# What is Obama gaining by not naming, or even hinting at a VP choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 27, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503 "2008-06-27T21:45:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/21 "2008-07-01T13:49:24Z")
After the 1956 convention, JFK was told by a friend that the Vice Presidency was now his for the asking in 1960. Kennedy grinned and said, “You know I’ve always been opposed to vice in all forms.” He’d already decided to go for the top spot. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/22 "2008-07-01T14:23:11Z")
The sooner Obama names (or hints at) a VP, the sooner Republicans can focus their research and resources on tearing that individual down. With ten or so possible choices out there, Obama puts the Republicans to the burden of trying to research and prepare for attacks on _all_ of them. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/23 "2008-07-01T14:26:52Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] With ten or so possible choices out there, Obama puts the Republicans to the burden of trying to research and prepare for attacks on _all_ of them. [/QUOTE] Supposedly it’s about 20. Although I think some of them, like John Edwards, are red herrings. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/24 "2008-07-01T15:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] With ten or so possible choices out there, Obama puts the Republicans to the burden of trying to research and prepare for attacks on _all_ of them. [/QUOTE] This and the “respectful distance from the Fall of Hillary” item are how it looks to me. The opposition isn’t going to wait until they have a name to do their research; they want to have something ready the moment the announcement is made. This way, without any idea of what’s coming, they have to spread themselves thin. Either they spend more money than they expected to, in order to have deeper research on all the viable names, or they keep the same bottom-line budget but reduce the per-name allocation and don’t get much done. Smart either way. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/25 "2008-07-01T16:11:57Z")
Just to throw them all a loop, I will contact the Obama people and volunteer myself as his VP. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/26 "2008-07-01T16:43:28Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Just to throw them all a loop, I will contact the Obama people and volunteer myself as his VP. [/QUOTE] He’ll carry California no matter what. I already contacted them about me… and I’m from Ohio! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/27 "2008-07-01T17:20:51Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] He’ll carry California no matter what. I already contacted them about me… and I’m from Ohio! [/QUOTE] Bah! Let’s put _Georgia_ in play! My qualifications: I can spell potato I am in an undisclosed location I have never shot anyone in the face (in the _face_, mind you) I will happily deride all nattering nabobs I am keeping my dog, and I don’t care what anyone says about it I can hold my own in a duel, if any of the cabinet members get out of line (Just because I haven’t shot anybody in the face, doesn’t mean I’m not willing.) The investigative work will tie up a Republican dirty-tricks team for _months_. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/28 "2008-07-01T17:43:47Z")
Democratic National Convention is August 25-28th and the Republican National Convention is September 1-4th. So why go early? Just about the time the hoopla has started regarding Obama’s choice, a couple of days later the next hurrah will start about McCain’s choice. That way, both sides can see just how quickly and nasty the other side will be about throwing mud at their VP choice. Talking heads will then be able to say, “Well, it is true that this VP candidate is yadayada, but the other VP candidate is also yadayada…” Makes the eventually public vetting of the VP candidates on equal footing and neither will be open to scrutiny for a long period of time alone. It is harder to slam one candidate if you can immediately point out that the other candidate has equally dubious experience or background or voting record or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/29 "2008-07-01T18:05:36Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Just about the time the hoopla has started regarding Obama’s choice, a couple of days later the next hurrah will start about McCain’s choice. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure McCain will make his choice first. He’s had more time to think about it and the list of candidates, as far as we know, is not as large. Both of them have a range of options, but I think Obama’s is much larger. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/30 "2008-07-01T18:37:31Z")
From what we’ve seen of Obama’s sense of timing, it seems likely to me that he’s going to do it shortly after McCain does. It seems that every time McCain gets the spotlight, oops, somehow it slips right back to Obama. We’ll get a couple days of coverage of McCain’s choice, and then we’ll spend three times as long on Obama’s, as crickets continue to chirp for McCain. -Joe ---
**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:** [July 1, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/31 "2008-07-01T18:40:54Z")
An interesting perspective on the [when](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/us/politics/01nagourneycnd.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214909360-h7gJ0DQJ0Vvd018Zq9kKqA&oref=slogin) of it. > [@](#): > > A confluence of events — the summer Olympics and two very late, almost back-to-back political conventions — are presenting a web of complications for the Obama and McCain camps as they try to figure out the best time to unveil their choices. Consider this calendar. The summer Olympics begin Aug. 8 in Beijing and finish Aug. 24th. The Democratic National Convention begins on Aug. 25th, a Monday, and ends on Aug. 28th, a Thursday. The Republican convention begins the following Monday in St. Paul. That doesn’t leave either side with much breathing room. A reasoned analysis follows. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503/32 "2008-07-04T00:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Merijeek] From what we’ve seen of Obama’s sense of timing, it seems likely to me that he’s going to do it shortly after McCain does. It seems that every time McCain gets the spotlight, oops, somehow it slips right back to Obama. We’ll get a couple days of coverage of McCain’s choice, and then we’ll spend three times as long on Obama’s, as crickets continue to chirp for McCain. -Joe [/QUOTE] But McCain doesn’t have to name his until the Repub convention, which comes second. I think McCain probably already has a pretty good idea who he’s going to pick, but he won’t announce until after the Dem convention specifically to steal the news cycle away from Obama as quickly as possible after what is sure to be a very widely seen event. In fact, the latest rumor is this… [From DemConWatch](http://www.demconwatchblog.com/2008/07/will-obama-accept-nomination-at-invesco.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-obama-gaining-by-not-naming-or-even-hinting-at-a-vp-choice/454503.md?page=1)