Obama as Vice President?
I like Hillary Clinton a lot, but you’ve got to be kidding me. On Saturday, Bill Clinton started talking up the idea of Obama as Clinton’s veep, and today they’re both playing this angle.
Reuters’ Thomas Ferraro breaks down possible reasons for this new, unlikely proposition:
In talking up a joint ticket, the Clintons may be seeking the upper hand, attempting to put her in consideration for the top of the ticket when she so far has failed to win the votes necessary to assure that she would face Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the November election.
The maneuver may also be aimed at countering an image in voters’ minds of Obama as presidential material and at helping restore an aura of inevitability as the party’s nominee that Clinton had early in the campaign but lost.
A political maneuver is a political maneuver, but why on Earth would Obama consider this? He’s 100 delegates ahead. Obama’s already categorically denied that’s going to happen.
If Clinton were in the lead this might come off a bit better. A little condescending, but fair enough. Instead, it looks rather silly for the person behind in the delegate count to give the nod to the person currently beating them.
It’s going to be bad for her if Obama turns around and says, ‘Well, since the majority of voters thus far prefer me, why don’t you hang onto my coattails?’
Links:
Bill Clinton: Hillary-Obama Ticket Would Be “Almost Unstoppable Force” [TPM ElectionCentral]
Clinton Team Pushes Obama As Running Mate [Yahoo News/Reuters]
Barack Obama Rejects VP Idea [LA Times]
