Perhaps an Obama/Clinton ticket isn’t such a crazy idea after all?

[Douglas Carpenter]

Poll question: Perhaps an Obama/Clinton ticket isn’t such a crazy idea after all?

I was neither a strong supporter of either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama until the mathematic realities finally clarified the situation.

Neither of the two would have been my first choice.

Only a week or so ago I was strongly arguing against the idea of an Obama/Clinton ticket on purely electoral strategic grounds. In fact I thought the idea was crazy. I’m still by no means certain that it’s a good idea. But I am beginning to think it’s not such a crazy idea after all.



I suppose I agreed with the argument put forward by one Washington analyst that Obama/Clinton would be “just too much rainbow”.

It’s a historic shift for the American people to vote for either a black man or a white woman for President or Vice President of the United States. So putting the two together on the same ticket would simply be too much for small town American and white male voters.

But for the last several weeks the media has been constantly raising the contrast between Sen. Obama who appeals to African-Americans, the university educated, “big city folks”, and the somewhat above average income voter. Sen. Clinton appeals to woman, Hispanics, lower income voters and small town people.

Now this was not the common perception of Sen. Clinton before the primaries began. But it is the common perception now and it is constantly reinforced in almost every news story about the nomination process. It would be almost impossible for those perceptions to be suddenly changed again and for the mainstream media to suddenly change those mimes now that the process is so far along.

So a ticket that combines the constituency strengths of Sen. Obama among African-Americans, the university educated, “big city folks” and the somewhat above average income voter with Sen. Clinton’s appeal to woman, Hispanics, lower income voters and small town people – could in fact be a very workable and natural coalition; and a very strong coalition.

When all is done and said, the actually specific policies differences between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton are minimal.

I’ve heard all counterarguments. If fact I have made a number of the counterarguments myself.

But, maybe just maybe, it’s not such a crazy idea after all?