Dems' VP Search Is Stalled: How Much Will It Hurt?

Atlantic Monthly:

In March of 2004, Sen. John Kerry asked James Johnson, the former Fannie Mae CEO and long-time Democratic strategist, to head the search for his ticket-mate.

Whether Kerry made the right choice in the end by picking John Edwards is for history to decide, but the search itself was a model of efficiency and secrecy. It took Johnson and a small team of carefully selected lawyers and researchers a few months to carefully vet the ten or so finalists that Kerry had settled on.

As of April of 2008, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are way behind Kerry's pace.

The candidates do not discuss the vice presidential search with their senior staff. And neither Obama nor Clinton has established a process for winnowing the field of potential candidates.

Obama has one advantage: Johnson is already aboard. He and wife Maxine Isaacs are major fundraisers, and Johnson is currently Obama's chief liaison to many of the party's undecided superdelegates. It is unclear whether Obama will appoint Johnson to head his search. Some campaign insiders believe that Obama wants Valerie Jarrett, Obama's best friend and counselor, to fill that role. (For Clinton, insiders believe that longtime attorney Cheryl Mills or former chief of staff Evelyn Lieberman are likely to be tapped -- though they don't know, because Clinton herself isn't talking.)

Read the whole story: Atlantic Monthly

Comments

[Plowboy]

One doesn't pick a VP until one wins the nomination.

One doesn't announce a cabinet until one wins the election.

Well, I recall one fellow who broke the rule, but he lost.

[victoriajubilee]

ObamaHagel unbeatable Sam Nunn--Defence John Edwards-Labor Richardson --State Dodd--Commerce

[Carl2680]

What a bunch of idiots, they think that this process is clean and clear. there are a few men behind the curtain and they are the ones who decide who becomes president. the president of the United States of AMerica is already chosen, we just need to wait how the events unfold.

[Ptama]

My 2 picks for VP

1. Chuck Hagel would be ideal. His selection would bolster Obama promise to be a uniter by bring Democrats and Republicans together. It would completely deflect the critics citing lack of patriotism and experience. Hagel is smart and is more center than his Republican party.

2. Jim Web.
His selection would also mitigate concerns about patriotism. He is young and smart and shares Obama"s position on the war. He also brings more rural, blue collar appeal

AND his wife is ASIAN. Imagine on stage at the convention when the two bring their wives on stage, you"d have Black, White, and Asian on the stage all at once. Pretty Cool!!

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

The reason Obama should consider Hillary as a Veep is not as a consolation prize (she would keep her Senate seat by the way), but as a way to build party unity, and yes, healing.

[speakingtruth2power]

Taking HRC for his LBJ while trying to end the MIC's war?

[WorkingClass]

Whats worse than Hillary or Obama? Hillary and Obama.

[indie17]

Tim Kaine (Gov of VA) for VP
or Sherrod Brown (Senator of Ohio) for VP

Bill Richardson, State
Chuck Hagel, Defense
Joe Biden, NSA
??, AG
Dodd, Treasury
John Edwards, Labor

[indie17]

Reasons:

Need a person at VP that will not be considered 'too old' to take the Presidency in 8 years. Kaine is 50. Kaine was the first (or one of the first) to support Obama. He provides the likelihood of VA going blue in the general.

Richardson at State -- his experience suits the position.
Hagel at Defense -- crosses the aisle, strong military background, against the Iraq war
Biden -- has the right experience. Could be Samantha Powers here instead.
Treasury -- Dodd has the right experience. Could be Bloomberg.
Edwards -- Labor, or some other position that suits him.

Also Kerry to server in some capacity, and probably Daschle. Obama will have a 'kitchen table' set of advisors to include Gore.

[WorkingClass]

I like your picks. But put Edwards at ag and Nader at labor.

[jsar70]

Mystery,

Like your short list, but Obama/ Sebelius sounds like a skin disorder.

