[WayzataXC05]

I've been an Obama fan since he gave his speech at the convention in 2004, but I've also been a loyal Clinton (both Bill and Hillary) for as long as I can remember. If Obama picks Hillary she will likely bring with her a huge amount of women voters (especially those that are yelling that they'll vote for McCain over Obama). But with Hillary as VP, the conservative base will be more likely to come out and vote against her. Also with Hillary, Obama has to deal with Bill on the campaign and in the white house. So if not Hillary, than who? Richardson, Dodd, Rendell, that female governor of Kansas (can't remember her name)??? What do you guys think?

[Randman]

Hillary won't be on the ticket. Bill factor.

[red rocket]

The way that Clinton has been waging her campaign, if I were Obama, I wouldn’t trust her on my team.

I think he should try and get Kucinich or Paul as a running mate.

[Chuckit]

Ron Paul? Man, if he were Obama's running mate, I would actually vote Democrat in this election. Of course, I think he's about as likely to pick Britney Spears, so…

[ebuddy]

Originally Posted by WayzataXC05 

I've been an Obama fan since he gave his speech at the convention in 2004, but I've also been a loyal Clinton (both Bill and Hillary) for as long as I can remember. If Obama picks Hillary she will likely bring with her a huge amount of women voters (especially those that are yelling that they'll vote for McCain over Obama). But with Hillary as VP, the conservative base will be more likely to come out and vote against her. Also with Hillary, Obama has to deal with Bill on the campaign and in the white house. So if not Hillary, than who? Richardson, Dodd, Rendell, that female governor of Kansas (can't remember her name)??? What do you guys think?

He'll give Hillary a token position as "healthcare tzar". Richardson would likely be the best choice. Obama's clearly got the African-American vote and this move would help shore up the Latino vote. Richardson has a wealth of experience both domestically and internationally which would help immensely with Obama's lack of foreign policy experience and the overall perception that he's a little wet behind the ears.

Why not a Wesley Clark in your choices?

[paul w]

It's too early. If he feels he needs her to win, yes. Otherwise let's all wait a wile and see how things go.

So many names out there. Jim Webb's an option, for example, if you want someone with a military background. I'm not sure what Wesley Clark politically brings to the table - he certainly didn't impress in 04.

[Dork.]

I'm not sure if I want Hillary on the ticket.
But to avoid the Bill factor, I'd work out a deal with the New York Governor (who is a Clinton supporter) that if Hillary becomes Vice President, Gov. Paterson would appoint Bill to fill the seat for the next Congressional session until the 2010 election cycle.

I'm sure Bill would love it, since he would get to have interns again....

I agree Richardson would be the best choice, although I don't think his head would fit in the door at the Naval Observatory....

[art_director]

Originally Posted by WayzataXC05 

I've been an Obama fan since he gave his speech at the convention in 2004, but I've also been a loyal Clinton (both Bill and Hillary) for as long as I can remember. If Obama picks Hillary she will likely bring with her a huge amount of women voters (especially those that are yelling that they'll vote for McCain over Obama). But with Hillary as VP, the conservative base will be more likely to come out and vote against her. Also with Hillary, Obama has to deal with Bill on the campaign and in the white house. So if not Hillary, than who? Richardson, Dodd, Rendell, that female governor of Kansas (can't remember her name)??? What do you guys think?

If the OP's name indicates he / she lives in Wayzata, MN, proper context should be given to his / her position.

The city of Wayzata, MN is one of the richest communities in MN. It's cracker white, über conservative and needless to say, Republican. To give you an idea, Bush, Cheney, Rove and a host of other Republicans came to Wayzata several times to fundraise for Michelle Bachman, a Rep. who was running for office in 2004. If the OP can be an Obama fan in Wayzata, my hat's off.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Ron Paul? Man, if he were Obama's running mate, I would actually vote Democrat in this election. Of course, I think he's about as likely to pick Britney Spears, so…

No, she's scheduled to be in treatment through out most of the election.

[Luca Rescigno]

Originally Posted by art_director 

If the OP's name indicates he / she lives in Wayzata, MN, proper context should be given to his / her position.

