If/when Obama secures the nom, should he publicly offer Hillary the VP slot?

[RiverStone]

I know many here don't see Obama making the offer or Hillary accepting it; and indeed maybe the McCain is better qualified implications from the Clinton camp have permanently closed the door on that possibility.

But...

Do you think there would be pressure, even from a PR standpoint, for Obama to at least publicly consider the possibiliy?

I could support a unified ticket, but right now I don't think many see that as in the cards. Maybe we will all be very surprised...


On edit: Yes, the same question could be asked in reverse (with respect to Hil supporters). As I'm rooting for Obama, I'm assuming he will be making the VP choice.

[Kokonoe]

1. He said she would be on anybody's short list.

But I don't think it will happen.
Republicans will announce first, since their convention is earlier.

[quantass]

37. He's just being Polite....she has no chance

[Kokonoe]

65. I know, Me too

[Milo_Bloom]

2. Hell to the No.

"consider" her sure.. but don't offer it to her, she drastically weakens the ticket.

[PBS Poll-435]

49. dup <nt>

[PBS Poll-435]

50. If he, by some miracle wins the nomination.

Unless he wants to be McGovern V2.0, he would be stupid to alienate the 40% who might jump ship....

[BlooInBloo]

3. Teh stupid it BURNS!!!

[mythyc]

4. oh no you didn't

how do you make those big letters?

NO ...

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. No.

If Clinton my some miracle gets the nomination, she needs Obama as VP; Obama doesn't need Clinton, and she would in fact be a detriment.

[undeterred]

6. No. She would use Cheney as her role model.

[Eric Condon]

11. Judging from her record on Iraq, she already has.

nt

[CK_John]

7. IMO, he has already made a deal with Bloomberg to name or be the VP. n/t

[Bensthename]

71. I've heard others saying that too. What makes you think that?

He would be a good VP but why such strong speculation?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

8. He needs to pick a VP who's truly ready on day one, just in case. Hillary's not it.

[AZBlue]

9. NO!

[stratomagi]

10. No

I may stop drinking the kool aid if he offers it to her.

[Mimosa]

12. Obama gives Hillary VP=Obama more like JFK than he wants

Oh NO. Please Michelle, don't let Barack offer HRC VP job. You don't want to be like Jackie!

[PBS Poll-435]

48. Just sick....

Where the hell do you get off?

[TexasObserver]

13. No. She might take it. She's proved she is a liability.

The path to winning in November is one without a Clinton anywhere near the ticket. He has a chance to win 30 states and win states that haven't gone for us in a long time. He can't do that with Hillary on the ticket, alienating those same middle voters.

[Zachstar]

14. HELL NO!!

[Asgaya Dihi]

15. Yes there would be pressure, no it wouldn't be a good idea

A few months ago I could have easily seen them in office together, but now, and with her in the #2 spot? I don't think either of them could live with it and after the last 7 years of Cheney running things from the VP office I'd think there might be some valid concerns about 4 years of a power struggle between them. In the past we've been used to a weak and containable VP but the last few years showed it has the potential for some real power. Given that background I don't think it would be a good risk and I can't see her weakening the office to avoid that risk rather than protecting the power of the office.

Him under her on the ticket? I doubt that would work either, my understanding was that this was a one time shot for him and assuming that he plans to stick to that there's no reason for him to even want the VP slot. If it was a step in the right direction for a later election, sure, but if he doesn't plan to run for the office again there's no reason to take it. Maybe he would given that it's not as weak an office as it used to be and he could still do some good from it, but I'd tend to doubt it.

[4themind]

16. Not publicly, and she (or her elected supporters) shouldn't publicly clamor for it.

If he wants to offer it to her in private, he can do so, and she can accept or reject it in private, that's how its been, and I think there should continue to be a certain deference given to him to make his own choice for his OWN running mate, and she conversely she shouldn't be put on the spot publically either

[Tesha]

17. No. (NT)

[Medusa]

18. NO!

He should get as far away from that loser ASAP!

[JVS]

19. No

[endarkenment]

20. Not unless she has privately agreed to accept it.

This should only happen if it is a done deal. I actually think it would be a good idea and would bring our somewhat fractured party back together again.

