New York Times: Obama "Appears Ready To Announce" His VP

New York Times:

Senator Barack Obama has all but finalized his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate roll-out plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, followed by a trip to swing states by the new Democratic ticket, aides said.

Mr. Obama's deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff: that his decision not leak out until supporters are notified.

Mr. Obama had not notified his choice -- or any of those not selected -- of his decision as of late Monday, advisers said. Going into the final days, Mr. Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Mike169]

I think Biden will bring in the all important Delaware vote.

[williamg]

Willie Geist for VP.

[Mike169]

Why him?

[saltysea]

sarcasm, right?

[BeefJerky]

Given that most corporations incorporate in Delaware, and that Biden voted for bankruptcy reform after receiving more than $250,000 from the credit card industry, it's a safe bet that he will bring in the corporate vote.

[Mike169]

Thanks for this info - the bankruptcy "reform" was probably the worst piece of legislation in the 20th century.

[butchie65]

Just watched C-Span. I think there are more people out there for Obama than what we think. The Hillary voters might think they will ruin things for Obama , but, I think they are in for a shock. More Republicans called in for Obama than McCain. I think people are sick of the liar McCain and are finally figuring him out and what he really is about. As one person called in and said Obama was a great student, as stated above. McCain was at the bottom of his class and got away with things because of his father.McCain considers someone rich that make 5 million. This guy hasn't got a clue and he calls Obama uppity. As Sloppy said above, Romney would have been a better candidate for the Repugs, this guy is so out of touch, he is in the Twilight Zone.

[vegasobserver]

Bayh - a DLCer, too moderate and corporate for this election year. A mistake.

Biden - good campaign skills, but a senator from Delaware gives Obama nothing geographically -- no regional pickup. And the media will unfavorably compare Obama the senate neophyte with Biden's 30+ years of experience. Another mistake.

Kaine - a better choice, and Virginia is a state Obama could really use. But Kaine is not telegenic and a complete unknown nationally.

My choice would be Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri........why is noone talking about her anymore???

[ThunderclapNewman]

Because she isn't interested in being the VP.

And MO has a Republican governor, who would appoint a Republican to replace her in the Senate.

[williamg]

Claire McCaskill has one and a half years in the Senate. I wouldn't say that Biden doesn't give 0bama anything geographically. His roots are in Scranton Pennsylvania.

[Ramirez]

McCaskill has too much experience. She would contrast badly with the O.

[zenkid]

If I can speculate here, i think it's going to be Tim Kaine of Virginia. He can help deliver much needed Virginia in November. He speaks Spanish fluently and will be a big asset in the campaign. He worked with the Jesuits and the poor in Central America and can help deliver the Catholic vote. He is a white male southerner, need i say more. He is not perceived as a Washington insider. He has actual governing experience, managing budgets and dealing with legislators. He went to Harvard Law.He does not seem to offend anyone yet. So he looks like the one to me.

[recruitgal]

I think you might be right. He presents some problems for us by being pro-life, but he has some big ticks in a lot of the other columns.

But I'm not going to start bitching if/when O doesn't pick my preferred choice (Sebilius). I'll support him regardless of the hysteria that is about to kick off, and hope my fellow Dems will do the same, and direct their wrath where it needs to be - on the republicans.

[AtomiClash]

despite the fact that Kaine is pro-life, he does seem to be the most logical choice. Besides, there's nothing that says a VP and the CIC have to share every aspect of politics in common.

[Crozier]

Yes, I concur. It is Tim Kaine, alright......and the man who could deliver the goods with Southerners who are moderate and with Catholic and hispanic voters. The old school tie at Harvard Law is also one that binds.

I am sure that there was much pushing for Birch Bayh's son Ewan. I am sure that the Kennedy family was firmly in his corner, as was HRC. His undoing would be the strong connection to the
Clinton campaign.

Joe Biden is DLC in the way that suggests MIC enabler and DC insider. He voted for bankruptcy laws and other GOP neocon bills against the middle class to support his DE friends with corporations in his state. I suspect that Biden would be useful to Obama just where he is - or as SECDEF

[JJK]

That's all nice, but it won't be why Obama picks him (which I, too, think he should do BTW, if he isn't picking Clark, which he apparently is not going to do). He'll pick Kaine because he will very likely bring Virginia which would make the electoral math all but impossible for McCain. Kaine will tick off parts of Obama's progressive base and he doesn't add a thing on national security, but he'll get the not if Obama thinks he's going to need Virginia to win, which he very well might.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Sorry to bring this up.

OK so The Maverick went to church and the good reverend asked him about being in the “cone of silence” and The Maverick made up a story about being isolated in silence?

What a stupid thing to lie about, isn’t it? Not only lie, but lie in church.

Sorry nonbelievers I am a Christian. Be nice. ;)

[ThunderclapNewman]

McMaverick has been caught in another lie.

Remember the Bear DNA thingy he was complaining about?
The one he voted for?

