Obama accepting Hillary's VP slot would be political suicide

[theboss]

Explain to me the upside of this?

1. It makes him look like a quitter and a coward. Who drops out of a contest when they are winning? Who would ever want to vote for him again?

2. It does nothing to help him win the presidency in the future. George Bush 41 and Martin Van Buren. Those are the last two sitting vice presidents to win a presidential election. The office is still a path to obscurity.

3. He will get either 4 or 8 years of the Clinton scent on him. What makes Obama such a difficult opponent is that he is so fresh and, in general, so untainted by scandal or history. The minute he accepts a job with Hillary, all of the Clinton BS gets passed to him.

4. His moment is now. The dumbest leftwing site on the web has long been bartcop.com. And he's proven himself an idiot with his argument that Obama should not have run this year. Instead, he should have let Hillary run and win and run again in 8 years. 8 years is several lifetimes in politics - particulary Democratic Party politics. The Republicans will nominate the old guy. With us, you become stale very quickly and you rarely get a second chance. Ask Ted Kennedy or Gary Hart or Mario Cuomo what "waiting for the right moment" did for them.

[Eurobabe]

1. no worries, he'll never do it. n/t

[theboss]

2. I know. But it's insulting to even suggest it.

It's treating him like a political novelty act.

[CitizenLeft]

6. yep, of course it's insulting.

..that was the intention.

This can't end soon enough.

[CoffeeCat]

11. Exactly, Clinton is trying to position Obama...

...as the guy who isn't ahead. Usually, the person who is suggesting that someone
be there running mate, is the person who is ahead.

It's just more Clinton bullshit and head games.

It makes her look like an idiot. But shhhh...don't tell her that.
She thinks she' a political genius, at the wheel of the world's
most powerful political machine!

Let the crazy lady play make believe.

[Cant trust em]

3. there's no reason for him to take it, and there's no reason for us to talk about it

This is so out of left field it is instantly irrelevant.

[theboss]

14. But it is going to be talked about...The Clintons know how to do this

They need to overshadow Mississippi tomorrow. And they need to fill the gap until PA.

This will be repeated endlessly for the next several weeks.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. His moment is now? He just got here. Part of the irritation is this

I want it all and I want it now attitude. HRC waited out '04 and Obama could demonstrate the same self-restraint.

[democrattotheend]

7. HRC waited out 2004 because Bush looked hard to beat

Remember how most of the candidates we had were people who were not that well-known? That's what happens in a year that looks less appealing. The same thing happened in 1992, when all the heavyweights sat it out because Bush I looked unbeatable after the Gulf War.

[scheming daemons]

8. There is no such thing as "my turn" in Politics..... that's a losing strategy every time...

Ask Walter Mondale, Bob Dole, John Kerry, and (soon) John McCain.


If JFK would have "waited his turn", LBJ would've been the nominee in 1960 and Richard Nixon would've been President 8 years earlier.

[Growler]

23. Nonsense...

> HRC waited out '04 and Obama could demonstrate the same self-restraint.

Since Obama has more delegates and more of the popular vote, it's clear that most people DO feel his moment is now.

[democrattotheend]

5. I'd vote for him again in a heartbeat

I am not saying he should drop out or take the VP slot now, and I am glad he shot her down. But I don't want him to come out of the convention so weakened that he can't win the general, and I am afraid that is what she will do to him. If she can't get the nomination she will at least drag it out and weaken him so she can run again in 2012 if he loses. If it looks like that is what is happening, I'd rather see him call her bluff in August and let her go down in November, then run again in 4 years.

[theboss]

13. In 2012, he immediately becomes "the guy running since 2006"

And that is not the candidate you want to be.

[Benhurst]

21. I don't know. Nixon pulled off something similar, as did Reagan.

[theboss]

22. The Republican nomination is a very different animal than the Democratic nomination

The Republicans almost always give it to the last man standing. Except for W, every nominee since 1968 has been someone who was previously thwarted.

68 - Nixon lost the WH in '69
72 - Incumbent
76 - Sort of an incumbent. Just chaos
80 - Reagan lost nomination in '76
84 - Incumbent
88 - Bush lost nomination in '80
92 - Incumbent
96 - Dole lost nomination in '88
00 - W (first "new blodd" in decades)
04 - Incumbent
08 - McCain lost nomination in '00

We do things differently. Since 1960, only Humphrey and Gore were repeaters. And Humphrey only got the nomination beacuse Johnson quit and RFK was killed.

[Benhurst]

18. I'm afriad both are in danger of doing so. I don't see how either is

going to put the party back together. Candidates who can't make it over the threshold without the help super delegates are weakened, especially in a primary which has become essentially a two candidate race. The supporters of the candidate who does not get the push are bound, with some justification, to feel diddled.

Clinton and Obama are either going to have to work out some sort of compromise they both can live with, or we're going down to defeat. A compromise third candidate might work, but even that would probably have to depend upon the approval of one or both the leading candidates, unless, of course, elected delegates of both candidates started splintering off after the first ballot.

[yurbud]

9. Hillary and Obama would both need someone else for VP: a southerner with military experience.

[underpants]

10. I wouldn't say suicide but that was really dumb of her to do

and the fact that they seem to think it is such a good idea that they are still talking about it is even dumber.

[jody]

12. Agree for Hillary. n/t

[blogslut]

15. not to worry

not gonna happen :)

[twiceshy]

16. Regardless of who wins, Obama or Hillary.........

It may be a Pyhrric victory. The economy is headed over the cliff and the next president will get the chance to be Hoover or Roosevelt. I don't think the "Masters of the Universe" can hold it together through the election, but then I've been wrong on economic timing many times. If it craters pre-election whoever will get the opportunity to put it back together over the next eight years - I like the path of hope Obama has laid out for this mission. Also factor in a massive world conflagration that will make Iraq look like a cakewalk.

[Benhurst]

19. Over the next eight years? If it's as bad as I fear it will be, four

years is all the winner of this election is going likely to get, whether it's Clinton, Obama or McCain.

[twiceshy]

17. Regardless of who wins, Obama or Hillary.........

It may be a Pyhrric victory. The economy is headed over the cliff and the next president will get the chance to be Hoover or Roosevelt. I don't think the "Masters of the Universe" can hold it together through the election, but then I've been wrong on economic timing many times. If it craters pre-election whoever will get the opportunity to put it back together over the next eight years - I like the path of hope Obama has laid out for this mission. Also factor in a massive world conflagration that will make Iraq look like a cakewalk.

[TheZug]

20. Why would the frontrunner even consider it?

Unbelievable that the person in second place would be offering her VP slot to the frontrunner.

If Barack Obama arrives at the Democratic Convention with more elected delegates, more votes, and more states and the nomination is given to Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for the nominee.

http://iwillwalkaway.blogspot.com