The city of Wayzata, MN is one of the richest communities in MN. It's cracker white, über conservative and needless to say, Republican. To give you an idea, Bush, Cheney, Rove and a host of other Republicans came to Wayzata several times to fundraise for Michelle Bachman, a Rep. who was running for office in 2004. If the OP can be an Obama fan in Wayzata, my hat's off.

My family's from Stillwater and we all vote Democrat. I think we may be in the minority for our community, but on the other hand we moved out there in 1992 before most of the WASPs got in.

My opinion is that an Obillary ticket wouldn't be the greatest. I think the militant Hillary supporters, the ones who would actually vote for McCain rather than Obama, wouldn't care if Hillary was on the ticket. They'd see Hillary's position as VP candidate as demeaning, and the ones who are afraid of Obama because he's black aren't going to change their minds no matter what. It also risks alienating certain Obama supporters, but probably not to a very great extent.

One argument in favor of Obama/Clinton is that those two have amassed tens of millions of votes already. Even though Obama was the clear winner, Hillary still got nearly 50% of the votes in a huge primary season. You can't argue with how much support they've gotten.

[art_director]

In my view an Obama / Clinton ticket would be a disaster. Take election strategy out of it and you end up with an empty suit standing next to a very intelligent person.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Ron Paul? Man, if he were Obama's running mate, I would actually vote Democrat in this election. Of course, I think he's about as likely to pick Britney Spears, so…

If he picked Britney Spears, he'd be a shoe-in.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by Eug 

If he picked Britney Spears, he'd be a shoe-in.

They'd have to have the victory party at the Betty Ford Clinic.

[kobi]

Originally Posted by Eug 

If he picked Britney Spears, he'd be a shoe-in.

He's a shoe-in already.

I think Joe Biden should be the VP. He has the experience and balls.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by kobi 

He's a shoe-in already.

I think Joe Biden should be the VP. He has the experience and balls.

If Obama can beat a guy with a whole different magnitude of funding who isn't afraid to play dirty, I'll be really impressed. Old age and treachery overcome youth and skill.

[olePigeon]

Obama should take General Clark as his VP, and make Hillary Head of State.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

If Obama can beat a guy with a whole different magnitude of funding who isn't afraid to play dirty, I'll be really impressed. Old age and treachery overcome youth and skill.

Yeah McCain sure will have a whole different magnitude of funding: much less.

Anyway, the big myth of this election is that Clinton is somehow the great white hope of working-class whites. Most all of Hillary's voters are simply "low-information" loyal Democrats who voted for her because she's a Clinton. Some are probably women who wanted a woman to win the white house. And others just wouldn't vote for a black man. Picking Clinton won't change a thing: Obama is going to win all of the loyal democrats whoever the veep is, all of those women whoever the veep is, and none of the racists whoever the veep is. Picking Clinton does nothing for him.

IMO, Richardson is the best choice.

[paul w]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

If Obama can beat a guy with a whole different magnitude of funding who isn't afraid to play dirty, I'll be really impressed. Old age and treachery overcome youth and skill.

I thought McCain was supposed to be both above dirty campaigning (see 2000 when Bush's campagn went after his adopted daughter) and for campaign finace reform. Let's hope all his money is clean as a whistle and he can stick to the issues and not do lame character assassinations.

But I agree that it's going to be close, a bit dirty and every little edge will count. He should spend some money to seem less old and out of touch.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

Yeah McCain sure will have a whole different magnitude of funding: much less.

Anyway, the big myth of this election is that Clinton is somehow the great white hope of working-class whites. Most all of Hillary's voters are simply "low-information" loyal Democrats who voted for her because she's a Clinton. Some are probably women who wanted a woman to win the white house. And others just wouldn't vote for a black man. Picking Clinton won't change a thing: Obama is going to win all of the loyal democrats whoever the veep is, all of those women whoever the veep is, and none of the racists whoever the veep is. Picking Clinton does nothing for him.

IMO, Richardson is the best choice.

I admit I haven't been following the money closely just lately, but last I checked, the Republicans had a lot more money banked. Did that change when I wasn't looking?

