...on a white background of course.

I'm going with no on Strickland (can you see the GOP ads with Bobblehead Ted nodding as HRC shrieks, "Shame on you, Barack Obama), no on Sebelius (talented, but a dud), and no on Richardson (I've read too much innuendo about sexual impropriety issues. That leaves Kaine and possibly Webb, although we really do need to keep all the Dems in the Senate we can. I've heard it bandied about here, but I don't have enough history studying politics to be aware of possible downsides - but why NOT Feingold?

Fuck that.

This won't be that last time that "Fast Eddie" Rendell is wrong.

McClatchy has an intesting article about VoteBoth, the group pushing Obama/Clinton VP. It turns out that the source of VoteBoth is the Clinton Campaign itself. Talk about the sound of one hand clapping. yeesh