The full article
Democrats need to stop second guessing: Joe Biden was 100% the right choice for Obama’s vice presidential running mate.
For some reason, the Monday morning quarterbacks are out in full force, lamenting over Obama’s decision to pass on Hillary Clinton (“if only he’d picked Hillary, Sarah Palin would be no problem!”). First and foremost, that claim is downright absurd. As Gloria Steinem said, the only thing Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin share “is a chromosome.”
But people seem to forget that just a few weeks ago, the Obama/Clinton ticket was universally a bad idea. Had Obama put Hillary on the ticket, he’d be in a world of trouble, far worse than he is now. He would have alienated thousands of people who simply do not want to see Hillary Clinton anywhere near the White House. Don’t be mistaken: there are a lot of them.
Here are ten more reasons why Obama made the right choice:
10. An Obama-Clinton Ticket Would Have Lacked Experience
Hillary Clinton is just under two years into her second term. Barack Obama is just under four years into his first. An Obama/Clinton ticket would have less than two Senate terms under its belt combined. The fodder that would have created for Republicans would have been never ending, especially considering that McCain’s chief charge against Obama up until now has been his lack of experience. Not so for the Obama/Biden ticket. Biden has been in the Senate for six full terms. That’s more than 35 years of service- more than enough to be a learned counselor to a young president with relatively little experience dealing with the complexities of American government.
9. Clinton Would Have Undermined Obama’s Message
Selecting Clinton would have directly undermined his message of change. By George W. Bush’s selection of the very men who ran the presidencies of his father, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford (i.e., Cheney and Rumsfeld), it was very clear that change was not on his mind. Obama’s mantra in the Democratic primary was that while the 90s were good, the best years are ahead of us. He hammered the point that he didn’t want to go back to the way things were then, he wanted to go a new direction. Hillary Clinton is a vestige of her husband’s administration. And while one knows exactly what kind of success they were signing up for with Clinton, theoretically, an Obama Administration knew no bounds when it came to potential. Picking her would have been a direct contradiction of his intent to bring new ideas to Washington.
8. Clinton’s Presence on the Ticket Would Have Galvanized the Right
There are a lot of conservatives who simply do not like John McCain. He alienated the religious right by calling their pastors “agents of intolerance.” He shot himself in the foot when it came to advocates of immigration reform with his support of the amnesty bill. Gun advocates? He burned that bridge when he effectively neutralized the NRA’s ability to donate to the campaigns of Second Amendment supporters. But put all that aside: if there is one person the right could not stand, it was Bill Clinton. Hell, they impeached him. There is no doubt that Republicans and conservatives across the country would have swallowed their pride and pulled the lever for McCain, if for no other reason than to prevent another Clinton from getting into executive office.
When John McCain announced the half-term Governor of Alaska and former mayor of a city of a whopping 9,000 people as his running-mate, Democrats thought they saw a political piñata, and their eyes lit up.
Where to swing for first? Her pregnant daughter? Her alleged drug-abusing son? Her own marital indiscretions? How about the state trooper she had fired when he broke her sister’s heart? And hey…is that baby really hers?
Sure, Sarah Palin brings a host of questions with her to the general election. But whether it was a full-on setup or not, Democrats took the bait. In doing so, they forgot about every issue that was allowing them to pulverize John McCain in the months before.
They forgot about the housing crisis that McCain said didn’t even exist. They forgot about the simmering tensions with Iran after almost seven consecutive years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They forgot about rising unemployment, a floundering education system, a faltering economy, and a rural infrastructure that has deteriorated over the last eight years while George W. Bush ignored it. Instead, they went after Sarah Palin.
Democrats should have attacked Palin for two things, and two things only: her frightening lack of any kind of foreign policy experience, and more importantly, her stances that are so diametrically opposed to the interests of American women on the issues most important to them.
The simple truth is that Sarah Palin never should have been an advantage to McCain in drawing female voters, especially the disillusioned former Hillary backers. Forget, for a moment, that she lacks a Y chromosome. On any Republican male, her issue positions would have been those of one of the most anti-woman politicians in the country. Even the most successful female Republican officeholders have some kind of moderate stance on women’s rights issues.
This campaign season is historical not only in its candidates but in its ability to inspire and mobilize younger generations to involve themselves in politics. But it is no different than any other in its multitude of potential distractions.
The international and domestic policies that have plagued our country throughout the Bush Administration have left the American people dissatisfied with the way government works. Our growing dependence on foreign oil, our unwanted presence in Iraq, our growing national deficit, our floundering economy – these are just some of the major issues that the next president will tackle. Not to mention the rising cost of tuition, the millions of Americans without access to healthcare, and the increasing number of families that can no longer afford to keep their homes. These are very real issues.
Unfortunately, the dishonest tactics displayed by the McCain campaign work to draw our attention away from the real issues of this election and direct it towards obscure half-truths. The McCain campaign claims that Obama wants to teach sex education to kindergarten students. (Such an outrageous accusation doesn’t actually deserve a rebuttal, but for those who are interested, the New York Times kindly explains where the confusion lies. READ MORE) Their continued mockery of Obama’s experience, the tenacity with which they latched onto Obama’s “lipstick” comment, and their blatant distortion of their own political records (and by “they” I mean Senator McCain and Governor Palin), serve as evidence to one thing: the Republicans having nothing to run on. So when a politician has nothing to run on, they create distractions.
John McCain must remove Palin from the ticket. From 1994 to 1996 that Sarah Palin and her husband were members of the Alaskan Independence Party. Why would this be an issue? Well, one of the goals of the party is to reexamine the statehood of Alaska. Put another way, Sarah Palin is a secessionist. This is huge!
Excerpt:
Folks, this is the trifecta. First, there’s Troopergate. Now they admit that their oldest daughter is pregnant (and 17). The Palin family has touted their values, such as abstinence before marriage, and has leveraged their 5 photogenic children for political gain. Just like with John Edwards, it’s not the act, but the hypocrisy. But folks, we’ve hit the mother lode. ABC’s Jake Tapper is reporting that from 1994 to 1996 that Sarah Palin and her husband were members of the Alaskan Independence Party. Why would this be an issue? Well, one of the goals of the party is to reexamine the statehood of Alaska. Put another way, Sarah Palin was a secessionist. Here are some excerpts from the AIP Platform: seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution ... To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and judicial rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature ...
