Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton may be down in the
count to Sen. Barack Obama,
but she’s not giving up yet.
Trailing the Illinois Senator
by about 100 delegates, it is
not out of the question that
Clinton could still rally for
the Democratic nomination.
With that in mind, it’s interesting
to explore her running
mate possibilities.
A vice presidential nominee
should have certain, “electability
factors.”
According to Larry Sabato,
director of the University of
Virginia Center for Politics,
there are several things that a
candidate should consider
when choosing a vice president.
First, a vice president nominee
should do no harm to the
ticket. A candidate doesn’t
want to pick a vice president
that has scandals swarming
around his or her every
move.
Second, the candidate
should be able to carry his or
her home state. It’s even better
if the presidential nominee
were unlikely to win the
state without choosing that
person as vice president.
Third, the vice president
should help unify the party
by being from faction than
the presidential nominee.
Finally, the vice president
should bring something to
the table that the candidate
lacks. If the presidential nominee
has little experience,
then they could choose a vice
president with a lot of experience.
Clinton has four very viable
contenders for the vice presidential
spot, all with distinctive
strengths.
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh has
been a Clinton supporter
since December 2006.
The son of former senator
Birch Bayh, he is in his second
term as a member of the senate
and is from Indiana, a traditionally
Republican state.
He is a moderate who in 1996
gave the keynote address at
the Democratic convention
nominating Bill Clinton.
Before becoming a twoterm
senator, Bayh was a
two-term governor of
Indiana. His ability to garner
votes in such a Republican
stronghold could bode well
for a Clinton-Bayh ticket.
The thought of being able to
grab Indiana’s 11 electoral
votes might be tempting
enough for Clinton to select
Bayh as her running mate.
However, Bayh isn’t without
weakness.
Indiana wouldn’t be a guarantee
for Clinton even with
Bayh on the ticket, and
beyond his electoral strength,
there isn’t much else there.
Another Clinton supporter
who could be a strong vice
presidential nominee is
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed
Rendell.
The former Philadelphia
mayor and chairman of the
Democratic National
Committee could easily lock
up PA’s 21 electoral votes for
Clinton. He has an easygoing
personality and strong
political savvy that could
make him a favorite of
blue-collar and white-collar
voters alike.
He endorsed Clinton in
January 2008 and has
been one of her
staunchest supporters
since.
However, he has previously
announced that his
2006 reelection campaign
would be the last of his
career. Whether or not he
changes this stance
remains to be seen. But
one would think that if
offered a chance at the second
most powerful seat in the
world, he would eat his
words and join Clinton for
the long haul.
Whilst it doesn’t look pretty
now, a Clinton/Obama ticket
would likely be the unifier
that could stomp out any
chance of McCain winning in
the fall.
Obama brings youth and
the ability to rally voters that
usually aren’t interested in
politics. He wouldn’t bring
any states into play, since he
hails from Democratic
Illinois, but he would bring
energy to the campaign that
Clinton hasn’t.
However, one major drawback
is that the two are at
each other’s throats every day
and likely will be for the next
four months. Could the two
really coexist even after ripping
each other to shreds all
summer?
Many may think that choosing
Obama would be the best
choice for Clinton, but it isn’t
necessarily the wisest.
McCain doesn’t hold much
strength above Clinton. He
doesn’t have much more
experience than her, nor does
he have even close to the economic
knowledge that she
does. However, a strength he
does have is his military
experience.
This could be neutralized
by choosing former NATO
Supreme Allied Commander
Europe Wesley Clark.
Clark commanded
Operation Allied Force in
Kosovo in the 90s, ending the
genocide in Kosovo that
eventually led to the nation’s
independence this year.
His strong military record,
combined with his endorsement
of Clinton in
September, makes him a
strong candidate for her vice
presidential spot. He could
potentially limit McCain’s
ability to preach of better
national security and military
credentials.
However, as evidenced by
his failure in the 2004 presidential
primary, Clark is a
weak campaigner with little
political experience. If
Clinton is willing to take the
risk on his campaigning and
go with him, she could reap
big rewards.
Clinton still has a long way
to go to garner the
Democratic nomination.
It would take a strong
showing in the upcoming primaries
and a gaffe or two by
Obama to make the super
delegates flock over to her.
If Clinton can pull it out,
she would have a strong
group of potential vice presidents.
Bayh, Obama, Rendell and
Clark all have more strengths
than weaknesses and could
easily deliver for Clinton if
called upon.
Her potential choices are
strong, but it could be too late
for her to come back and win
the nomination.
Only time will tell.