Political Insider Suggests Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) May Be Obama's VP

[wyldwolf]

Look for Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) to be soon added to the public short list of names Sen. Barack Obama is considering to be his running mate.

First Read makes the case: "The Rhode Island senator, who is on the overseas trip with Obama, has been to Iraq 11 times (and voted against the original Iraq war resolution)... The widely respected voice on national security is a 1971 West Point grad, though he did not fight in Vietnam. The Army Ranger paratrooper, who eventually commanded the 82nd Airborne, was assigned elsewhere... Father was a school custodian and WWII vet... Was on a trip to Afghanistan with McCain and Lieberman when he first met his wife...

By choosing Reed, Obama could address several perceived weaknesses: Reed served in the military and has significant Washington experience. As a legislator, Reed has focused on education, defense, and healthcare -- all areas that Obama is focusing on. In addition, Reed is a Roman Catholic.

The downside of choosing Reed is that he fits the definition of "Northeastern liberal" and doesn't help Obama in the important Midwestern battleground states.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/politicalinsider/2008/07/look-for-sen-jack-reed.html

[Dinger]

1. Doesn't Compare To Wes Clark (nt)

[TwilightGardener]

3. Oh, but yes he does.

[Dinger]

11. How So? (nt)

[TwilightGardener]

13. West Point grad, 10-year military officer career, Ranger, then went to Harvard Law--

spent years in the House and then the Senate--sits on the Armed Services Cmte, the Banking Cmte (knows something about the economy). Just a very smart, well-respected guy who keeps a low profile in the Senate but works his ass off. Compared to Wes, Reed is an ACTUAL politician and elected official who has worked on policy and legislation. Sorry, but just being a retired general isn't enough.

[Dinger]

30. Clark Is A Lot More Than "Just A Retired General":

• Graduated FIRST in his class at West Point
• Wes is not a career politician, and that is a plus (ex: not beholden to anyone)
*He did win a primary in 2004
• As A RHODES SCHOLAR, Clark earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford
• Worked in OMB in the White House
• Wes was in Vietnam, and fought there, and he earned a Bronze Star and Silver Star:
n February, only one month into his command, he was shot four times by a Viet Cong soldier with an AK-47. The wounded Clark shouted orders to his men, who counterattacked and defeated the Viet Cong force. Clark had injuries to his right shoulder, right hand, right hip, and right leg, and was sent to Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania to recuperate. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the encounter.
• Clark was the first U.S. General to win a war without the loss of a single soldier in combat.
• Taught economics at the college level
• Humble beginnings, and he did not get wealthy, by any means, while in the military
• One of the authors of the Dayton Peace Accords
• Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
• Numerous awards for service to this country
• Happily married family man
• His family has long been active in the Democratic Party (ex: His dad was a delegate to the 1932 Democratic Convention)
• Clark has been way ahead of the game on Iran (StopIranWar.Com)
• Clark, though born in Chicago, has southern (&bipartisan) appeal, and will get plenty of Hillary supporters back to the fold
• Saved the lives of 1.5 million Ethnic Albanians
• No other Democrat can come at mcpain like Clark can
• Hard worker (for Democrats), that's Clark, through & through (ex: 2006 elections)
etc., etc., etc., etc.


Clarkies, feel free to add any that I missed, and I did miss many.

[TwilightGardener]

34. I know about Clark--I liked him for 2004. But the fact remains, professionally, he

is a retired general, and that's about it. He's a very impressive and well-educated man, but a potential VP has to understand ALL of the issues that face us, not just military/national security stuff. He is not and has never been a policy-maker, and he's a little tone-deaf politically. That's what makes Reed superior in terms of being able to actually govern in the event that something happens to Obama.

[Dinger]

35. Clark Has Never Been A Policy Maker???? Tone Deaf Politically????

Jack Reed is a great senator, but to me anyway, he doesn't come close to Clark in terms of his qualifications to be VP.

