Will Obama Dump Joe for Hillary?
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Now that Republicans have swallowed hard and are coalescing behind Mitt Romney, I have a very unsettling prediction for them: Barack Obama will dump Joe Biden as his running mate and choose instead - Hillary Clinton.
This makes such compelling sense politically that the Obama and Clinton camps will bury their collective hatchets and march forward arm in arm.
This will be the conservatives' worst nightmare realized, and I wouldn't suggest it if I weren't pretty certain it has been under discussion in the Obama camp for four years or so. Far be it from me to offer an idea beneficial to extending this administration.
Think about it. What does Joe Biden bring to the Democratic ticket? His feet spend a great deal of time in his mouth, and he is too old to be prepping for a 2016 run at the presidency. His constituency is greater Delaware.
Hillary, on the other hand, has served loyally as secretary of state, keeping her head down on domestic issues. She is no spring chicken, but is still a potential candidate in 2016, and there remains a powerful Clinton political machine with a large following of women - everybody's favorite voting block.
Face it: If Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson could get together, anything is possible.
Politics, as they say, makes strange (metaphorical) bedfellows. At least the president and Mrs. Clinton are both Democrats, and, unlike Joe Biden, who is a potential loose cannon at any time, Hillary is disciplined (she's still married to Bill) and would add a certain pragmatic centrism to a ticket that keeps drifting leftward.
I think Mr. Obama's reasons for making this change are obvious, but why would Hillary accept? First of all, she's a party gal. She's been a Democratic politician all her adult life, and she's a true believer. She has always done what was required to serve the party (she's still married to Bill). She took on the secretary of state job despite her antipathy toward the president. She will step up again.
Second, she needs a vacation. The vice-presidency would give her a chance to relax and shorten up her travel schedule. How many banquets in obscure capitals should one person be required to attend? She could just lie low and bake cookies for Bill. Or not.
Then there is the presidency itself. She has been so close. She lived in the White House for eight years and came very near again in 2008. She must be both intoxicated with the dream and frustrated at waking from it prematurely. She will be 68 in 2016, younger than Ronald Reagan when he was first elected.
There are some problems. By all accounts, and despite the necessary political accommodations, Clan Clinton does not get along with Team Obama, including its captain. As Hillary hunkers down to the vice-presidency, Bill will have to promise to spend four years being good if he wants Democratic bigwigs to line up for his wife in 2016. Bill is much more self-controlled than Joe Biden, but he nonetheless has been known to go off the rails on occasion.
Hillary has some work to do, too. Commentators have recently been noting her new frumpy look. That look may play well in central Asia or California, but it really isn't very presidential, or even vice-presidential. She's going to have to get a haircut, slip the contacts back in and lose a few pounds before she goes out on the campaign trail.
Could this Republican nightmare really happen? If the polls continue to turn against the president, especially among women voters, the impetus to do something dramatic will grow. We'll know soon. The trial balloons (of which this column is definitely not one) will begin to go up. Stay tuned.
Fred Wolferman lives in Southern Pines. Contact him by email at fwolferman@ sbcglobal.net.
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Comments
geoffcutler 1 year ago
A friend suggested recently that Romney should choose Hillary and run on a split ticket. I thought there was a lot of merit to that idea for the very reasons you mention for Obama doing the same. Good article, and you may be proven correct.
Reggie_Mantle 1 year ago
Anyone who believes this would ever happen is clearly out of his mind.
AFCHIEF 1 year ago
I believe Obamanation will dump Biden for Hillary if he sees the polls showing him losing to Romney. Obama has been shown he will lie and tell whatever story to be reelected. Most recently now saying he supports gay marriage.
Reggie_Mantle 1 year ago
Dumb, dumber and dumberer.
DaveyNC 1 year ago
You're right, it would be a nightmare for the Repubs, but I don't think it will happen. Hillary has been pretty consistently rejecting this possibility. She looks and sounds ready to retire, or at least get out of political office.
For what it's worth, she would have been a far better President than Obama. He really is an amateur. Or worse.
MikeNC 1 year ago
I feel DaveyNC is right ! An interview she gave about a month ago, she sounded convincing,it wasn't going to happen ! Take it one step further- some months back when Obama was tanking in polls, many Democrats wanted Hillary to top the ticket. Why should she or Bill, play second fiddle to Obama? Too much bad blood between the three. Sorry guys, you're STUCK with "sheriff" Joe. Diane
Bentpan 1 year ago
I have little doubt Obama would love to dump permanent foot in mouth Biden for Clinton but no way, Hillary wants to run in 2016 and the last thing she wants is the Barrack Obama millstone around her neck. Thats the reason she has already made it clear she won't serve as Sect. of State past this year. I wonder if Bill would be the VP side of the ticket, nah thats ridiculous, isn't it?
