Barack Obama Needs Hillary as VP Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle.

[David Zephyr]

My daughter worked her way through college, played by all the rules, took her degree and today oversees nearly $2 Billion for a large organization in the midwest. Her husband did not help her with getting her job or attend her job interview. She is also a great wife and mother to my grand-daughter. In her spare time, she is active in her church and is acting as the general contractor overseeing the construction of her new home. Why do I mention this?

Our country is simply overflowing with talented, untapped women who could walk into the White House this afternoon and turn this country around, put it on the right track by 6PM and then still have time enjoy their families and life itself. Moreover, the Democratic Party is rich with talented women, brilliant women, bold and innovative women, seasoned and experienced women any of whom could stand at the side of Senator Obama, strengthen his ticket and chew up John McCain at election time.

It is absurd to entertain even for a single moment that Hillary Clinton could be the only woman to be considered to be Obama's Vice President. And it is insulting.

Having said that, I must say that I believe that Barack Obama should choose a woman to be his Vice President. I have for decades suggested that since every state has two U.S. Senators that one should be for men and the other women. The population is 50/50 anyway so it's really a no-brainer. I really believe it should be the law of the land. 100 Senators with 50 Women and 50 Men. If I could wave a wand today, I'd etch it right into the Constitution. And I think that the same should apply to the Executive Branch for Republicans and Democrats alike. If the Party nominates a woman or a man to be at the top of the ticket, then by golly, the reciprocal should be in the VP position. Period. There's no rationalization that can be made against that argument. In a nation of 300 million citizens, it is outrageous that women are not by mandate and yes by quota (I did use that word) hold 50% of the Senate and share one of the two top positions in the Executive Branch.

Barack Obama should prove he is really for change and demonstrate to the entire world that American women are as valued and respected as much as men. Change does not shut out women. I will be very unhappy if Obama should pick another man to be his VP. I've suggested Senator Barbara Boxer as my favorite pick for a very long time, but the truth is that Barack has an incredibly viable pool of other choices beyond Senator Boxer. Even Senator Dianne Feinstein, with whom I have my differences, would make an outstanding Vice President.

I was happy to see that NARAL endorsed Senator Obama today. It only proves yet again that women are no more monolithic than any other group of Americans.

Finally, with all of the superbly talented and experience women in the U.S.A. and within the Democratic Party, Senator Obama should have no problem whatsoever in selecting his running mate. He is not limited to only Hillary Clinton in making that choice. That somehow Hillary is the only choice is an insulting suggestion. Senator Obama, if you can't find someone, contact me because my daughter might be able to squeeze it into her schedule.

[DJ13]

1. K&R..... oh and......

:rofl:

[David Zephyr]

7. Great pic.

The DU never ceases to amaze me.

[ORDem]

24. I'll bet that was taken in Portland during the rainy season. LOL. nt

[Bright Eyes]

2. Maybe the fish is riding the bike to cut down his carbon foot print...

Er...carbon fin print. :P

[LakeSamish706]

3. Something that you fail to mention though... Your daughter (as well as many other women).

would not be out there kissing all Big Business asses as would Hillary. They would be there for the good of the country and not for there own selfish wants and needs.

[David Zephyr]

4. My daughter is an angel who had two gay dads back when it was hush-hush.

She has all the right values. When her peers at work tease her that she's liberal, she occasionally shocks them telling them that her dad thinks she's too conservative...her homosexual, socialist dad in California. Her husband always gets a great kick out of her values and cherishes her for it. She makes me very, very proud.

[Cha]

5. hilary's campaign has been nothing but insulting with

her lies from the get go. She always twisted her words to make her look better.

The end of her has only gotten more insulting and she will not be on the ticket.

Your daughter sounds like a real role model to women not a sham.

[Youphemism]

6. ...Like a campaign donating child needs a bicycle

I have to admit, I was really touched during her victory speech when she said, "...and a little boy in Kentucky donated his bicycle and his video game, in the hope that some day, somehow, against all odds, Americans will come together and help me get my 11 million dollars back."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Or, like a swimmer needs one of these.

[Labors of Hercules]

9. I like Barbara Boxer A LOT...

But I get the feeling Barack is leaning toward Sebelius or Napolitano.

[David Zephyr]

26. Sebelius and Napolitano are both outstanding candidates, too.

Executive experience running two states with resumes a hundred yards long. Both great choices!

[haymakeragain]

10. The Clinton's should both retire with their fortune.

Time to take it easy and let someone new have a shot.

[hfojvt]

11. Sounds like you undervalue your daughter a little

"Our country is simply overflowing ..." First, that makes her sound kinda common. Even if there are lots and lots and lots of women like her, she still sounds pretty extraordinary to me. Not as rare as hen's teeth, maybe, but not dime a dozen either.

