A Foreign-Policy Pro?
Joe Biden: D-Delaware (Even though he called Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean"?)
Wesley Clark (Even if he's a Clinton supporter now?)
A Solid Governor From A Major Swing State?
Ted Strickland: D-OH (Lord knows, the Democrats need to win states like Ohio in November)
Or A Female Governor?
Christine Gregoire: D-Washington (But does he need help in the Pacific Northwest, after his major victory Saturday?)
Jennifer Granholm: D-Michigan (Too close to Illinois?)
Janet Napolitano: D-Arizona (Can she help him triumph in the state if Obama goes up against AZ's senior senator?)
Kathleen Sebelius: D-Kansas (Does he need help in the heartland? Against McCain... probably.)
What About Another Popular Freshman Senator from the Mid-West?
Claire McCaskill: D-MO (Could be a pretty sweet ticket, no? Her support surely helped him in a narrow defeat over Clinton in Missouri.)
Or An Anti-War Liberal Leader?
Russ Feingold: D-Wisconson (Too liberal? Too ethnic? Does that matter in this election?)
And Speaking of Liberal(ish) Ethnics...
Michael Bloomberg: I-NY (Can you even imagine? Surely this would put Bama over the top with those concerned about his lack of economic and business acumen.)
Let the speculations begin!!
2 comments:
For some reason, I really like Biden. I think he's a bit of a fool, but somehow charming when he speaks. I thought for sure he would have done better, so...
Jewsh -- nice analysis here. But if I may throw my own $0.02 in...
* Ted Strickland has endorsed HRC. He's out.
* Jennifer Granholm did too. Same thing.
* And, as you note, so has Clark -- so no dice there.
* You're right that picking Napolitano in a race against McCain puts too much focus on him and his popularitiy in AZ and wastes the opportunity.
* And as much as we'd love it, you can't put a Jew on the ticket with a black guy. Just too much at once. There goes Feingold, Bloomberg (who would never be considered anyway), Carl Levin, Ben Cardin, etc.
* I really don't see Joe Biden or Chris Dodd as having a chance at all. It's not that they wouldn't make good running mates; it's that neither signals a real departure from the "old Washington" BHO criticizes so often.
* So I see him going outside the Beltway for this one. And so here are my top five in ascending order:
5) Tom Daschle -- Though he got bounced from office a few years back, Daschle is still a major player. He has been huge for the Obama campaign, putting him in touch with staffers, superdelegates, rural politicians. A Democrat isn't going to win South Dakota, but it may help in other Plains states.
4) Kathleen Sebelius -- Kansas is winnable for Obama, esp. given his family history. Is having a woman on the ticket also too minority-laden? Is there really a way to win over white men all over the country -- noticably against a war hero like John McCain -- without a white man on the ticket? I sure wouldn't want to bet my life on it.
3) Phil Bredesen -- No one knows who he is nationwide, but he's a popular Republican-turned-Democratic governor of Tennessee. Downside is, HRC won his state and it may not be winnable for Barry. But Bredesen has a reputation for being a savvy business-minded tax-cutter who started a successful health care company, which gives him both business credentials and knowledge about a crucial issue coming this November.
2) Jim Webb
1) Tim Kaine
Look, at the end of the day, Barry's best bet is a white man with strong credentials in areas he doesn't have who also hails from a red state with the potential to turn blue in November. After living in Virginia for nearly two years, I think Sen. Webb and Gov. Kaine are wise picks. Kaine was one of the first major elected officials to endorse Obama (one of his national co-chairs) and is term-limited out of a job in 2009. Kaine is well-known here for his missionary work and his comfort in talking about faith and faith issues. He's also invested much of his life on fair housing advocacy with the poor. Webb is well-known nationally for being a former Secretary of the Navy under Reagan (as a Republican!) and is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. Neither men would outshine BHO on the ticket (who could?) but they'd both offer a strong counter-balance to some of the slams on the first-term senator from Illinois.
You heard it here first: it'll be a "Virginia is for Lovers" stamp on the Barry Hussein ticket.
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