Obama's Vice President: Who Will It Be? (POLL)

With the Democratic competition coming to an end, it's time for rampant VP speculation. Who do you think would be the best Vice President for an Obama campaign?

And if any names don't sound familiar, check out HuffPost's rundown of the likely Obama vice presidential candidates.

Comments

[racetoinfinity]

Where's the poll? All I see are comments.

[DennyCrane]

First off, Obama has to pick someone who's white. America will never vote for a ticket with two minorities. That rules out Bill Richardson who would otherwise be a good VP pick. Second, Obama needs someone who'll make up for his lack of experience, but not someone whose experience would diminish Obama. Third, Obama can't pick another Senator, especially another first-term Senator. A governor would make more sense. Fourth, Obama needs someone who isn't a Washington insider. Picking such a person would contradict his "new politics" message. And lastly, since Obama risks losing the people who voted for Hillary, he has to pick someone they'll be happy with. Given all that, I think the best choice would be Kathleen Sebelius. White, female, older, Catholic, governor, from a red state, and is known for the kind of bipartisan consensus that Obama is promoting. She's not ideal and I know her SOTU response was boring, but she can be coached to do better.

[abiodunaodeleye]

Gen Wesley Clark. Chuck Hagel as second.

[AgeofReason]

No, sorry, you can't have Jim Webb. Do you know how long we waited in Virginia to get a Democrat in the Senate? We're likely to have two when Mark Warner wins in November, and we LIKE that just fine. Besides, do we really need two senators on the presidential ticket? My vote goes to Richardson. I could live with just about anyone (NOT HILLARY!), but please take Jim Webb off the table. He's ours!

[Abie56]

Kathleen Sebelius. All of are acceptable except for Hillary, and not because of any animosity over the primary, but we don't need two executives, but one. E.g., we don't need a Dick Cheney in the executive branch of goevernment.

And HRCadds nothing to the ticket, but rather can be a liability because of the common perception that she is polarizing.

[tipiglen6]

Sebelius is good, but not a good debater like Webb. If she gets some coaching, she might do OK

[ReasonOverRant]

If you think the way to enhance Obama's chances of winning is to add an Asian/Latino woman as VP, then Rush Limbaugh thanks you, and say hello to President McCain.

Americans resist change kicking and screaming. That's why it's taken until 2008 to even have a minority or woman as the presidential nominee of a major party.

Picking a VP because they are a good person, can talk back to Republicans, might motivate some ethnic group or gender is a losing hand.

The mission I'm looking at accomplishing isn't called making a symbolic gesture. It's called winning a presidential election for a change.

We need a VP who can deliver a state with electoral votes that would otherwise go into the Republican column. Anything less than that, and we lose.

[druidmary]

how about Obama for vice president when Hillary is the president???

read the site

hillaryisourchoice.com

[tipiglen6]

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

[FlyingEagel]

How about Ed Rendell. We need PA

[charliemudcat]

Kathleen Sebelius would be an excellent choice. She has executive experience in a red state that went for Barack Obama. She came out early and worked hard for him. She would provide the gender conscious Hillary supporters a reason to climb onboard. She represents the new kind of politics Obama represents. My vote is for Sebelius.

[nixau]

Jim Webb of course. He's from a southern state, has a military background, was right about the Iraq war before it started like Obama, used to be a Repug, has proved himself a leader in the senate. Besides the black man needs a redhead to run with.

[tipiglen6]

Seconded! Webb is everything needed and has no visible negatives. Also, having served in Reagan's cabinet, he clearly illustrates the post-partisan possibilities.

besides, I've got money on him.

[farmerjim]

CLAIRE McCASKILL !!!

Webb wrote those stupid, sexist books.

[avotor]

Colin Powell. Secretary of State Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff. A Patriot. About the same age as McCain.

[SCharb]

Obama/Webb 2008

Why Webb?
*Decorated Vietnam Veteran with much better war stories than McCain
*Reagan's Secretary of the Navy
*Senator from Virginia
*Former Reagan Republican, great for crossover votes
*Puts Virginia into play, along with the rest of the south
*Rough-and-Tumble, Moderate Attack Dog; useful personality contrast to Obama's liberal aloofness while complimenting his nonpartisanship.
*Opposed the war from the start, knew that it would wind up this way
*HATES Bush. HATES McCain.
*Son in Iraq (steals McCain's thunder)
*Has fought and attacked McCain over McCain's failure to support the new GI Bill
*Pro-Gun, Anti-Trade, Pro-Healthcare, Anti-Elite

[zaneblue]

John Edwards, John Edwards, John Edwards.

[NtFourSale]

Lost his chance when he lost his balls.

[truthbearer247]

Obama Huckabee ticket would be the best option. Huckabee offers executive experience, he has a magnetic aura, is moderate on taxes and immigration, and he could help dispell any muslim manchurian candidate swiftvoting by the right while stealing evangelical voters from the GOP.

