No ideal running mate for Obama
Friday 06 June 2008
Barack Obama’s perfect running mate would pull in blue collar workers, white women, Hispanics, AND look strong on national security.
No ideal running mate for Obama
By Armen GeorgianFriday 06 June 2008
Barack Obama’s perfect running mate would pull in blue collar workers, white women, Hispanics, AND look strong on national security. Yet, if you discount Clinton – this blog has already outlined the numerous drawbacks of a “dream ticket” – there is nobody who comes close to combining all these attributes.
McCain’s obvious strength is national security. If you believe Obama must focus on countering that, then several men with a military record come to mind: retired four-star general Wesley Clark, Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel and Virginia Senator Jim Webb all served in Vietnam. (Hagel is a Republican but strongly opposed the Iraq war.)
But another school of thought says the economy remains the key to winning the White House. People are much more concerned about their mortgages and their jobs than about Iraq and Iran. That would be an argument for choosing a running mate from one of the swing states Clinton won, someone who could address worries over manufacturing and free trade. Why not Ed Rendell, the plain-speaking Governor of Pennsylvania? Or Ted Strickland, who governs another swing state, Ohio?
What do you think would be in Obama’s best interest, a military figure or someone who can help him in the big states?
