Andrew Sullivan Suggests A “Hate-Filled Dream Ticket”
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Billary, Democrats, HillarySully’s scared she’ll damage him too much.
I have a similar concerns, but is choosing her for Veep really the way to go?
It is for many in the Obama camp an unthinkable thought. But politics is sometimes the art of adjusting today to what seemed inconceivable yesterday. I’m talking about the possibility — and the powerful logic — of a unity Obama-Clinton ticket for the Democrats.I never thought I’d even consider it; but times change; politics shifts, and in the roiling flux of this American campaign, a bold unifying gesture could make the Democratic ticket — and an Obama presidency — unstoppable almost overnight. It’s still highly unlikely, but so was JF Kennedy running with Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan running with the first George Bush.
The rationale for a fusion ticket is the same as for any grand political compromise. Very few people in Washington believe that Barack Obama can now be denied the Democratic nomination. Even after the past month, as Hillary Clinton has hung in there, as the scandal about Jeremiah Wright (Obama’s firebrand cleric) scandal has battered the post-racial Obama brand, and as white Reagan Democrats have proven resistant to a new young black freshman senator, Obama has actually increased his number of delegates. Clinton simply cannot overcome the edge he built up in February and March, however cruel his April turned out to be. And the superdelegates — who will ultimately decide — have also been slowly trending his way.
I think Sullivan’s points about JFK picking LBJ and Reagan picking the elder Bush are good ones, but if Obama picked Clinton I’d be so much more inclined to NOT vote for him.
But while a move like that would really disappoint me, given the political realities of the day, well, I might be able to live with it…and I want to stress that might. It’s not a sure thing for me.
However, what would make it much more palatable is if Hillary and Bill atoned for their behavior on the campaign trail. Seriously. I want to hear some apologies. Otherwise I’d find it extremely hard to vote for the “dream ticket.”
What about you?
This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Billary, Democrats, Hillary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 5th, 2008 at 6:25 am
This notion assumes not only that Obama’d go for it, but also that Clinton would, as well. The Clintons don’t seem to be the type to accept being number two.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:03 am
This whole scenario of having two viable candidates and a nearly assured Democratic victory turn into the divisive and self-destructive place Democrats now appear to be, points to a systemic fault of our system. Our desire to ALWAYS be on the winning team and being very sore losers contributes much. We’ve made the stakes of winning so high and the humiliation of defeat so low, that no tactics are too low.
Whether Obama or Clinton WANT to run together is irrelevant. As a nation looking for a change of direction, we need them to both win…
Of course, November is still six months off. And the soap opera of this election has a long way to go.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:19 am
[...] Donklephant hates the idea. [...]
May 5th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Call me immature, but as a life-long Democrat I wouldn’t vote for Hillary no matter what role she plays on the ticket. If the choice is between the Republicans and Republican-lite (Ms. Let’s Have A Bogus Gas Tax Holiday And Obliterate Iran While We’re At It), give me the Republicans. At least they will inherit the mess they created and be forced to deal with it. At least John McCain seems to have some core of integrity whereas Hillary does not. If the best the Democrats can come up with after 8 years of wandering in the hinterlands of governance is Hillary, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, I’d say it’s time for the party to go down. Maybe it will rise anew as a party with some real vision and backbone. The compromise of integrity that would be required for Obama to join with Clinton would be disillusioning enough for me to vote Republican for the first time in my life.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Nope, I’m voting Bob Barr or whomever runs as the Libertarian candidate. I’d be tempted by an Obama ticket that included Kucinich (no chance). I’m hoping Obama picks Richardson but I do believe the Obama/Hillary ticket is becoming increasingly likely. In any case, whomever wins will be an improvement to current asses.
With Democrats I take comfort in knowing that they’re lying, with Republicans I wish they weren’t.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:50 am
It may be worth remembering that Sullivan comes out of the Oxford/cambridge debating tradition, where it is routine to try to make the best possible case for a totally impossible position. Such as this one.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:46 am
I can’t see it happening, given the rancor between the two. A more reasonable idea would be to pair Obama with someone else who can speak to the center of the general electorate, but who doesn’t have Hillary’s negatives and doesn’t hate Obama’s guts. James Webb would be the ideal; but someone like that anyhow. Failing that, we’re going to end up with a ticket that can be portrayed as far-left. Even if such a ticket wins, it will be another 50%+1 presidency, and as such probably a failed one.
McCain isn’t our worst enemy; it’s the ideological purists among us.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
ITS CLEAR TO ME THAT CLINTONS SUPPORTERS ARE MUCH MORE MATURE AND INTELLIGENT THAN OBAMAS (AS USUAL). SHE IS THE MORE QUALIFIED CANDIDATE. HE WILL BE FORTUNATE IF SHE AGREES TO RUN WITH HIM. ITS THE BEST CHANCE DEMS HAVE OF REUNITING THE PARTY AND WINNING. STOP YOUR KOOLAID DRINKING SILLY BABY WHINING AND TRY TO USE COMMON SENSE. MOST NEW AND YOUNG VOTERS DO NOT REALIZE THAT THE DEMS USUALLY LOSE….8 OR THE LAST 10 ELECTIONS HAD GOOD DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES WHO LOST. SOME LOST VERY BADLY. I DO NOT WANT THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY IN THE HANDS OF REV. JERIMIAH WRIGHT.