[Mystery954]

Obama's shortlist for VP:

1. Gen. Tony Zinni

2. Sen. Jim Webb

3. Mayor Michael Bloomberg

4. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

5. Gov. Janet Napolitano

[tipiglen]

Hang in there, Baby,....

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2008/03/18/10/406-08ari0314.slideshow_main.prod_affiliate.74.jpg

[jayburd]

Another non-story story. I can hardly believe that either camp doesn"t already have a contingent looking at a short list of candidates and sending out feelers.

Ask me, Obama should try and tap anti-Iraq war Republican from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel as his running mate. Any attempt to discredit Obama's ability as a uniter would be shattered with a Republican on the ticket.

[tipiglen]

Talk about a response to SOTU!
here's Jim Webb, telling it like it is:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/23/sotu.webb.transcript/index.html

Nuff said!

[speakingtruth2power]

I believe it will be important to name Obama's top cabinet choices and have them

on the road during the general election in order to add meat to Barack's thin resume.

It would also highlight the lack of known and respected people left in a fractured GOP.

Most of the long time leaders there are retiring to avoid rejection and/or prosecution!

Bill Richardson as VP

Joe Biden @ State

Webb @ Defense

Edwards as Atty Gen.

Sebelius @ Interior

McCaskill @ Agriculture

Bloomberg @ Commerce

Kucinich @ Labor

Dr. Dean @ Health

Keeping Pelosi and swapping Reid for Hillary.

ST2P.

[tipiglen]

Not a bad list at all.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

While I would not agree with every choice on your list, it demonstrates the obvious. The Democratic Party has a very deep bench of highly qualified people.

[speakingtruth2power]

Nobodies full list is going to match anyone else's.

There are far too many variables and prejudices,

but a sales team of highly respected and united

Democrats would help create the super majority

Dems will need for all the urgent deBushification.

[Colonial82]

Not bad list at all, but I can guarantee that Obama will put Hagel and/or Lugar into this Cabinet somehow

[speakingtruth2power]

I have Hagel at Veteran Affairs.

If Bloomberg won't play then

I'd go with Dodd @ Commerce.

Also note that Webb and Clark

are only recently Democrats.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Nothing for Dodd?
I have him for AG, and Edwards for Labor.

HUD for Kucinich.

Pelosi?
Get HER "off the table"!

Energy?
Cogito, erGO GORE!

Homeland Security?
ACK! Disband it!
Otherwise, Wes Clark.

VA?
HuffPo's own Paul Rieckhoff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Cabinet

[speakingtruth2power]

I had Wes Clark pencilled in for HS as well. His organizational

genius and troop training skills were what won him his stars!

[Plowboy]

Not Biden! He has that reputation only because his policies all stem from Israel.
Richardson would be great at State.
And why reward Hillary's divisionasry tacticcs with a Senate Leadership post? We need to get away from that. Yielding to blackmail encourages more blackmail.
She hasn't gotten where she is by talent for good service. She got in the Senate (herr only elective position) by being Bill's wife.
She is not the brilliant person people keep claining she is. She had a poor law school record and couldn't pass the DC bar exam. (But some say she has to be a Supreme Court Justice some day!)
She is dishonest; was fired from the Watergate investigation for a pattern of lies and deceptions, or did you think her sniper tale was her first?)
She is concerned first and foremost with Hillary, not service to America.
And why do you really think Murdock and Scaife are supporting her, to say nothing of Rush the Wise? Do they seem like the best backers of Democratic ideals? What did she promise them in return for that very valuable, if often unprincipled, support.
Put a truth squad on her to do what the MSM will not, and she will be harmless. But stop building her up. Maybe some day she will go the weay of her dear friend and close collaborator, Joe Lieberrman.

[bdl0715]

Most of your post is nonsense. Rush, Scaife etc are supporting her because they know she will be easier to defeat in November. Don't think republicans are supporting Hillary because they want her to be President.

She is a very intelligent person, a policy wonk like her husband.