Folks, this is the trifecta. First, there’s Troopergate. Now they admit that their oldest daughter is pregnant (and 17). The Palin family has touted their values, such as abstinence before marriage, and has leveraged their 5 photogenic children for political gain. Just like with John Edwards, it’s not the act, but the hypocrisy. But folks, we’ve hit the mother lode.
ABC’s Jake Tapper is reporting that from 1994 to 1996 that Sarah Palin and her husband were members of the Alaskan Independence Party. Why would this be an issue? Well, one of the goals of the party is to reexamine the statehood of Alaska. Put another way, Sarah Palin was a secessionist. Here are some excerpts from the AIP Platform:
seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution ... To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and judicial rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature ...
More than six months after claiming a Super Tuesday win that set into motion his presumptive nomination, Barack Obama has chosen the Democrat who will help him fill the party ticket against John McCain in November. The winner: Joseph R. Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware and former presidential contender.
More than six months after claiming a Super Tuesday win that set into motion his presumptive nomination, Barack Obama has chosen the Democrat who will help him fill the party ticket against John McCain in November. Joseph Robinette Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware and former presidential candidate himself, edged out four other short-listed Democrats- Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Representative Chet Edwards of Texas- to become Obama’s running mate. The selection marks the culmination of a period of consistently growing anticipation as the Democratic presidential nominee narrowed the field of contenders. Biden is a familiar name in the party, having run for president several times himself. But undoubtedly, new voters as well as those who may not remember the veteran Democrat will be anxious to learn everything they can about the man who could very well replace Dick Cheney as the nation’s second most powerful executive. The 65-year old Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but relocated to New Castle County, Delaware. The eldest of four children in an Irish Catholic family, Biden received his undergraduate degree in political science and history from the University of Delaware, and his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University. In 1966, he married Nila Hunter while still attending law school. They had three children together: Joseph “Beau” Biden (now the Attorney General of Delaware), Robert Hunter Biden, and Naomi. In 1970, Biden was elected to the County Council. Just two years later, he mounted a successful campaign to unseat a two-term Republican Senator, achieving victory by a single percentage point. Biden was just 29 years old at the time of his election, and only 30 (the minimum age for a US Senator mandated by the Constitution), becoming the fifth-youngest Senator in history. In the interim between Biden’s election and his taking the oath of office, Biden’s wife and infant daughter were killed in an auto accident. His two sons sustained life threatening injuries, but eventually fully recovered from their wounds, a phenomenon Biden attributed to the heroic efforts of the firefighters who responded to the scene of the accident. Though Biden planned not to take office following the horrific tragedy, he was convince by some of his colleagues- including Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, and Paul Sarbanes- to continue. He has since won reelection to the Senate five times, making him the fourth longest serving Democrat in the Senate (exceeded only by Kennedy, Byrd, and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy). Over the years, Biden became one of the most important and influential Democrats in Washington, rising to the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, and more recently the Committee on Foreign Affairs. As the Judiciary Committee chairman, he oversaw the confirmation hearings of Robert Bork (who was eventually denied by the Senate), and Clarence Thomas, whose own appointment was marred by claims of sexual harassment against Anita Hill. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden was one of the most important contributors to the effort to bring peace during the war in Bosnia. He was the first to declare Slobodan Milosevic a “war criminal.” He has been equally outspoken on the Iraq War. In 2006, when criticism of the Iraq War was high but reasonable solutions conspicuously absent, Biden led the way, crafting a partitioning plan that drew praise from everyone from Bill O’Reilly to Bill Richardson. As mentioned above, Biden has run for president several times. In 1988, he was a lead contender for the nomination along with Michael Dukakis when he suffered a double brain aneurysm, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Simultaneously, an aide to the Dukakis campaign accused Biden of plagiarism on two occasions: once in law school, of which he was ultimately cleared by the Delaware State Bar. The other arose from a speech that he had given but failed to attribute to British politician Neil Kinnock. Though Biden admitted that he hadn’t credited Kinnock on that particular occasion, previous records showed that he had used the speech during several other campaign stops, and had cited the Kinnock speech properly each time. Upon discovering the source of the accusation, Dukakis fired the aide responsible. Biden again considered running in 2004, but felt that he did not have sufficient time to mount a strong fundraising base. In 2008, however, he declared his candidacy early, having been candid about his intention to run dating as far back as late 2005. Though he ultimately fell short of the necessary support in Iowa Caucus, Biden impressed Democratic voters with consistently strong debate performances, often prompting pundits to declare him the “winner” for the night. He often brought an element of humor to the campaign. In the first CNN forum, Biden was asked whether- given his history of verbal gaffes- he could be trusted to represent the US in a dignified manner on the world stage. The notoriously long-winded Biden smiled and answered, “Yes,” leaving Anderson Cooper silent as he waited for an elaboration that wasn’t coming. Later, he spurred laughter when he said, “The irony is, Rudy Giuliani [is] probably the most unqualified man to seek the presidency since George W. Bush…I mean think about it! Rudy Giuliani! There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else. And I mean this sincerely: he’s genuinely not qualified to be president.” Perhaps both his best and worst attribute at once, Biden has been incredibly outspoken. It’s made him prone to gaffes from time to time, but it’s also likely what drew Obama’s attention. He called President Bush’s speech before the Israeli Knesset in which he questioned Obama‘s patriotism “bullsh*t.”
More than six months after claiming a Super Tuesday win that set into motion his presumptive nomination, Barack Obama has chosen the Democrat who will help him fill the party ticket against John McCain in November. Joseph Robinette Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware and former presidential candidate himself, edged out four other short-listed Democrats- Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Representative Chet Edwards of Texas- to become Obama’s running mate. The selection marks the culmination of a period of consistently growing anticipation as the Democratic presidential nominee narrowed the field of contenders.
