Obama's limited time in washington makes his choice of VP even more important to a substantial number of voters.

Finally, a thread about VP.

Rec'd and highly mojo'd!

that Alexander Hamilton made that statement before there were political parties and was talking about a general election

Imagine what would of happened if Vice President Nixon was sworn in after JFK was assassinated.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

If you want the party platform to be the runner up in the primaries should be the VP, then write to them and advocate for such a rule. Perhaps it's a good idea, but it's not the rule right now.

Great Diary, CG ... you make a great point, as always!

Dizzy

There is a weird shift... why is it so important this election?

It can't be the outsider effect, after all both McCain and Obama are senators rather than governors.

The experience thing would seem to cut only one way too - since McCain is the senior senator.

I have no idea why the VP is so important this time round - and I usually have ideas about everything.

Hold on. Maybe that's it. The electorate has wisened up. They also know that no one person can actually run the US, and that something more cabinet or collegiate driven is needed.

Just a thought.

in Dayton, as lori predicted, the day after Obama's speech on the anniversary of MLK's "I have a dream speech."  The tea leaves really scream Rob Portman but it seems too transparent as there won't be much suspense as to who his veep candidate will be if he plans to announce that day in that city.

I'm surprised that the poll was so high for McCain in terms of how the veep candidate would influence a voter's decision; perhaps the questioner should have separated McCain and Obama and see if the percentages for both of them would stay the same.  The numbers don't sound too unreasonable for Obama, the guy is a unique candidate and with that uniqueness comes the greater weight of having to make a good VP selection; this pick is going to be huge as to whether he wins or loses unfortunately, the press has built it up in that fashion.

it's HRC by the way, according to Marc Ambinder.  If we don't get this text message by Wednesday night, I'll also jump on that prediction train as well.  The press would probably depict her as "our Dick Cheney" if that happened.

I think WWIII is about to start. It might be nuclear. Amazing timing. I can't help but think that Bush and Putin discussed this. But Russia seems to have gone nuts and it really won't be the VP or the Dems people will be talking about seven days from now if this does not cool off fast.

Back to whatever you were doing.

OK,

Who was the first VP.  And no points if you watch HBO?

david

I seem to recall that the loser of the General Election became the Veep. (not personally recall, mind you - I'm not nearly McCainian in age yet)

Great question CG. As we see with Cheney VPs are now being used. I think Senator Obama will use his VP much more than past Presidents. The bounce from from picking a VP could be decisive.

One can argue that picking someone a heartbeat away from the presidency is important, but mostly it's a way to pass the time between the primaries and the conventions.

Like all junkies, us political junkies need our fix, no?

This is just a Clintonista coming up with still another new rule whereby Clinton is entitled to the slot and the utter right to have it no matter what anyone else says, and this one is blamed on the Founding Fathers. It could also be said, of course, that he is entitled to do it the same way the prior candidates have had the right to do, and he has the same rights as they do. And a good explanation has to be given whereby all of his predecessors, including WJC, had the right to do differently than here proposed. Nah. Blame it on the Founding Fathers.

But the better question is why?

Even then I dont see how the VP changes much in the grand scheme of things. Its not rocket science: A third term of George Bush versus progressive goodness.

I'm surprised so many wise guys and gals are baffled by this.  To start, I believe those numbers.  As for  the cause, I think it's a mixed bag.

1. Cheney.  We've all suffered the slings and arrows of a complete asshole in the driver's seat with a monster lined up behind him.  Impeachment DOA.

2. Succession.  Folks who lean one party or the other see the VP as the next in line, whether through loss of the president or the next election cycle.  It's the unspoken fear out there that either one of the candidates could die in office and things are too dire right now for another Dan Quayle.  Or Dick Cheney.

3. The closeness of both races.  Hugabee hung in there, Mittens had a decent shot and both have their loyalists.  And of course, we have the Clintonites.  

4. the choice better defines two candidates who are defying description.  Is McCain  Maverick or McBush?  Is he playing conservative?  How willing is he to test the will of Evangelicals?  Is Obama a centrist or a "librul"?  

5. the media.  they are making so much out of the choices people are focusing in on them like never before.  Alot of this is the Clinton drama, but Mittens has been working the program too.

At the end of the day, there will be no clear best choice for either of them.  Their choices will win some and lose some, the question is how much.

I go back again to David Gergen the night Clinton suspended her campaign -- if he's up by 7 or more he'll pick someone else -- if he's under 7 he'll have no other choice.

Oh well.  We'll see.  

Interesting question.

I think a large part of it has to do with voter skepticism and uncertainty about the candidates, having to do, not with Obama or McCain specifically, but, because of a general wariness stemming from the public's bad experience with George Bush.  

I think people feel completely duped by Bush, especially those who voted for him in 2004.  He was about the most un-compassionate conservative while in office, so, somewhat understandably, voters may not be as willing to put their trust in a candidate as they may have done before.  I also don't think the scandals during Clinton's presidency helped any.  

This is just a guess, but I think voters will place less reliance on the VP choice as they actually get to know Obama or McCain better.  I believe, and I hope, that that will lead people towards Obama and away, far away from McCain, a person that I actually fear may become an even worse and dangerous president than Bush.  

why do you troll-rate a simple post that says "Dream Ticket: Obama-Sebelius"?

Since this is one of the precious few VP diaries i've seen I just need to put it out there and then get behind a large heavy object and stay away from doors and windows --

I'm scared Obama won't pick Clinton.  Of course I will be disappointed because I'm one of those "typical" Clinton voters who's still a wee bit wounded that a woman came that close after waiting five decades for it and so a heartbeat away is close enough for me at this point.

But I was willing to live with someone else until McPow started pulling populous rabbits out of his ass and brought the GW dream team on board to run his campaign.  The old fart is making me plenty nervous.

Face it, the Obama campaign has lost it's juice the past several weeks even though they are making all the right textbook moves.  Somehow, with the most well defined platform I've ever seen, Obama is being tagged as "not standing for anything" and it's because his positions are so complete and nuanced they can't fit into a sound bite like "Drill everywhere drill now."  I'm afraid the electorate is just to GD dumb for Obama.

It appears the Republican monster will not go down lightly and all the GOTV in the world won't overcome too steep a drop in the polls because it will spread like a virus with those who do all their reading off the side panel of a cereal box.  Alot of aholes out there vote on "deserving" and Clinton is the only person out there with a prayer of coming close to McClown in deserving points.

I no longer demand Clinton -- I now believe we desperately NEED Clinton.  She will draw media like flies and hammer McCain without mercy in ways that will never resonate coming from Obama.  Face it -- Obama chuckles and dismisses and no one listens.  But Hillary will sucker punch the war hero and everyone will start talking about it.

I'm now officially terrified of some intellectually satisfying choice by Obama that no one will listen to or give a damn about.  I'm fearful of one big yawner with a hint of campaign hubris and stubborness.  

Women over fifty will be falling all over themselves to vote for Hillary, even if it's only for that second spot.  A small reminder, we've never had a female VP either.  It will put an end to all the "does she really support him" hogwash and threats of some Clinton coup.  We could FINALLY put 99% of this Hatfield and McCoy crap behind us and every white man in America could vote for their white guy and we'd still win handily.

It's starting to feel alot like "why not Hillary" and unless the answer is "regretably she said no" we're going to have but another hump to get over against a more formidable opponent than we all once thought.