Veepstakes
Now that the media seems to have gotten the memo that nothing Hillary Clinton can do will give her the nomination, it’s time to move on to speculating as to who Barack Obama will pick as his Vice-President. Given the specific rhetoric of the primary, I don’t think we’ll see a Obama-Clinton ticket. That would be about the only way Obama could manage to lose my vote.
I believe it was Walter Mondale who claimed that being VP was the least important job in America (I may be wrong about that), but that doesn’t mean that the decision on who to pick as running mate isn’t important. Historically, Presidential candidates have looked to their VP candidate to add something to the ticket. Cheney added gravitas to George W. Bush’s campaign - somehow. Al Gore added national and international experience to Bill Clinton’s ticket. Dan Quayle added comic relief and showed how horrible GHW Bush was at making decisions. GHW Bush helped set up Reagan to take Texas and let him buy-off some establishment credentials. Mondale added…hmmm. Dead weight?
Anyway, Barack Obama needs to get down to business by chosing a running mate - or at least raising the visibility of speculation. Hillary Clinton is on the ropes and will have a difficult time fighting her way off of them if she has to first remind everyone that she is relevant.
John Edwards is an attractive VP candidate, though he is said to have opted out of such a run. Ditto for Al Gore. Then there are the other white men of the early primaries - Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel, and Dennis Kucinich. Okay, the inclusion of the last two is a big joke. But Biden and Dodd would add the experience that could be seen as Obama’s weakness against John McCain. But I don’t see Obama, who has promised change, as bringing along two old white dudes from the east coast. Neither Delaware nor Connecticutt is vitally important in an electoral sense (though they are better to have than not). So I think Obama will look elsewhere.
The next area to look for a potential VP would be in the “swing states” of the last election. That would mean Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Ohio isn’t really fertile ground for recruiting Democrats - those present in that state are badly needed there. Ted Strickland looks set to rebuild the Ohio Dems, but he endorsed Clinton. Expect the old white dude to stay in Ohio. The same is true for Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania (though Dems in Pa have never been on the ropes like they were in Ohio). Wisconsin? Governor Jim Doyle has had his problems, but he has a compelling bio. Senator Herb Kohl is popular and a strong campaigner and Senator Russ Feingold would burnish Obama’s progressive creds. I don’t expect it, though.
Michigan might be a better bet. Governor Jennifer Granholm would be a good match - she has managed to steer Michigan through some rough financial times. Granholm also endorsed Clinton and was responsible for moving the Michigan primary up and unseating their delegates (at this point). It might smooth some ruffled fur to have her on the ticket - bringing some pro-Clinton people without actually having Clinton on the ticket and making Michigan feel important. Plus having a woman on the ticket would help quell some fears about mysogyny. Unfortunately, Granholm was born in Canada.
Who else is there? I’d put Kathleen Sebelius in the mix. She’d move the swing states into the Mississippi River valley and would be hard to beat. Rather low-key and solid, she’s defended her turf well and would show Democrats that, in fact, nothing is wrong with Kansas. She might work better, however, to stay in Kansas and take on Pat Roberts - but probably not. Veep? At least as good a bet as Granholm or Stabenow, with a bit of an edge for endorsing Obama.
There has been some talk of Claire McCaskill from Missouri - stop talking. Elevating her would throw that seat to a Republican and in a balanced Senate, that’s one risk that can’t be stomached.
A ballsy move would be to take Janet Napolitano - Governor of Arizona. It might make McCain fight a bit for Arizona, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t amount to much. I don’t think she gets a serious look. Nor will anyone from California (sorry, Nancy Pelosi).
Of course, Obama doesn’t have to pick a woman (though it seems like a good move to do so) and it wouldn’t have to be a top-ranking official. Colorado offers Bill Ritter (Governor), Barbara O’Brien (Lt. Gov), and Ken Salazar (US Senator). I don’t know enough about any of them to handicap them, but if Obama is going to pick a Latino, I’d have to say Bill Richardson (there is a reason I left him out of the primary group) is leading the pack. Not only is he one of the Clinton’s guys who very publicly endorsed Obama, but he has some serious international cred and would nail down that state very easily. I’d put him even with Seblius, and maybe even a little bit ahead of her.
I’d love to see Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry get picked, but I don’t think he will. Oklahoma is just not close enough or important enough - and it doesn’t cut into either Texas or any surrounding state. Too bad. He’s a good guy.
In a class by himself is Wes Clark. He’d add some heavy weight on the ticket, but I’m not sure he carries any specific territory. Nails down some progressive street cred, too.
My list, then, would look like this:
1) Bill Richardson
2) Kathleen Sebelius
3) Wes Clark
4) Someone else
Anyone out there have any favorites?
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Vice-President
