Obama needs a woman VP

First, let me state I don't mean Hillary. She wouldn't be the worst choice but I don't favor her.

But, many women, I feel accurately, many of you feel inaccurately, believe that Obama's win in this race came in part due to sexism. Many of those women feel cheated out of the first woman President they were likely to see. Some sort of olive branch needs to be extended to these women or else some percentage will stay home. Put the shoe on the other foot. Imagine if Obama lost after what many of you felt was a racist campaign and Hillary named a white woman or man as VP with no thought given at all to a black. Would you be busting the door down to vote?

Starting with the governors.

Washington State's Gregoire appears to be a good choice. She is the reelected governor of Washington State. No signs of scandal. No major contraversial issues have come up in her tenure. She wore well turning a bare victory into a pretty decent one. We need both Washington and Oregon plus we would like Colorado all of which she should help with.

Arizona's Janet Napolitano also appears to be a good choice. Downside, it is McCain's state and she won't win it. Upside they will spend money in a state to keep it safe. She is from a region we need. Both New Mexico and Colorado are very possible states for us. I do worry about Arizona's recent foray into anti immigration nuttiness and the effect of that upon Hispanics opinion of her. She also is an unmarried woman of a certain age. As unmarried at 40 I can tell you rumors will swell. That could be a problem.

Kansas' Kathleen Sebelius won't win her state. She also has a Republican Lt. Governor, though he did choose to run with her, and has only been in office a couple of years. On the plus side, she could help with neighboring states such as Iowa and Missouri both of which we could use. She also might help with Colorado.

Of the three above I favor Gregorie. A governor would be helpful given Obama's lack of executive experience. They also don't have the long records of votes that a long time Senator would have. Any of these three would be good, solid choices.

The Senators

Hillary would be first here. Her plusses are tenacity, national constiuency, great knowledge of how government works. Her minuses are that she is a divisive figure. She also is from a region we will win handedly.

All of the following Senators come from GOP governed states and thus would be last resorts. Landreau, Klobuchar, Boxer, Feinstein, and McCaskell. Giving up a Senate seat isn't a great idea.

That leaves Murray, Cantwell, Lincoln, Mikulski, and Stebenow. Of those Mikulski would be too old for Obama's message. Lincoln would be a great choice on many levels. She is young, has kids about Obama's age, comes from a region we need serious help in. Downside even with her we might get 0 states there. Murray and Cantwell have some of the same benefits as Gregoire but have the downside of a long Senate record. Stebenow is to midwest for Obama. We should win Michigan without her and he needs a westerner or southernor more than a midwesterner.

How about we look at policy and effectiveness and not try to placate those voters foolish enough to vote based on either gender or race alone. If the best VP pick is another black man, so be it.

Enough race and gender pandering.

But in this world it doesn't work that way.

Stop living in fear of woman getting huffy and fleeing the party.

Appeal to rational thought and judgment.

Have faith that they recognize who is best for the job, whether or not they have a vagina.

I know if the roles were reversed here Hillary almost certainly would have to name a black or at least offer Obama the spot with him turning it down. And frankly, that doesn't bother me.

yank another Dem out of the Senate. No need to give Lieberman any more leverage.

I don't think Obama and his managers think he needs to go that far to get the older women's votes. They probably think the women will come back on their own.

He will go with an older, white male, someone handsome and charismatic with foreign policy experience. It might be Clark. I can see that happening.

With a big resume. Not being sexist or racist, I'm just saying that it might be seen as more palatable to the public. They clamor for change, but are scared of it.

My guess is still Biden.

old to run on his own in eight years. But he is a very good choice.

don't you be saying my guy is too old! besides, Hillary is going to run in 2016, didn't you get the MEMO??

:rofl:

That is the meme I keep hearing and it drives me crazy.

I'm disgusted. But it is how the Democratic party leaders think.

It will be interesting this time to see if we really come back into the fold after being not just ignored, but actively abused and insulted.

and what tipped them over is her being female.

Regardless of it's sense or rightness, people do see themselves in a candidate at times. And many women have been looking at Senator Clinton and seeing the time they were pushed out of the way for some dude. Where they were talked down to by some male...where they were told no because they were female.

Acknowledging that fact will make things a lot easier to understand her support.

The repukes will play the fear card, as fear is a powerful manipulation tool. There are two fears they will play on.

1) Fear of change- Obama is half black and that unnerves some voters. Adding a woman to the ticket will only increase the opportunity to play on this fear.

2) Fear of Terrorists- They will play Obama up as inexperienced and unable to deal with this trumped up fear. Obama's running mate should idealy have a background that makes the ticket look much more prepared, things like military, national defense and foreign policy experience are a MUST.

her own chances.

front-runner. People tend to forget that a lot.