[palmetta]

I suggest Sen. Lugar of Indian --- he has strong foreign and domestic policy experience He is a moderate R with great national security experience and as a former mayor knows problems of cities and he also has extensive Agri. experience. This would probably guarantee that Obama could carry Indiana!

[socks1]

I believe Robert F Kennedy Jr would be a great VP.

[damejacqueline]

I agree with socks1; RFK Jr. would be a great VP; even better than him would be Colin Powell!

[glenn113]

Jim Webb hands down. He has the war experiance to match McCaine.He was also a Vietnam Vet in the Marines. He wants out of Iraq. He will quiet the Republicans about Obama's no war experience. Webb is a straight shooter and should also get the vote of alot of Republicans who are also against the war. This should be a no brainer.

[tweedledum]

Jim Webb gets my vote for VP. A brilliant man tough enough to withstand the Republican attack/slander machine . Obama/Webb will be a fantastic ticket!

[tipiglen6]

I second that. His time as a Republican can only add to the post-partisan nature of Obama's appeal, and he could deliver Virginia, and (who knows?) possibly other "Southern" states.

[glenn113]

Jim Webb hands down. He was also a Vietnam Vet like McCaine who and will shut the Obama critics about no war experience. He wants out of Iraq badly. He is a straight shooter and should also help Obama get alot of Republicans vote who are against the Iraq war. This should be a no brainer for Barack.

[tipiglen6]

Where's the promised poll?

[jackjava]

Obama and Wes Clark. It puts to bed the neocons..period.

[truthbearer247]

Wes Clark is deffinately a better option than Webb, We dont want another senator on the ticket and we need to hold the senate.

[AndrewMT]

I want an Obama/Schweitzer ticket.

People who don't know much about Schweitzer should know that he is like Al Gore on the environment but from an economic and national security stand point. He knows how to win in a red state. He won Montana's governorship when Kerry lost to Bush by 20 points.

Have an open mind. Here he is on Charlie Rose...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0i9o-ThOPM

[HansB]

Thank you for the link. Charismatic yet ordinary guy... sounds good and very trustworthy. Except for the first part, where he talks about staying in the Middle East for a hundred years or so...

[chucklasker]

Another vote for Obama / Kathleen Sebelius '08

[aberforth]

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas would do the most to mobilize the democratic party. Not only would she appeal to women who would still like to vote to have someone a heartbeat away from the Presidency, but she also has a history consistent with Obama's. She is a coalition builder. She knows how to win in a red state, having done it twice in Kansas. She took on the insurance industry and Insurance Commissioner in Kansas, and she faced them down. She employs Republicans in her administration, running twice with converts from the Republican party as her Lieutenant Governor.

[hbw3]

And the daughter of a former Governor of Ohio where she also grew up, with strong personal ties to Michigan, and as a pro-choice Catholic would be an asset in Pennsylvania.

And is nice!

[jeff97005]

continued from above

+ In November 2005 Time named Sebelius as one of the five best governors in America, praising her for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt she inherited, ferreting out waste in state government, and strongly supporting public education " all without raising taxes. Also praised was her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the Legislature.

+ Her husband is a federal judge, possibly indicating an appreciation for the judiciary that would serve progressives and moderates well in the light of the conservative court packing that has been going on.

+ Her father in law was a 6 term Kansas republican congressman, thus adding another level of support to those current GOPers who are disgusted with the direction of their party and looking for reasons to support Obama. A list that includes Eisenhower and Nixon family members already, to name a few, already.

+ Now I don't have any connection to her, but all the folks who are eliminating her because of one State of the Union response seem to have even less knowledge or perspective.
I

[SCharb]

We need an attack dog running mate to balance out the ticket. I don't think there's room for Gov. Sebelius.

[jeff97005]

I cast my poll vote for Kathleen Sebelius

+ Not only is Sebelius the re-elected dem gov of Kansas, a red state, she was re-elected with an almost 5% larger margin in 06 than her margin in 02. ( Not as good as the 69% total that Richardson gained in 06, but still impressive. I still remain a Richardson partisan at heart.)

+ She was a lauded insurance commissioner in Kansas before winning the gov's job. Someone who could, I surmise, work for the people against the excess greed of big insurance folks and yet also know the big insurance business enough to work effectively.

+ Did you know that her father was Ohio gov John Gilligan? thus she has a strong opportunity to help pull women & Kansas & Ohio into the Obama fold.

+ Further, did you know that she has also been a Michigan vacationer since childhood, with a vacation place near Traverse City and Michigan might all be more likely in play with Sebelius on the ticket.

+ Do you remember when Sebelius publicly and effectively took GWBush to task over the problems facing states because W. and Rumsfeld had stripped the national guard units of equipment and manpower in their Iraq mis-adventure? States were and still are hampered to respond to disasters because of the ideas that McCain still wants to continue. Sebelius would be, I predict, equally strong and effective on the stump in the fall campaign.

continued below

[1PALady]

Jim Webb would add the most to the ticket.

[philosopherkingtomas]

Did I mention Kathleen Sebelius? she is the Admiral Stockdale of veeps