Biden is a familiar name in the party, having run for president several times himself. But undoubtedly, new voters as well as those who may not remember the veteran Democrat will be anxious to learn everything they can about the man who could very well replace Dick Cheney as the nation’s second most powerful executive.
The 65-year old Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but relocated to New Castle County, Delaware. The eldest of four children in an Irish Catholic family, Biden received his undergraduate degree in political science and history from the University of Delaware, and his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University. In 1966, he married Nila Hunter while still attending law school. They had three children together: Joseph “Beau” Biden (now the Attorney General of Delaware), Robert Hunter Biden, and Naomi.
In 1970, Biden was elected to the County Council. Just two years later, he mounted a successful campaign to unseat a two-term Republican Senator, achieving victory by a single percentage point. Biden was just 29 years old at the time of his election, and only 30 (the minimum age for a US Senator mandated by the Constitution), becoming the fifth-youngest Senator in history.
In the interim between Biden’s election and his taking the oath of office, Biden’s wife and infant daughter were killed in an auto accident. His two sons sustained life threatening injuries, but eventually fully recovered from their wounds, a phenomenon Biden attributed to the heroic efforts of the firefighters who responded to the scene of the accident. Though Biden planned not to take office following the horrific tragedy, he was convince by some of his colleagues- including Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, and Paul Sarbanes- to continue. He has since won reelection to the Senate five times, making him the fourth longest serving Democrat in the Senate (exceeded only by Kennedy, Byrd, and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy).
Over the years, Biden became one of the most important and influential Democrats in Washington, rising to the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, and more recently the Committee on Foreign Affairs. As the Judiciary Committee chairman, he oversaw the confirmation hearings of Robert Bork (who was eventually denied by the Senate), and Clarence Thomas, whose own appointment was marred by claims of sexual harassment against Anita Hill. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden was one of the most important contributors to the effort to bring peace during the war in Bosnia. He was the first to declare Slobodan Milosevic a “war criminal.” He has been equally outspoken on the Iraq War. In 2006, when criticism of the Iraq War was high but reasonable solutions conspicuously absent, Biden led the way, crafting a partitioning plan that drew praise from everyone from Bill O’Reilly to Bill Richardson.
As mentioned above, Biden has run for president several times. In 1988, he was a lead contender for the nomination along with Michael Dukakis when he suffered a double brain aneurysm, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Simultaneously, an aide to the Dukakis campaign accused Biden of plagiarism on two occasions: once in law school, of which he was ultimately cleared by the Delaware State Bar. The other arose from a speech that he had given but failed to attribute to British politician Neil Kinnock. Though Biden admitted that he hadn’t credited Kinnock on that particular occasion, previous records showed that he had used the speech during several other campaign stops, and had cited the Kinnock speech properly each time. Upon discovering the source of the accusation, Dukakis fired the aide responsible.
Biden again considered running in 2004, but felt that he did not have sufficient time to mount a strong fundraising base. In 2008, however, he declared his candidacy early, having been candid about his intention to run dating as far back as late 2005. Though he ultimately fell short of the necessary support in Iowa Caucus, Biden impressed Democratic voters with consistently strong debate performances, often prompting pundits to declare him the “winner” for the night. He often brought an element of humor to the campaign. In the first CNN forum, Biden was asked whether- given his history of verbal gaffes- he could be trusted to represent the US in a dignified manner on the world stage. The notoriously long-winded Biden smiled and answered, “Yes,” leaving Anderson Cooper silent as he waited for an elaboration that wasn’t coming. Later, he spurred laughter when he said, “The irony is, Rudy Giuliani [is] probably the most unqualified man to seek the presidency since George W. Bush…I mean think about it! Rudy Giuliani! There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else. And I mean this sincerely: he’s genuinely not qualified to be president.”
Perhaps both his best and worst attribute at once, Biden has been incredibly outspoken. It’s made him prone to gaffes from time to time, but it’s also likely what drew Obama’s attention. He called President Bush’s speech before the Israeli Knesset in which he questioned Obama‘s patriotism “bullsh*t.”
It IS official, as of a couple minutes ago. It's an Obama/Biden ticket!!
In Senator Joe Biden, Barack Obama may have found exactly what he’s looking for in a vice presidential candidate. He’s experienced, he’s a seasoned foreign affairs expert, and by some accounts, he’s at the top of Obama’s short list going into the Democratic National Convention this weekend. It’s not just the Delaware Senator’s impressive résumé that has party insiders crossing their fingers for an Obama/Biden ticket. What Democrats should really be excited about is that Joe Biden just might be the most relatable man in Washington. Voters can watch politicians on television without ever really knowing them. John Kerry was branded an elitist for what some perceived as his extreme inability to form a direct connection with his audience. Even Barack Obama, for all of his mass appeal, remains someone of an enigma. To the average American, Obama is as much an idea as he is a man. At the very least, the Obama that most Americans know is the distinguished statesman behind the podium, the inspiring orator at the pulpit. But with Biden (to use a tired, but entirely apropos expression), what you see is what you get. He balances Obama’s lofty, energizing rhetoric with a kind of no-nonsense, everyday American idiomatic style in the same way that allowed George W. Bush to form a bond with Republicans and Independents from coast to coast. The difference is that Biden accomplishes this without ever descending to the level of pandering: in the privacy of his own home, the Yale-educated Bush’s dialogue may or may not include some of the idioms he favors in public (i.e., “hunt ‘em down,” and “smoke ‘em out”). When Biden stands before a group of firefighters and offers to buy them all a round of beers to express his gratitude for the firefighters who saved the lives of his two young boys when they were nearly killed in an auto accident, there’s something decidedly more genuine to his tone. During the interminable period of Democratic debates in the run-up to the Iowa Caucus, Biden was the sole source of direct, common-sense answers to debate moderators and reporters. In the first CNN forum, Biden was asked whether- given his history of verbal gaffes- he could be trusted to represent the US in a dignified manner on the world stage. The notoriously long-winded Biden smiled and answered, “Yes,” leaving Anderson Cooper silent as he waited for an elaboration that wasn’t coming. Later, he spurred laughter when he said, “The irony is, Rudy Giuliani [is] probably the most unqualified man to seek the presidency since George W. Bush…I mean think about it! Rudy Giuliani! There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else. And I mean this sincerely: he’s genuinely not qualified to be president.”