[Vinca]

21. No. Consider the opposing candidate, but pick the best person. nt

[UALRBSofL]

26. No, because if she loses the nomination I think she should

announce she is running third party, most likely independent party. Reason being, she would have a good chance of winning. First, her base is mostly registered democrats and they are die-hard Clinton supporters and also encourage republicans to lean independent. Second, running independent she picks up more of the independent vote. Third, much of the undecided will have a third choice. And lastly, her pick would be someone like Colin Powell whom is a republican but is perceived more independent then republican, is well liked among people of both party's, is against the war and has a lot of experience in national security.

[UALRBSofL]

29. This will be the scenario if Clinton loses the nomination

I believe Howard Dean will meet with Obama and Clinton in private and discuss the VP slot. In my opinion, if Clinton is not on the ticket she will most likely run third party. I also believe if Obama is not the nominee he will run third party. This puts Howard Dean in a situation where deals will have to be made whereas both Obama and Clinton will be on the ticket. Now, if anyone thinks Clinton will lose political credibility, this is probably true. That said, she still has 4 years left in office and at that time she will be 65 years old and will probably leave politics at that time, write another book and travel the world giving speech's with the BigDog.

[totodeinhere]

39. No way would Clinton run as 3rd party candidate.

If she tried that and lost her political future would be over. She would be ostracized by all loyal Democrats. A more realistic scenario for her would be to run as a Democrat again in either 2012 or 2016 depending on what happens to Obama in the general election. In 2016 she would be 69 years old which is younger than McCain is now.

[UALRBSofL]

47. Do you really think Obama will win the GE if Clinton runs third party?

And in 4 years, when were senate seat is over she will throw her hat in again for the presidency. If she doesn't win the nomination in 4 years, she will run third party again. At that time she will retire from politics. You Obama supporters really underestimate Senator Clinton.

[totodeinhere]

76. No, I am not underestimating her.

Actually, I am giving her credit for being a loyal Democrat. I don't support her for the nomination, but I have no doubt that the Clinton's wouldn't ever think of stabbing the Dem Party in the back.

And I didn't say that I thought that Obama would win if she ran as a third party candidate. Under that scenario, she and Obama would probably spit the progressive vote and McCain would win.

[fifthoffive]

43. If she does run third-party,

then she's just proving the point that she doesn't care about the party or the country. There is no way she wins in a three-way contest. How can she win the general if she cannot even win the nomination of her party? Where are these votes coming from?

Republicans? No - McCain wins those hands-down in the general.

Independents? No - isn't Obama is more popular among independents than Clinton? Will independents suddenly forget that she ran as a Democrat and vote for her in the general when they didn't vote for her in the primaries?

Democrats? No - most Democrats, even Clinton supporters will vote for their party's nominee because it is important to wrest the White House from the hands of Bush the third.

If she did this, it would be appropriate for her to name Lieberman as her running-mate! :puke:

All an independent candidacy would do is guarantee the election for McCain.

I do not think she is this selfish. At least I hope not.

[UALRBSofL]

51. You have no clue how Clinton Supporters will vote

Being an Obama supporter and partisan you can flap your gums all day the Clinton Supporters will vote for Obama over Clinton in the GE but you will be wrong. Also, on what authority do you have that Clinton Supporters will vote for Obama over Clinton in the GE?

[totodeinhere]

77. Of course it is not possible to predict exactly how any one group might vote.

But generally speaking, if you have two candidates who have a similar ideology (Clinton and Obama) running against a third candidate with a different ideology (McCain,) then the similar candidates would split the vote from people who support their views, and the third candidate would win easily. That's just politics 101.

[jakem]

22. fuck. no.

[JayFredMuggs]

23. Heck NO!

What a stupid idea!

Hillary has NOTHING BUT GRIEF to offer Obama.

[polkajello]

24. HRC a heart beat away from President ???

Obama better double security!

[ima_sinnic]

25. absolutely NOT--he wants someone to attract voters, not drive them away

I would seriously have to question Obama's judgment if he named her. I know that he must know many many others who are far superior to her and her cronyist bullshit ways.