[TwilightGardener]

39. Well, we will have to agree to disagree.

[Dinger]

40. Thats Cool

:)

[TwilightGardener]

2. Actually, I DON'T think he fits the definition of "Northeastern liberal"--

the military career and the down-to-earth upbringing and lifestyle belie that old stereotype. How many Senators would be caught dead driving a '91 Escort? I had a '92 Escort, even I wouldn't drive it now, LOL!

[Ino]

12. I love my 91 Escort!

It just keeps going, and going, and going...

[TwilightGardener]

15. Yeah, I loved my little 'Scort too--we bought it new when first married, and

traded it for a minivan after we had kids, but it was a zippy and dependable little car.

[Inuca]

14. That Reed - what an elitist! n/t

[TwilightGardener]

17. You know, they'll turn him into one, if he's the VP. They'll find a way, I'm sure.

[PaDem]

4. My problem with this selection........

in addition to those stated in the article is that the GOP would make Reed's whereabouts during Vietnam an issue. Remember, if your a Republican your "tough on terror and foreign policy", so whether you served or not is irrelevant. However, if your a Democrat, you were a no good traitor regardless of your military service.

[TwilightGardener]

5. I think Reed was too young, or was not in the military yet, during Vietnam.

Won't be an issue.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Graduated West Point in 71.

[TwilightGardener]

10. I'm surprised, I thought he was younger than that! Oh well, I still don't think

he'll get blamed for not going to Vietnam. He made the military his career for a long while, most people will respect his service.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. I agree with you.

[Dinger]

6. Another Argument For Wes Clark (nt)

[nsd]

8. He was at West Point. That's a pretty good answer.

Even better is that he later became an Army Ranger.

[scheming daemons]

28. Gee,,,, at West Point.... how does that compare with Texas Air National Guard?

:sarcasm:

[Schema Thing]

9. Army Ranger = Northeast Liberal

We can't win for losin'. Amongst losers.

[grantcart]

16. No and he is running for re-election

Highly unlikely it will be another Senator

[mvd]

19. Sounds like a fine choice to me, but I don't know much about him

How does he compare with Kerry?

We must realize that there is no "perfect" VP. Something can be found about all of them. Well, I can't think of anything much against Schweitzer except that he's not well known - and that might be a plus in the long run. Richardson also has no big negatives IMO.

For example,

Hillary - another Senator; not really fitting "change."
Biden - bankruptcy vote, loose mouth, another Senator
Clark - the twisted statement about McCain
Kaine - lack of foreign policy experience
Sebelius - does she have the charisma? And would it remind voters of Hillary?
Bayh - pretty conservative; lack of charisma
Hagel - a Repuke; enough said
Nunn - lack of charisma and old; conservative
Richardson - lackluster debate style? Still old wounds for supporting Obama over Clinton?

[TwilightGardener]

20. Schweitzer--openly considered supporting Romney. Stick a fork in that dude.

[KittyWampus]

21. And Obama openly makes working with Republicans a part of his ethos.

[TwilightGardener]

25. If Obama, in his capacity as Senator, stated that he would support McCain

for Prez if McCain was the nominee (obviously not running himself), what would you think of him? Would you think of him as a good, loyal Democrat? It's one thing to work with GOPers, I'm all for that. It's another to be a Lieberman clone.

[mvd]

22. Wow - I didn't know that

Why did he consider Romney? He's not THAT conservative, is he?

[TwilightGardener]

23. He said it in a NYT or NY Magazine interview in 2006--that if Romney ran for Prez, he

may support him (instead of the Dem nominee). I thought this was terrible, myself--not even Lieberman stated his support for McLame until late in 2007. Why would a Dem Gov, an important official in the Dem party, openly state he would support the Republican nominee far ahead of the race?

[Larkspur]

45. Romney is from Utah, the West

Schweitzer, the governor of Montana, is a big promoter for the West.

It wasn't a serious endorsement. Schweitzer was just sending signal to Beltway Dems to not ignore the West. Schweitzer also supported Gov. Richardson because Richardson was a fellow Western governor.

