Reactions to story from THE NEW REPUBLIC | Blogs

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  More on the (bad) dream ticket

  http://blog.brendanloy.com/2008/05/more-on-the-bad.html
  75 days ago in Irish Trojan in Tennessee · Authority: 33

  TNR's David Bell lists ten reasons the "unity ticket" is a bad idea. He's right.
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  Senator Webb for VP

  http://www.aaa-fund.com/?p=330
  74 days ago in AAA-Fund Blog · Authority: 50

  Ed. Note: While AAA-Fund will not make a pre-primary, Presidential endorsement, its bloggers are free to opine about any candidate. To foster a spirited dialogue, we encourage readers to post their Comments on our Blog. In my March 30 blog posting about New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Obama (and dissing of Hillary), I mentioned that I thought he’d make a great running mate. Six weeks and several primaries later, I still believe Richardson would be an excellent choice for Obama — but no longer my first choice. That distinction goes to Senator Jim Webb of Virginia. A May 8 Salon.com poll indicates that many Dems agree with me. Here’s why I think Webb is the perfect man for the job. The prolonged Obama-Clinton battle has opened up wounds on both sides. Obama must promote healing with his VP selection. Choosing Richardson — the man that James Carville blasted as a “Judas” — would probably not be helpful in this regard, even though he did serve in Bill’s cabinet. Choosing Hillary might soothe those wounds — but undermine his candidacy at the same time. David Bell’s list of 10 reasons sums up why. On the other hand, Webb has remained neutral throughout the race. His military resume starts with more medals earned in Vietnam than John Kerry, and executive experience on top of that as Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. Like John McCain, Webb has a son in the Marines serving in Iraq. Webb currently serves on the Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services. Suffice it to say that Webb’s presence on the ticket should defang any cynical GOP “vote for the Democrats and die” scare tactics. Unlike Clinton, Webb also reinforces Obama’s theme of change. Despite his impressive credentials as a public servant, Webb was elected to the Senate two years after Obama so he’s far from a career politician. Not only that, but Webb was a registered Republican until 2006. If you want to appeal to centrist Republicans (and independents), who better to persuade them than someone who himself left the party because it moved too far to the right? Lest you liberals be concerned that perhaps Webb is not yet a true blue Democrat, don’t forget that little incident he had with George W. Bush in 2006. I don’t care who you are, it takes a lot of gumption to verbally confront the Commander in Chief in the White House, even when he’s being his usual boorish self. If Webb can tell Dubya to his face that we need to bring the troops home from Iraq, you can bet that if elected as VP he’ll help Obama make that a reality. Hillary claims that she is the champion of the working class white voter. Well, Webb’s roots are in rural southern Virginia, so you might say his family IS working class white voters. Speaking of Virginia, the Obama campaign already had its sights set on this red-turned-purple state. Adding Webb to the ticket guarantees that McCain will have his hands full trying to keep this important state in the GOP column come November. Finally, here’s something for APIA voters to chew on. Webb’s wife Hong Le was born in Vietnam and grew up in New Orleans, and Webb himself speaks fairly fluent Vietnamese. If Obama struggles a bit to connect to APIAs, choosing Webb offers immediate assistance in this area. I would say a potential African-American First Lady and Asian-American Second Lady represents change, wouldn’t you? –Theo Chen
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  Why Obama Shouldn't Pick Clinton as VP

  http://commoniowan.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-obama-shouldnt-p...
  74 days ago in Century of the Common Iowan · Authority: 45

  10 Reasons for Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton as his Vice President 1. It's wrong to say that Hillary has survived the worst the Republicans have thrown against her. In a national election, the sort of attacks which had little traction in New York senate races and the Ohio or Pennsylvania primaries could well drag her--and Obama--down. Should Obama have to spend part of his presidential campaign defending the Clintons, of all people, when Travelgate, Whitewater, Vince Foster, the Lincoln Bedroom, Marc Rich, Norman Hsu, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, Monica, and Bosnia all come oozing back up into our political life? 2. How can Obama possibly campaign as the incarnation of the future, and the repudiation of the Bad Old Politics of the Past, when he has Hillary standing next to him? 3. Dynasticism in a minor, vice-presidential key is still dynasticism, and the country is sick of it. Is John McCain going to pick Jeb Bush as his running mate? (and if it wasn't for the last name, he well might). 4. Bill. If Hillary, of all people, couldn't stop him from harming the campaign he was supposed to be helping, can Barack? 5. Hillary has simply gone too far claiming that Obama is unready to be president. Her lines will be flung back in her face--and his--endlessly by the Republicans, and in debates. 6. This seems to be one case that disproves the adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. In 2016, after a second Obama term, Hillary will be nearly 70. Does anyone think she is going to be content to put her own ambitions aside until then, and be nothing but a good team player? 7. Why should Obama give up a chance to put someone with real executive experience on the ticket? This is a weakness of his, and Hillary will not help to address it seriously, despite her vaunted "35 years." 8. A great deal of the political fence-mending that he would accomplish by choosing Hilary could be done just as well by choosing her strong supporter Evan Bayh. 9. Hillary is not Lyndon Johnson. She probably can't bring him anywhere near the number of electoral votes that Johnson brought to the Democratic ticket in 1960 (she certainly can't steal Texas for him!). 10. The obvious, unfortunate, Unevolved Nation reason, namely that some voters will be comforted by a white male on the ticket. Should Obama pay attention to this factor? No. Will he? Good question. Reasons 2, 4, and 5 stand out for me as the strongest reasons to not name Clinton as VP.
• 

  More on the (bad) dream ticket

  http://blog.brendanloy.com/2008/05/more-on-the-bad.html
  75 days ago in Irish Trojan in Tennessee · Authority: 206

  TNR's David Bell lists ten reasons the "unity ticket" is a bad idea. He's right.
• 

  Hillary? On MY Democratic ticket? (It's less likely than you think...)

  http://doctoroptimal.blogspot.com/2008/05/hillary-on-my-demo...
  76 days ago in Doctor O's Love Shack · No authority yet

  I would make point 6 #1. Why wouldn't she sabotage us to open up 2012 for herself? I understand and even sympathize with (if not support or condone) her motivation (she really wants to be president and really doesn't want to wait until 2016 to get her shot) but we'd be fools to allow it.

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