[Independent-Voter]

27. Fuck no! He needs to distance himself from her toxic self ASAP

[babylonsister]

28. NO! nt

[tishaLA]

30. Yes but only

if they have a deal worked out beforehand indicating that Sen Clinton will say no to the offer. That she will say she is flattered but that she thinks she could serve America better by returning to the Senate, taking a leadership role, and promoting Sen Obama's legislative agenda.

[NJSecularist]

31. Yes. Obama needs help with the white female Democratic base.

Hillary is exactly the VP that will help him with that demographic.

[totodeinhere]

32. No, I think there are other candidates would would help the ticket more.

Nothing against Clinton, but IMO Richardson would help the ticket more than Clinton would.

[Pisces]

33. Absolutely NOT!!!!!!!!!

[GoldieAZ49]

34. sure, that would be great

and when H passes on the offer it will have a two fold effect

1 that Obama does not want to 'turn the page on the politics of old' and needs H for the white vote (as he said in some article posted here)

2 H public rejection will undermine any 'endorsement' he hoped for

[OhioBlue]

35. No. No. No. She would sink us. n/t

[madrchsod]

36. no and she would`t accept anyway

[npincus]

38. Is today April Fool's Day?

[clevbot]

45. My first thought as well

[npincus]

46. ...unless it's snowing in Hell.

[Life Long Dem]

40. Nope. And I don't even want to hear the sales pitch. No offense

[LTR]

41. No, she's damaged goods

And it's time to take control of the party away from the Clintons. They had their day in the sun.

[Coexist]

42. no

[NDambi]

44. HELL NAWWWW...

[Catherina]

52. Not publicly or privately

She'd be sabotaging him the entire time, like Lieberman was going to do to Gore. He needs a clean ticket with someone who supports him.

[BklynChick]

53. no way for so many reasons, but mainly she would be a liability not a help

[pompano]

54. Gawd NO!

Just imagine the humuliation he would have to endure covering for her misspeaks day in and day out? All the lies, half truths, confabulations and the company she keeps should scare anyone off. Not to mention, I would bet my bottom dollar Bill and Hillary would try to run the show. They do have that personality and come across that way. Bill would be all up in his business so bad Obama would feel like a proxy Pres. I doubt he would get the votes to beat McCain if he did it anyway?

[liberaldem4ever]

55. Please don't choose her Obama

That would be a disaster for him. She is way too divisive.

[Orsino]

56. Sure.

I don't know if he can be that forgiving, and I'm not sure whether Clinton has left herself any room to accept the veep slot...but if they worked together, they would be unstoppable. They would doubly make history, and McCain would soon be forgotten.

[cyndensco]

79. no way

politics as usual...

[Perky]

57. There is not cat an mouse game here

She will be shortlisted as a courtesy. But sh will say....."I return to the senate top continue my work on behalf of working class people and children."

He does not wanmt to offer...She does not want to accept. All else is theatre.

[UALRBSofL]

60. As Tracy Flick would say, time to hedge your bets

It's time for the Clinton supporters to get on the red phone and impliment Codeword Operation "Dual Ticket". Yes we can, Yes we can, the Older Women Voters unite.

[Connie_Corleone]

58. No. She might accept.

He doesn't need Hillary's baggage dragging him down.

[UALRBSofL]

62. Please tell me your making a funny about her baggage

Howard Dean is already conceding Florida, and, maybe Michigan in the General Election. Again, he will concede the older womens vote as well. Seeing Obama supporters are confident the women's vote will abandon Hillary as a third party candidate is in denial and overly confident about Hillary Supporters.

[Connie_Corleone]

72. Baggage as in POLITICAL baggage.

I wasn't making a "funny" about anything. I'm dead serious. If older, mostly white women (that's what people mean when they say "women) want to destroy the Democratic Party and put McCain in office to take away their rights, then go ahead.

Go ahead and be a bunch of sore losers who will only vote for someone because she's female and call the rest of us a bunch of traitors because we don't support "your girl" (As Hillary calls herself).

The younger voters, the black voters and the male voters can all go to hell because mostly older, white women want their female president.

