NPR has done a few segments lately about rumors that Obama is considering dropping Biden and taking on HC for VP in 2012.
Some are saying it’s never going to happen, others are saying it’s plausible. Some are saying it would help his chances, others that it won’t make a difference. One doofus called in and said that it would hurt Obama’s chances because Clinton is too moderate. Really? Who else are you gonna vote for? Romney?
I think it would be pretty exciting for Obama’s base (and I qualify as such.) The one thing the campaign doesn’t have is that spark, that energy, and maybe this is the way to light a fire. In the democratic primaries last time around I picked Obama over Clinton because I was worried that the C name would be too galvanizing to the moderate republicans. However, with their policy of “any democrat is a bad democrat,” the GOP has turned that into a nonissue.
Does she have moderate appeal? It’s my understanding that her time as SoS has been regarded as successful and helpful to her appeal as a candidate.
It’s not going to happen. It’s just something political commentators and politicos talk about when they’re bored. I do think that most people agree Clinton has been a successful Secretary of State and there are people who would prefer her to Biden, but those people are going to vote for Obama anyway. It’s hard to see how the negatives of ‘OK, I admit the Obama-Biden team didn’t work out that well’ would outweigh the positives of introducing Clinton as a VP.
It would certainly be one way to fire up the Republican base.
I think the thought is nothing more than speculation. Actually, I don’t even think it’s that grounded in reality, it’s nothing but hot air coming out of the mouths of commentators who can’t think of anything to talk about.
I think she is too polarizing and would be a negative to the probability of re-election.
Not that I think that she wouldn’t actually be a better VP than Biden.
But as SecState she has done a very good job by most lights.
Obama needs a good SecState. Heck, the USA needs one.
She should stay where she is.
More useful to everyone.
Why wouldn’t he? It would not be viewed as a compromise-concession to Hillary, as it would have been in 2008, and it would give her a chance to stay in the public eye for the next four years and run in 2016. What else was she planning to do?
Because Biden’s not going to want to leave, because it would probably bring few or no voters to the ticket, and because it would make them look desperate or confused.
More fan wanking by political reporters, with emphasis on wanking. This is not going to happen. I can’t imagine how many rocks the so-called reporters had to look under to find someone who would say such stupidity. There is no reason to replace Biden. Even his notorious foot-in-mouth syndrome has been better than usual - although not completely absent Sec. Clinton has made it clear she wants to retire at the end of this term. Any change in VP would make Obama look crazy. Swapping in Sec. Clinton would bring out the Republican base that might otherwise stay home this election. It would be a bone-headed move all around.
Bad reporters for digging this nonsense up and repeating it. Bad editors for allowing this nonsense to be published. Bad public for giving this story any credence whatsoever. No cookies for any of you!
Might the genesis of this story be Republican operatives? It has that Harkonnen stink about it.
Gotta agree. I can’t see any upside to the change for election purposes, but I can see a few downsides (including the fact that Mrs. Clinton is still a fairly polarizing figure to many). I’m gonna go out on a limb here and make the prediction that there is no way this will happen.
Oh, I actually think it would help Obama if he did it. His biggest problem is with white, blue collar Democrats, and that’s where Hillary is stronger. Sure, it might make him look weaker to some, but I don’t think those folks would be voting for him anyway. The thing is, I don’t think she’d do it. The only reason to do it would be to run in '16, and I don’t think she has any intention of doing that.
One very large rock. The former editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller, is now an op-ed page columnist and he said this should happen in last Monday’s column.
There’s a saying in the news biz that goes something like: when a reporter turns useless, make him an editor. When an editor turns senile, make him a columnist.
That’s the only possible explanation for this. It is exactly as stupid and not going to happen as everybody has been saying. Nothing, nothing, would put back the fire in the far right after this devastating primary season than giving them the person they like to hate most in the world next to Obama. It would kill him among liberals and independents too.
Nobody is taking this seriously, though. It’s all noise generated by a presidential campaign cycle that goes on far too long for sanity to prevail.
I don’t think it will happen but it would be a positive for Obama if he decides to do it and if they’re able to manage the fall-out from Biden’s camp. Solidifying the Republican base shouldn’t be much of a worry now because they’re already solidified against Obama. Nothing Clinton will add to the table will increase that further. On the other hand, Hillary is strong with the white and blue collar Democrats and Independents and she could increase enthusiasm in general.
I don’t think it would hurt Obama. The right hates him as much as it’s possible to hate and I was wrong lo those many years ago when I thought that Obama would inspire less hatred than HRC.
It might help.
And I don’t think it would happen unless Biden were seriously ill.
Not least of which is Hillary was born in 1947, which makes her 65 this year, and 69 for 2016.
I think it would be a Republican wet dream. Throw Biden under the bus and imply he was a mistake from the get go; bring in a loser (Hillary - she rode in on Bill’s shirt tail, lost to rookie Obama, and puts up with Billy’s cigar smoking); and even more of the Republican base would be energized (christ, you can’t remember all the bullshit like “I can’t stand her laugh” when she was running for the nomination?).
The upside is she might pull in a few women voters but few from the Republican right. I’m just not seeing much else on the plus side of the column.
Sec. Clinton has made it clear she wants to retire at the end of this term. Any change in VP would make Obama look crazy. Swapping in Sec. Clinton would bring out the Republican base that might otherwise stay home this election. It would be a bone-headed move all around.