It is sexism to make gender a criteria at all.

The number one priority for the job is not gender.

Period.

and was Gore the best choice for VP back in 92, Mondale in 76, Humphrey in 64? Best is awfully subjective. I am not saying put Jane Doe on the ticket. But a qualified woman would be our best bet.

Don't you see how that sounds? Awful.

Obama has proved we can win without pandering to race and gender.

Thank you

If you think women who don't live and breath politics are going to vote for Obama in droves if he shows no sign of even considering women for VP you are insane.

Now try this one in "the other person's shoes":

Imagine Clinton has the insurmountable lead Obama now has, and an Obama supporter says this:

"If you think blacks who don't live and breath politics are going to vote for Clinton in droves if she shows no sign of even considering blacks for VP you are insane."

How would you feel about that sort of threat/demand?

she would have to consider blacks, she would be insane not to. For her Lewis would be the best choice in that vein. The only black Governors are from her region (or in Patterson's case her state). Obama is the only black Senator and would be a decent choice but not her best regionally. Wilder would be interesting for her.

Are they by any chance pro-choice? Do these women have or need jobs? How's their health care?


How is a McCain presidency going to help these women? If, as you say, live and breathe politics, are they really going to sell out their pro-choice stand, because they didn't get their way?

many are old enough for abortion not to be a personal issue.

she is articulate and makes a very good impression and can help with swing voters and women overall.

I like her gay rights record and there hasn't been anti imigration nuttiness from Kansas. I do fear her Lt Gov being GOP though.

And I don't think Obama NEEDS to have a female VP. Some think it would piss off Hillary supporters further, in fact, if he chooses a female VP other than Hillary. HOWEVER, I very much respect Kathleen Sebelius and believe she'd be a great choice, my preferred choice, in fact. This talk that he NEEDS a defense-minded VP is not necessarily true, either, IMO. We always let the GOP fear-inducing campaigns narrate our own campaigns. I believe that Sen. Obama is successfully narrating the story this time, as in McBush are responsible for this ill-advised war, and that diplomacy is a better option before the missiles fly. Obama is driving the narrative that he has better judgment and can begin to heal the rift with the rest of the world. Rest assured, he will need and receive some endorsements and help on the trail from Clark, Webb, Zinni, etc. He has a wealth of intelligence and talent to choose from for Cabinet positions, and I believe in his judgment to choose not only the strongest Cabinet possible, but the best VP possible, regardless of age, sex, or race.

National Security is one of the principal functions of the executive branch.
Obama is weak in this area vs McCain. To think otherwise is delusional.

Albright?

ugh.

she can't be President as she is a foreign born citizen. Same reason I left off MI governor.

His argument for "Change in Washington" and his foreign policy inexperience are at odds.
How can he rectify this? Then throw what you've posted into the mix, the sex of his running mate, and things get even more cloudier.

It will be interesting watching the process unfold.

My bet is on a retired Sen. w/ a foreign policy background. Sam Nunn, Bob Graham, or Gary Hart..we'll see.

to demonstrate the value of experience.

Barack's people will probably just assume that women will have no choice but to support the party and not base their VP choice on gender. Besides, they will be accused of pandering and, by some, hypocrisy. Barack has more to gain by choosing a Hispanic like Richardson, and that will surely play into his calculations.

McCain, on the other hand, could pick up a lot of moderate Clinton-supporting women with a pro-choice female VP. The religious right has already made their feelings about McCain clear, though a lot of the younger evangelicals seem to be moving leftward. A lot of the RR may sit out anyway. But if McCain were to choose an Olympia Snowe or someone close to that, McCain could pull a lot of disaffected moderate Dem women away from Barack. I also wonder what would happen if McCain chose Condi Rice; she might attract some women and some African Americans. And no one can argue that she is inexperienced. As Secy of State, she is in a great position.

In the end, McCain will probably be forced to take Romney (I don't see Huckleberry as a serious choice); but he has an opportunity here with a female VP.

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1) Foreign policy background
2) Foreign policy background
3) Foreign policy background

Until then this is all a joke.

He has very nearly won the nom, it is now time to discuss strategies to take back OUR WH. McBush needs to be on the constant defensive, and Obama is putting him there, which is a great move. We'll discuss VP choices right up until he picks one.

it's over.

