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Unless otherwise stated, the following people have been mentioned in the corporate media as potential VP picks for Obama. I thought I would throw in my .02 Euros (worth more than 2 cents) on the subject.
The Good:
Kathleen Sebelius
Janet Napolitano
Claire McCaskill
Bill Bradley
Sebelius and Napolitano are popular Democratic governors in states that usually go Republican. They also aren't part of the Washington dysfunction that has practically put a "For Sale" sign on our federal government. Claire McCaskill would be an interesting choice, though the Democrats would have a tough time holding onto her seat in a battleground state like Missouri.
There are strong arguments for having a woman as the VP choice. The lack of a woman president or vice president is a historical injustice that our country needs to address.
Bradley is included despite having taken himself out of the running because of his credibility and enormous integrity. I still cringe when I think of how Barney Frank attacked him for being more lgbt supportive than Gore in 2000.
Dennis Kucinich and Barbara Boxer don't get any corporate VP nods, but either would make an excellent vice president. They would be awesome presidents too.
The OK:
Jack Reed
Reed is a fairly liberal Senator and voted against the war. However, he has been in Washington since 1991. That's just too long.
The Bad:
Wesley Clark
James Webb
Tim Kaine
Bill Richardson
Former Generals like Clark should not be presidents and don't get to be in fully functioning democracies. Webb was overrated during the campaign and has been a disappointment in the Senate on Iraq and on other issues. Webb's status as a former Reagan administration official should automatically disqualify him. Kaine is an obscure politician from Virginia, a state with extremely conservative and dysfunctional politics.
Richardson would be a good choice except for one incredibly disturbing fact. Richardson is a gun nut who brags about his support from the terrorist organization, the National Rifle Association (NRA).
``I'm the only Democratic candidate [for president] who's been given an `A' rating by the NRA, Richardson told officers of a pipefitters and plumbers union here. ``I'm a sportsman, like you,'' he added.
That's a deal breaker as far as I'm concerned. I have been robbed at gunpoint three times, and I'm not about to let opponents of gun control get a free pass for their personal responsibility for what happened to me and way too many other crime victims.
The Ugly (a.k.a.):
Hillary Clinton
Chuck Hagel
Chet Edwards
Evan Bayh
Joe Biden
Sam Nunn
All of these politicians are rightist Republicans in deed. Hagel is even one in terms of voter registration. If any of these scumbags is the nominee, I will have no choice but to vote Green. It should be noted that Nunn is one of the most reprehensible homophobes in the history of the US Senate, only surpassed by Jesse Helms.
I will never vote for any Republican, but I am open to voting for Greens. A vote for any of these politicians is a vote for endless war, limitless corruption, and horrendous bigotry.
I'm rooting for Selelius. She's smart and effective, and I wish she'd been New York's governor.
kucinich would be a wonderful choice. i was saddened that he got so pigeonholed so quickly into the "that dude's a total basket case" corner.
katharine: I'm rooting for Sebelius too.
teach: Kucinich was dismissed by corporate media because his policies were not in corporate interests.
Kaine is a social conservative that would make George Bush smile.
He has major issue with the LGBT community and our rights.
Worst of all, his opinions are informed by a radical, Christian dogma that basically says, gay people shouldn't be allowed to adopt or marry because the Bible says so.
I'm hearing Obama may have already tagged Wesley Clark to be his veep. I hope this isn't true because the I am very uncomfortable with the military being so close to the executive branch of government.
Evan Bayh? Milquetoast and a Hillaryite to boot. Puke.
I agree with most all your choices except Richardson. Yes his support of the NRA is disturbing to me but if it helps bring in westerners and helps Obama win some western states then hell yeah, bring him on. My personal chocie is Sebelius because I have a crush on her.
I have a nominee:
Rush Holt, Jr.:
Rush Holt was born to Rush D. Holt Sr., who served as a United States Senator for West Virginia (1935–1941), and his wife Helen Holt, the first woman to be appointed West Virginia Secretary of State (1957–1959). Holt Sr. was the youngest person ever to be elected to the U.S. Senate, at age 29. He died of cancer when Rush was six years old.
Holt graduated with a BA degree in physics from Carleton College in Minnesota, and holds MS and PhD degrees in physics from New York University.
Holt served as a faculty member at Swarthmore College from 1980 to 1988 where he taught physics, public policy, and religion courses. During that time, he also worked as a Congressional Science Fellow for U.S. Representative Bob Edgar of Pennsylvania. From 1987 until 1989, Holt headed the Nuclear and Scientific Division of the Office of Strategic Forces at the U.S. Department of State.
From 1989 until his successful congressional campaign in 1998, Holt was the Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory at Princeton University, the University's largest research facility and the largest center for energy research in New Jersey.
Holt is married to Margaret Lancefield, a physician and Medical Director of the charity clinic of the University Medical Center at Princeton. They have three grown children from Lancefield's previous marriage: Michael, Dejan and Rachel and seven grandchildren: Noah, Niala, Boaz, Varun, Cecile, Rohan and Joshua.
On April 18, 2008, Holt was presented with the ASME President's Award in recognition of his "leadership in calling on a renewed national commitment to science, engineering, and math education programs" by past ASME president Terry Shoup.
GLH,
Did you hear the news?
Hillary's name will be placed into nomination at the convention.
Hillary got her "Nuclear Option" after all.
Glad you posted on this, and I'm not familiar with many of these folks.
Generally, I think a woman on the ticket might help alleviate the bad feelings among Hillary fans, and it would enhance Obama's image as an agent of change.
Thanks for reminding me of Nunn's homophobia. And, Christopher, thanks for the info on Kaine. He's getting some press, so this is good to know.
Even though I am a former Hillary supporter, she would sink the ticket faster than an iceberg sank the Titanic!
LOVE Kucinich--but it'll never happen. Too liberal for all those wishy-washy middle American Joe-Six-Packs out there.
christopher: Thanks for the info on Kaine.
monkey: I'm so done with voting for NRA flunkies.
shaw: Please try to make your comments a little bit shorter. Also, your candidate bio on the barely known Holt really didn't have much relevant information on why Holt should or should not be VP. It did make an argument for him being a science adviser to Obama, but it didn't address Holt's record or positions on the issues.
The information on his wife and kids is completely non sequitor.
riverwolf: Us left of center folks will have to raise a lot more hell with the media before candidates like Kucinich will have a chance.
Sigh
I hate the idea of Wesley Clark. I am so with you that military men shouldn't be so close to the seat of power. However, that said, when I look back on Eisenhower and some of his positions, he wasn't half bad! (Today he would be a Democrat).
I kind of like Richardson although I didn't realize he's a gun nut. That does put a damper on my support for him. Sebelius would be good but it might just make the Hillary-ites even madder - it's such a slap in the face to Hillary to pick a woman, but not HER. (Not that the really rabid Hillary supporters are for Obama anyway).