Now he says it was part of a larger, more important bill, and that's why he voted for it---but he tried to have it stripped from the larger bill.

Except that the Senate records show that he NEVER tried to have that program, which has genuine scientific value, stripped from any bill.

Once again, McMaverick is shown to be a li.ar.

[robodweeb]

He also claimed credit before the VFW for the GI Bill of Rights.

Sadly, no one asked him how he voted on it.

[k6007]

Oh no no no, you've got it all wrong. Mc didn't 'cheat', it was ALL the pastor's fault. WlfB and
C orporate N ews N etwork told me so.

[moxieme]

I know this is not the subject matter of this post and I try to blog on the subject of whatever post I am reading. However, I have a question that has been yearning and burning within. Sen. Lindsey Graham is an attorney, a former JAG, I think. He has ascended to the Senate from the House of Reps. He is joined at the hip to PaCain and looks much older than his years, in my opinion. He's a quiet, scary sort in my view. I have never sen a wife, never heard of a wife, have never seen any photo of him with any female reported to be the same or even identified as a significant other. I consider myself more up-to-date on politics, than not. What am I missing. It wouldn't be such a leap for one to wonder...Is he a secret veep possibility...could he possibily be on the short, short list for the Supreme Court if PaCain is, tragically, elected POTUS? Some others perspectives, please. Thanks.

[bdl0715]

I believe Graham is still a JAG in the reserves or something. I don't think he will ever be VP or on the SC because of his questionable sexuality. There have been rumors for years he is gay, and he has never been married. The Repubs can't possibly nominate a possible gay man to any high office.

[abby4ever]

What are you suggesting, your post is unclear. What is the connection between Graham never being seen with a female and his possibly being on the short list for the supreme court? Are you saying he is gay? And that if gets a seat on the supreme court, his being gay will be some kind of factor in his decision-making? Good news for gays or something? I am just stabbing in the dark here, I don't see how else the things would connect.

[ThunderclapNewman]

Miss Lindsay would be a bigger disaster on the SC than he is in the Senate---and that's saying something.

[ThunderclapNewman]

Miss Lindsay is enough of a woman that he doesn't need a wife.

But maybe he could borrow Charlie Crist's beard for a while.

[RButler]

Lindsay seems to be of indeterminate gender. He reminds me of the the SNL skit called 'Here's Pat' about a man or woman and nobody could figure it out from what he/she said and the name didn't help either. Same with Lindsay. Some southern accents are charming but his is grating for some reason.

[Ramirez]

Let's talk about some gay stuff.

[Citizen54]

Someone, please, one good reason to choose Bayh. Not only supported the war but was a member of that "Iraq Liberation" committee in Congress. Is there one, just one, progressive or even mildly liberal thing he has supported? Will he attract any votes to the ticket? He cancels everything progressive, what little there is, about Obama. This sounds like one of those ideas cooked up at a DC cocktail party and then perpetuated by the poodles in the media.

[JJK]

I'd probably word it differently, but I basically agree with you. Also, he won't bring Indiana no matter how many times we close our eyes, click our heels and wish he would.

[Sloppyseconds]

Clearly the 'Cone of Silence' fiasco demonstrates Romney would have been a better candidate for president. McCain has to cheat to get the questions in advance. Romney on the other hand would have received the questions on 'Golden Plates.'

[robodweeb]

Before he outraised every other presidential primary candidate in American history, Mr. Obama marched students through the thickets of campaign finance law. Before he helped redraw his own State Senate district, making it whiter and wealthier, he taught districting as a racially fraught study in how power is secured. And before he posed what may be the ultimate test of racial equality — whether Americans will elect a black president — he led students through African-Americans’ long fight for equal status.

The school had almost no black faculty members, a special embarrassment given its location on the South Side. Its sleek halls bordered a neighborhood crumbling with poverty and neglect. In his 2000 Congressional primary race, Representative Bobby L. Rush, a former Black Panther running for re-election, used Mr. Obama’s ties to the school to label him an egghead and an elitist.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Well The Maverick was a POUU for 5 years, so there. ;)

[robodweeb]

Mr. O bama, now the junior senator from Illinois and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, spent 12 years at the University of Chicago Law School. Most aspiring politicians do not dwell in the halls of academia, and few promising young legal thinkers toil in state legislatures. Mr. Obama planted a foot in each, splitting his weeks between an elite law school and the far less rarefied atmosphere of the Illinois Senate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

In Illinois, O bama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1206591241-yqvO2W1CoM98genftOjYkQ&oref=slogin

Knowing something about the constitution and having taught constitutional law is a huge attribute in a prospective president, and trying to turn that into a con is beyond ludicrous.

[mnash]

Probably knows more aabout consitution law then we do or MC or Bsh. Apparently neither one of them knew anything about it, they destroyed the constitution. I certainly wouldn't believe everything I read. MC certainly proved that

[HerbTee]

Robo, I suppose if academicians who later become politicians are worthless as you see it, then are we also to believe that Democratic 2-term and World War I era President Woodrow Wilson was totally worthless too?