[plutorage]

The roadblock to victory in November is now Hillary and Bill. No doubt about it. It is difficult to get a process going that will improve our victory chances when you have all this backbiting from the Clintons.

Whom exactly are they helping, besides John Mccain??

Next question from press to Hillary: Mrs. Clinton, would you consider endorsing John McCain in this race?

[AnninCA]

And when Obama compliments McCain, do you raise the outrage flag?

:)

[Colonial82]

Keep BS'ing

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Heh.

[jayburd]

Obama never elevated McCain's C in C credibility above that of Hillary's. He's simply polite to the man, as he should be. Hillary's "compliment" was an insult to Obama and was nothing short of treasonous to the Party. No Republican would ever do that to another. That's why they win more...

[Colonial82]

Top choices for different reasons:

1. Kathleen Sebelius- Gov of Kansas (win the West and way more quallified to be president than Clinton, one of top choices for Kerry in 2004)
2. Jim Webb- Sen of VA (foreign policy experience)
3. Michael Bloomberg- Mayor of NYC (Economy) Independent
4. Bill Richardson- Gov of New Mexico (Experience)
5. Tim Kaine- Gov of Virginia (popular and win VA)
6. Chuck Hagel- Sen of Nebraska (Unite the country, win West, win independents and moderates) Yes I know he is a Republican, but anti- Iraq and ethical

All are good choices, but with Hagel, it is a potential Reagon landslide, and I am not joking but risky.
I don't think Obama can go wrong with any of these choices.

[speakingtruth2power]

Hagel may be anti-war but he is very conservative and their time is over.

I understand unity and appeal to the center but not as high as our VP.

Bill Richardson is the most ready and will not only be a regional help

but secure the Hispanic vote that both parties have had a piece of.

The black vs brown cultural schism needs to be cemented together.

If Hillary were to somehow win, it would likely be Wesley Clark.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Agreed, and agreed.

One thought: I appreciate Gov. Sebelius's appeal, on principles and bipartisanship, and on patriotism above partisanship.

However, her response to the FINAL Bush SOTU was an absolute snoozer!!!

Can YOU stay awake for 09:51?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4rgdPjlTE

"Join us, Mr. President."
"We ask you, Mr. President, 'Will you join us?'"
And again, "Join us, Mr. President."
"No more patience with divisice politics."
"We are ready to work together."

But PLENTY of patience with a Unitary Executive. And NO direct rebuttals to some of the Bushwhacking aired only minutes prior.

Who WRITES that crap? Sebelius herself? Talk about running for the middle! And Hillary's the "triangulator?"

America, and specifically the Democrats, did NOT elect THIS chloroformed perspective in November 2006. And we don't need it in 2008 either.

Senate. Not Naval Observatory.

And Obamanistas think Hillary is the compromiser. Sheesh.

[tipiglen]

Jim Webb has great military credibility, and across-the-aisle as well, having served as a Republican Navy Secretary. Cementing the black/brown divide via Richardson may be too much to ask, because it means a double-minority ticket. I might be wrong, of course.

Both Webb and Richardson will probably be on-board in some way, anyway.

NOT HILLARY!

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Kansas and Nebraska are not in the West. Maybe they were in 1850.

[johnnygoodwud]

obama will never take clinton. if forced to take a woman, he'll choose someone else, not hillary. she better go back to new york, and hope she can hold on to her senate seat, but if she looses, she'll just move to another state and carpetbag there.

[plutorage]

He can't really take Hillary anymore because she has not shown allegiance to the party. She has, without leaving any doubt, declared herself a cult of personality above the common interest of the party which makes her not only inappropriate for veep but toxic. There would be a question in the air of what she was working for.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Yeah, let's talk about allegience to the party.

Exhibit A: Obamanistas threatening not to vote unless Obama is the nominee.

Obama and others offering olive branches to the Repukes -- while still getting their butts kicked in the Senate, and via signing statements -- is no kind of loyalty to any party, let alone principle.

Unless party loyalty has morphed into personality loyalty. Myself, I've seen seven years too much of that already.