[Luca Rescigno]

So maybe I'll have to change my opinion here and say that Hillary Clinton as VP would be a good thing. Ignorant Clinton supporters who are willing to betray their own interests to elect John McCain are probably dumb enough to fall for the whole "VP is important" trick. I don't think they realize that moving Clinton from the Senate floor to the vice presidency would actually decrease her power, because it would at least be a psychological victory for them and for those who want to see a woman get elected.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I admit I haven't been following the money closely just lately, but last I checked, the Republicans had a lot more money banked. Did that change when I wasn't looking?

It's generally been the case in the past, but the last couple of election cycles have seen Dems with more money. And Obama has been in the stratosphere with money, and is generally expected to have more than McCain. Check this out.

[Atomic Rooster]

A Vice-President has no real power, OK, puppet-master Cheney did. That era is over.

Better to be Secretary of State or some such.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

IMO, Richardson is the best choice.

Agreed. I'm considering voting for Obama, meaning mainly that I'm not happy Barr got the LP nomination and haven't decided if I want to throw my vote away on him. If he picks Hillary for his VP, I vote for Barr (or nobody). If he picks Richardson for his VP, I vote for Obama/Richardson then, in 4-8 years I very likely vote for Richardson for president (barring, of course, the possibility that the Republicans or LP manage to nominate someone worthwhile).

[Mithras]

Originally Posted by art_director 

In my view an Obama / Clinton ticket would be a disaster. Take election strategy out of it and you end up with an empty suit pantsuit standing next to a very intelligent person.

Fixed.

[Mithras]

Originally Posted by paul w

Jim Webb's an option, for example, if you want someone with a military background.

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Originally Posted by BRussell

IMO, Richardson is the best choice.

Agreed.

I like Jim Webb, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, and Richardson, in roughly that order.

Webb really could put Virginia in play, has incontestable military experience, and as a former Republican reinforces Obama's "politics of unity" message. And of course he may help offset Obama's weakness with Appalachian whites.

Schweitzer is a tough-and-gruff guy from a western red state. Obama already shows potential to tip Colorado and New Mexico, and Schweitzer could reinforce that trend. His funny and plainspoken style clicks well with Obama's message of respectful dialogue.

Richardson would of course help put the Southwest into play. And he also brings considerable foreign policy experience. I'm not crazy about his stage presence, but that doesn't matter too much for a VP, and arguably you don't want someone to outshine Obama anyway.

Things I don't like -- Webb is a real economic populist, which reinforces the annoying anti-trade strain in Obama. Schweitzer is young and without foreign policy experience, or really any long experience. Richardson does nothing to help Obama with the vaguely suspicious white people that, sadly, make up a considerable portion of the electorate.

[Luca Rescigno]

Here's a dream ticket that my friend suggested last night. Make that two:

Obama-Powell
McCain-Powell

Colin Powell will definitely not be on either ticket. There's just no chance. But imagine how much he could do for either campaign.

With Obama, he'd draw in lots of voters with an unprecedented (in modern times) cross-party ticket and decades of foreign policy and national security experience. His past support of the Iraq War wouldn't even hurt him that much since he got out when he realized what a sham it was and publicly admitted that we had made a mistake.

With McCain, he could soften his image up, though McCain is already seen by many as being more progressive than many Republicans and I'm not sure they need that. However, he would also split a lot of Obama's support among blacks, where even just a little bit could swing the results in his favor. The fact that Powell is seen as a really reasonable guy and a moderate would probably win over a lot of swing voters, staunch conservatives notwithstanding.

But like I said, this will never happen. Kinda too bad, because I think Obama-Powell really is a dream ticket and perhaps the only cross-party matchup that could possibly work.

On a joking note, I've seen a few "Obama/Prime '08" things floating around. It'd be cool to have a giant transforming robot as a vice president.

[Mithras]

I would love that. But yeah, never gonna happen. Not to mention the whole OMG two black guys factor, which is of course hysterically funny considering how many "two white guys" tickets there have been.

[olePigeon]

The problem I see with McCain is that every threat to the U.S. will be answered with, "Get the hell off my lawn!"