While most of the media focuses on the four most frequently mentioned vice presidential candidates who could potentially be selected by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in the hours or days ahead, the informed reader might want to take a good look at one more possible choice: Representative Chet Edwards of Texas. Though he’s rarely mentioned among the other top choices- Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas,- Edwards nonetheless has been floated by a number of different people as a very real possibility, especially if Obama decides to go with a surprise selection. Several campaign officials told the AP that Edwards, along with the Democrats mentioned above, had made Obama’s closely guarded short list of finalists. There are several reasons to believe that Edwards is in the running for the number two spot on the ticket, however stealth he may be in doing so. First and foremost, he’s the man House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been pushing on the Obama campaign and it’s VP selection team. On August 3rd, Pelosi told ABC’s This Week, “I hope he will be the nominee.” Of course, Pelosi has no say in Obama’s decision. But however implicitly she may have operated, her rhetoric and press statements during the strenuous Democratic primary seemed exceptionally supportive of Senator Obama. Edwards first won election to the House in 1990, and has held strong ever since. As a result of redistricting in 2004, he was forced to run in a district that had become much more heavily conservative, but still managed to eke out a 3.5% margin of victory- an impressive feat, especially considering that his district voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election by more than 70%. An Edwards choice might be considered bold in that the current lines put Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch firmly inside his district.
While most of the media focuses on the four most frequently mentioned vice presidential candidates who could potentially be selected by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in the hours or days ahead, the informed reader might want to take a good look at one more possible choice: Representative Chet Edwards of Texas.
Though he’s rarely mentioned among the other top choices- Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas,- Edwards nonetheless has been floated by a number of different people as a very real possibility, especially if Obama decides to go with a surprise selection.
Several campaign officials told the AP that Edwards, along with the Democrats mentioned above, had made Obama’s closely guarded short list of finalists.
There are several reasons to believe that Edwards is in the running for the number two spot on the ticket, however stealth he may be in doing so. First and foremost, he’s the man House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been pushing on the Obama campaign and it’s VP selection team. On August 3rd, Pelosi told ABC’s This Week, “I hope he will be the nominee.” Of course, Pelosi has no say in Obama’s decision. But however implicitly she may have operated, her rhetoric and press statements during the strenuous Democratic primary seemed exceptionally supportive of Senator Obama.
Edwards first won election to the House in 1990, and has held strong ever since. As a result of redistricting in 2004, he was forced to run in a district that had become much more heavily conservative, but still managed to eke out a 3.5% margin of victory- an impressive feat, especially considering that his district voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election by more than 70%. An Edwards choice might be considered bold in that the current lines put Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch firmly inside his district.
Hello, sports fans. As we near the end of our quadrennial games, let’s take a look back at how we got to where we are now: The Titan Who Fell - Hillary Clinton: Perhaps the victim of her own hype, the former First Lady crashed in a big way in the primary round in the most anticipated event of these games- the quest for the White House. As of late 2006, just after Team Democrat had taken gold in Senate races, House races, and gubernatorial races alike, pundits across the country were ready to place the gold medal around Clinton’s neck. But Clinton failed to achieve what had been a “sure win,” forcing her to settle for silver in the presidential event. When it came time for the vice presidential race, many of Clinton’s fans remained behind her. However, the down-and-dirty strategy that she displayed in the presidential race cost her some serious ground in the latter event, effectively ruling her out of the following qualifying rounds for the vice presidency. Disqualified for Foul Play - John Edwards: Every four years, hearts are broken around the world when we find out that our heroes don’t pass the requisite tests prior to competition. Sometimes, it’s doping and steroids. Other times, it’s a different kind of cheating. The race for the presidency requires that candidates not only refrain from performance enhancers (i.e., illegal campaign contributions, etc), but also that they maintain a history of ethics and integrity commensurate with the prestige of these games. And if you can’t meet the requirements for the presidential event, it’s not likely that you’ll fare too well in the vice presidential race, either. Like Mom always said, cheaters never prosper…especially if it is on your wife while she’s battling cancer. Playing for the Wrong Team - Michael Bloomberg and Chuck Hagel: For most of his life, Mike Bloomberg was on Team Democrat. But when the qualifying race (primary) for the New York Mayoral race looked a little crowded, Bloomberg switched to Team Republican, despite remaining a Democrat at heart. Now, he’s on a team of his own (Team Independent). Technically, that made him a contender for the vice presidential event. But in the long, storied history of these games, never has an Independent joined the national ticket of a Democratic presidential gold medal winner. And while Republican Chuck Hagel might similarly have seemed like a good idea, you can bet that if it’s tough for an Independent to win gold here, it’s damn near impossible for a member of Team GOP.Click on the link to see the rest of the VP contenders... :OD
The Titan Who Fell - Hillary Clinton: Perhaps the victim of her own hype, the former First Lady crashed in a big way in the primary round in the most anticipated event of these games- the quest for the White House. As of late 2006, just after Team Democrat had taken gold in Senate races, House races, and gubernatorial races alike, pundits across the country were ready to place the gold medal around Clinton’s neck. But Clinton failed to achieve what had been a “sure win,” forcing her to settle for silver in the presidential event. When it came time for the vice presidential race, many of Clinton’s fans remained behind her. However, the down-and-dirty strategy that she displayed in the presidential race cost her some serious ground in the latter event, effectively ruling her out of the following qualifying rounds for the vice presidency.
