Senator Claire McCaskill for Vice President

Over the last weeks, I have been scratching my head wondering who would be a great Vice President for our nominee, Barack Obama. My thoughts have drifted from Governor Sebelius to Senator Clinton to Senator Edwards. All of them bring great strength to the ticket in different ways but one person kept standing out in my mind. When she was running for election in 2006, I went to Missouri to campaign for Senator Claire McCaskill. She impressed the hell out of me and I fell in love with her mother Betty Anne who is a pistol!

Today, I watched "Meet the Press" where she represented Senator Obama and she blew me away with her political savvy, her grasp of the issues and her connection to those without resources to make it in this world. Then I realized that she has had deep budget experience as State Auditor, crime experience as the first woman Prosecutor in Jackson County (includes Kansas City) and she serves on the Armed Forces and Homeland Security committees in Congress. Pretty impressive resume for a person to be Vice President. In addition she is Roman Catholic and comes from a working class background.

I was going to excerpt her story but it is so powerful and so moving, I thought I would include the entire biography for you to read and decide for yourself. She is an amazing person. You decide if she should be in the running:

"Claire McCaskill is a 4th-generation Missourian who has spent her entire life in the Show-Me State. Born in Rolla and raised in Lebanon and Columbia, Claire has never forgotten her roots. Claire's first home was Houston, Missouri, where her father William worked at the McCaskill feed mill. Later, the family moved to Lebanon, hometown of Claire's mother, Betty Anne, where her mother's family ran the corner drugstore in town.

After another move, Claire attended Hickman High School in Columbia, while her father served as a state insurance commissioner and her mother became Columbia's first woman city council member. At Hickman High School, Claire graduated near the top of her class and was deeply involved in student activities, while also working in a fabric store since she sewed many of her own clothes.

The day after graduation, Claire left town for a job bussing tables at Lodge of the Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks. Waitressing for six years helped Claire work her way through college and law school at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Claire clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City and then got a job as an assistant prosecutor in Kansas City, where she was a felony trial prosecutor handling sex crimes, homicides, and specializing in arson cases. In 1982, McCaskill won a seat in the State Legislature. She juggled the responsibilities of both mother and legislator and was the first woman to ever give birth while she was an active member of the Missouri Legislature.

Claire broke new ground again in 1993 when she became the first female Jackson County Prosecutor, which included Kansas City. This was the largest prosecutor's office in the state and she began many new programs, including a domestic violence unit and one of the nation's first Drug Courts. She held this position until she was sworn in as Missouri Auditor in 1999.

As State Auditor, Claire has been credited for revolutionizing the office and making it into a true watchdog for taxpayers and citizens. In 2004, Claire took on her own party establishment and became the first person to ever defeat a sitting Missouri governor in a primary election.

In November of 2006, Claire became the first woman elected to the United States Senate from Missouri, vowing to bring Harry Truman's no-nonsense style of accountability back to Washington. It only seemed fitting that her place in the Senate chamber is a desk shared by none other than Senator Truman himself.

Claire sits on five Senate Committees, including Armed Services, Commerce, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Aging, and Indian Affairs. Additionally, Claire was named as one of the select Senators to sit on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, formerly known as the Truman Committee.

After a busy week in Washington, Claire returns home to St. Louis to a full house. After seven years as a single mom, Claire married Joseph Shepard, a St. Louis businessman, in April 2002. They each brought children to the marriage, which created a blended family of nine: Benjamin, 32, Carl, 30, Marilyn, 28, Michael, 25, Austin, 20, Maddie, 19 and Lily, 16. Claire's 79-year old mother Betty Anne lives with the family and continues to join her on trips around Missouri.

Claire is a member of St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church in St. Louis."

Impressed? I am.

www.davidmixner.com

Comments

[NPRLuvr]

You're "spot on" David!! I've said for some time now that Obama has no better surrogate than Claire. She's smart, tough, folksy, consistent and media savvy. She's also a very good debater who knows how to stay "on message". She's appeared with the best in the business (Russert, Blitzer, etc.) and has always represented herself and senator Obama with the utmost professionalism. Obama's VP pick will NEED to have all of these qualities. I don't buy the argument that the VP has to be foreign policy or military expert. Members of his cabinent can supply these qualities. Sound judgement and the courage of your convictions matter most to me. Claire has demonstrated these qualities and more. Selecting anyone else would simply be taking a "roll of the dice".

Obama/McCaskill '08!!

[ATL78]

Claire has impressed me since the start of the primaries. She has been the best surrogate for Obama, and Democrats overall, this year. She has an impressive background as well.

[MrsGreebers]

Another freshman senator, a woman who is not Hillary (who wuz robbed and needs it made up to her). Great idea.

[bobbym]

She impresses me too. She is a passionate supporter and seems very sharp. She would be easy to vote for. If not VP, maybe some other cabinet position.

[Yola]

I loved her for that spot from the very beginning but was told she is a Jr. Senator so that may not work. Also, with all the bitterness from HRC's supporters it may not be a good idea to put her on the ticket.

[Rockerbabe]

So what! Has she ever mounted a national campaign for a nationally elected office like the President of the United States? No. Does she have 18+ million votes to back up her contention that she would be a good VP? No. Has she ever fund-raised on the level of Hilary Clinton? No.
What does she stand for? What is her voting record? Just because she comes from Missouri doesn't mean she would be a good VP ( I lived, worked and went to school in St. Louis for 4 years and I worked my heart out at Barnes Hospital caring for the sick, injured, etc). Am I a good VP pick? No.
What programs and policies does she promote? What did she do to help Senator Clinton win the primary or did she feel that backing another member of the boys' club was the prudent course of action to take? I am not impressed; respectful, but not impressed.

[speranza]

From a European point of view I'm certainly more impressed with Senator McCaskill than with the other potential running mate and economic spokeswoman for McCain, Ms Fiorina. Having watched last weekends Meet The Press my impression was that Fiorina is uncharismatic, coldhearted and certainly a representative of big corporate America. I agree that for Mc Cain piking a woman as his runningmate would be a smart move and certainly appealing to some of the disappointed Hillary crowd. But I doubt it, that Fiorina would be able to fill the slot. She was fired at HP for not performing. She held no political office and is uncharismatic. On the other hand Claire McCaskill comes across as warmhaearted, smart, straighttalking and has a very likable personality. Please study her CV before being so judgemental on her. Very impressive also the personal setbacks which she had to put up with. Whether she would be the suitable VP for Obama I dont know. But she would be one of the better choices. But I dont think she's a frontrunner for the spot.

[JimWalsh]

Carly Fiorina continued to make false statements that factcheck.org and other websites have addressed.

I agree with speranza about researching Senator McCaskill before asking "What programs and policies does she promote."

Watch Claire in action during Senate Hearings, she is a tough interviewer:

Sen. McCaskill on Republican Obstruction of Ethics Reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwraJta9RNs

Senate Hearing on Product Safety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIDHVyR0uk4

Sen. Claire McCaskill at the Armed Services Hearing on Iraq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFlLdWbS2M

Sen. Claire McCaskill on Illegal Immigration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmgBdboL5Jc&feature=related

One of McCaskill's primary objectives is Government Accountability.
http://mccaskill.senate.gov/

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?tab=speeches&id=412243

The above site includes a summary, speeches, bills sponsored, and voting record.