A dreamier Democrat 'dream ticket' - Democratic Underground

mystieus

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Thu May-15-08 01:03 AM
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A dreamier Democrat 'dream ticket'

Edited on Thu May-15-08 01:07 AM by mystieus

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/15/2245217.htm

May 14, 2008

By David Lundberg

Senator Barack Obama's campaign has not yet achieved a majority at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, but his ultimate victory over Hillary Clinton is no longer in doubt.

The Democratic "Super-delegates" are moving in increasing numbers to Obama, and he has just received the important endorsement of former rival John Edwards. When he becomes the Democratic party's presumptive nominee (with a majority of Convention delegates indicating their support) Barack Obama will need to choose his running mate.

This is an analysis of the merits of one possible scenario: Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas, as Obama's vice presidential running mate.

To be clear, an Obama-Sebelius 'dream ticket' is not a forecast or a prediction, but a possible scenario.

The Clintons previously proposed a Clinton-Obama 'dream ticket' as a nomination campaign tactic, when criticism began to grow about the divisive effects of the continuing campaign. Others have proposed an Obama-Clinton ticket, but that would be more like a nightmare.

Superficially, the two complement each other's demographic support base very well. Hillary Clinton has been supported primarily by middle-aged and older women, white working-class and less well educated voters. Barack Obama has attracted his strongest support among a substantial new cohort of younger voters, African-Americans, affluent and more educated voters. However, a joint ticket between Obama and Clinton is probably no longer a viable proposition, if it ever was.

'Dog whistlers'

During the South Carolina primary, Bill Clinton asserted that Hillary could not win because more than half of the Democratic primary voters were black. This was a clumsy and unsuccessful "dog whistle" appeal for support from white Democrat voters in the numerous "super Tuesday" primaries that followed soon afterward. Bill Clinton's remarks were followed promptly by strong endorsements by the Kennedy family, who objected to the Clintons' "dog whistle" tactics. Senator Geraldine Ferraro and others subsequently also attempted to advantage Hillary Clinton by depicting Barack Obama as a marginal black candidate. Recently, Bill Clinton even accused Barack Obama of "playing the race card" against Clinton in South Carolina, in a rhetorical inversion of reality.

Hillary Clinton is of highly questionable value as a Vice Presidential running mate on an Obama Presidential ticket. Hillary Clinton's populist campaigning (particularly threatening nuclear annihilation of Iran) calls into question her suitability for presidential office. Politically, Hillary has intensified her polarising conventional politics image that is completely inconsistent with the unifying theme of Obama's candidacy.

Mobilisation of Republicans would be greatly assisted by having Hillary Clinton on the Democratic party ticket. She would come with a large nomination campaign debt.

Superior choice

Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas is an altogether superior choice as Obama's vice presidential running mate. Kathleen Sebelius was elected as a Democrat Governor in strongly Republican Kansas in 2002 with 53 per cent and re-elected in 2006 with 57.8 per cent, proving a dazzling political talent.

She has been a highly effective Governor, turning a large state deficit into a surplus without a real increase in taxes, and improved funding for education. She has a reputation for achieving sustained bipartisan cooperation and is married to a Federal magistrate who is the son of a Kansas Republican congressman.

In 2005, Time magazine judged her one of the five best US governors. She was recently convener of the Democratic Governors' Association, reflecting the respect of her colleagues. Sebelius' father is a former Governor of Ohio, an important federal swing state. She is an articulate speaker with a presentation style that would complement Obama's.

Kathleen Sebelius would enhance Obama's electoral appeal and the political efficacy of his Presidency. She has personally endorsed Obama, and her policy record is very complementary to his, although she is somewhat more centrist. She appeals to a broad spectrum of American voters, including most of those who would have voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries. Sebelius is a unifying politician like Obama, and she is a highly successful one, as her election winning margins in Republican Kansas and her successful bipartisan dealings with the Kansas State Congress indicate.

An Obama-Sebelius ticket would combine well with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's advocacy of building the Democratic party with a 50-state presidential campaign, not one simply focused on winning an Electoral College victory. The Republican party would have every reason to be demoralised.

Complementary

Why would a successful State Governor like Kathleen Sebelius give up that responsibility to acquire the office of Vice President that earlier generations of US politicians regarded with something approaching dread? Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney have had a much more active and substantial role in the office than most of their predecessors.

Kathleen Sebelius' executive experience would complement Obama's legislative background, providing scope for her to have substantial Vice Presidential responsibilities from January 2009 to January 2017, instead of retiring in 2010 at the end of her second term as Governor.

Kathleen Sebelius would be the first woman Vice President. She would also make a substantial contribution to an historic Obama presidency that would change how Americans see themselves and how the US is perceived by others.

Substantial policy change in the US is needed. USA Today on April 21, 2008 reported that record numbers of US voters have expressed disapproval of President Bush and concern about the direction of national policy, and 69 per cent of US voters judge that Bush's presidency has been a failure.

The Republican Party will be in trouble in November 2008, and it has already begun using polarising and destructive negative tactics against Obama and other Democratic candidates, including subtle and blatant racism.

As the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, John McCain will have considerable difficulty separating himself from the Bush legacy, particularly US economic difficulties and Iraq, on which McCain and the Republican Party have nothing new to offer.

An Obama-Sebelius 'dream ticket' is a scenario that would offer substantial advantages in the November 2008 US election and as the new leadership of the United States from January 2009.