That's mature....NOT.

[UALRBSofL]

75. Very mature and as a last resort

Blackmail is not out of the question, or off the table when she has her private meeting with Howard Dean and Barak Obama. A third party campaign would be a wonderful wedge issue for blackmail. :)

We support Tracy Flick

[GarbagemanLB]

81. She effectively ends her career in the Democratic party if she runs 3rd party, and she isn't THAT

stupid.

[kdpeters]

59. Absolutely not!!

[Poll_Blind]

61. She's burned about half a dozen bridges too many. Her smears would come up in the VP debates.

  It would not be pretty and there would be no easy way for her to explain her simultaneous fawning over McCain publicly and her character attacks on Obama.

PB

[IndyHatedByBothSides]

63. No. She adds nothing...

...and he gains nothing. She and Bill are the reason people like myself left the Democrat Party in the first place, and Obama is the reason we're coming back. However, having Hillary on the ticket, even as Veep, sends a clear message that Obama is not serious about change, that it's politics of personal destruction as usual, and that we can expect eight more years of the presidential puppetry for the VP.

[harun]

67. Excellent post, totally agree (n/t)

[RiverStone]

70. Good answer

....having Hillary on the ticket, even as Veep, sends a clear message that Obama is not serious about change

I think this is the best reason (on this thread anyway) why it probably does not make sense. As I said in my OP, I would still support this ticket, but your right - if Obama is truly the "change candidate" then why opt for the status quo.

Really, I don't think the Clintons want to play second fiddle; but I do think - in some way - Obama will need to address the thought. Or maybe if Hillary ever concedes the race, she could graciously decline and run for Gov in NY.

[Cosmocat]

78. It would invalidate his entire message ...

I have been saying this ever since the hairbrained idea came up ...

[greguganus]

64. NO WAY!! Obama might have an "accident" if she was VP. n/t

[harun]

66. Hell no, Richardson is the best choice (n/t)

[easy_b94]

68. For the last time NO!!!!

Hillary and bill would to bump him off...NO!!!!

[Lucky 13]

69. No. Never. Uh-uh. Niet. Nay. No Way.

1) She's a trainwreck and is desperately bargaining for a spot on the ticket cause she knows she's LOST. Desperation is not a reason to choose someone for the VP slot.

2) I believe Barack will choose a white male as his VP. I think the typical white working class guy may very well be ready for a black president, but I think they might balk at an all minority ticket with the VP being female, latino, or otherwise. I'd like to have more faith in the red-state populace, but I just don't at this point.

The militarily solid and perhaps somewhat more conservative, white male candidate is probably the way for him to go. Some people have suggested Wesley Clark, but I think he's been too entrenched in the Clinton campaign. Biden might be a good choice. Perhaps someone from the West? Any ideas?

[RiverStone]

73. Using that category...

Jim Webb would be my number 1 VP choice.

Too bad Wes climbed in bed with the Clintons; I was rooting for him before he dropped out in 04.

[TexanDem]

74. ABSOLUTELY NOT! HELL NO. I won't vote if he does!

[PoliticalAmazon]

88. ITA. n/t

[truebrit71]

80. No. Why would he want to?

..

[berni_mccoy]

82. NO. WAY. IN. HELL. She brings nothing to the table but failure. He won't be able to trust her.

There are many many more reasons.

[Obamanaut]

83. Don't offer - she might accept. nt

[AspenRose]

84. Senator Obama:

If your surrogates peruse this website and are assessing the merits of Vice Presidential candidates, might I suggest Senator Jim Webb.

Thank you for listening,

DR

[atal]

85. NO....!!!

K & R

[PoliticalAmazon]

86. NO! It would be a nightmare power struggle, especially when you...

...add WJC to the mix. Also, when WJC starts fooling around with staff (skunks don't change their stripes overnight, and there is a big possibility he would continue his life-long habit of floozy-mongering), it would stain BO's legacy, just like WJC's fooling around has stained WJC's legacy.

[Anexio]

87. No I dont think Hillary Clinton should be Vice President

I think Michelle Obama would be a good choice!

[Megahurtz]

89. HELL NO!

n/t!