[Larkspur]

43. And Obama is considering conservative Repub Chuck Hagel for VP

You better not vote for Obama in November just because he is considering a conservative Repub on his ticket.

Schweitzer is from the West and it is in the West that the Dems have the best chance to grow, but the Beltway Dem bozos keep looking South.

Romney was from Utah, so I wasn't surprised when my hero Gov. Brian Schweitzer said that. It was Schweitzer's way of telling the Dems in Washington that the West matters. Schweitzer didn't last long on the Romney bandwagon, if he was ever on it at all.

Oh and Schweitzer also supported Gov. Richardson for Prez and he did so because Richardson was a fellow Western governor.

Anyway, the Dems in Washington and Obama himself should study how Schweitzer, a Democrat, won the governorship in a red state. He did it while bashing Bush and the Republican ideologues and promoting populist messages.

[TwilightGardener]

46. Romney is from Michigan, and Massachusetts. He was only in Utah for a little while.

I know, I lived in Utah when he was doing the Olympics thang. It's not a "western" thing. It's a "really stupid thing to say" thing. Schweitzer's entire judgment and political sense have to be called into question.

[TwilightGardener]

47. I'm one of the few people on DU who doesn't mind Hagel for VP. That Obama

is possibly considering him (a long shot, BTW) only means that Obama is serious about healing the red/blue divide--and he chose the best Republican to align with. But ROMNEY??? Ugh. Says something about Schweitzer. Not even McCain likes Romney.

[Larkspur]

51. Obama will lose the women's vote if Hagel is his VP choice

Hagel is a conservative Republican on all issues, including women's rights. Schweitzer is a superior choice over Hagel for VP. Schweitzer is a progressive populist.

I predict Obama will not select a Republican for VP. He like past Dem Presidents will have Republicans in his cabinet. Hagel will probably get a cabinet position, if he wants it.

[TwilightGardener]

52. I'm not arguing for Hagel as VP--I just said it would be OK with me.

Schweitzer is a better and more likely pick just by virtue of being Democratic. However, that said, I don't think he's a good pick. Something wrong with any Dem who professes a love for Mittens Romney.

[Larkspur]

53. Schweitzer is one of my heros because he knows how to fight Republican ideologues

and he won as a populist Democrat in a red state. I like Schweizter a lot more than I do Obama, who sees Ronnie Reagan as one of his role models.

I knew that Romney would fall out of Schweizter's favor quickly as the Republican primary campaign went on. Schweitzer didn't mention Romney after that interview.

[TwilightGardener]

55. You've got to be kidding--you prefer a guy who professed his early support for

one of the most unctuous, phony, flip-floppy, empty and convictionless Republican pols to ever come down the pike, over Obama, who only said that Reagan was influential and transformed politics (which was historically and undeniably true), but that he disagreed with most of Reagan's policies? Whatever. I leave you to your hero.

[Larkspur]

58. I find Schweitzer more inspirational than Obama

and I'd go to Hell and back for Schweitzer, whereas, Obama, I'd let him go to Hell by himself and see if he comes back before following him. I don't find Obama inspirational and Obama has quite often used right wing talking points to denigrate Democrats and liberals. I wrote Obama a 5 page letter slamming him for going on Faux News prior to the PA primary. His campaign promised that he'd fight Faux News frames, but instead he caved into them and used right wing frames to denigrate Democrats and liberals.

Schweitzer studied the strategies of right wingers, especially talk radio and TV hosts, and devised his own plan to coopt their strategies to promote Democratic populist positions. With Schweitzer, I see a Democratic leader who will support us, whereas with Obama, I feel like a pawn in his political games.

I can forgive Schweitzer for publicly saying he'd support Romney. I don't think he knew much about Romney at the time he said it. And he's never brought up Romney again. Obama has yet to earn my forgiveness for going on Faux News and denigrating Democrats and liberals.