[boing007]

beave0202

He is picking too soon. He should wait. Until the Convention. There is no way Clinton will accept at this time. He needs a ground breaking running mate. Not someone who has been in the Senate for years.
Let's see everyone's voting record and list on donors and then decide.

Obama needs to stand outside his advisors and do what he believes is right, which is what set him apart to begin with.

It looks like Barack Obama is allowing the DNC to take over his campaign strategy.

[Tropiholic]

who cares what clinton will or will not accept? she isn't the nominiee, get it?

[nclayla]

No - it only looks like you are not in agreement with his campaign strategy.

[recruitgal]

What do you think that the Vepp Advisory Committee have been doing for the past three months? Clearly they've been going over these people with a fine tooth comb.

Let's trust their recommendations, and O's final decision.

[JJK]

He needs to pick this week for a whole bunch of reasons, ranging from the strategic to the mundane.

This is the first "presidential type" decision he's going to make. If he picked the wrong set of advisors and has to ignore their recommendations, he didn't do a very good job at it.

The DNC comment is just silly.

[drkazmd65]

Well,... of the options Biden, Bayh & Kaine,... I would go with Biden - although he brings fewer potential swing voters into Obama's camp. Biden at least is qualified (if anybody actually is) to take over on day one should something bad happen to Obama - but lordy I hope it doesn't.

I'm still pulling for an actual progressive - one that isn't in the pocket of the DLC.

Ideally Kucinich, Feingold, Clark or one of several Governors including Schweitzer, Breseden, or Sebelius would be my favorites.

Lordy - just don't let it be Bayh!

[nclayla]

I think that Biden, Bayh and Kaine are all being seriously considered but not necessarily the only ones being considered. I would not be surprised if he chose someone other than one of those three, but I agree that Biden would be the strongest..

[EspressoAtNoon]

If his selection can't be Wesley Clark then I hope it's Joe Biden. I think selecting Tim Kaine would be a huge mistake. He has no experience and he's pro-life. That would not sit well with women voters, and it would make the ticket look weak on defense.

Joe Biden is well-liked all around. He gets a lot of applause at all the debates. He's knowledgeable and witty and can be an effective attack dog. He's got more foreign policy experience than McCain. Please pick Joe Biden, Obama!

My choices would be:
Wesley Clark
Jim Webb
Joe Biden

Obviously he's passed on Wesley and Jim, so it's got to be Joe Biden.

[Gordon]

Wes Clark? Didn't Bill "retire" him early for insubordination and almost starting a war with the Russians over a little airstrip in Kosovo? Bill was right about him.

[robodweeb]

Right. That's why Clark supported HRC.

[saltysea]

he led a very successful campaign to allow one part of a country to basically secede and become its own country because its parent country was basically committing genocide. Sort of like if we defended Ossetia's (sp?) right to secede from Georgia, except Sakashvili is not committing genocide (but he did bomb his own people). There was a small dust up, no doubt magnified by the Republicans. Clinton eventually gave him the medal of freedom. It seems that most people who have served with him genuinely care for him.

[lioness39]

I think Obama, to win, has to choose a veep who is a great debater or a beloved national figure. Obama's weakness seems to be the fact that he thinks on his feet and doesn't talk down to the American public. Obama is a man who is a listener which is a marvelous thing in a leader. We've endured eight years of a man who listens to no one but Dick Cheney. The American public has a dumbed down component and some of Obama's phraseology probably goes in one ear and out another without much comprehension in play. Clinton debates well but is a divisive figure. I am hoping against hope that Al Gore will consent to run for his party and the nation's sake.

[Gordon]

Less than 2% or so of the voting population make their voting decision based on "debates."

[recruitgal]

Hey, I'll still take that 2%. That's a lot of votes.... :o)

[JJK]

For Obama to win, he has to pick a vp who fills in a gap in his resume (foreign polic/national security) or who brings a state. Biden, Clark and Kaine all do one or the other. If he had to rely on his vp to communicate his message better than he does/can then he would be in deep trouble indeed (which he is not).

[ceti]

Dems are in bad shape if these are the top pics. They are all, including Obama, center-right and right wing politicians.

This country deserves better, and more thorough solutions to rectify more than thirty years of right-wing depredations. The framing of the issues by the right also continues a pace and Obama has fell into the trap ever since securing the nomination.

This whole PUMA thing itself is a Trojan Horse to destroy the Democratic Party from within, and for no sound ideological reasoning except politics at their most personal and base. However, the Democratic leadership, DLC or non-DLC, have also thrown the American voters under the bus who trusted them to pull out of Iraq, reverse Bush's disastrous policies, and restore constitutional rule in Washington. But, since they all get paid by the same corporate and foreign interests who have thoroughly corrupted the political system, it has always been hard to expect anything more.