Dream Ticket Bandwagon
by Mark Adams
It looks like MyDD's Todd Beeton has gotten on board the Kum-By-Yah '08 bus tour for the Obama/Clinton Dream Ticket. There's a lot of rethinking going on right now, at least among the saner parts of the reality based community.
Mind you, signals couldn't be more mixed right now with Clinton insisting that that the reports of her asking for, and Obama refusing her the VP slot, are unfounded, but still being reported on as accurate rumors -- because for all we know there might actually be rumors out there (ya think?) which may or may not make some self-important whiny-assed cry babies act more mature? so they stop their incessant Obama bashing, (or Clinton bashing). (HT: S.No!)
You almost have to ask yourself the question: Is it better to have Hillary's supporters out there doing McCain/Lieberman '08's job for them, questioning the very legitimacy of Obama's all but sure nomination from now until 2012? Or, despite going out of her way to just piss everybody off, and as much as it would suck to give in to what amounts to blackmail due to the poisoned atmosphere, should we learn to live with Hillary on the ticket just to avoid fighting this thing on two fronts?
Frankly, even if Hillary whole-heartedly supports and campaigns for Barack, many of her die-hards will never give it up unless they get what they think they deserve. I just can't help thinking that all this would have been just that more easier on my developing ulcer had Hillary's name been Bill and (s)he had been running against some nice Irish guy named Barry O'Banyon.
Like Michael Corleone said to Tom Hagen, "It's the smart move."
Upside for Obama: It ends Hillary's career once and for all.
Downside for Obama: It takes some gloss off his campaign theme of "change." But that could be balanced his desire to build a "Team of Rivals" like the one Lincoln had.
Upside for Hillary: It puts her one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Downside for Hillary: Cuts into Bill's moneymaking potential. But they already have plenty of money. And besides, Bill owes her.
Of course all of this is presuming that Hillary wants the job. Or at least wants to be offered the job. In reality it could be that Obama doesn't want her to have it and she doesn't want to take it, but she wants to be asked. And, having offered it, he really wants her to turn it down.
P.S. Notice that I don't say anything about her ability to bring "hard-working, white, working-class Americans" into the Dem column of the Electoral College. Fact is, the Dems haven't captured that vote for decades. So there is no way that Hillary will get WV and KY to vote Democratic in November. Pennsylvania? Ed Rendell can be had. Ohio? Ditto Ted Strickland. And neither one necessarily needs to be VP in return. Besides both those states can be balanced by the addition of Colorado, Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina and a host of other states that are out of Hillary's reach.
He should offer her the job.