Who are your top five pick's for Obama's VP?

[PresidentObama]

The title says it all...

List them in order from five to one, and give reasons why you support the notion of these five politicians being considered for Barack Obama's running mate in the General Election against John McCain. Tell us their strengths, and what they bring to the campaign that will help Obama win the election in November!

Here are mine:

#5- Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson has the experience that Barack Obama lacks. His resume was among the best of any of the candidates that actively ran for President in 2008. He's also a Governor with executive experience, and plays well among Hispanic voters. He is generally well liked and well respected, and his pro's definitely outweigh his con's.

#4- Hillary Clinton

Whats the best way to build party unity? Combine the two remaining candidates on a unity ticket, and rally the Democratic base. From here you'll have Barack who carries a super majority of the black vote, brings in younger voters in larger volumes, and plays well among independents. And then Hillary Clinton who does well among white working class Americans and blue collar Americans. She also, for whatever reason, is seen as an experienced politician.

#3- Wes Clark

If national security, terrorism, foreign policy and the Iraq War are the issues John McCain thinks he will have strength on...then adding Clark to the ticket would be incredible. The former General would add a lot of foreign policy experience to the ticket that maybe Senator Obama lacks and needs. Obama does well on domestic issues, and foreign policy is Clark's strength. Together, they can make an incredible ticket in my view.

#2- John Kerry

Well known from 2004 as our former Democratic nominee. He has tons of experience to bring to the table, that Obama needs. He's ran a General Election before, and whether you loved him or hated him...he knows the intensity of the General Election and effectively can help be the VP attack dog. Don't believe me? Go YouTube Kerry's response to the GOP's attacks on his botched jokes.

#1- John Edwards

The two most powerful voices for the middle class and those living in poverty, together! John Edwards plays well in the south and the midwest, and in most polls was seen as the most electable Democrat that ran for the nomination. He can help Senator Obama among white working class Americans, and is an incredible speaker for those who are struggling in this country. He, like Kerry, has ran a General Election before. And like Obama, he's an incredible orator and a powerful fighter for change!

Those are my picks. What are your's?

Enjoy and have fun with this guys :)

[babylonsister]

1. Nope, can't do it. I'll trust Obama to pick the best one for him, and us. nt

[PresidentObama]

3. Oh come on. That's no fun. At least speculate. Party pooper.

:P

[babylonsister]

33. Edwards, NO! Obama needs to pick someone with experience,

more than he has. Edwards, as much as he is loved, doesn't fit that bill.

I really don't know what's in the cards. I think the people in the Dem party with lots of experience would work better for all of us.

[PresidentObama]

47. Experienced is overrated. But OK, I'll settle for John Kerry :)

[babylonsister]

52. There's a thought, and

Senator Kerry is a wonderful man! But who do we need in Congress vs. who might be picked?
I don't know, but we have many people who could only add to this very serious effort.


I still cannot pick who Obama might, but I'm so elated that Obama's going to get to make the decision. The man has a great support system, and I really do trust him. Really!

[DemVet]

62. He may not have too much of a choice.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5994200

[Ilsa]

2. John Edwards and Wes Clark are mine, but I doubt Wes will

jump the Clinton ship to do it unless Hillary gives her blessing. I suspect Clark is a very loyal friend to the Clintons.

[earthlover]

36. Clark is loyal to Clintons, but not beholden to them

He has shown repeatedly heis is own man.

[defendandprotect]

4. Edwards -- though I'd prefer ELIZABETH --- !!!!

[PresidentObama]

5. John should be AG or VP, and Elizabeth should run for a position in Congress!!

[defendandprotect]

68. I Love Elizabeth . . . she's a terrific speaker .... and I've onl y seen very positive

reactions to her from crowds.

[BayouBengal07]

6. I respectfully disagree.

Kerry and Edwards were destroyed in 2004. Yesterday's news.

5. Cathlene Sebelius
4. Bill Richardson
3. Joe Biden
1. Jim Webb
1. Wes Clark

[PresidentObama]

13. Joe Biden would be great too, thanks for putting him on your list!

[goclark]

30. I loved his response today to Bush

His responee was the best ~ he got all in the evil face of Bush.

