Many hardline democrats thinks Bill Clinton and Hillary are a liabilities and Hillary should not be VP. Who is the best choice for VP?
I do not want Hillary Clinton on the ticket for several reasons. #1 I don't trust her. #2 I think she brings too much baggage and the GOP will go after her like crazy. #3 She attracts too much attention. She'll be a distraction. #4 She doesn't fit with Obama's message of change. On the other hand if Obama does choose her, I'll accept it and move forward - I'll still support his candidacy just as much. And there are a couple of reasons to choose her. #1 It would be a gesture that could help unify the party more quickly. It could get a larger % of Clinton's supporters on board. #2 She may help win over people in the general election who just "want to go back to the 90s." I think she'd help with certain demographics although she may hurt in others.
He not only has to win to be President, but he has to be able to govern effectively as President. I do not agree that he needs Clinton to win. He has shown his ability to reach across divisions and win people over, and I do believe that when push comes to shove, come November, former Clinton supporters will not follow over to McCain, current informal polls notwithstanding. Further, McCain's got some trouble on his hands, structurally - not only did Dems turn out in record numbers, but Obama did particularly well in open primaries - where Independents and Republicans were able to vote for a Democratic nominee. Obama has shown his ability to garner from across the aisle, and this isn't good for McCain. That aside, as I said, he has to govern. Over the years I've known of Hillary Clinton as a public figure, she has shown that while she is demonstrably gifted, she has a singular ability to drive cleavages in communities where none existed before. To have her anywhere within Obama's administration would be a disaster, and a return to the days of a Clintonian "Fortress White House" against the "anti-Clinton' horde, as both Hillary and Bill have always seen it. Nope, no, and again no, I would say, to anything involving Obama and Clinton in a shared partnership.
I think Hillary Clinton will be the best option. If Obama picks her, then none will get any difference or grouping among the party.
If Obama will not pick Hillary for VP, can Hillary ally with McCain , and can McCain pick her for VP ?
I think Jim Webb or Ted Strickland is his best choice. How can Obama choose clinton when she's on video saying that both her and McCain have a lifetime of experience and Obama only has a speech he gave in 2002? How can he choose Clinton when his whole campaign was run on change and he implied throughout the campaign that she was the embodiment of "old Washington"?
Rhetoric aside, "Old Washington" never lies down for any president and Hillary could help him get things done. Change sounds good but if you think hes gonna go into the Senate and House and start firing "Old Washington" I have some "ocean front" property in Kentucky for you.
Hillary is the opposite of McCain on most important issues. This isn't a sport. It drives me crazy when people say stuff like this - it shows how little they really understand politics. Regardless Clinton is endorsing Obama either Friday or Saturday. It's time to unite the party to beat John McCain.
Obama is out there attending the AIPAC conference, nodding his head with Likudnicks like McCain and Hillary. Obama cannot stand up to Old Washington. He does not have the Political Capital to do that...