Disqualified for Foul Play - John Edwards: Every four years, hearts are broken around the world when we find out that our heroes don’t pass the requisite tests prior to competition. Sometimes, it’s doping and steroids. Other times, it’s a different kind of cheating. The race for the presidency requires that candidates not only refrain from performance enhancers (i.e., illegal campaign contributions, etc), but also that they maintain a history of ethics and integrity commensurate with the prestige of these games. And if you can’t meet the requirements for the presidential event, it’s not likely that you’ll fare too well in the vice presidential race, either. Like Mom always said, cheaters never prosper…especially if it is on your wife while she’s battling cancer.
Playing for the Wrong Team - Michael Bloomberg and Chuck Hagel: For most of his life, Mike Bloomberg was on Team Democrat. But when the qualifying race (primary) for the New York Mayoral race looked a little crowded, Bloomberg switched to Team Republican, despite remaining a Democrat at heart. Now, he’s on a team of his own (Team Independent). Technically, that made him a contender for the vice presidential event. But in the long, storied history of these games, never has an Independent joined the national ticket of a Democratic presidential gold medal winner. And while Republican Chuck Hagel might similarly have seemed like a good idea, you can bet that if it’s tough for an Independent to win gold here, it’s damn near impossible for a member of Team GOP.
Click on the link to see the rest of the VP contenders... :OD
Until very recently, a photograph of myself and John Edwards hung on the wall of my office. Before his campaign imploded in Iowa, I’d done some work for the Senator in California. On the night of that particular picture, I’d been standing in the garden of a beautiful house in Beverly Hills, where supporters were hosting a cocktail party to raise money for his long shot bid. Edwards came up behind me and grabbed me by the arm. “You, come with me,” he said. Thinking it was a security guard who’d mistaken me for a trespasser, I’d just about dropped my drink and was about to protest. But when I turned around, Edwards had a huge grin on his face. “Get rid of your name tag,” he said, and I did so just in time for the photographer to snap a shot of the two of us. Earlier this week, I took that photo down. What had been the pride of my office wall had become a bitter reminder of Senator Edwards’ personal indiscretions, a joke for passers-by to point to and say, “hey, isn’t that the guy with the sick wife who knocked up a campaign worker?” Edwards’ precipitous decline from Democratic golden boy to the stereotypical can’t-keep-his-pants-on politician has left me awestruck. Why is it that Edwards, like so many politicians before him, fell prey to the temptations of power? The short answer is that it’s a sense of entitlement. Edwards said in his mea culpa press release that he’d begun to feel as though he were “special.” Read: entitled. Being in positions of power and influence has an incredible effect on the ego, and that’s why we’ve seen so many politicians getting caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. For the Bob Neys and Ted Stevens of the world, it’s the allure of money. For the Bill Clintons, Gary Harts, and John Edwards, its…well, it’s another vice. The truth is that John Edwards went from leading the Democratic idea debate to just another political sideshow. He’s a supermarket tabloid cover, only worse: in his case, the normally ridiculous “UFOs Spotted at White House” headlines actually got it right. And what’s worse is that Elizabeth Edwards has become the pity case that she never wanted to be, even through her bout with what will certainly be terminal cancer. Too intelligent and too dignified to play the role of Dina McGreevy, she’s nonetheless been featured in the all-too-typical People Magazine “My Struggle” cover piece. In another few months or years, few will remember that Edwards- for better or for worse- raised the bar on national healthcare, essentially cementing the issue into the Democratic platform. He focused the Democratic spotlight on infrastructure and rural investment, two areas that the big-government Bush Administration managed to defund and neglect for the past eight years.
Until very recently, a photograph of myself and John Edwards hung on the wall of my office. Before his campaign imploded in Iowa, I’d done some work for the Senator in California. On the night of that particular picture, I’d been standing in the garden of a beautiful house in Beverly Hills, where supporters were hosting a cocktail party to raise money for his long shot bid. Edwards came up behind me and grabbed me by the arm. “You, come with me,” he said. Thinking it was a security guard who’d mistaken me for a trespasser, I’d just about dropped my drink and was about to protest. But when I turned around, Edwards had a huge grin on his face. “Get rid of your name tag,” he said, and I did so just in time for the photographer to snap a shot of the two of us.
Earlier this week, I took that photo down. What had been the pride of my office wall had become a bitter reminder of Senator Edwards’ personal indiscretions, a joke for passers-by to point to and say, “hey, isn’t that the guy with the sick wife who knocked up a campaign worker?”
Edwards’ precipitous decline from Democratic golden boy to the stereotypical can’t-keep-his-pants-on politician has left me awestruck. Why is it that Edwards, like so many politicians before him, fell prey to the temptations of power? The short answer is that it’s a sense of entitlement. Edwards said in his mea culpa press release that he’d begun to feel as though he were “special.” Read: entitled. Being in positions of power and influence has an incredible effect on the ego, and that’s why we’ve seen so many politicians getting caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. For the Bob Neys and Ted Stevens of the world, it’s the allure of money. For the Bill Clintons, Gary Harts, and John Edwards, its…well, it’s another vice.
The truth is that John Edwards went from leading the Democratic idea debate to just another political sideshow. He’s a supermarket tabloid cover, only worse: in his case, the normally ridiculous “UFOs Spotted at White House” headlines actually got it right. And what’s worse is that Elizabeth Edwards has become the pity case that she never wanted to be, even through her bout with what will certainly be terminal cancer. Too intelligent and too dignified to play the role of Dina McGreevy, she’s nonetheless been featured in the all-too-typical People Magazine “My Struggle” cover piece.
In another few months or years, few will remember that Edwards- for better or for worse- raised the bar on national healthcare, essentially cementing the issue into the Democratic platform. He focused the Democratic spotlight on infrastructure and rural investment, two areas that the big-government Bush Administration managed to defund and neglect for the past eight years.
