Talking about who Barack Obama will pick as the VP can only mean that this idiotic primary season is ending. Some liberal and progressive bloggers are batting around names for VP, a clear sign that we're moving on.
Ground Rules First
There's three important points that seem to get lost in the rush to list various typologies of reasons to choose one person over another, or to jump to the names.
1. Choosing a VP will be the nominee's first presidential decision. When you are relatively new and unknown, like Obama is, this choice is even more important.
2. Choosing a VP these days is the first step to forming a government. The VP over the last two administrations has been a partner, an XO, etc. and not a forgotten ornament.
3. Choosing the VP sets the tone of the campaign. Kerry choosing Edwards was a sign that Kerry really didn't care that much about the choice or had a tone to set. McCain will probably follow the same route because he has no over-arching theme.
By all these metrics, Obama needs to make an independent choice, one that echoes his fundamental themes of change and a new, future-oriented politics and essentially have a partner for what he wants to do in his administration.
Naming Names
Sen. Bulworth mentions several worthy candidates, but failed to include himself. Let me add some other names that are a bit out there:
Colin Powell: this would be a real dream ticket, a national unity ticket. Foreign policy cred up the wazoo, and the man who tried to avoid the Iraq war is best suited to help lead us out of it. Plus, he's to the left of the Clintons these days. Plus plus, he has the same calm, pragmatic approach that Barack has.
Michael Bloomberg: the mayor of NYC is can-do and has been beating poverty with a stick. He's independent, well respected in the political and business realms, and was thinking of running for POTUS this year so has raised his political profile already.
Hillary Clinton fails on all three metrics. So let's forget about her. More about the lunacy of choosing her later.
1 comments:
The newspaper The Hill supposedly asked every current U.S. Senator whether they would accept the VP slot. But they neglected to ask me.
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