[DFW]

24. The only twisting of Clark's statement about McCain was by the media

Clark stated directly that being shot down and being a POW for 5 years
do not constitute qualification for the presidency of the United States.

So what? He's right. You need better qualifications than that. Or should,
anyway. Just because Bush Lite didn't have them does not mean that standards
suddenly have been lowered.

To count Clark out would be a big mistake, I think, although there are other
choices out there that make sense as well.

[Dinger]

33. Good Points DFW, And We Need Dems In The Senate Too (nt)

[elleng]

56. I agree that counting Wes out would be a mistake,

and that there are others available.

I would like a firm signal from ob that Wes will have a major role in his administration.

[BeyondGeography]

26. Not surprised...white, Catholic, hard-ass

puts him in the mix.

[Douglas Carpenter]

27. If Sen. Reed was from a major swing state in the West, the South or a border state

I would think he would be strategically perfect.

As with Sen. Biden, I have my doubts that a Senator from a small Northeastern state that is almost certainly going to go Democratic by a comfortable margin, that Sen. Reed would be a likely choice.

[scheming daemons]

29. Reed is a "Mountain West" Democrat is style/personality.... he just happens to be from a NE state...

[Cosmocat]

41. That won't make a bit of difference ...

they will find ONE clip of him drinking a cup of tea and have all the ammo they need to paint him as whatever ...

Not that I have anything against Reed, I think he is a FINE elected official ...

I think it is mute, I saw a clip of him being drilled by Blitzer or some lunkhead MSM person, and while he would not definitively rule it out, he came across as doing all that he could without publically embarrasing BO by saying he won't take the job ...

[Dinger]

36. Clark Is From Little Rock (nt)

[vaberella]

31. Obama has one photo-op with one person and they become Veep. Why not George Clooney as Veep?

[Dinger]

37. Good Point

LOL

[TwilightGardener]

38. Out of all Dem Senators Obama could have made this trip with, he chose Reed--

that's not a "photo-op", that's significant.

[jobycom]

49. It is significant, but it doesn't mean it's VP significant.

Obama wanted credibility on this trip, so he didn't get stuck with a Dukakis-tank image. So he takes a hard-nose military senator with him, with a small enough reputation that most people won't read too much into it. It may be no more than that. Or it may be what they say.

But I think Reed's a very unlikely choice. I can't think of anything he brings to the ticket in terms of political strategy. He's relatively unknown, he's from a region that will already go Obama, he's another Senator. Not saying he doesn't have tremendous virtues, but people would have to get to know him, and that takes time and money that Obama would rather use on himself. Not a bad choice, just not what one would expect.

I doubt Obama knows who he is going to choose yet. Part of what he's doing is being seen with everyone, so that they will all be discussed. That keeps people talking about Obama, and it also helps Obama's pollster's measure response to a candidate without Obama having to tip his hand. And he gets to borrow a little of their reputation just by having them mentioned as a possibility.

[TwilightGardener]

50. Well, I think Obama is looking for someone who can govern, more than

a strategic regional/demographic choice just for election purposes. Reed has a good deal of knowledge and competence in a number of policy areas, and he's a careful, low-key, non-controversial guy to boot. I think he's definitely on the short list.

[Mass]

32. Unlikely for many reasons, but one could do a lot worse than Reed.

[PBS Poll-435]

42. HA

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I love media speculation!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Thrill]

44. Kaine is the best VP candidate

F the talking heads who claim Obama must have someone with foreign policy experience.

[mvd]

48. He's one of my top 3

Based on my analysis in my other post, and based on what others have said, here are my top 3:

Kaine
Richardson
Clinton

Reed could enter that top 3 when I know more. I'll suspend judgment on Schweitzer for now. I also wouldn't rule Clark out because of his statement. He would be a good choice depending on how Obama goes about it.

[flpoljunkie]

54. I think the very steady Jack Reed would be a great VP pick--plus he's Catholic.

[Colobo]

57. Reed seems like a good choice.