My thoughts, as laid out yesterday on the DailyKos diary page:
Ok...so here we are less than a week before Obama's coronation at the Democratic National Convention. His VP pick should be named any day now, and the media and political junkies are waiting by their cell phones for the text message from the campaign with the announcement. Will it be Biden, as all current "indications" tell us? Or will Obama "go with his heart over his head" and pick Kaine? Will he thumb his nose at many in his progressive base and go with Bayh? Or will he thumb his nose at Hillary Clinton's "18 million voters" and name Sebelius?Then there's the possibility he'll name someone who absolutely no one has thought of. As "AZSheri" commented in the diary post:
I think (THINK) he's playing all of us and will go outside of the box...
Colin Powell has been awfully quiet. Perhaps Obama really wants to jump start the campaign by getting Bush's former Secretary of State to join the opposing team. It would certainly be a potent ticket. If he can answer the question as to why he knowingly went to the UN in 2003 to do Dubya's falsified WMD bidding, independents and moderate Republicans might just flock to Obama's side with Powell on the ticket. BUT...how would conservative Democrats (ie: those Clinton folks in Appalachia) really feel about a ticket containing two African-Americans, even if one is semi-Republican? My take - Powell may ensorse Obama, but he won't be "the guy."
Chuck Hagel is about as conservative on most issues as they come. But the Nebraska Republican has been an outspoken critic of Bush's Iraq War planning and is being mentioned in many circles as a possible Defense Secretary in an Obama administration. Let's be clear...if Obama picks Hagel as part of a unity ticket, progressives will leave him in droves. And there won't be enough independent voters to make up the difference.
No...it won't be a Republican.
So then there's...
Hillary Clinton. And so here we are, 5 days to the start of the convention, Obama's national lead averages about 2 to 4 points (he's losing in one poll today), the shitty McCain ads have taken a toll, and Obama's Electoral College tally is way down. Many pundits and political insiders have said since May that if Obama was in this situation come convention time he might be forced to pick Sen. Clinton.
Yeah, yeah...the Clinton psycho-drama is the last thing the country needs right now, and Hillary's presence on the ticket could well bring out the right-wing fascists in droves (not to mention send Andrew Sullivan right over the edge). Readers of this blog know I'm no fan of Hillary's and that I think the Clintons' behavior during the primary campaign was absolutely vial. But think about it...increased African-American turnout and tremendous support from women combined to make one of their own President and Vice-President of the United States...well...it's exactly the boost Obama could use right now.
But, dare he?
I could be WAY wrong here and this little thought could very well be a pesky itch short-circuiting my brain. But the chance is there...is it not?
I hope Obama names someone that has not been on the media's radar screen and we will all say, "Wow, that was brilliant. I didn't see it coming, but yes, of course."Only time will tell.