After all, if Barbara Boxer, who is VERY popular, energizing/uniting, has a LONG foreign policy record (and come off looking quite good from it), strong (for a pol) on Greenhouse, and VOTED NO ON THE IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION. (So did Stabenow, who might help in Ohio and some other key states in the region). Boxer is my favorite and I think Obama would have a VERY difficult time carrying FL without her. As for the CA Governator appointing her successor, it's a small price to pay if she helps get Obama elected

Sebelius (I learned yesterday) opposed the IWR also, back when, and it isn't merely what state she comes from, but what gestalt she brings to the ticket. Again, if she has the political strength, losing the Governorship of Kansas, not to put the state down, is something I can live with happily to avoid having a PRESIDENT McCAIN!

I think it is important that the Democratic Party be enthused throughout, and united, and Boxer definitely and Sebelius probably could help Obama do just that. And the IWR thing is important, especially given what Obama himself has said about it many times.

though her delegate strength may give her the leverage to FORCE herself as the running mate on the ticket.

and we have no idea going in if she would be our 54th, 58th, or 60th Senator.

her lack of executive experience. Right?

That he can't already get on his own.

could sting.

:rofl: How about Marcia Blackburn? I'm hard pressed to think of one Republican woman anyone with a brain would vote for.

ticket.

If it's not Hillary, the person who has so far won 49% of the Democratic vote, then he better not choose just another female to appease her supporters. The backlash will be fierce!!!

It would be just as bad as if she were on top of the ticket and instead of choosing Obama for VP she picked another black politican to appease his supporters.

Do you understand how offensive that would be??????

:crazy:

and we dyed her hair blond and cropped it a little (maybe a little more... or maybe wear it up - yes up!) and gave her a gray jacket and matching skirt to wear, well then it just might turn out that woman really is Hillary Clinton. Whoa, that uh, that sounds familiar - ah well.

Doesn't mesh with obama change theme at all. Someone like Kathleen Sebelius who is more qualified than Hillary and mesh with Obama change theme perfectly should not be seen as a "interchangeable"

Picking a VP candidate for votes is important but if you can't work with them because of personality clashes then it would be all for not.

and with a record of accomplishment. I like Sebelius.

Have you asked yourself that? That's how the campaigns go about deciding this.

Does he need help in a particular area of the country? If so, who can deliver that?

Does he need bolstering in a particular issue area, like national security?

Does he need someone who is a tiger at debating?

Does he need someone who can be nasty, so s/he can say the things that the Presidential candidate shouldn't be saying? An attack dog, so to speak?

You haven't mentioned any of these things, and yet, these are some of the main things that will be needed on the ticket with Obama. Whether it's a woman or not....well, it'd help if it's a woman, maybe....maybe not. But that's not the main thing, IMO.

Then again, I never cared about electing a woman president--I just wanted to elect Hillary because of who she is.

I am struggling to bring myself to vote for Obama. The Supreme Court is his one shot. But the arrogance of his supporters is unbearable. I don't think he would make a good president, but I'm trying to be fair.

When Hillary tries to help Obama the networks and the internet will be flooded with condescending comments like "she had better help after everything she did. This is her one chance at redemption. Obama is being so gracious by letting her do this!"

These are the comments that are often seen in a losing general election campaign. They are the very face of McGovernism.

Steve

I don't subscribe to chromosomalism.

He needs someone to shore up his perceived foreign policy/national defense weakness.

I just don't think that the American public is ready for that big of a change all at once. I would be, I think it would be great but Americans in general don't accept change easily.

would be the ideal choice. All your women sound good, except Hillary would be a disaster.

Sadly, that would leave us with females like Jane Harmon. I know a lot of people don't like Difi, but I find her manner very reassuring.

On the other hand, Difi doesn't do a thing for the "elitism" screamers.

Not only is it absurd, it's a cop-out. Her candidacy and campaign had very real failings that were thrown into sharp relief over the course of the primary season: lack of a consistent message, poor organisation and planning (running a campaign based on 'inevitability' with no plan B), and financial mismanagement ($150 MILLION spent by 5 February). One thing I think this primary season has shown very clearly (and this is something that I think many of her supporters may have a hard time admitting) is that Hillary was in fact a far weaker candidate that it was thought she'd be back when she was 'inevitable'.

All that said, there's a chance that Obama will choose a female for the VP slot; however, I don't see it as likely, national security and foreign policy credentials being probably more important here than pandering to identity politics (and Roe v Wade is on the line in this election, as the next President will likely determine the makeup of the Supreme Court for a generation. If that isn't reason enough for Clinton's feminist supporters to vote for Obama, I don't know what is).

feeling Sebelius is the best choice for him though and she is a two term governor, not just in office a couple of years.

he will be in deep shit with the woman that have been her most supportive group. I hope he does not make that mistake. And just a gut feeling but i would think that even though people do not like her they would be comforted by her as a VP more than an unknown woman. So he should pick a man.