what if Hillary picks a woman for VP ?

[JI7]

what do you all think of Hillary picking another woman to be VP if she wins the nomination ?

we have discussed Obama picking a woman such as Sebelius and Napolitano. but these women would be good picks for Hillary also even if they are currently supporting Obama. there are many other women also including those who have endorsed her.

i think Claudia Kennedy would be a great choice also.

[Sherman A1]

1. I don't think so

anything is of course possible, but first she has to get the nomination, then she needs a #2 who will bring in some balance (she has high negatives as we all know). I think it will be Edwards or Richardson myself. At one point I think it would have been Obama, but this has gotten a bit too difficult of late. The only thing for sure is that nothing is for sure and politics does make strange bedfellows.

we will see....

[MonkeyFunk]

2. She won't

and Claudia Kennedy is entirely unknown.

Clinton's smart - she'll pick Obama (if politically necessary) or Wes Clark most likely.

[JI7]

3. i hope so, but i still think she will pick Evan Bayh

[Tesha]

12. Golly! Two reasons (on one ticket) to vote for someone else! (NT)

[John Q. Citizen]

4. If she picks Obama then she admits she was wrong or lying when she tried to claim he

wasn't experienced enough to be president. Political nessecity means she won't pick Obama, if she can turn around the ship and win the nomination at this late date, that is.

[quantass]

6. ...But also the Dilema of Not Choosing him and Losing Half the Voting party.

Obama has a more of th epopular vote and if she takes the nomination then there will be several upset people and without question their will be independents that will not vote hilary....so her not choosing obama will have a big impact on turn out Democrats during GE and she will lose...But if she takes him then she is a hipocrit....

Interestingly, it's not as detrimental for Obama if he wins the nomination because techinically he can't choose Hilary, but then this would potentially affect e.g. women voters that vote pro-hilary...but for Obama it would be wiser to have someone like John Edwarsd as VP which i persnally feel would be a better replacement.

[John Q. Citizen]

15. If Obama wins the pledged delegate count there is no way they aren't nominating him,

because as you say, there would be a massive discontent in the land.

If they almost tie on pledged delegates 10 - 30 apart and popular vote then it will get very sticky.

But I predict that unless Hill greatly exceeds expectation on March 4th and this coming Tuesday, that she's going to be mathematically inviable after the 4th. Then she either goes the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is a graceful concession, the hard way is super delegates will start pledging to Obama until Hill decides she's had enough.

Edwards wouldn't be a horrible VP pick, and there isn't any thing that precludes him on the ticket in terms of candidate message. I think it's a possibility.

As far as Hill goes, if she can part the Red Sea and turn the tide, I expect she would choose one of the likely suspects, or even an unlikely suspect from the likely suspect mold.

Or alternatively, She might run well with Edwards, actually, from a political stand point. Edwards could bring some needed soul to the ticket.

Virtually all the Democrats (well within a percentage or 2 ) currently voting for either Hill or Obama will turn out and vote Democratic in the Fall, no matter who wins the nomination. Some of the independents will vote Dem no matter what. Over all I think Obama would be the best vote draw in the general.

[Iceburg]

29. Obama can't pick Edwards because the ticket will

be seen as too week on National Security and foreign policy. John's experience and message has a strong domestic appeal. Obama has NO foreign policy/national security to speak of.

If Obama wins he will be between a rock and a hard place wrt. the VP.

Hillary because of her record and her base of support has more degrees of freedom in her selection.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. Nah

It's politics. Reagan picked Bush, Kennedy picked Johnson.

People here love to imagine some real intense hatred, but there isn't. It's politics.

[John Q. Citizen]

10. Except Reagan and Kennedy never made the argument that Bush or Johnson

weren't fit to be president, should the need arise.

They differed on issues. Not on such a fundamental pre-requisite to their own message. The fundies and the anti gov. funders didn't like bush but they loved Reagan.

And of course, for much the same kind of reason, Obama can't pick Hill because it steps all over his message of hope and change, since by that assertion, Hill becomes the candidate of cynicism and the resistance to change.

If Obama were saying, 'Hill's school plan is too expensive and wasteful,' and Hill was saying 'Obama doesn't want to invest enough in defense' then either could invite the other onto the ticket, no matter how much they hated each others guts, personally.

But not with the arguments they have been making.

[Jamastiene]

13. Well, VP doesn't require as much experience as President.

So, it is entirely possible that she could pick him and vice versa.

[John Q. Citizen]

17. The VP needs to be ready to go at anytime, Even day 1, if need be.

Hill has already effectively ruled out Obama, if she were to perform miraculously and somehow win a majority of the elected delegates to win the nomination.

Obama promises hope and change. Hill doesn't fit the message.

[Jamastiene]

19. Yeah, because he's making empty promises and she

would actually bother to take steps to give us change. Thanks for the nasty reply, btw. I like to know who is who and how some of you cannot discuss rationally without adding stupid silly slogans to your messages. This is a minute of my life that I will never get back, but Ignore is such a sweet option.

