Former Governor Argues That Obama Should Drop Joe Biden And Make Hillary Clinton His 2012 Running Mate

Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black Governor and an Obama supporter, is out with an op-ed in Politico Monday that argues for a drastic shakeup of the current administration in order to prime the pump for a difficult 2012 presidential reelection campaign.

The first step, Wilder argues, is to replace gaffe-prone Joe Biden as Vice President with battle-tested Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

An idea that was heavily pushed in 2008, before then-candidate Obama selected Biden as his running mate, Wilder argues that the first 18 months of Biden's vice presidency have been unproductive and filled with "too many YouTube moments."

And, while "Biden has continued to undermine what little confidence the public may have had in him," Wilder contends that Secretary of State Clinton has only excelled.

"Clinton has been nothing but a team player who has earned good marks since being asked to serve as secretary of state. She has skillfully navigated the globe and been tough and commanding when the moment called for it (with Iran) and graceful and diplomatic when situations required (navigating complex relations with Russia, Pakistan and China)."

The restructuring of the 2012 ticket, Wilder writes, would revive Obama's prominent and popular campaign themes of "audacity" and "change," and could provide the President with serious reinforcement among working-class voters, a demographic that he has been losing ground with amid the financial crisis in the first year-and-a-half of his presidency.

Liz Peek over at Fox News proposed a similar scenario in June, writing that Hillary could provide some much needed "excitement among core Democrats" as Vice President. Furthermore, Peek says, if Obama were to get reelected with the help of Clinton, it would put her perfectly in line for a 2016 presidential run of her own.

Others have suggested that someone, and perhaps Clinton herself, might mount a primary challenge against Obama if his popularity continues to lag, though most have played this scenario off as incredibly remote, and ultimately unlikely to faze the President in his quest for reelection in 2012.

Comments

[lastjournaliststanding]

01:13 PM on 09/02/2010

Governor Wilder is correct.
The middle and working class are turning on the administration. Obama kept the banks from collapsing, but underestimated their greed. Geithner has been a disaster, in terms of not regulating the banks, but banks have not failed. Put in Elizabeth Warren and Geithner will be neutralized. But it won't be enough.
Unemployment figures soar and Biden is useless. Hillary Clinton on the ticket would rejuvenate that sense of change and possibility and set the women's vote on fire. And it would be real. The Clintons know how to work "small" -- enterprise zones in poor neighborhoods, helping small businessmen, tedious, unflashy things that are like moving grains of sand into a bucket. But they work for average americans. No one in this adminstration knows how to do that. They don't even KNOW anyone who NEEDS it.
The worst irony -- we have the first Black president, and the financial conditions of the Black poor and working class are WORSE. Hillary has much experience with this, and the Sec of State experience rounds her out.
Wilder is so right. Obama needs to be ruthless, or we end up with the Tea Partiers running things. Another train wreck. Listen to Wilder, Obama. He helped get you there for those who prayed and worked themselves to the bone to make it happen. Don't be a one-termer. You're too vulnerable to win unless you get unemployment down to 6%. That is unlikely. Dump Biden. Order Hillary on the 2012 ticket.

[silvio]

08:40 PM on 08/28/2010

Better yet why doesn't he just not run and the leave the field and open it for Hillary to be our next president

[SparkyDash]

04:00 PM on 08/04/2010

Better yet, Biden could easily do both roles with one hand tied behind his back: SoS and VP.

Oh wait, he already does both foreign policy and VP duties, and a heck of a lot more than any VP in our history. Most, as HRC wanted to do, wait in the background for a chance to run for president. Most VPs are not exactly known to be completely loyal to the president...which is why there are literally no president/vice presidents in our history who have had a great relationship. Not even close. Biden and Obama are different in many ways. They work together comfortably.

What Obama needs is wisely what he chose: an intelligent, experienced, talented and especially loyal Deuce in Biden. At the same time he got an affectionate man who honestly loves family, America, and is joyful in life.

Obama knew what he was doing and he chose well.

[PrincipiaChamp]

04:05 PM on 08/04/2010

x100!

Couldn't say it better myself F&F.

I prefer Biden's foreign policy, and especially his strategy for Afghanistan. Hillary and McChrystal wanted war and surge...not working too well.

[yamaniyama]

03:05 PM on 08/20/2010

I agree. If only more had the eyes to see.

[Binea]

09:19 AM on 08/04/2010

I don't think so..Hillary REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to be President,she'd be too close to it as VP. If something happened to Obama I'd rather have Biden, than Hillary for president.

[Gunfighter]

12:33 AM on 08/04/2010

Like what Doug WIlder thinks means anything.