To use the word "over-flowing" makes it sound like we have more than we need, and I certainly don't believe that's true.

Finally while this "fish needs a bicycle" may be an understandable reaction to the "a woman is worthless or incomplete without a man" philosophy it still seems like an undesirable extreme to me.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. A profusion is not necessarily an excess. nt

[hfojvt]

20. but an overflow is, nicht wahr?

I would not be niggling at this point had the author said "our country is simply loaded ..." or "prolific" or "teeming". "Overloaded" just seems over the top, as it were. Although, one could argue that we have more such women than we have vice presidential slots to put them in. As a janitor with a master's degree, I can relate to that.

[David Zephyr]

27. Thanks.

Well, she is pretty extraordinary and I thank you for saying so.

I believe Gloria Steinem (although it is disputed by some) gets the credit for the great line about the fish.

[Road Scholar]

12. I would rather teach a fish to ride a bicycle than to have

her lurking around in the shadows of the background trying to upstage me for 2012. No fucking way!!
K&R

[marions ghost]

13. disagree

I think Obama should choose the best person for the job and not look for a woman running mate. Gender should just be one of many possible advantages, disadvantages, attributes. As much as humanly possible, he should seek to be gender neutral.

After Hillary's Shermanesque slide, any woman on the ticket may not be an advantage.

Obama will have good women in his administration. I'm not worried about the symbolism of VP. He should pick the human that he most prefers for the job.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Obama/Your Daughter '08!

I'm cool with that!

[Az_lefty]

16. Thank you...K&R

[walldude]

17. Senator Dianne Feinstein??

Not for Hillary as VP, but you would take the war profiteer? This Obama supporter would rather see Hillary in there, Feinstein is a friend to no one but herself and she and her husband have made millions off the war. She also doesn't have near the clout or the connections Hillary does to be effective as VP. Boxer, yeah, Feinstein, a giant NO!

[dreamnightwind]

31. Yep...

My sentiments exactly.

[PoliticalAmazon]

18. I think Obama should choose the best VP candidate, not favoring one gender...

or race over another.

[Tesha]

19. Nicely referenced! (NT)

[Tesha]

21. Will your daughter be 35 years of age on January 20th?

That is a requirement that I, unfortunately, more-
than-meet, but you didn't say whether your daughter
does.

Tesha

[David Zephyr]

28. Uh oh. She's not qualified yet.

Then Tesha it may have to be you. No, she won't be 35.

[redqueen]

22. Indeed.

I'm sick of her trying to glom onto his success.

She needs to learn to accept defeat. As do her supporters.

[Tesha]

23. Quite few "lefty" or "progressive" organizations already mandate gender balance.

(I apologize for putting in three separate replies, but I
think they'll attract different discussions.)

> Having said that, I must say that I believe that Barack Obama
> should choose a woman to be his Vice President. I have for decades
> suggested that since every state has two U.S. Senators that one
> should be for men and the other women. The population is 50/50
> anyway so it's really a no-brainer. I really believe it should
> be the law of the land. 100 Senators with 50 Women and 50 Men.
> If I could wave a wand today, I'd etch it right into the Constitution.
> And I think that the same should apply to the Executive Branch for
> Republicans and Democrats alike. If the Party nominates a woman
> or a man to be at the top of the ticket, then by golly, the
> reciprocal should be in the VP position. Period. There's no
> rationalization that can be made against that argument. In a
> nation of 300 million citizens, it is outrageous that women are
> not by mandate and yes by quota (I did use that word) hold 50%
> of the Senate and share one of the two top positions in the
> Executive Branch.

Quite few "lefty" or "progressive" organizations already mandate
gender balance among their leadership. For example, the ACLU uses
a system similar to your suggestion to try an ensure that its
national Board of Directors has roughly-proportional M/F
representation as well as doing outreach to the rest of the
ways that humans like to sort themselves out (race, sexual
preference, and the like).

Tesha

[David Zephyr]

29. Thanks fo rthe gender balance examples.

The sort of "choose the best" argument when 50% of the population is women and somehow always results in women on the short end of power really becomes an excuse for maintaining the status quo, doesn't it?

[Tesha]

35. Yes, unfortunately it does seem to work that way. :-( (NT)

[VotesForWomen]

25. vice versa; at least when O goes down in Nov. she'll still be viable for 2012.

[ShortnFiery]

32. No, the Clintons playing Lee Atwater's *Southern Strategy* has made them infamous

and HRC, most unelectable. She'll be lucky to hold onto her Senate Seat in 2012. Seeing "the real Clintons" at last has been a real eye opener to especially the AA Community. Bubba needs to move his office out of Harlem: Persona non grata. :nuke:

[New Dawn]

30. K&R

[DU GrovelBot]

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[democracy1st]

34. K & R LMAO