Why There Won't be a Clinton-Obama Ticket
There has been talk all over the Internets about a possible Clinton-Barack ticket. At a casual glance this seems like a good idea as they are the two front runners. But, it will not happen for five reasons.
First, Hillary is already overshadowed by her husband's speaking abilities. Why would she want to put a VP on the ticket that would also upstage her? Could you imagine the Democratic convention? When Bill Clinton was about to speak, there would be a rousing standing ovation. When Obama got up, they would have to give him an extra 10 minutes to allow the crowd to quit cheering. And when Hillary got up, there would be nothing but polite clapping. The press would spend all their time comparing their speeches and Hillary will end up on the short end of the stick.
Second, Obama's greatest selling point is his ability to unite the country and help stop the bitterly divisive partisan politics that is going on in Washington. If he was president, he could have a large impact on this front. But his impact on this front as VP will be marginal if anything. Hillary will make an already divided electorate even more so. Putting Obama on as VP will do little to help this problem.
Third, you want a VP that can help you win a state or a specific demographic. How would Obama help Clinton at all? She will already have the black vote. She will already have Illinois. Someone that could help her capture a swing state or a swing demographic would be much more helpful to her.
Fourth, you want the VP to deliver the low blows to the opposing candidate, allowing the presidential candidate to stay above the fray. But that isn't Obama's style at all.
Finally, there is the, umm, Chris Rock problem:Now as you know, there's been a lot of talk about a black vice president. And I just wanna tell the world that it'll never happen. As long as you live you will never see a black vice president, you know why? Because some black guy would just kill the president. I'd do it. If Colin Powell was vice president, I'd kill the president and tell his mother about it. What would happen to me? What would they do? Put me in jail with a bunch of black guys that would treat me like a king for the rest of my life? I would be the biggest star in jail, alright, people would be coming up to me and I'd be signing autographs: "97-KY, here you go." Guys would be going: "You're the brother that shot Bush. And you told his mother about it huh? I hope my children turn out to be just like you, Man, you know I was getting ready to rape you until I realized who you were." And even if they had a death penalty, what would happen? I'd just be pardoned by the black president.
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4 comments:
Obama's racial obsessions and involvement in black nationalism will come back to bite him. So too will his far-left positions on, well, almost everything (which works well for Hillary, by making her appear relatively centrist). He's stronger in the primaries than in the general, but he has no chance even in the primaries. I'd say he's done, at least this time around.
I don't think I'd count him out yet. There is still a long ways to go, and most voters haven't spent much time really looking at the candidates yet. But, I agree that Hillary is the front runner and he has a long way to go to win the nomination.
I don't know if he would have a tougher time in the primaries or the general. I sense a lot of anti-Republicanism due to the war and frustration with the Bush administration. I think whoever is nominated from the Democratic party will have a better chance of winning than the Republican.
For me, I don't see him obsessing on race but I guess that is a matter of opinion.
As for being far-left, I don't think so, but you might be correct. And as someone who would like to see social security privatized and universal health care, I don't really fit well on the whole left/right axis. So I tend not to think in those terms.
Reading his Audacity of Hope, I thought most of his positions were good, and that the kind of people he looked to for advice were the same kind of people I would want a president to listen to. But, I thought his understanding of economics was a bit weak and his talk about taking nukes off the table and attacking in Pakistan makes me wonder about his foreign policy experience.
I would still prefer an Obama presidency to a Clinton one. I would really like to see the divisions inside America healed, and there is no way Hillary can do that. I also would like to see a greater focus on improving the poor and black communities and I think Obama is the man for that.
FK,
The social security privatization debate falls more along generational than political lines. I'm kind of an earthy guy (though I'm on the right of most issues) and I have friends who are Michael Moore fans even. Yet most of them want to see some sort of privatization as well.
You should read Obama's Dreams from my Father to get a window into his (previous?) obsession with race. It may all be behind him, I don't know.
AE,
I am glad to hear that there are others who want to privatize social security and have universal health care. I was afraid I was in in a party of one. :)
I haven't read Dreams from my Father, I will have to check it out.
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