The past few weeks have belonged to McCain, largely because he has been on the attack. Obama has been stuck in a reactive stance. The merits of McCain's attacks are irrelevant – if he is allowed to define the terms of the election, he will win. One subtle way that McCain is defining the election is through the chatter about Obama's VP selection. There is a large group of Dems that want Obama to select a VP that will somehow shore up his perceived deficiencies in foreign policy and governing. It doesn't seem to matter that the Democratic voting public rejected this argument in the primaries. The poster child for this line of reasoning is Joe Biden. To be fair, Sen. Biden is smart on foreign policy, speaks well, and would probably relish the role of attack dog. But he is as much Mr. Washington as John McCain is. Selecting Biden would significantly affect the “change” message. Instead, Obama should select someone who helps reinforce his brand. That would imply Governors Tim Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius or Gen. Wesley Clark. We ran a Veepstakes contest here at Eyes On Obama, which was comfortably won by Gov. Sebelius with over 77,000 votes cast. It is clearly the estimation of the Eyes On Obama community that Sebelius is the best choice, and it is curious to us that she gets so little mention from the chattering class. The other data point that can be gleaned from the vote is that change beats out experience. Every single one of our top 5 contenders was a change candidate. There's plenty of historical support for choosing a running mate that reinforces brand as opposed to someone with complementary traits. Dick Cheney was even further to the right than George W. Bush. Al Gore was a young southerner selected for the VP spot in another “change” year. That worked out pretty well for Bill Clinton. Complementary picks like Lieberman, Edwards, and Quayle muddied the message and ended up pleasing no one.
One subtle way that McCain is defining the election is through the chatter about Obama's VP selection. There is a large group of Dems that want Obama to select a VP that will somehow shore up his perceived deficiencies in foreign policy and governing. It doesn't seem to matter that the Democratic voting public rejected this argument in the primaries. The poster child for this line of reasoning is Joe Biden. To be fair, Sen. Biden is smart on foreign policy, speaks well, and would probably relish the role of attack dog. But he is as much Mr. Washington as John McCain is. Selecting Biden would significantly affect the “change” message.
Instead, Obama should select someone who helps reinforce his brand. That would imply Governors Tim Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius or Gen. Wesley Clark. We ran a Veepstakes contest here at Eyes On Obama, which was comfortably won by Gov. Sebelius with over 77,000 votes cast. It is clearly the estimation of the Eyes On Obama community that Sebelius is the best choice, and it is curious to us that she gets so little mention from the chattering class. The other data point that can be gleaned from the vote is that change beats out experience. Every single one of our top 5 contenders was a change candidate.
There's plenty of historical support for choosing a running mate that reinforces brand as opposed to someone with complementary traits. Dick Cheney was even further to the right than George W. Bush. Al Gore was a young southerner selected for the VP spot in another “change” year. That worked out pretty well for Bill Clinton. Complementary picks like Lieberman, Edwards, and Quayle muddied the message and ended up pleasing no one.
A few months back I wrote a post analyzing the attributes of contenders for the VP spot. The conclusion of that post was that Gen. Wesley Clark was the best pick to be Obama's VP. I mentioned at the time that I had not weighted the different metrics that were used to rank the VP contenders. Given that we know a lot more now about how the general election is going to shape up, it's time to put some weights to the different categories and see if we come up with a different result. Here is my ranking of the metrics: Economic Issues (10 pts) Executive Experience (9 pts) Swing Staters (7 pts) Brand (6 pts) Foreign Policy (5 pts) Women (4 pts) Military Service (3 pts) Hillary Supporters (2 pts) Moderate / Conservative Values (1 pt) The weights are listed in parentheses. Using the categorization that we did in the Veepstakes section for each candidate, here is the ranking of all the VP contenders (it may surprise you)
A few months back I wrote a post analyzing the attributes of contenders for the VP spot. The conclusion of that post was that Gen. Wesley Clark was the best pick to be Obama's VP. I mentioned at the time that I had not weighted the different metrics that were used to rank the VP contenders. Given that we know a lot more now about how the general election is going to shape up, it's time to put some weights to the different categories and see if we come up with a different result. Here is my ranking of the metrics:
Economic Issues (10 pts)
Executive Experience (9 pts)
Swing Staters (7 pts)
Brand (6 pts)
Foreign Policy (5 pts)
Women (4 pts)
Military Service (3 pts)
Hillary Supporters (2 pts)
Moderate / Conservative Values (1 pt)
After six rounds and more than 77,000 votes cast, Kathleen Sebelius is the winner of the Eyes On Obama Veepstakes. She received 47% (1001 votes) of the votes in the final round. Sebelius was consistently amongst the top 3 vote getters in each round, despite little media coverage. Other contenders shot up but then fizzled away just as quick. Brian Schweitzer came in second place with 41% of the final round. He has also consistently been in the top tier of candidates despite almost no discussion of him in the media. In terms of total votes from all the rounds though, he is actually in 3rd place behind Wesley Clark. So what does it all mean? It's hard to say who Obama will pick from the sea of contenders, but one thing is clear - his supporters on Eyes On Obama are looking for someone outside of Washington. The final round saw two governors and a mayor (Michael Bloomberg), and the round before included Gen. Clark and Sen. McCaskill, who has only been in the senate for 18 months. In case you don't know much about Kathleen Sebelius, she is a two term governor of Kansas. She has forged productive relationships with Republicans in her state, to the point of convincing the former chair of the Republican party to run as a Democrat. She is Catholic, and her father, John Gilligan, was Governor of Ohio. Sebelius delivered this year's Democratic rebuttal to the State of the Union.
After six rounds and more than 77,000 votes cast, Kathleen Sebelius is the winner of the Eyes On Obama Veepstakes. She received 47% (1001 votes) of the votes in the final round. Sebelius was consistently amongst the top 3 vote getters in each round, despite little media coverage. Other contenders shot up but then fizzled away just as quick.
Brian Schweitzer came in second place with 41% of the final round. He has also consistently been in the top tier of candidates despite almost no discussion of him in the media. In terms of total votes from all the rounds though, he is actually in 3rd place behind Wesley Clark.
So what does it all mean? It's hard to say who Obama will pick from the sea of contenders, but one thing is clear - his supporters on Eyes On Obama are looking for someone outside of Washington. The final round saw two governors and a mayor (Michael Bloomberg), and the round before included Gen. Clark and Sen. McCaskill, who has only been in the senate for 18 months.