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno 

Here's a dream ticket that my friend suggested last night. Make that two:

Obama-Powell
McCain-Powell

Obama has been staunchly against the war in Iraq from the beginning, while Powell is one of the people most responsible for the pooch-screw. How would that be a good ticket? You may as well suggest Dick Cheney.

[Arty50]

The big problem with picking Clinton a VP is that Obama would no longer be able to hammer anyone regarding taking money special interests. The Clintons are masters of big donations from special interests. Also, the Clintons define politics as usual. Bringing Hillary on violates some of the main tenets of his campaign.

[chris v]

I think he aughta hit McCain where he lives.

Clinton, no. Baggage. That's why the Republicans wanted her so badly on the ticket-- because they could inflame the base against her.

Ron Paul? Are you totally insane? I mean really.

[spacefreak]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

The problem I see with McCain is that every threat to the U.S. will be answered with, "Get the hell off my lawn!"

I think I'd be psyched to see that play out. Older folks who've lived a while have seen bullsh-t come and go, and they don't have the time or patience for such BS.

McCain would be so much better a candidate if he took on that persona. This "really nice man" schtick he's slinging seems a bit fake to me.

[spacefreak]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Obama has been staunchly against the war in Iraq from the beginning, while Powell is one of the people most responsible for the pooch-screw. How would that be a good ticket? You may as well suggest Dick Cheney.

Well, few would be more qualified than Cheney. He knows his way through the woods.

Based on my limited exposure to Powell, I am not a big fan. I don't think he's a leader. I realize he's had leadership positions, but it's always serving someone else. If he would go out on his own and run a basic lemonade stand, then perhaps I'd be a bit more into him. Instead, he seems like the type who is waiting for someone else to start the lemonade stand and hand over management to him.

I also think Powell is a pass-the-buck man, so he desires positions where he can blame others for his failings.

[Lateralus]

No.

I'm hoping Obama goes with somebody who has some national security or military cred. Specifically, I'd do a cartwheel if he went with Wes Clark.

[design219]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Obama should take General Clark as his VP, and make Hillary Head of State.

I agree about the Wesley Clark choice. I had high hopes for him when he showed interest in the presidency. The more I read about him, the more I liked him. A military man as a second would do Obama wonders.

[Weyland-Yutani]

Maybe Obama should choose Lieberman

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani 

Maybe Obama should choose Lieberman

I think it's more likely for McCain to choose Lieberman.....

[chris v]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani 

Maybe Obama should choose Lieberman

I somehow doubt that's what they were discussing in the Senate the other day. Lieberman really should change parties.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Obama has been staunchly against the war in Iraq from the beginning, while Powell is one of the people most responsible for the pooch-screw. How would that be a good ticket? You may as well suggest Dick Cheney.

With all due respect, you're using fuzzy history here. Powell gave the case to the UN but, to his own admission, he was lied to and thus unknowingly brought bad info that body. Yes, he was the face for the CIA's blunder but unwittingly. He's since distanced himself from the administration and has spoken out against them.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by Arty50 

The big problem with picking Clinton a VP is that Obama would no longer be able to hammer anyone regarding taking money special interests. The Clintons are masters of big donations from special interests. Also, the Clintons define politics as usual. Bringing Hillary on violates some of the main tenets of his campaign.

To your point, Clinton flies in the face of Obama's message of change. She's of the political elite, she's propped up by special interests and she'd bring along Billy.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by spacefreak 

Well, few would be more qualified than Cheney. He knows his way through the woods.

Based on my limited exposure to Powell, I am not a big fan. I don't think he's a leader. I realize he's had leadership positions, but it's always serving someone else. If he would go out on his own and run a basic lemonade stand, then perhaps I'd be a bit more into him. Instead, he seems like the type who is waiting for someone else to start the lemonade stand and hand over management to him.

I also think Powell is a pass-the-buck man, so he desires positions where he can blame others for his failings.

Powell demonstrated competent, effective leadership with America's Promise. He wasn't answering to anyone by starting and running that initiative. Why would you ignore such a noble and successful effort?

Powell is pass the buck? Blah, he was a fall guy for the trust fund biitch currently residing in the White House.

I'll ignore the Cheney reference. This country has heard enough about that corrupt bastard. I hope his pacemaker fails violently.