I think Hillary is listening to Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Terry McAuliffe, all of whom want her

[StevieM]

to pick Tim Kaine.

I think her own instincts and preferences are telling her to pick Tom Vilsack.

Vilsack would help in Iowa, which is closer than Pennsylvania. He would also allow her to present a ticket with deep roots in Pennsylvania, since she has family ties there, as does Vilsack.

Finally, there are people in rural communities who know his name, and think of him fondly, due to the various efforts of the Agriculture Department.

[helpisontheway]

1. I would not be surprised

President Obama was close to Kaine during his campaign. Plus I'm sure she would value the advice of her close friend and her husband.

[bluedye33139]

2. If the goal is winning, listen to Obama and Bill Clinton and Terry McAuliffe

One of the strengths of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is that they know how to separate "the narrative" from reality. There is a constant churning narrative going on in politics, full of small details that take up entire news cycles day upon day and then evaporate within weeks. A good politician knows that you have to look past the "Crisis of the Day" and be mindful of the longer-term changes and events going on.

Tim Kaine currently has risen to the top of the list in the narrative, and the narrative has lots of things to say about why she would choose him or how he would harm or help the campaign. The narrative goes on and on, and a thousand journalists and political pundits kick around the names and the ideas endlessly, in an echo chamber -- but Clinton's decision will likely be made for reasons far other the ones that the narrative outside of the campaign have listed.

I say, whoever she picks, I'll vote for the ticket as long as it's a Democrat.

[OnDoutside]

3. There are a lot of positives in picking Kaine, Vilsack does nothing. That said Kaine's

abortion views would reduce the attacks on the bigot Pence.