In case you don't know much about Kathleen Sebelius, she is a two term governor of Kansas. She has forged productive relationships with Republicans in her state, to the point of convincing the former chair of the Republican party to run as a Democrat. She is Catholic, and her father, John Gilligan, was Governor of Ohio. Sebelius delivered this year's Democratic rebuttal to the State of the Union.
Politico.com posted an article today explaining why it is likely that McCain will let Obama make the first vp selection. The reasoning is fairly clear - if you can wait for the other guy (and thereby have more information to make your decision), why not? The Republican convention is a week after the Democratic convention, so McCain will probably make his selection either at or immediately before his acceptance. Why does this matter? It really comes down to two issues. First, the marriage of convenience between staunch Hillary supporters and the Obama campaign is fragile at best. If Obama were to pick Bayh or Kaine as his running mate, it would create an opening for McCain to select someone like Gov. Sarah Palin in order to peel away some of the women's vote. It's important to remember that while women are often referred to as a minority, they are actually the majority in terms of population in this country. Obama may be leading by 10-15% among women, but a 5% dip from those numbers could (and probably would) be the difference in the election between an Obama or McCain win. Pundits make a lot of Obama's poll numbers and ask why he is only 3-5 points ahead right now. It's very early in the election cycle, and so that's not really a fair critique (but the MSM is rarely deterred by fairness). Where was Obama against Hillary at this point last year? What has been constant in the polls, and tends to be a better indicator, is that McCain has not been able to break 44%. All the variance seems to be in Obama's poll numbers. McCain basically has a ceiling to his numbers, so the only way that he can win is by pulling Obama's numbers down. This brings us to the second but equally important reason to select Hillary. We all got a preview of the fall campaign last week, and it became glaringly apparent that if Obama is to win, he's going to need a strong attack dog to push back on McCain's frivolous ads. Who better to play the part? The phrase "now the fun begins" still haunts Obama supporters to this day. Clinton truly seems to relish a political dogfight, and actually performs better in those conditions. Having her at his side would leave Obama free to be the political rock star that he is, while Clinton and her allies can do their hatchet job on McCain. She can be his Dick Cheney.
Politico.com posted an article today explaining why it is likely that McCain will let Obama make the first vp selection. The reasoning is fairly clear - if you can wait for the other guy (and thereby have more information to make your decision), why not? The Republican convention is a week after the Democratic convention, so McCain will probably make his selection either at or immediately before his acceptance.
Why does this matter? It really comes down to two issues.
First, the marriage of convenience between staunch Hillary supporters and the Obama campaign is fragile at best. If Obama were to pick Bayh or Kaine as his running mate, it would create an opening for McCain to select someone like Gov. Sarah Palin in order to peel away some of the women's vote. It's important to remember that while women are often referred to as a minority, they are actually the majority in terms of population in this country. Obama may be leading by 10-15% among women, but a 5% dip from those numbers could (and probably would) be the difference in the election between an Obama or McCain win.
Pundits make a lot of Obama's poll numbers and ask why he is only 3-5 points ahead right now. It's very early in the election cycle, and so that's not really a fair critique (but the MSM is rarely deterred by fairness). Where was Obama against Hillary at this point last year? What has been constant in the polls, and tends to be a better indicator, is that McCain has not been able to break 44%. All the variance seems to be in Obama's poll numbers. McCain basically has a ceiling to his numbers, so the only way that he can win is by pulling Obama's numbers down. This brings us to the second but equally important reason to select Hillary. We all got a preview of the fall campaign last week, and it became glaringly apparent that if Obama is to win, he's going to need a strong attack dog to push back on McCain's frivolous ads.
Who better to play the part? The phrase "now the fun begins" still haunts Obama supporters to this day. Clinton truly seems to relish a political dogfight, and actually performs better in those conditions. Having her at his side would leave Obama free to be the political rock star that he is, while Clinton and her allies can do their hatchet job on McCain. She can be his Dick Cheney.
Yesterday was Bastille Day, the French equivalent of Independence Day. Having just gotten back from Paris, I can say that Parisians would storm the Bastille all over again if it would get Obama elected. I went to Paris with my husband, my mother-in-law, my four sisters-in-law, and my aunt (and 16 suitcases). We might as well have had "American tourist" plastered on our foreheads. When we got in the shuttle from Charles de Gaulle airport to our apartment, the idle banter with the driver quickly turned to the US presidential election in general, and to Barack Obama in particular. This was a prelude for the trip to come; without fail, both friends and strangers alike expressed the solidarity with Obama, and their hope that he will win in November. It's no secret that France and the US have had icy relations since the buildup to the Iraq War. For the French, the prospect of the policies of George W. Bush being continued by John McCain are almost too much to bear. [click on the link to read the full article w/ its video and photo]
Yesterday was Bastille Day, the French equivalent of Independence Day. Having just gotten back from Paris, I can say that Parisians would storm the Bastille all over again if it would get Obama elected.
I went to Paris with my husband, my mother-in-law, my four sisters-in-law, and my aunt (and 16 suitcases). We might as well have had "American tourist" plastered on our foreheads. When we got in the shuttle from Charles de Gaulle airport to our apartment, the idle banter with the driver quickly turned to the US presidential election in general, and to Barack Obama in particular. This was a prelude for the trip to come; without fail, both friends and strangers alike expressed the solidarity with Obama, and their hope that he will win in November.
It's no secret that France and the US have had icy relations since the buildup to the Iraq War. For the French, the prospect of the policies of George W. Bush being continued by John McCain are almost too much to bear. [click on the link to read the full article w/ its video and photo]
This morning, I went through my morning rituals of reading all the major political news of the day (starting with Eyes On Obama of course, lol). And I came across a diary entry on DailyKos that I found really insulting. The title was “Webb’s wife is Asian: Not going to Happen”. For those who don’t understand what it means, it was a post about the diminished prospects of Senator Jim Webb becoming Obama’s running mate because his wife happens to be Asian.