[apocalypsehow]

7. Anyone but HRC. n/t.

[defendandprotect]

69. We seem to have positive views of many of the males who ran...but not HRC . ..

I think she kind of did herself in for anything in the future . ..

And, the idea that she was embraced as a feminist is really sad, IMO --- !!!

I once had high hopes for her --- but now any more.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Whomever it is needs to be squeeky clean

I go either Sebelius or Clark.

Gov of Kansas, and her father was the Governor of Ohio.

She was born in Ohio and didn't leave till she was 26.

She's Catholic.

Sebelius was born and raised in a Catholic family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School, a Roman Catholic secondary school, followed by Trinity Washington University, a Roman Catholic university in Washington, D.C., and later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. She moved to Kansas in 1974 at the age of 26, where she served for eight years as a representative in the Kansas Legislature and eight years as Insurance Commissioner before being elected governor.

Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio governor John J. Gilligan, and thus they became the first father/daughter governor pair in the United States after her election.<3> Her husband K. Gary Sebelius<4> is a federal magistrate judge and the son of former U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius, a Republican. They have two sons. She also visits her childhood and current vacation home, located in Leland, Michigan, north of Traverse City, Michigan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius


Her dad:

John Joyce ("Jack") Gilligan (born March 22, 1921) is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and the 62nd governor of Ohio.

Gilligan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1939, the University of Notre Dame in 1943 and the University of Cincinnati in 1947, serving in between in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean as a destroyer gunnery officer. He was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action at Okinawa.

After the war, Gilligan returned to Cincinnati to teach literature at Xavier University from 1948 to 1953. He also served as member of the Cincinnati city council from 1953 to 1963, and was a candidate for Ohio Congressman-at-Large in 1962. In 1964 he was elected to the Eighty-ninth Congress as a representative for Ohio's 1st district, serving from January 3, 1965-January 3, 1967. Gilligan lost his re-election bid to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966 to Republican Robert Taft Jr. after the Ohio General Assembly redrew his district to be more Republican. In 1968, Gilligan defeated sitting U.S. Senator Frank J. Lausche in the Democratic primary; however, he lost in the general election to Republican William B. Saxbe.

Gilligan won the election for the Governorship of Ohio in 1970, defeating Republican Roger Cloud, and serving from 1971 to 1975. Gilligan lost the governorship to Republican James A. Rhodes in a tight race in 1974. He subsequently served as the administrator of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1977 to 1979. He served as director of the Institute for Public Policy from 1979 to 1986, and taught at the University of Notre Dame from 1986 to 1992. He also served as director of the civic issues forum at the University of Cincinnati School of Law.

In 1999, at age 78, Gilligan was elected to the Board of Education of the Cincinnati Public Schools. He chose not to stand for re-election when his term expired in 2007.

Gilligan is the father of four children, including Kathleen Sebelius, the current governor of Kansas. They constitute the first father-daughter pair of governors in the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Gilligan

[patrice]

34. She's also Pro-Choice and taking some heat for it from the Bishop. Fighting Coal powered

power plants and sticking up for funding our schools.

[Alexander]

9. Russ Feingold, Janet Napolitano, Kathleen Sebelius, Wesley Clark, Barbara Boxer.

[Lost-in-FL]

10. Maybe #3

Edwards does not ring well with me for some reason. :shrug:

Webb sounds very good IMHO.

[patrice]

35. Webb = signatory to a letter supporting PNAC principles. I think he's been re-born since then, but

I want always to be aware of the Militaristic Impulse.

[sandnsea]

45. Please post the letter

I found one regarding Taiwan, but that's all.

[patrice]

58. It's been a couple of years since I saw it. I'll have to go look for it later.

[patrice]

59. I don't actually think Obama should consider such a thing a dis-qualifier, but I would hope that he

would get such a VP-candidate to tell us what he would do about the damage done to The War Powers Act done by this pResidency.

