tmidgett wrote:Ed Rendell

rendell came out for clinton. of course, minotaur thinks that makes someone more likely to be an obama vp. we'll see.

The Jim Webb, I am big fan, but how often has a second- year senator appeared on a presidential ticket? With Obama's "experience" being turned into an issue by Hillary McCain, it seems an unlikely move.

Anyone feel free to sort me out here.

Edit: Then again, I suppose more of his appeal would center around his military service. But aside from Eisenhower, when was the last time someone successfully ran for office without significant government experience? Clark doesn't count, obviously.

Minotaur029 wrote:-John Edwards
*Could be. Who knows? Makes sense...he's got the populist mojo working overtime.
*Could he help carry the Carolinas? Obama is actually competitive in both of these states.
*I've never heard his name thrown around as a VP choice...and he never did Obama any favors.

I was hoping that Edwards would be considered. So bummed that he dropped out when he did.

I'm going to vote Webb or Richardson for the VP. Richardson is goofy and definitely needs to be handled, but his interactions with the Hillary campaign staff on television lately have all been exemplary and well played, and he's been very respectable and not said anything terribly offensive or stupid (lately). He's also got the foreign policy experience that people think McCain has, for whatever reason that they think that some impotent senile old coot in the first stages of dementia is the foreign affairs experience maestro to beat.

I wish it were Feingold, but I don't think that the twice divorced Jew makes for a solid ticket with a half-black man that most of America thinks might actually be an Islamic terrorist.

I go with the Webb pick as the safest bet for VP. Maybe Edwards, but doubtful as Edwards hasn't exactly endorsed anyone.

I'm gonna say Strickland. Ohio's electoral votes would be important for Obama and Strickland could pretty much guarantee the state. He won in 2006 with something like 60% of the vote and receives much support from Republicans. Ohio's unemployment has increased less than the national average since he took office, which Obama could play up given the present shit state the economy is in currently. Fairly clean candidate, no major scandals and very high/low approval/disapproval ratings.

His Achilles Heel may be that he supported Hillary Clinton, which may label him as a turncoat. Supposedly his support of her in the primary lost him some favor with Obama supporters, but still, he could be quite a rally for an Ohio win for Barack Obama.

noise&light wrote:I was hoping that Edwards would be considered. So bummed that he dropped out when he did.

edwards said he's not interested, that he's "already been down that road" or something.

Webb seems unlikely. People who know more than I do have noted that he was actually a fairly weak candidate and that George Allen's major fuck-up helped Webb more than Webb helped himself. Seems reasonable to me.

I'm thinking Sam Nunn.

Dick Chaney --- In a suprize display of bipartisanism both Mc Cain and Obama will pick Chaney as their running mate.

The democratic party would be smart to model themselves on what's going on in Virginia (Webb, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine).

I hope it's Webb though I worry that his article on women in combat commands will come back to hurt him with female voters. Whereas most see his outbursts as a liability, I think they can only help the ticket. Makes Obama seem less polished and deliberate...in a good way.

I think Strickland, Webb or...maybe Kaine? I'll throw in Sam Nunn too.

richardson would be a good choice: he's got the latino and working class (hate that term now) vote, military experience, and he's pretty thoughtful and sharp.

also, generally governors do better in presidential elections (didn't work for romney), so richardson's being a governor might help obama in that way as well.

the irony of course is that the VP's official job is to do nothing.