This morning's face-off between the McCain campaign's Carly Fiorina and the Obama campaign's Claire McCaskill on NBC's Meet the Press served up an historic television moment; it was the first time in the show's history, said moderator Tom Brokaw, that two women had appeared together on the show as the surrogates for opposing campaign.
Watching the two women argue on their candidates' behalf, it was hard not to wonder if we weren't seeing the glimmer of another historic moment to come. Will a woman be chosen to fill the veep slot on either ticket?
I have long suspected that if Obama doesn't choose a woman, McCain almost certainly will -- as long as he can find one sufficiently right-wing enough. In order to make a woman vice presidential pick work for him, McCain will need to find an agent of intolerance in heels. (Is Bay Buchanan ready to govern?)
Fiorina was pretty impressive in terms of poise and advocacy for her candidate, but she came off as unsympathetic to the travails of regular people trying to make ends meet by essentially making the argument last advanced by the prospective ambassador to Belarus that we're not really in a recession and people who say they're struggling are just whiners. While Fiorina didn't say that last part, she did seem to be arguing that things aren't as bad as they seem. She also made a tactical error when, confronted with a clip of McCain saying the economy would straighten itself out, she told Brokaw, "You can make a sound bite say anything you want." Brokaw was visibly caught off-guard by this assertion of dishonesty on his part, a reaction that played to his favor, not Fiorina's.
And she's just likely to pass muster with the religious right, whose databases of voters McCain will need to win. See, it's not just about appealing to that movement's masses; it's about winning the cooperation of its leaders. No cooperation, and there's little chance for a massive voter-mobilization effort from those quarters.
McCaskill's poise continues to impress me. She gave a flawless performance, countering every challenge with an appealing blend of facts and spin. There's plenty for a liberal like me not to like about McCaskill -- not least of which her FISA votes, which were more telecom-coddling than Obama's (and I'm none too pleased about his). But it's hard not to see a formidable candidate and teammate for Obama, one who would appeal to women who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries.
For the record, neither woman denied her interest in the office -- a refreshing change from the usual "happy where I am" chant of vice presidential hopefuls. And McCaskill all but said she was in the running. When asked by Brokaw if she was "being vetted," and whether she had been asked by the Obama campaign to fork over "documents" (presumably tax returns, etc.), McCaskill said the campaign had asked her not to talk about it.
For any presidential candidate, the vice-presidential pick is one of the most important decisions he or she will make. For Barack Obama in this historic year, it's critical. If he fails to pick a woman, and McCain does, McCain will likely win not only that contingent of disgruntled Hillary voters who are holding fast to their grudges, but may also win swing voters from the ranks of America's working women.
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Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=c A more interesting page is http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/mems.php or who's getting what.
We gotta get the money out of there. Until that happens its the US Congress owned and operated by big business.
McCain has the advantage of announcing his VP decision AFTER Obama. If Obama does not select Hillary (or some other well respected woman), count on McCain to pick either Kay Bailey Hutchinson (pro-choice helps with moderates) or Palin, the immensely popular governor of Alaska. Many of HRC's moderate and/or still disgruntled supporters would flock to such a ticket in a heartbeat.
Sen. McCaskill may be unqualified as a one-term senator, and Sen. Clinton may have qualifications beyond her two terms. But the notion that the supporters of a two-term senator would be insulted by the selection of a one-term senator is amazing. Like I said: ever ready to be offended.
(And no, I don't particularly support McCaskill for VP. But enough already.)
McCain, on the other hand has some interesting choices: Sarah Palin from Alaska, Hutchinson from Texas, Snowe from Maine or Jodi Rell from Connecticut or Linda Lingle from Hawaii.
McCain spent the Vietnam war as a POW, in a lost war (no shame), but in his mind he still believes he needs to redeem himself-- his mind-set is one of war, until he has his victory, no matter the costs.
Obama/McCaskill would indeed be a new beginning, a new mind-set, a victory for America.
Lastly, Brokaw is the lousiest interim solution for MTP, and I hope to God that the execs finally get around to putting Andrea Mitchell in that chair.
Carly Fiorina has no business being on Meet the Press. Who is she? A loser, incompetent ex-CEO who destroyed a company, disappeared for a while, contributed millions to be "bought" back into the inner circles of politics, since she is ex-communicated from the corporate world, all the while she spews lies for sensationalism. This woman does not have an altruistic bone in her body, has no political experience, accomplishments or particular insights, and yet she gets a seat at Russert's former table.
What a disgrace.
I agree that McCaskill makes a great surrogate and by all accounts gets along with Obama real well.
Obama needs to make an Al Gore-like choice who shores up his own strengths as a change agent. Only two people still being widely discussed do this: Tim Kaine and Claire McCaskill.
In the end, McCaskill seems the more inspired choice. She's been a tremendous surrogate for months, both enthusiastic and thoughtful. She's been to Obama what Ed Rendell was for Hillary: his most cheerful, persuasive and likeable salesman. Her weakness could also be sold as a strength: only two years in Washington. But, like Obama, she has an extensive state government resume (in fact, more extensive). She underscores change and seems ready for the national stage without overshadowing the top of the ticket. She seems effortlessly presidential in the same way it took Hillary months of campaigning to achieve. McCaskill's what Dianne Feinstein could have been back in 1984 when Mondale blew it and went for the harsher and much-less-presidential Geraldine Ferraro. Obama has a chance to right the historical balance.
Sorry.
I don't know how you can rate her as a 'great' senator...she followed Obama on FISA...nothing great about that...and that tired old argument about education..public/private/vouchers...I think both parties think it's the only issue women are capable of wrapping their tiny little minds around...for 35 years I've heard the same old blah blah blah about education...nothing changes, nothing improves...if public ed were a business, it would have been bankrupt by the late 50's...scrap the whole damn system and start over again...or just give me back my tax money and I'll figure it our for myself.
There's a lot more to her record, of course, but while Hillary has accomplished many great things, her actions as a Senator don't speak of the judgment and loyalty to the Constitution--and her duty to the American people--that we obviously need in a Second-in-Command after this administration.
Not only did she vote FOR FISA but she also voted AGAINST striking telecom immunity from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Bill. Maybe you agree with both of those votes but many on here do not.
which self respecting woman, republican or no, will actually choose to vote mccain PURELY because he has a woman as veep, and DESPITE all the damage he plans to do while in office?
really? a failed CEO, at that. purely because she has ...female parts. reeally?
i would like to think us women are much more sensible than that.
Face it some women have no problem cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
McCain, being a crusty white guy, may pick a youngish woman for his VP. I have recurring nightmares on him choosing Condi Rice just so the GOP can smear her opponants as both racist and sexist.