RmeMP 1 year ago
I've got a crazy idea which may help stop the extreme partisanship developing in this country - its going to sound crazy, but think about it for a minute:
What if, no presidential candidates had VP running mates - instead, whoever lost the primary, would then assume the role of VP while the winner gets the title of President. It seems to me, that once they have to work with each other daily, the extreme left and right would go away, and we'd end up better for it by becoming a more centralized country.
This theory has proven to work, for example, when feuding gang members have been forced to work on projects together, such as for local youth groups.
Any thoughts?
Bentpan 1 year ago
Sorry RmeMP the second in command needs to be on the same page or it just doesn't work, can you imagine the second guessing, the back stabbing that would take place. Respect for the presidential office would completely vanish here and abroad, ( remember the VP is frequently the presidents emissary ) can you envision the political mischief that would result by inviting a political adversary into the presidents inner circle irregardless of party.
wrich49 1 year ago
The comments about Mrs.Clinton's appearance in the article are certainly apt to the mindset in our country. Mrs. Clinton is at the age when she knows that her appearance is not something she can count on to help her influence anything, whether it's politics or her personal life. By the time we are her age, we better have more going for us than our looks. She does. Sadly, the writer is probably right; if she runs for president, she probably going to have to spend more time and money on her appearance. I just hope she forgoes the $400.00 haircuts.
fwm2 1 year ago
@geoff: Exactly what merit did you find behind your friend's suggestion that Romney choose Clinton as his vice? Please explain? The chances of that are less likely than Obama splitting his ticket with Gingrich as a running mate. Come on man. .. get serious. The logic behind the idea alone is farcical and one would have to be quite deluded to entertain it for even a split second.
BigE 1 year ago
Elections are now, in the world of Super-PAC's, all about money and dollars spent. This presidency is going to be bought. We have a president whose poll numbers say he is personally liked by the majority of Americans but is weighed down by a slow recovery and still too high unemployment numbers. Typically these are re-election killers. So why isn't Romney kicking his butt? A) The pseudo-conservative is a marginal candidate, even his own party doesn't love him. B) The Republicans have alienated woman, blacks, Hispanics, non-christians, etc.; they are the small tent party. C) The power of incumbency. And... wait for it... D) M-O-N-E-Y. The Prez may have seen his Wall Street cash deminish because of his populist rhetoric but he holds the lead in the bank account. Oh, Hillary brings excitement which in turn brings money. Not sure he needs that at this point. His recent support for gay marriage brings more excitement than I expected so he doesn't need that either. Enjoy the ride. With the Super PAC money, this one is going to be in our faces more than any of us would like. It will be fun if HC joins the fray but I wouldn't be betting my cash on it.
fwm2 1 year ago
Well said BigE
geoffcutler 1 year ago
I guess I liked the idea because a) Hillary has in my opinion done a good job as Secretary of State b) there is by most reports no love lost between the Clintons and Obama since Hillary's campaign was accused of being racist in the last election, and c) because the nation is so divided right now, that split ticket could be just as compelling for independent and moderates who are on the fence as it might be should Obama choose Hillary. Those are but a few of the reasons why it might not be farcical. I recognize it probably won't happen.
BigE 1 year ago
GC- Mitt is going the other direction. If he doesn't pick a "true" conservative the suicidal wing of the party goes nuts!
wrich49 1 year ago
Romney/Gingrich? SHUDDER!
MikeNC 1 year ago
Romney/ Portman. I think Romney would take Ohio and Pa, if he chooses Portsman. David Brooks of NYT said "Portman is an Ohioan with a mindset of a budget director and mild temperament that is a credit to his mid west roots with an excellent resume. Diane
DaveyNC 1 year ago
Ok, don't have a knee jerk reaction to this, but Romney would do well to find a Cheney type to serve as his VP.
Wait, wait--hold off on the Darth Vader comments. Bush chose Cheney because he had decades of experience and had absolutely no wish to be President. From a purely organizational view, that is an excellent combination. It could almost be said that Biden is out of that same mold. (And Biden is certainly more entertaining, not that that is a good quality for the person who is one stray tee shot from becoming President.)