For those who have read my posts before and know that I’m from Paris, France, I should also say that my parents emigrated from Vietnam in the late 70s. Jim Webb’s “Asian” wife, as the diarist stated, is from Vietnam as well. I find this diarist’s perspective deeply personally offensive, but I also believe that it is a baseless argument and I will try and refute it on those grounds.
First of all, someone who is not willing to vote for Obama because his running mate’s wife is non-white, probably won’t vote for Obama because he is black! I don’t believe that identity politics is additive and that somebody would actually think to himself, “well I would have voted for Obama even though he’s black, but his running mate’s Asian wife is a deal breaker.” The fact is Obama has a black wife and black children as well as a half-Asian half-sister that he publicly talks about. McCain has an adopted daughter from a Mother Theresa orphanage (that has mysteriously disappeared from the campaign trail, by the way), so I don’t think that spouses and children will become legitimate campaign issues.
I’ve stated why the “Asian” wife of Jim Webb probably wouldn’t hurt the ticket, but could it help? The diarist claims that Asians are only found in high concentrations in reliably blue states. While it is true that California and New York have a high percentage of the 11.9M Asians in America, 10.9% and 5.5% respectively, they can be found in strong concentrations in other states as well. Asian-Americans are a key swing demographic in several purple states. According to the 2000 Census estimate, Asians make up 3.7% of the population in Virginia, 4.5% in Nevada, 5.7% in New Jersey and 4% in the reliably red state of Alaska. If you look at the Vietnamese population in particular, there are strong concentrations in California, Texas, Washington and Virginia.
The other thing I can say anecdotally is that many if not most Asians have very conservative values and so shifting their vote away from McCain would be a tremendous coup. Our nanny is a Vietnamese American who has almost no economic reason to vote Republican but cast her ballot in the California Primary for McCain. I can tell that the immigrants of my parents’ generation were scarred by communism and have always voted conservative as a result. Many incorrectly associate liberalism with communism. If we are to believe in the identity politics that the diarist bases his arguments on, then securing the Asian voting bloc could be the key to victory in November.
I am in no way advocating of behalf of an Obama/Webb ticket. I don’t know much about Senator Webb beyond what has been written in our Veepstakes section. I understand that he had a distinguished military career and served in the Reagan Administration. I’ve also heard that he may have made some sexist comments in the past which is a much more legitimate attack on his fitness for the job than his wife’s race.
It’s perfectly acceptable to judge the wife of a candidate on her merits, but skin color and ethnicity are not merits. Putting up with the rigors of being the wife of a prominent politician cannot be easy and she seems to pull it off with grace, beauty and class. The fact that Jim Webb has made it as far as he has is as much a tribute to her strength as it is to his. My “non-Oriental” father-in-law is one of the most successful medical device entrepreneurs in history, and he regularly gives full credit for his success to his lovely Vietnamese wife. I also take full credit for my husband’s success whether he likes or not. :)
This hopeless, cynical view of America is exactly what Senator Obama has been defeating during his successful campaign for the Democratic Nomination for President. The diarist is welcome to keep this warped perspective long after we inaugurate President Obama.
Well, Obama Baby Girl that is :) Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2C54ebtEhc
One upon a time, there was an evil witch named Hillary who is determined to keep the dashing Prince Obama from ruling the land. It's not "Enchanted: but it's the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections.
Courtesy of Eyes On Obama
It’s complicated to explain but I have 4 little sisters-in-law (the youngest being almost 4 years old). So we watch a lot of Disney movies at my house. Disney’s Enchanted just came out on DVD and I rushed out to buy it for my girls. Needless to say, I have seen it about a dozen times now and the last few viewings made me notice some eerie similarities between Hillary & Bill Clinton and Evil queen Narissa & her bumbling sidekick Nathaniel.
In the movie, Nathaniel , Queen Narissa’s henchman is all too eager to carry out her dirty work, getting rid of anyone who stand in Narissa’s way. He does this because of his undying love for the queen. Well, I said it reminded me of the Clintons, I didn’t say it was biographical! Where Bill really resembles Nathaniel is in his red-faced, ham-fisted attempts to help Hillary secure the nomination. Take your pick: he compared Obama to Jesse Jackson in South Carolina, he said an Obama Presidency would be a roll of the dice, and he has marginalized the significance of caucus voters, African Americans and this past weekend even young voters. In the end, Nathaniel redeemed himself; it’s hard to see Bill doing the same.
Hillary Clinton as Queen Narissa, what more can I say? Like the queen, Hilllary lives in her own fantasy world where she is an everyday populist, whiskey drinking, gun toting, centi-millionaire dodging sniper fire. And she’s all too happy to throw the kitchen sink at anyone standing in her way. Remember her say “And now the fun begins”? Narissa is driven by her sense of entitlement to the thrown of her native land, and most importantly, at the end of the movie, she turns into a dragon.
If only the real life saga could conclude as it does in the fairy tales. If the fight between Clinton and Obama goes all the way to the Convention, this fairy tale will turn into a nightmare for Democrats.
Cross-Posted at http://www.eyesonobama.com/
Well, at least this French woman does. I decided to bring some levity to all the important discussions on EyesonObama.com. Keep writing though fellow bloggers, as I enjoy reading your insights every morning.
Last Friday on Barbara Walters' The View, Barack Obama reacted to the fact that he and gorgeous actor Brad Pitt were related. Indeed, he and Brad Pitt are ninth cousins...no wonder why Obama is getting so popular! Obama joked by stating, "I think he got the better-looking side of the gene pool," which I find adorable. Barbara Walters answered, "You're very sexy too." Humility is the best means to flattery - he's sexy and smart!
What makes Obama so hunky? Here's a list of the top 5 attributes that make Obama sexy:
And of course, for each of you who reads EyesonObama articles every day, I would love to hear your opinion too. So log in, participate in the forums, become part of the Eyes On Obama community and submit your articles so that we can bring sexy back to the White House!
Oui, tout est possible! (Yes, we can)