[John Q. Citizen]

21. I fail to understand what you found nasty about my reply. But if you want to put

me on ignore, by all means, be my guest. It doesn't bother me a bit and if it makes you feel better than why not?

I'm not sure what silly slogans you are accusing me of adding.

I do know what messages the campaigns have been using. Hill says Obama is inexperienced, and Obama says America wants hope and change, instead of Hill. Perhaps they upset you? I don't know.

Or does the ability to count delegates, and to figure out roughly the percentages that a candidate would need to win by in the remaining states in order to come out with a majority of elected delegates upset you?

If you don't trust my math, that's fine. You can do your own.

And if you don't like my analysis of why it's almost impossible, based on the campaign messages, for Hill to run with Obama, or visa versa, that's fine too. But I don't understand why that would make you angry.

Instead I would imagine that you would show me where my analysis was faulty and offer me better analysis.

But hey, there's a lot I don't understand.

[quantass]

5. I wouldn't be surprised -- Women stick together

Seriously, i wouldnt' be surrpised to find her choose a woman VP and in ways i expect she would and see absolutely nothing wrong with it. personally i think it would be cool to have two women....but my vote is still for Obama ... it really sucks to have Obama and Hilary in the same election year....Obama i personally feel is just a better candidate and motivator than Hilary.

[MonkeyFunk]

8. Women stick together?

That's your rationale? How odd.

[Jamastiene]

14. It is a rather odd sentiment, isn't it?

I've never heard that before. If anything, women do NOT stick together usually.

[John Q. Citizen]

20. Whether women stick together or not is of no consequence. I guarantee Hill wouldn't

pick a woman to run with her any more than Obama will pick a black man as his running mate.

I mean change is good, but too much change too fast tends to freak people out. We may be in the mood for change, but this is still America.

[bowens43]

9. Doesn't matter, Hillary can't beat McCain

no matter who she would chose as VP.

[mtnsnake]

18. If Hillary can't beat McCain, then nobody can. n/t

[bigtree]

11. awesome thought

thanks for that.

[rndmprsn]

16. then both will lose...thats was easy

[Unsane]

22. About as likely as her picking a Martian.

Shouldn't waste your thread posting privileges like that ;)

[shayes51]

23. ok by me

[Iceburg]

24. Never. But it would be considered "Normal" for a man to pick another man

Nor would Obama consider picking an AA for his VP ... we are not quite there yet. After 200 year of conditioning, gender and race are factors that will influence the outcome of this contest. While America has made great strides in the last 45 years with respect to race, Obama is not free to choose an AA at this time. Moreover, with respect to gender, many men (and sadly some women) have trouble accepting a woman as president, let alone having a woman VP at her side. The reality is that a significant number of men still have trouble accepting a woman as their true equal. This board reflects that reality -- racism is banned(as it should) but sexism is almost encouraged, particulary among the young Obama supporters.

What both Hillary and Obama have going for them is that they both have significantly large communities that will come out and support their candidate en masse. One of both these communities will be the deciders in the GE.

I think Hillary will choose Wesley Clark as her VP -- he one of her most recognized, respected and vocal supporers.
I don't know who Obama would choose -- presumably somebody with foreign policy/national security experience, and someone that can help in Florida or one of the large swing states.

[Radical Activist]

25. Will she be more liberal?

Interesting thought.

[totodeinhere]

26. What if she picks the best one for the job regardless or race or gender?

[DFW]

28. How very un-American of you!

How could you even suggest such a thing? :crazy:

[DFW]

27. My bet is she would pick Wes Clark

He is from Arkansas, has known the Clintons for a long time,
and would bring everything military to the ticket that the
rabid right could claim the ticket would otherwise lack.

Sibelius or Napolitano would be excellent choices, but I
don't think she would pick either, as another woman on the
ticket might be a bit much for our macho society to handle,
plus the lack of military credentials would be glaring, as
unjust as that might be.

For that matter, I'd bet that Obama is seriously looking at
both of them, as well as Jim Webb.

Don't count out the possibility of an overture to Obama either,
if she gets the nomination. Remember how Bush I and Reagan
fought like cats and dogs in the 1980 primaries, and still
managed to beat Carter/Mondale, disastrous as that result was
for the country. To this day, we all recall the phrase "voodoo
economics" but who remembers where it came from? It was the very
accurate assessment that Bush I made of Reagan's economic plans
during the 1980 primaries. Reagan chose Bush anyway, got elected,
and proceeded to institute exactly that: voodoo economics. Our
budget deficit tripled over the course of their terms on office.
Still, their flag-waving still buried Fritz Mondale in 1984, thus
depriving us of a president who might have been one of the greatest
in history. 2000 wasn't the first time that had happened.