# Obama and Clinton keep "campaigning together." Does this mean...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 25, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167 "2008-06-25T04:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/1 "2008-06-25T04:51:31Z")
I keep seeing news articles mentioning instances of Obama and Clinton “campaigning together.” And I just read one in which Obama has explicitly asked his fundraising people to find ways to help Clinton with her campaign debt. Am I right that these are fairly clear signals that Clinton is going to be Obama’s VP candidate? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/2 "2008-06-25T04:55:50Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/3 "2008-06-25T05:05:30Z")
I hope not. I want to vote for Obama in November. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/4 "2008-06-25T05:13:23Z")
I dunno. This board is very anti-Hillary. Most people here think she’s the dumbest, most unlikely candidate in the world. Most people I know in real life feel exactly the opposite. I’ve been thinking she’s the make-sense veep ever since Barack clinched. The factual answer, though, is only time will tell. Anyone who says otherwise is full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/5 "2008-06-25T05:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] I hope not. I want to vote for Obama in November. [/QUOTE] You’d seriously not vote for him just because she’s veep? Even if you don’t like her, what difference does it make really who his VP is? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/6 "2008-06-25T05:20:08Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit] You’d seriously not vote for him just because she’s veep? Even if you don’t like her, what difference does it make really who his VP is? [/QUOTE] She’ll be a heartbeat away, and for me that’s too close. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/7 "2008-06-25T05:23:57Z")
Shit, we managed to get through eight years of “Big Dick” Cheney, and he doesn’t even \*have \* a heartbeat, just a regular sequence of electrical shocks. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/8 "2008-06-25T06:11:27Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] I dunno. This board is very anti-Hillary. Most people here think she’s the dumbest, most unlikely candidate in the world. [/QUOTE] I’d’ve voted for her but was stymied by some dumb bureaucratic nuisance. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/9 "2008-06-25T08:07:53Z")
Prior to her withdrawal is was stipulated on the news that she was holding out for payment of debt. If she brings him votes it will be pennies on the dollar. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/10 "2008-06-25T09:57:24Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] I dunno. This board is very anti-Hillary. Most people here think she’s the dumbest, most unlikely candidate in the world. [/QUOTE] I don’t think anyone here thinks she’s dumb… just evil. [QUOTE=Freudian Slit] You’d seriously not vote for him just because she’s veep? Even if you don’t like her, what difference does it make really who his VP is? [/QUOTE] Obama probably has the highest chance of being assassinated of any recent president - so the choice of VP becomes more important. Besides - for him to campaign on a new kind of politics while denouncing the old ways and then appointing the very essence of the old ways to being his VP would look, at best, hypocritical. I’m borderline about voting for Obama, but if he selected Hilldog as his VP there wouldn’t be the slightest chance I’d do it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/11 "2008-06-25T13:37:05Z")
No, I don’t think that’s what it means. It means he wants her, and Bill’s, support, and that he’s willing to campaign with her to get the full support of her voters. Helping her retire her debt is a part of that package. I still don’t think she’ll be his VP choice. I didn’t see this talked about on the board earlier, but Obama recently hired Patty Solis Doyle to be chief of staff for his VP. That’s the campaign manager Clinton fired in February, and they supposely haven’t spoken since then. That does not indicate he’s leaning toward choosing Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/12 "2008-06-25T13:37:49Z")
Clinton has a better job now than she would as VPOTUS. She’s one of the few U.S. senators with national (indeed, global) name recognition. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/13 "2008-06-25T13:38:19Z")
Yes. This means they’re totally into each other and will probably get married. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/14 "2008-06-25T14:23:14Z")
I don’t think it means she’s a lock for the VP, although it wouldn’t stop me from voting for Obama if she was. I think it’s just an effort born partly from party unity and born partly from fiscal realities to to create a little _quid pro quo_ in the “votes for debt relief” department ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/15 "2008-06-25T14:30:49Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] I don’t think anyone here thinks she’s dumb… just evil. [/QUOTE] I didn’t mean people think she is dumb, but that she is a dumb choice for Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/16 "2008-06-25T15:51:57Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] I still don’t think she’ll be his VP choice. I didn’t see this talked about on the board earlier, but Obama recently hired Patty Solis Doyle to be chief of staff for his VP. That’s the campaign manager Clinton fired in February, and they supposely haven’t spoken since then. That does not indicate he’s leaning toward choosing Clinton. [/QUOTE] I had heard about that hiring. I know that Doyle resigned/was fired from Clinton’s campaign, but I remember at the time having the impression that Doyle was “taking a bullet” for the campaign and not believing there was any actual acrimony between her and Clinton. For that reason, I interpreted Doyle’s hiring as yet another sign that Clinton was going to be his VP nominee. Is it very usual for a President to assign a chief of staff to the VP? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/17 "2008-06-25T15:55:54Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I know that Doyle resigned/was fired from Clinton’s campaign, but I remember at the time having the impression that Doyle was “taking a bullet” for the campaign and not believing there was any actual acrimony between her and Clinton. [/quote] Well, if they went from top advisor to not speaking for four months, I’d say something acrimonious happened. I believe I have seen it reported that by the end, Solis Doyle had stopped giving Hillary any information about the campaign’s finances. > [@](#): > > Is it very usual for a President to assign a chief of staff to the VP? Beats me. She might only be on that team for the duration of the election anyway, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/18 "2008-06-25T16:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Well, if they went from top advisor to not speaking for four months, I’d say something acrimonious happened. I believe I have seen it reported that by the end, Solis Doyle had stopped giving Hillary any information about the campaign’s finances. [/QUOTE] I’ve also read that many Clinton supporters view Solis Doyle’s hiring as a slap in the face from the Obama campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/19 "2008-06-25T16:13:40Z")
I hope she won’t be the VP. I’d rather she had some real influence, either from her senate seat or on the SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167/20 "2008-06-25T17:44:38Z")
To answer to OP, no. My junior Senator, Claire McCaskill, has also been campaigning repeatedly with Obama. Bill Richardson has made a number of appearances with Obama. Heck, Al Gore even made one when he endorsed. It is merely a way to show unity and help bring the 18-22% or so of Democratic voters that are telling pollsters they’ll vote for McCain back into the fold. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-clinton-keep-campaigning-together-does-this-mean/454167.md?page=2)