[brt929]

05:29 PM on 08/03/2010

Interesting. Chris Mathews had Wilder on and asked him about this and his analysis was really good: just the suggestion that this is necessary for Obama to get re-elected makes him a lame duck president.

Wilder suggests that this sets the stage for Hillary's election in 2016. I've got news for him, I'm an example of a Democrat that would never vote for that DINO for president.

[Gunfighter]

12:33 AM on 08/04/2010

Ditto.

[Party-of-many]

09:37 AM on 08/08/2010

To which you are entitled to your opinion. However, there are others who see things differently and would gladly support her.

[EmiliaRomagna]

03:35 PM on 08/03/2010

Oh, my godfathers! An elderly ex-Governor of Virginia, who's now in his last term as mayor of the capitol city of that Commonwealth, a man who's an esteemed elder statesman of the Democratic party, but with absolutely no influence whatsoever makes an off-the-cuff (and totally irresponsible) remark and the immaturity brigade starts the wee-wee-wee-wee-wee-wee-weeing. Get a grip and learn to think critically for yourselves. People ought to be given a critical thinking test before they're even allowed to register to vote. That would only mean about 30% of the population of the US would actually vote, but perhaps that would be more responsible. Then the rest could just go around waving teabagging flags and throwing hissy fits on blogs until they grew up.

[mixpiklix]

03:31 PM on 08/03/2010

it would work and old joe would be in the history books, he is a fine man

[LorenzoMN]

03:12 PM on 08/03/2010

YES! Hillary for VP in 2012

[Sandra Stipp]

03:09 PM on 08/03/2010

That is what Pres. Obama should have done in the first place. They would have made a great team.

[EmiliaRomagna]

03:28 PM on 08/03/2010

Read Game Change. She was asked. She didn't want it.

[toocoldout]

06:22 PM on 08/03/2010

I think your mistaken. Why would she decline VP (first woman VP) and then take the less SoS job?

[Gunfighter]

12:34 AM on 08/04/2010

A great team that would have gone down to defeat.

[Wolfwoman]

01:26 PM on 08/03/2010

Hillary has more power now than if she were VP. Actually, Biden would be a competent Secretary of State.

[ponderingmuch]

02:41 PM on 08/03/2010

Agreed. Can't see it would be in any of their interests to switch roles.

[brt929]

05:33 PM on 08/03/2010

Wilder said on Hardball, the mutual interest in switching roles is to set Hillary up as the next president.

Biden wanted to be Secretary of State, he just didn't want to travel.

[method]

03:12 PM on 08/03/2010

That would be a great switch to consider.

[EmiliaRomagna]

03:29 PM on 08/03/2010

Well, why don't we all just do the President's thinking for him! How thoroughly patronising. The Left treats him as though he were not legitimate, and the Right treats him as though he were strictly Affirmative Action. Get OVER yourselves.

[Tackora]

01:18 PM on 08/03/2010

The flip side is that Beiden may just quit being VP under an inept President. It is hard to tell who has more reason to blame the other.

[CherokeeGirl]

01:22 PM on 08/03/2010

Biden's hands are clean, you are right, I'd rather have Hillary/Joe 2012

[method]

03:13 PM on 08/03/2010

Perhaps the two of you (CherokeeGirl and Tackora) should run for these two offices?

[grandtrunk road]

01:17 PM on 08/03/2010

An Obama/Clinton run adds glamor to the ticket, and that's about it. Biden may be the only liberal in the administration. Unlike Clinton, he opposed a troop surge in Afghanistan, and as it turns out, he was exactly right, and the administration knows it. Bid favors a counter-terrorism approach that is more like a police action to hunt down criminals. It doesn't required sending in troops to occupy a country. Hilary, on the other hand, favored sending more troops than Obama actually ended up sending. I've never thought H. had good foreign in policy judgment.

[kgb999]

01:30 PM on 08/03/2010

Agreed. Biden is about the only redeeming feature of Team Obama.

[treadway123]

01:49 PM on 08/03/2010

I actually love the fact that this president has Historically done more for our country in less than 2 years------an the History books will tell his story. those who are young enough will look back an shake their heads at the massive difference between Bush era an Obama era, an wonder why the color of his skin brought out so much hate, confussion an insanity accross America! In maybe 100 years from now when race won't matter(we hope) we will see how micheal steele was just a patsy for the Republican party! We will see how we let them condemn race, sex an organ an stomp the constitution! Maybe, a civil war will be the only thing that will clear the air now!

[notillegal2]

01:13 PM on 08/03/2010

I would love that circus.

[captspock]

01:00 PM on 08/03/2010

What we do not need is another DLC candidate for president.
Alan Grayson in 2016