With the entirety of the earth’s collective interest in American politics focused on the presumptive nominee of both the Republican and Democratic parties, little attention has been paid to who these en vogue politimagicians will take aboard as their second in command. But just as Picard needed Riker, and just as Penn needs Teller, both Obama and McCain will need a number two; below is a brief synopsis of a few potential candidates.
Welcome to part one of a three part series examining who the potential running mates of Barack Obama and John McCain are. Part one will look at Obama’s candidates, part two will look at McCain’s, and part three will speculate as to who will most likely stand behind Captain Blue and Captain Red come November.
In both part one and two, we will examine the strengths of five potential candidates, and briefly examine three more dark-horse candidates.
This is VP Showdown 2008!
Barack Obama
The Candidates:
Hillary R. Clinton, John R. Edwards, Wesley K. Clark, B. Evan Bayh, Dennis J. Kucinich.
A) Hillary Rodham Clinton:
First of all, with Hillary on the card Obama would secure the majority of the votes of the people who were angry that Clinton was not named the democratic presidential nominee in the first place.
Moreover, Clinton appeals to women – whether democrat or republican – and for good reason. It would be a great step forward in the ongoing battle for equality among the sexes to have Hillary in power (even if that position of power isn't the ultimate one). We all know that there is still a great disparity in wages paid to women versus men, and it should be no surprise that Hillary would be more concerned with seeing that gap bridged than any other the other likely VP candidate.
Next, coming with Clinton would be the perceived experience she gained over her eight years alongside Bill. With a mind as ambitious as hers, we can all be certain that she absorbed all she could – in other words, that ‘perceived’ experience probably is very real experience that would translate into a savvy VP (not to mention, one that could help Obama avoid any issues during his term(s)).
Another worth while point is that Hillary has relationships with many foreign leaders. Over Bill’s presidency, Hillary had the opportunity to meet and befriend many international politicians which would certainly come in handy during meetings abroad.
Lastly, the idea of having Barack and Hillary on the same ticket would be a powerful draw for many undecideds. As I have
written before, this election – plain and simple – will be decided by those who have not yet decided. For many the decision will be made on ballot day, and the power of having two arguably equally qualified candidates on the same ticket just might sway many to vote blue.
B) John Reid Edwards:
Edwards has two huge strengths. First, he appeals to blue collar workers. Second, the blue collar workers that he appeals to are, by and large, white. This key demographic, poor white people, are going to be hard minds for Obama to capture. During the race between Hillary and Barack, much of the media coverage was focused on Hillary’s domination of the blue collar Caucasian demographic. Now consider that the Republican Party has long positioned itself as the platform of poor white people, and it is likely that Obama will face an uphill battle against McCain for the votes of blue collar whities (I'm allowed to say that as I am one of them). His battle just might reach even footing with Edwards on the ticket. You may recall that during his run at the 08 presidential nomination Edwards argued that the great moral issue of our time was to overcome poverty.
More than just rhetoric, Edwards has been fighting for changes to the way America is run, from higher minimum wages, to stronger unions, to an expanded housing voucher program, to tougher laws against predatory lending, Edwards is serious about lower poverty – a primary goal of Obama's campaign. Considering that Edwards and Obama agree on this crucial issue, it would make sense that they team up together. Edwards would lend a helping hand to Obama’s campaign in appealing to blue collar Caucasians, and that just might be enough to secure an Obama presidency.
In addition to this, unlike Hillary, Edwards has not jabbed at the Obama campaign. Without question, Obama and his campaigners are mindful enough to forgive any misgivings dealt out by Hillary and her supporters, but that is not to say that Obama would rather have someone who he has forgiven at his side than someone who has never attacked him.
C) Wesley Kanne Clark:
If Obama has a weakness, it’s his military experience. This perceived weakness isn’t so much a result of his ineptitude so much as his counterparts perceived experience on the issue. Enter retired General of the United States Army Wesley Clark. Clark’s greatest strength would surely compensate for Obama’s greatest weakness, or rather, would negate McCain’s greatest strength.
Another point of interest, Clark has no qualms about calling out McCain. While Obama is shy to discredit McCain’s military experience, Clark has no such reservations: “I certainly honor [McCain's] service as a prisoner of war,” Clark said, “but he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the navy that he commanded – it wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been in there and ordered the bombs to fall.”
As can be seen, Clark is also an extremely skilled speaker. Said simply, he is one of the best on-the-spot thinkers in recent memory; his oratory abilities are perhaps matched only by Obama.
More importantly, Clark shares many of Obama’s ideas about the direction in which US military operations should go. Much like Obama, he has opposed military intervention in Iran.
It is worth noting that Clark has openly stated that he isn’t interested in becoming vice president. In fact, Clark has openly suggested that Kathleen Sebelius should be nominated by Obama to stand as vice president. However, if asked to serve yet again, Clark would most likely answer the call of his country.
D) Birch Evans Bayh:
Unlike Clark, Bayh is on the record as saying that he would accept a vp nomination from Obama. In many ways, Bayh is the second coming of Obama – minus the massive exposure and popularity. Bayh has served as Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). He is also a member of the Senate Centrist Coalition and helped establish the New Democrat Coalition.
Although Bayh initially supported the War in Iraq, he has since reversed his position on the engagement, primarily due to the lack of accurate information relating to Iraq’s possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which of course was the primary reason for the attack.
As the son of a senator, Bayh comes from a family that has long had a vested interest in understanding the nature of American politics. Much like Hillary gaining experience over her eight years alongside the president of the United States of America, Bayh has surely gained invaluable experience over the course of his lifetime alongside his father.
Another point worth noting is that Bayh has not been in the public spotlight yet. His lack of press coverage must make him an appealing option for Obama, as the McCain campaign would be hard(er) pressed to find dirt on him (compared to Obama’s other potential candidates).
E) Dennis John Kucinich:
As one of two people who opposed the War in Iraq (the other being Ron Paul) from day one, Kucinich certainly appeals to all those who have become sceptical of US military operations in Iraq.
Kucinich was also one of the few dissenting voices in opposition to the Patriot Act, the highly controversial act which has reduced the rights and freedoms of US citizens in order to protect against ‘terrorists’. During his presidential campaign, Kucinich stated that if elected he would immediately remove the Patriot Act.
Kucinich, much like Obama, also advocates the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and released twelve point plan explaining how such an operation would be carried out (if he were in charge).
If there is any knock against Kucinich it is that he is quite left in his views. Obama, in his quest to achieve universal appeal, may not want to name a VP who is so far left-of-center. However, Kucinich’s outstanding track record and nigh on prophetic foresight makes him an intriguing candidate.
The Dark Horses:
Al Gore, John Kerry, Kathleen Sebelius
Without going into detail, here are three other people who could potentially be named vice president by Obama – candidates that would either widen his appeal among American citizens or provide an air of experience.
Al Gore – Although polarizing and apparently no longer interested in politics, Gore would provide Obama with White House experience that would surely go a long way in convincing left-leaning undecideds, not to mention those concerned about the environment.
John Kerry – Obama/Kerry is second only to Obama/Clinton in terms of name power, which again, will be valuable factor come voting day. By now, most American’s realize that Kerry’s military record is not something to frown upon, and thus Kerry would help counter those who doubt Obama’s ability to command the US military.
Kathleen Sebelius – The wildly popular democrat is particularly special for one reason – her popularity comes in historically red states. As governor of Kansas – a historically conservative state – her presence could convince voters to go blue come November – and considering that in 2004 Bush bested Kerry by some 25 points in Kansas, taking that state from the Republicans could well be a fatal blow.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to your comments, and keep an eye out for part two.
GRMM
