Just the other day (okay, a month and a half ago) I was having an off-the-record conversation with an extremely influential leader of the netroots community. How influential? Let me put it this way: Without him, there would be no Ned Lamont.
Given that triumph, we naturally wanted to know whom he thought Barack Obama should choose as vice president. I thought Bill Bradley would be a pretty good choice, and still do. Other people at our table believed that Obama needed to reach out to some Democratic elder statesmen or military man, both of which made sense to me. But my netroots friend looked at us like we were crazy. Obviously, there was only one man for the job. One electrifying figure who would capture the imagination of a generation of new voters, kick over the electoral map like a board game at an anger management retreat, and turn the 21st century on its ear, whatever that means. That man is:
Bill Richardson.
Now, I'm probably not the right person to assess Bill Richardson as a game changer, because I always get him mixed up with Sandy Berger. Also, I thought Netroots might be having us on. So I let it go.
(I've also heard that Bill Richardson is a scandal waiting to happen, since he's a sex machine with all the chicks. But, again, I might be thinking of Berger.)
Anyway, I've been asking around, and here's the general thinking on what Obama needs in a Vice President:
A Military Background
So Obama doesn't get totally marginalized when we start bombing Iran in October.
Conservative
To balance his wife, Angela Davis.
Southern
So he can compete for the hardworking racists of Hillary's Appalachia.
Hispanic
Because there's nothing wrong with pandering identity politics when nice people do it.
A Woman
See above -- "Hispanic"
Older than Time Itself
Because Barack Obama is only five years old.
Jim Webb gets you "military" and "conservative." And "loose cannon," if we want to go toe-to-toe with McCain for the crazy bully vote. But he's not old enough.
Sam Nunn? I guess he's old. And he is a creep. There's that. But why would he do it? He's already been President in his head.
Bill Richardson is Hispanic, and held many, many, many jobs in the Clinton administration, none of which immediately come to mind.
Wesley Clark? I like Wesley Clark, but he's attached to Hillary Clinton like visible panty lines.
Kathleen Sebelius? There's no such thing as Kathleen Sebelius. I checked.
I know it sounds hopeless, but it's not. Obama just needs a running mate who's old, Hispanic, southern, female and enjoys state-sponsored violence, especially war.
Two words:
Eva. Peron.
I know what you're going to say: Eva Peron can't be vice president -- she was born in Argentina. Relax. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. It won't be an issue.
And now you're going to say: "But Chris, isn't Eva Paron a waxy corpse, borne crazily from place to place by its fanatical followers?" Again, we'll be running against McCain.
--
Not only was Eva Peron a woman, but she was also a Broadway musical. That means Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd will have to fight over who gets to compare her to Hillary. Bonus!
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Eva Peron would insulate Obama from being soft on terror. It would be easy for that ticket to play the terror by associatio
the column and the posts
but go back to school,
where are we headed; what will probably happen; what is the worst that could happen???
you are all missing the obvious best pick
fortunatel
you know, all of the speculatin
and there is one issue where this candidate could be an achilles heel or a gift from god depending on whether he's strong enough to embrace the obvious
enough clues for now
(oh, it's not one of the Manning Brothers)
(see Kathy Geier's take on him: http://mat
As for Richardson
I think Obama should ask Gore. Who else could better help us address the global climate crisis and transition into an energy-ind
ROFLMAO!
The only reasonable argument I here against Hillary is that she's old-politi
In such a close primary, she's earned the offer. Give it to her.
Her negatives were abysmal before she made a caracture of herself - as the Tonya Harding/Fa
I can't even imagine what her negatives are now that she tossed the kitchen sink and everything else in the house - stooped lower than low, tried to cheat, refuses to admit defeat, has no shame or ethics whatsoever
Half the populace thinks she is seriously mentally ill, a megalomani
TOXIC.
She has earned nothing, but hopefully a swift kick out of the democratic party, for underminin
I could make a good case that Bill's mouth has cost Senator Clinton the nomination
Lili von Shtupp
Enough of the schtupping
In addition to experience -- executive (governor)
I've actually posted some of that informatio
There are so many names that would be good: Bill Richardson
Bring us one more state, VP. That's all that matters in picking the VP. And it's why Hillary makes no sense on the ticket.
Forget the symbolic VP candidate. Forget appeals to women or Hispanics in general. Select someone with the political machinery to deliver precious electoral votes that can put you over the top.
That points you in the direction of a Richardson (NM), Strickland (OH), Casey or Rendell (PA), Bayh (IN). Some were Clinton supporters