[onehandle]

11. That's a good list you have there. Edwards, Clark and Clinton would round out the top for me. nt

[PM7nj]

12. Here's mine...

1) Sebelius
2) Clark
3) Edwards
4) Napolitano
5) Hillary

[DAGDA56]

14. The only limitation I feel strongly about is no sitting Senator...

...we need to keep a sizable enough majority that we can tell Joe Lieberman to take a hike. That said, Richardson, Clark and Edwards would be fine. I also like Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and I have a soft spot for former Senator and Governor Bob Graham...but age might work against him.

[Renew Deal]

15. Top 5: no order yet: Clark, Sebelius, Strickland (ughhhh), Gore, n/a

I haven't thought about this much, but these are at the top of my head. The Strickland one is annoying.

[XemaSab]

Here's mine:

Richardson, Webb, Schweitzer, Clark, and Biden. :patriot:

[NewHampshireDem]

16. I'd have to say

5. Clark
4. Clark
3. Clark
2. Clark
1. Clark

But I don't really have a strong preference; anyone on my list would be fine. ;)

[Chrisnreno]

17. LOL. I like that list.

[PresidentObama]

22. LOL now tell who you're really for. ha.

[NewHampshireDem]

24. Well, I think I've settled on Clark

But, like I said, could be anyone on the list. :P

[Crunchy Frog]

38. I like the cut of your gib.

:)

[mmonk]

18. Sebelius, Richardson, Schweitzer, Zinni,and Biden probably,

but nothing absolutely set in stone. I prefer Sebelius as 1st option. Mine is more ordered 1-5.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Anybody But Clinton

The country can ill afford the Clintons scheming to undermine a President Obama and their endless psychodrama.

[davidinalameda]

25. amen to that!

NO MORE CLINTONS!

except for maybe George

[anonymous171]

20. My picks:

1. Gov. Brian Schweitzer
2. Wes Clark
3. Webb
4. Edwards
5. Richardson

[mystieus]

21. You don't have one of the top 3 candidates listed, Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius

It won't be a Senator.

As a Hillary surrogate Wesley Clark said some pretty harsh things about our nominee ---> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4962668

[NoodleyAppendage]

23. Feingold, Edwards, Biden, Hagel, Clark

Not necessarily in that order...

J

[DAGDA56]

28. Hagel huh? An interesting idea...

[Blondiegrrl]

41. I think Hagel's a decent guy and I admire his stance against the war,

but his opposition to stem-cell research and the fact that he's anti-choice makes me leery. Should anything happen to Obama (God forbid), Hagel would be the one in charge of replacing any Supreme Court judge that dies or retires.

I'd rather Hagel had a position on Obama's cabinet.

[Warren DeMontague]

51. Sticking an anti-choicer like Hagel on the ticket would be a dealbreaker for many.

Bad idea IMHO.

[Dhalgren]

26. Well, let's see, in desending order:

#5. Hillary Clinton

#4. Elizabeth Dole

#3. Condi Rice

#2. Colon Powell

#1. Joe Lieberman


I think that sounds about right...

[patrice]

27. Sebelius, Richardson, Clark, Edwards, McCaskill nt

[mathewsleep]

29. wow, we're pretty close.

mine would be: sebelius, richardson, edwards, clark, me.

[patrice]

39. LOL!!! I actually thought of me for #5 too, but had second thoughts!!

:rofl:

Great minds yada yada . . . .

[Boz]

31. Obama/Richardson is the best ticket, Shweitzer and Sebelius tied for second,Sebelius state if not VP

Clark in the cabinet, Edwards in the cabinet

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Warren DeMontague]

50. Obama/Grovelbot!

Fuck Yes!

[riverwalker]

37. ABC

Anyone But Clinton.

I really like Webb.

[Blondiegrrl]

40. 1. Joe Biden, 2. Bill Richardson, 3. Claire McCaskill, 4. Jim Webb, 5. John Edwards (edited)

I like Tim Kaine too, but you said name only 5.

[PresidentObama]

43. McCaskill? Why? She's been a pretty shitty Senator for my state.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

42. 5, huh?

5. Bill Richardson

4. John Edwards

3. Brian Schweitzer

2. Chris Dodd

1. Robert Kennedy, Jr.


Please leave Barbara Boxer right where she is - boy, do we need her!

[tokenlib]

44. Clark, Richardson, Schweitzer, Sebelius, Kaine

It has been said Edwards wants Attorney General more than VP--though he looked awesome with Obama Wednesday.

