Vice President Choices

[wildflowergardener]

What is yours? I know it's not our choice to make, but you can certainly have a preference.

I'm thinking John Edwards. He bowed out gracefully, is quite popular, and supported Obama when it counted. I also believe his goals that he spoke of during his run for president are compatible to Obamas.

Meg

[newmajority]

1. We need Edwards as AG so he can take on the corporations

Not that he would be a bad VP, but a VP doesn't do law enforcement.

I still gotta go with Richardson as the best overall choice for VP.

Anybody got Caroline Kennedy's phone number?

[Dr Ron]

3. Not my top priority for AG

I'd rather have an Attorney General who is strong on civil liberties issues, with this being a top priority after the Bush years. Edwards might be ok in terms of going after corporations, but he has been poor on civil liberties issues.

I'd like to see Richardson as VP but I suspect that they will never go with a ticket with two minorities on it.

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Kathleen Sebelius

It would be a wonderful breath of fresh air. And I like her. She is able to work with people from the other side of the aisle and complements Obama's style and vision.

[Dr Ron]

4. That would really annoy Hillary

There was a news report last night claiming that regardless of whether she gets the VP spot, Clinton does not want Obama to offer it to another woman.

Remember, it is all about Hillary. She wants to be the leader of older women voters. Nobody else can have this position.

[Kerrytravelers]

5. So, a feminist would deny a position of authority to another woman?

Hmmmm... methinks that isn't a very feminist position to take.


I hope that is just rumor and not truth. I would hate to think that is the truth.

[Dr Ron]

6. Yes

Remember, it is all about Hillary. It is not about feminism or anything else.

[Citizen_Penn]

9. News flash: Hillary doesn't get a vote

She just thinks she does.

She and her imaginary 18 million supporters can spin it all they like.

She's toast - now and forever.

[Dr Ron]

15. But it's all about what Hillary wants.

Haven't you heard a word she said during the campaign? It is all about her.

[marlakay]

12. I like her to and you know what? Hillary as upset

as she is needs to grow up. If she wants to play with the big boys she needs to also lose like they do also, look at how Gore gave his concession speech now that was class.

It is so hard to be upset about how she is handling things but not be like her and mean spirited.

I think to not want a woman because you are jealous is so wrong on so many levels. I think Kathleen would help both in kansas and ohio and with the women voters and her husband unlike Bill does not come with baggage but a good marriage.

[wisteria]

7. None of the above. I would prefer Senator Kerry in a VP role similar to Chaney's ,

but with more class, intelligence and wisdom. Obama will need someone in an authoritarian role who is a mature leader and understands what is necessary to move this country forward.

And, frankly I don't understand why Edward's is owned or deserving of any position in an Obama administration.

[Dr Ron]

8. Authoritarian?

I suspect you meant "authoritative" as opposed to "authoritarian role." Authoritarian role would describe Cheney. It would also describe Hillary Clinton's view of the position.

I'd like to see Kerry as VP but considering the political realities we know it is unlikely to happen. Kerry doesn't bring in votes beyond what Obama brings in himself. In many ways I see Obama as Kerry without the experience but with more charisma. Brining in Massachusetts certainly won't be a selling point. Unfortunately Kerry's experience in foreign policy and his military experience were greatly damaged as campaign assets. I could see Kerry as an alternative to Biden for Secretary of State but I can't see him offered the VP spot.

I wouldn't mind if Edwards got a major appointment to deal with issues such as poverty. As I previously mentioned I would not want him as Attorney General, preferring someone with a better record on civil liberties issues. Actually Kerry might also be a consideration for AG assuming Biden locks up the Secretary of State position.

[wisteria]

11. I won't argue your definitions of my choice of words, but I will dispute your

suggestion that Kerry's foreign policy and military experience were greatly damaged in 2004. Sure, he took some blows, but I think he has regained his stature and is well respected for his views on foreign policy. And, his military experience has been much praised since that time. The Swift Boaters have been denounced and shown to be frauds and it was Senator Kerry who was asked to share his opinions and knowledge with the bipartisan committee headed by Baker and Hamilton in regards to the Iraq War. And, it was eventually much of Kerry's ideas that were adopted by our party and voted on in reference to the Iraq War mess.
I will also add that while Biden is qualified for the SOS position, I do not believe he would be a wise choice for two reasons, his mouth and his ego. And, as for Edwards, personally, I have never liked or trusted anything he has said or even been involved with. He was a one term Senator who got out when he realized he would be faced with a tough election and looked for an easier road to power. This of course, is my personal opinion and I realize others appear to find some redeeming quality in him. Frankly, I don't think Edwards is deserving of any special position in an Obama administration. What makes him more deserving than many others like Dodd, Kerry and Richardson?

