Today, as many of you probably know, Rep. Dennis Kucinich sponsored a resolution to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. In short, the measure failed.
But the question is: Is it impeachment time? In my opinion, no. Now I must be honest, when I first heard about this resolution, I had a big smile on my face. There is probably nothing I would love more than Bush and Cheney being removed from office. I have no doubt that the administration lied in the lead-up to war with Iraq and I also am convinced of criminality within this administration. But at the same time, I don't feel that impeachment is needed at this time.
The fact of the matter is that impeachment proceedings would probably last over a year. By that time, Cheney and Bush would already be out of office. Secondly, I think Congress needs to focus on important matters. I would have supported impeachment if we were having this debate a few years ago, but it's to close to the 2008 election. I don't want the American public to lose focus on the 2008 Election or the important issues that will be determined by it. But thanks for standing up anyway Dennis, and I say that sincerely.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
My Choices for Vice-President if Hillary is the Nominee
I know that I might be thinking just a little to far ahead, but the question still plagues me: If Sen. Clinton is the nominee, who will she choose to run as her Vice President. Here are a few of my thoughts:
My number one choice would be Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Rendell first caught the nation's eye when he was elected mayor of Philadelphia in the early 90s. His record as mayor rivals that of any mayor I've ever seen: he cut a $250 million deficit; balanced Philadelphia's budget and oversaw five consecutive years of budget surpluses; he reduced business and wage taxes for four consecutive years; he implemented new revenue-generating initiatives, and dramatically improved services to Philadelphia neighborhoods. The New York Times called Rendell's record as mayor "the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history." Rendell was in fact nicknamed "America's mayor" until Rudy stole (and I emphasize stole) that title. Rendell's record as governor is just as impressive. I could see Rendell adding a lot to a Hillary ticket. For one thing, he is the kind of husky, all-American type guy that could balance out Hillary's huge appeal to women. In short, Rendell is "a man's man". He would also definitely make sure that Pennsylvania, a very important swing-state, would go to the Democrats. The only thing about Rendell is that he said that he is "not really" interested in being a VP. Still, "not really" is far from a rule-out in politics, so I'll keep up my hope that Hillary picks Rendell as VP and hope that he accepts.
My second choice for a potential running mate for Hillary would be Virginia Senator Jim Webb. Just like Rendell, Webb is one of those "man's man". Again, I think he could bring in white male voters that Hillary, by herself, could not. Webb is also a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran and I can't help but think having some military experience on the Democrat ticket would be a huge plus. Webb also brings with him a tough stance on foreign policy that would help Hillary appear strong, especially knowing that the Republican nominee will be using their (false) fear tactics as much as possible. And finally, possibly most importantly, Webb would almost guarantee that Virginia would go to the Democrats. It is also to be noted that Webb and Clinton seem to have some type of friendship within the Senate; most recently Sen. Clinton co-sponsored Webb's bill that states that Bush has no authority to go to war with Iran.
My third choice would be Indiana Senator and former Governor, Evan Bayh. He would be a huge asset to Clinton in the midwest, where Republicans mostly dominate. He could potentially put Indiana, and its 11 electoral votes, into play for the Democrats as well as a few other moderate mid-Western states. A very important thing he would also bring to the ticket is executive experience. It appears that the two leading Republicans, Giuliani and Romney, will be looking to make an issue out of Clinton's supposed lack of executive experience. Although I think that Rudy and Romney are completely off in their argument, as Hillary was actually in the White House for 8 years (how much more experience than that do you need?), it would not hurt to be able to point to Bayh's executive experience.
So those are my top three choices for potential VPs if Hillary is nominated. What are your thoughts?---is there anyone I didn't mention that you think would add a lot to the ticket?
My number one choice would be Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Rendell first caught the nation's eye when he was elected mayor of Philadelphia in the early 90s. His record as mayor rivals that of any mayor I've ever seen: he cut a $250 million deficit; balanced Philadelphia's budget and oversaw five consecutive years of budget surpluses; he reduced business and wage taxes for four consecutive years; he implemented new revenue-generating initiatives, and dramatically improved services to Philadelphia neighborhoods. The New York Times called Rendell's record as mayor "the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history." Rendell was in fact nicknamed "America's mayor" until Rudy stole (and I emphasize stole) that title. Rendell's record as governor is just as impressive. I could see Rendell adding a lot to a Hillary ticket. For one thing, he is the kind of husky, all-American type guy that could balance out Hillary's huge appeal to women. In short, Rendell is "a man's man". He would also definitely make sure that Pennsylvania, a very important swing-state, would go to the Democrats. The only thing about Rendell is that he said that he is "not really" interested in being a VP. Still, "not really" is far from a rule-out in politics, so I'll keep up my hope that Hillary picks Rendell as VP and hope that he accepts.
My second choice for a potential running mate for Hillary would be Virginia Senator Jim Webb. Just like Rendell, Webb is one of those "man's man". Again, I think he could bring in white male voters that Hillary, by herself, could not. Webb is also a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran and I can't help but think having some military experience on the Democrat ticket would be a huge plus. Webb also brings with him a tough stance on foreign policy that would help Hillary appear strong, especially knowing that the Republican nominee will be using their (false) fear tactics as much as possible. And finally, possibly most importantly, Webb would almost guarantee that Virginia would go to the Democrats. It is also to be noted that Webb and Clinton seem to have some type of friendship within the Senate; most recently Sen. Clinton co-sponsored Webb's bill that states that Bush has no authority to go to war with Iran.
My third choice would be Indiana Senator and former Governor, Evan Bayh. He would be a huge asset to Clinton in the midwest, where Republicans mostly dominate. He could potentially put Indiana, and its 11 electoral votes, into play for the Democrats as well as a few other moderate mid-Western states. A very important thing he would also bring to the ticket is executive experience. It appears that the two leading Republicans, Giuliani and Romney, will be looking to make an issue out of Clinton's supposed lack of executive experience. Although I think that Rudy and Romney are completely off in their argument, as Hillary was actually in the White House for 8 years (how much more experience than that do you need?), it would not hurt to be able to point to Bayh's executive experience.
So those are my top three choices for potential VPs if Hillary is nominated. What are your thoughts?---is there anyone I didn't mention that you think would add a lot to the ticket?
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