I want Barack to go west of the Mississippi--Schweitzer would be exciting for a lot of reasons anyonw who reads his bio can figure out. Clark and Richardson are obvious picks. Sebelius would be capable.

But Obama-Kaine also has the potential for the best slogans...

[ecstatic]

46. My idealist picks would be Richardson and Napolitano; my realist picks

Sebelius and Webb (but only if they have strong Dem replacements).

[Eric Condon]

48. The thing to remember is that in a GOOD administration (i.e. non-Chimp), the VP doesn't do much

That's important to remember - it's important not to waste the talents of some people on the VP slot. For instance, Edwards simply belongs at Attorney General, Biden would make a great Secretary of State, Richardson would be great for a cabinet position as well, etc. While in the mind of the general public the VP is seen as a major ticket-balancing thing or whatever, I think we should be sure not to waste the gifts of someone as brilliant as Edwards, Gore, etc on VP.

[Warren DeMontague]

49. #1: Russ Feingold. #2: Bill Richardson. #3: John Edwards. #4: Wes Clark. #5: Barbara Boxer.

Although I know a couple of those are long shots ;-)

[Stop Cornyn]

53. Warner, McCaskill, Kaine, Napolitano, Nelson (ask me tomorrow and I'll have a different answer)

[Indiana_Dem]

54. Webb, McCaskill, Hagel, Schweitzer, Richardson

No order. I like them all for different reasons. I LOVE Richardson but I think states like mine would not go for him because of his Hispanic heritage. People in my area are totally against the whole illegal immigration issue. They would connect him with it, I'm sure. Richardson would be the most qualified, though.

[PoliticalOne65]

55. Alabama

Me being from Alabama would pick Artur Davis

[FredScuttle]

56. Well, since he needs to close gaps with so many voting groups:

1) Oprah
2) Larry the Cable Guy
3) Barbara Walters
4) Brett Favre
5) Miley Cyrus....no, Jamie-Lynn Spears, no.....er, Marie Osmond

[Rolandosoto]

57. Richardson

He could help keep the Hispanic vote in Democratic hands.

[jumptheshadow]

60. Realistically...

Sibelius...a rising star, but she won't even win her own state.

Richardson...a good man who might help to bring in NM, but he's not a charismatic guy and he looks befuddled at times.

Edwards...love his platform, but there will be too much association with his old campaign. AG role.

Wes Clark...I love this guy, and he'd be great in the role, but will he ever catch on with voters?

Biden...quite possibly the best choice, a great pragmatic counterweight to Obama's idealism, and the voters will love him.

Clinton...not a natural #2 personality at all, and the personal chemistry isn't there, but after a realistic look at the electoral landscape, she might make sense.

[cboy4]

61. Just please don't let it be Richardson,

It will be difficult enough as it is to pull the level for Obama as it stands.

[jumptheshadow]

66. Good point

An Obama/Richardson ticket would feature two men who are suspect to many gay voters. While this may not translate to a vote for McCain, it could affect contributions, turnout and activism.

I personally believe, however, that we owe the world every bit of cash and enthusiasm we can spare for whatever the Democratic ticket turns out to be. It would be a disaster if McCain gets in.

[JTFrog]

63. Edwards, Kucinich, Clark, Napolitano, Sebelius - in no particular order. n/t

[harun]

64. 1.Dennis Kucinich 2.Russ Feingold 3.Michael Moore 4.Sean Penn 5.Bernardine Dohrn

Why not take it a little left :-).

[jefferson_dem]

65. Webb, Clark, Richardson, Edwards, Hagel

Mine, in order of preference.

[sfam]

67. 1. Sebelius, 2. Napolitano, 3. Strickland, 4. Clark, 5. Richardson

I might be interested in putting in Rendell over Clark or Richardson, but I really like the idea of getting folks who appeal to conservatives and independents. I think my top three do that. Sebelius wins based on ties to Ohio and her appeal to women, conservatives and independents. Also, I got the feeling that she has really good chemistry with Obama.

EDIT: Just to be clear, no more senators on my list. I really think we need someone outside of Washington.