[Dr Ron]

13. Hope you are right about Kerry

I'd love to find that I'm wrong by having Obama make Kerry his VP choice and have Kerry pull in even more votes for Obama. I fear that even though we all know the Swift Boat liars are frauds the average uninformed voter still has a lower opinion of Kerry as a result of all this.

I'd rather have Kerry for Secretary of State, assuming he isn't VP, but the media appears to have given the job to Biden. Obama might have his own opinion on the matter. Agree about Edwards. Dodd, Kerry, and Richardson are all far more qualified for a cabinet position or to be VP.

[politicasista]

16. Hope so too..

Although I don't know. In addition to the average, uninformed voter having a lower opinion about Kerry because of the Swifties, I think there is still some Anti-Kerry sentiment out there.

It's not just the Swifties, it's from people who aren't or will never be over 2004.(As unfortunate as it may be). Plus, I don't think some (not all) of Obama's supporters have been that appreciative of Kerry's help because they (again, not all) have bought into the GOP spin that Kerry didn't fight back, folded, IWR vote, etc. And this talk is all outside of the blogsphere.

I hope we are both proven wrong.

On edit: I like Dodd, Biden, Sebelius, Richardson just to name a few.

[Dr Ron]

20. I fear we'd have too much to explain

My fear is that if Kerry was on the ticket far too much time would be spent debunking the Swifties and debunking all the other things you listed.

While Kerry would make the best vice president, he would not be the best VP candidate due to all these potential distractions. Plus we'd have all the flip flopper nonsense all over again. I also fear that Kerry could not bring in any constituencies which Obama doesn't already do well with. He would certainly add gravitas to the ticket, but from a purely political point of view all the nonsense would counteract any benefits.

Again, I hope we are wrong on this and I would be thrilled to see Obama pick Kerry.

[politicasista]

21. I agree also

I am not against the ticket, but I know there are still bitter feelings from 04 and don't know if they can be healed right now because we are trying to heal 08 primary wounds.

Two years ago, Judge Greg Mathis wrote a commentary about this ticket.

I also hope we are wrong on this. I would love to be proven right though. However, the snarky comments in that article back up what I said above.

[Dr Ron]

22. Interesting article

Note the article was written before the botched joke. While it was totally unfair the way it was twisted, that event only acted to reinforce the negative stereotypes about Kerry.

Of course there is one counter argument to all of this. While there is all this negative stuff to have to respond to on Kerry, the Republicans will make up stuff on anyone else who runs. Still from a purely strategic point of view we are better off starting with c clean slate than in the hold.

There was a line at the end of the article I found amusing:

"If they play it smart, America could finally begin to move away from the elitist conservative mentality that has led it astray for the last six years."

After all the attacks on Obama, and sometimes Kerry, as elitists, it is good to see an article which gets it right as to which party this better applies to. Not to mention the fact that going in to this race Clinton was much more a part of the elite, both in terms of political power and personal wealth, than Obama.

[politicasista]

23. Forgot to mention that

I agree with your post. It was an interesting article.

[wisteria]

25. The nonsense will be focused on Obama. It has already started.

Do you think this is going to be smooth sailing for him? Didn't you hear, Obama is a dangerous radical who befriends people who like to blow up government buildings.

The BS they hurled at Kerry has become battle worn.

I argue the case for Kerry, but I know it won't happen. No one represents or embodies what a President should be IMO than Kerry, but with all the hyped new flavors of the month he is being placed on the sidelines and ignored with excuses made for passing him by.
I will say this though, if Obama does not even consider him and offer him some cabinet position after all the efforts and help Senator Kerry has given him,I will be very disappointed in Obama and my opinion of him will be less.

[Dr Ron]

26. I think a cabinet position is more likley

If I were to advise Obama as to the best person to serve as vice president, then Kerry would be at the top of the list. However if he were to ask who would be best politically as a running mate, then it would be much harder to recommend Kerry. Maybe McCain will self-destruct over the next couple of months, making it easier for Obama to choose without worrying about the political implications. Then he could pick Kerry.

There is no doubt that who ever Obama picks will be subjected to a pack of lies. Still politically it is better to start out with a clean slate than to have to start out explaining away smears from the past.

I think a cabinet position is much more likely, assuming Kerry wants this as opposed to remaining in the Senate. One consideration is that if he remains in the Senate he has his seat as long as he wants it. If he goes to the cabinet there is no guarantee as to how long he will remain in the position. For example, there is the possibility that Obama could lose when running for reelection. (Of course this is a very hypothetical example which will never happen). What if Hillary comes back and beats Obama for the nomination in 2012? (Now I'm getting into really impossible scenarios). If Kerry leaves the Senate he could be in the position of having to challenge a incumbent Democrat to return.