So who, on the Rep side, could meet those requirements? Lugar? Here's a blast from the past, and from the Dems: Sam Nunn. He's a good, centrist Dem. I even voted for him when I lived in Georgia. Anybody else?
Thatcher 1 year ago
I'll leave the VP selection to Mitt, but I sure hope he considers Marco Rubio.
Thatcher 1 year ago
BigE-- "This presidency is going to be bought." If Obama wins, are you saying that he bought the presidency? Or does "bought" apply only to Romney? Your post does not make this clear. Please let us know. Thanks!
clarabelle 1 year ago
"AFCHIEF - Obama has been shown he will lie and tell whatever story to be reelected. "
And here I thought only republicans would do that. You are a clown!
AFCHIEF 1 year ago
clarabelle, why am I a clown, because ITS TRUE THAT OBAMA IS A LIAR
BigE 1 year ago
Thatcher- My words speak for themselves. Did they sound partisan? The presidency will be bought... by the next president's team. I may have a preference but I didn't predict who would be the next president.
I have never voted all R or all D. I'm sure I get accused of being an L on this board because I trash the "blame Obama for everything" crowd. You know, the ignorant comments such as... the one made above by AFCHIEF. I am open to facts and ideas from both parties.
Back to AFCHIEF- Really. Is that the best you have got? We are talking about a politician here. All politicians- left/right, black/white, male/female, young/old, spin, twist, parse, and outright lie. If you have a score card that reveals that Obama is at one end of the bell curve, please share. Considering the scale is relative and Romney and Clinton are on there, I personally think it is a fool's task.
GoldenDreams 1 year ago
Obama will never get rid of Biden for Mrs. Clinton. He is fighting too many negatives right now and he doesn't want another one thrown at him. It will make him appear disloyal and opportunistic....very bad before an election.
mcg2010 1 year ago
I'm going to go ahead and save everyone some time from reading this article and answer the question in the headline: no.
And no, Romney isn't going to pick Hilary and she'd say no if he did.
This is going to be the longest silly season ever.
mcg2010 1 year ago
Also, Romney's VP is going to be Chris Christie and if you think otherwise then you spend too much time reading these blogs and not enough time reading real political analysis.
fwm2 1 year ago
@geoff, thanks for backing up your assertion. I see what you are driving at THEORETICALLY, and agree that the nation is terribly divided. I also think Clinton has done a great service to her nation, the president and her party by the way manner in which she has acted as SEC of STATE. As in this case THEORY can be (and often is) whimsical, but it is not (usually) reality. In reality the mere proposal of Clinton running as Romney's VP candidate is farcical and here is my reasoning.
There is simply zero chance Clinton would ever cross over the line, (IF this blanket statement does not suffice as reason alone then watch the HBO documentary on BO's campaign "By The People: The Election Of Barrack Obama."
There is also zero chance Romney would ever reach out to her. For Clinton to do so (run with Mitt on a split tix) would mean going against everything she has ever stood for and fought against during her entire political life. It would indubitably mark her as a turncoat to her party and it would alienate her army of followers down to its very core. You do realize it would entail running against her own party and that party's incumbent, a mere four years after she received the second most votes in the history of the democratic primary, yes? At the same time, it would make Mitt look foolish to ever ask -- he already has, at best, shaky CONSERVATIVE CRED ... and that credibility would crash like a piano when it goes over a cliff in a WB cartoon with Clinton on his ticket. Even if for some reason all that were not true, the GOP would end the proposal faster than a knife fight in a phone booth.
geoffcutler 1 year ago
And I realize all that which is why I said at the top I like the idea, not that I thought it would ever happen.
mcg2010... the one thing about presidential elections that's certain is that there's nothing certain about presidential elections. Your certainty that Romney will pick Christie comes from?
geoffcutler 1 year ago
Suppose I should qualify the last by saying I hope you're right.
Bentpan 1 year ago
I don't know if President Obama will dump VP Biden but I'm confident America will dump President Obama this November. Cheers
BigE 1 year ago
LOL, people who allow wishful thinking to drive their conclusions are destined to be wrong way too often. I am confident it will be a close race. I am confident both candidates will say something silly somewhere along the way. I am confident many misleading points will be communicated. I am confident plenty of hate will be spewed by both ends of the political spectrum. I am confident a sizeable group of Americans will hate Obama no matter what he does. I am confident Republicans and Democrats in congress will continue to undermine each other at the expense of the American people. I am confident taxes will go up, But, no, I am not confident Mitt Romney is strong enough to get elected as President.