While Webb may look good on paper, I think there are at least three strikes working against him at this point:
1) He's not exactly meek enough to fulfill the main job of a Veep, which is to do nothing that will detract from the president. Webb sounds like the kind of politician who enjoys making waves now and then. This is by far the biggest knock against him, as he might say something in the general election that hurts Obama enough to lose. Dems may be happy, but the election is far from a lock, and if Barack has any advisers worth a damn, they recognize this.
2) He worked for Reagan, and gladly. In the hyper-partisan atmosphere of a presidential run, this will be a factor. Many Dems might feel that after having endured eight years of W, a bit stronger of a corrective might be in order.
3) He gives no reason for an assassin to think twice about killing Obama. We've discussed this before, and I think it's possible Obama is very aware just how much risk he'll assume if he manages to win.
I still say Hillary is the lead choice, if she'll deign to accept the post.
Ex ignorantia ad sapientiam; e luce ad tenebras
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Re: Three Problems
Sun Apr 06, 2008 at 01:26:15 PM EST
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I didn't know Webb was a hothead, but that would be a major strike against him. Candidates always want a boring person for VP. Which is one of the reasons I don't see him selecting Hillary, because there would be nothing dull about inviting the Clinton Cabal into his camp.
Does his working in the Reagan administration really matter? I can't imagine any partisan Democrats not voting for Obama because of that, and it would help with the swing voters.
"He gives no reason for an assassin to think twice about killing Obama. We've discussed this before"
I've discussed it before too.
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Pluses, Minuses
Mon Apr 07, 2008 at 08:38:06 AM EST
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Hillary certainly wouldn't be a boring Veep, but the question would be whether she'd bring so much more to the race than the traditional model. It's rare that a candidate who's competitive in the primaries ends up being in this position (often because there's not much serious competition), so "star power" isn't usually available in the Veep-- hence the "keep them out of the limelight" attitude. But with Clinton, Obama could (could!) present the pairing as some kind of Democratic "best of both worlds" situation. And he'd also gain the assistance of Bill Clinton, arguably one of the best campaign managers/political advisers of this generation.
Obama likely wouldn't make the offer because it wouldn't be accepted, which would be a PR gaffe. If you're that close to actually becoming president, accepting second banana will be difficult, if not impossible-- think about Reagan and Ford in 1976. Ford might have been able to beat Carter with Reagan on board, but I can't imagine Ronnie would ever have accepted the offer, even for a chance to work from the inside to change policy. You don't become president because you think someone else- anyone else- can do the job better than you.
Would Webb help with swing voters? Well, Obama doesn't seem to have much trouble on that front, and after the last eight years, Dems are going to turn out in record numbers if they have a good chance at winning. The key at this point is not providing an opportunity for Republicans to drive down participation, and Webb might do that because he's got enough of a track record to contrast with the dewy-eyed hopefulness that Obama is trying to ride into the Oval Office. A Veep had better bring a lot to the dance (like Hillary) if they've got a long history; much more likely to me is a youngish governor with just a little experience, and not a lot of baggage. But that's just a guess.
Ex ignorantia ad sapientiam; e luce ad tenebras