Probably the more important question is simply whether Kerry prefers the Senate as opposed to the job of cabinet secretary.

Another totally implausible scenario: Supposedly Kerry offered McCain the VP spot. (Or is this a rumor floated by the McCain people?) What if McCain returned the offer?

[wisteria]

34. Two things are certain, Obama has a lot to consider about a running mate as well as his cabinet

and Senator Kerry also has a lot to consider among those things is Senator Kennedy's health.

[politicasista]

28. I don't know that it's become battle worn

Based on the rehashing of the IWR and the 04 camapaign/concession.

[Citizen_Penn]

10. How about Caroline Kennedy's cousin?

Kathleen Townsend - RFK's eldest?

[Dr Ron]

14. How about the Cheney precident?

If Caroline goes about choosing the VP the way Dick Cheney did it for Bush, then Caroline will be the next VP. :)

[mopinko]

31. or bobby jr

i agree that finding a great woman candidate would be a good way to go.
but i think that there are great guys out there who should also be considered. rfk jr would be a good get, as he was a hillary supporter, and could really bring a valuable viewpoint and knowledge base.
and my real favorite, although i know he does not want it is al gore. i know, i know. but could you say no to barack?

[wildflowergardener]

17. Kerry

While I really like the idea of Kerry as Vice President and maybe then someday president, I don't like the thought of the negative things that will be said in places like this board if he is chosen - which is why I didn't mention his name. I think maybe he's had enough abuse from other Democrats and feel maybe he'd be best out of the fray. I do think he'd do a great job though. I'm just sick of reading negative things about him from other democrats.

Meg

[politicasista]

18. I understand too n/t

[wisteria]

24. True leaders are able to weather the good and the bad.

Something is wrong when a leader is not disliked by someone or some group.
Also, consider that Obama is extremely weak on foreign policy and he needs a running mate that has more foreign policy and even military experience. All we need is another scare in this country and the mood of the people will change in an instant.

[politicasista]

27. It's been done already

There was a Kerry for VP thread posted a week ago and the responses were knee-jerk Palovian (you name it). And today, there is still the concession and IWR vote still brought in a thread in GD and even some of HRC's supporters who are still bitter about his endorsement of Obama are talking about voting for his Senate primary opponent.

He has done good things and would be qualified, but as I said, there is just still too much Anti-Kerry sentiment not just here, but out there.

I too am sick of the bashing and hate here.

[Dr Ron]

19. Caroline Kennedy

Just as Dick Cheney head the search and picked himself, what if Caroline does the same?

Obviously this will never happen but here's an argument in favor:

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=3370

As it will never happen I figured there's really no need to go over all the arguments against. The post does quote from a post elsewhere which contrasts Kennedy with Hillary Clinton. If limited to a choice of the two, she does convince me to go with Caroline Kennedy.

[newmajority]

29. Funny how there's nobody mentioning Jim Webb here.

The Webb fan club has tried to take over the VP poll I posted in GDP. It almost seems like an organized assault, honestly.

Webb isn't even on the poll, because I honestly believe that two senators on the ticket is political suicide. (Though I added Hillary's name, just because of the constant talking points)

I have nothing really against Webb, but I think he would do better where he is right now, as an anti-War & pro veteran voice within the Senate.

[smkyle1]

30. Obama's V.P.

My husband and I ran an informal poll a few days ago asking who Obama should choose as his VP. We had over 300 responses. Hillary Clinton got 22%, Bill Richardson got 14%, Jim Webb got 14%. Those were the three top selected. The others that received smaller percentages were Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich, Wesley Clark and others. I'm new to this forum and don't know if links are allowed. But if they are, you can find the completed survey here:

http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/06/15/vice-presidential-survey-results/

I personally think Jim Webb is the best because of his military experience and no-nonsense approach to politics.

[PresidentObama]

32. 1. John Kerry 2. John Edwards 3. Hillary Clinton 4. Wes Clark

[beachmom]

33. Excellent discussion here. Something to consider:

The office of the vice presidency is traditionally a nothing job of doing nothing, waiting for the phone to ring .... perhaps Obama should just go for whatever is best in terms of political expediency. And then relegate the VP to obscurity. That is usually what happened in the past. After Dick Cheney, I'm not necessarily against marginalizing the office back to what it used to be: tie breaker of the Senate and next in line to the President.

Then I won't care much who the VP is.