Choosing a Vice-President (Democrats)

Well, two of my favorite candidates for Vice-President have already taken their name out of running: Gov. Strickland of Ohio and Sen. Webb of Virginia.  With those two once potential veeps no longer potentials, I'm going to run down those who are considered to be in the top tier of choices as well as those who I think would bring the most to the ticket.

1) Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.  No, no, no...and again...no.  I don't know how to be any more clear than that.  Don't get me wrong, I like her.  She's been a great, bi-partisan governor who has helped raise the profile of Democrats in one of the reddest states in America.  With that being said, however, she is boring.  She's not exactly someone who could hold her own in a town-hall meeting or a rally.  She doesn't even come across that great when being interviewed on television.  And the truth is, what more does she bring to the ticket?  Even with Sebelius, Obama is not going to win Kansas.  And it's not exactly like she has appeal in any other states.

2) Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia.  I just don't see Tim as ready for the national spot light yet.  He appears messy on camera and I don't think we've seen enough of him to know if he could be a good campaigner.  Again, a good governor, but not right for Vice-President.

3) Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.  I used to be very high on Judas...I mean...Bill Richardson.  He has everything Obama lacks: executive experience, foreign policy credentials, popularity among Hispanics (although Obama has made great in roads), from a state in a swing region, the Southwest, etc.  But after the betrayal of Sen. Clinton and the bitter taste he left in the mouthes of all her supporters, Sen. Obama would not (or at least, should not) dare put Richardson on the ticket.  If you think Obama has a problem consolidating the support of Hillary's supporters and fundraisers now, just think what it would be like if Richardson was on the ticket.  

4) Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.  The Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Sam Nunn route is the wrong way to go for Obama.  Don't get me wrong, I like Joe Biden, but he adds nothing to the ticket.  Obama is going to win every state in the Northeast and Biden wouldn't help in any other region.  The main consideration for Biden, of course, is his foreign policy experience.  But Biden, along with Dodd and Nunn and all their foreign policy credentials, would be a boring choice.  Barack Obama is a rockstar.  He needs someone who doesn't drag down the ticket. In other words, I just can't picture Obama and Biden standing next to each other.  I can't picture Biden rallying up supporters.  I just don't see it.    

5) Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana.  Now here's one of my favorite choices.  Bayh fits the Vice-Presidential checklist to a "T". He has executive experience, he's from a critical swing state, he's a centrist who has proven to have huge appeal to Republicans and independent voters, he's a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Select Intelligence Committee and therefore has national security credentials, and plus, he has the look of a President, or in the case, Vice-President.  He's still very young (52) yet has extensive experience.  I like this guy a lot and if Obama doesn't pick my #6, he should take Bayh.  

6) Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.  Plain and simple: Hillary should be Vice-President.  She's earned it.  Hell, she received more votes in the primaries than Barack Obama.  Plus, she ensures party unity, which seems to be on a rocky roadat the moment (with polls still showing as much as 35% of Hillary supporters backing McCain or not voting at all).  More importantly however, Hillary has strong pull in swing states.  As Chris Matthews wisely pointed out a week ago, Barack Obama might want to expand the map, which is all well and good, but all he has to do to win the White House is hold Kerry's states and win Ohio. And, to continue what Matthews said, Obama can win Ohio today by picking Hillary as VP.  In addition to Ohio, Clinton also helps Obama expand his map by making states such as Arkansas and even Kentucky and Tennessee more competitive.  And if basically guaranteeing Obama the White House wasn't enough of a reason to pick Hillary as VP, she also brings her foreign policy experience and her ability to connect with working class "Reagan Democrats" in a way few politicians ever have.  

Election '08: My Senate Rankings

As the mundane and rather boring Presidential election rolls on, I find myself more and more intrigued with the Senate races coming up this fall.  Indeed, the Democrats will, at the very least, pick up 4 seats, bringing the number of Democrats in the Senate to 55 (54 if you don't count Lieberman).  The fact is, however, that 4 is again, the LEAST number of seats the Democrats will pick up.  Indeed, to tell you just how bad Republicans might have it this cycle, John Ensign, chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (RSCC), said he would consider it a "win" for Republicans if they can keep Democrats from reaching the magic number of 60.  And while, at the moment, the prospect of Democrats picking up 9-10 Senate seats from Republicans seems unlikely, it is not out of the question.  Here is my breakdown of the 10 seats, in competitive order, that Democrats have the best shot at winning:

1) Virginia.  This once red state is going blue in 2008.  Former Popular Democratic Governor Mark Warner is ahead of Republican Jim Gilmore by 25-30 points.  

2) New Mexico.  Tom Udall, in the latest batch of polling released, is ahead of Republican Steve Pearce by a whopping 28 points.  

3) New Hampshire.  Current Republican Senator John Sununu won't get re-elected.  I'd put money on that one.  Currently, former Governor Jeanne Shaheen holds a 14 point lead, up from 10 points last month, 7 the month before, and 4 the month before that.  As can be seen, Shaheen's momentum is still growing.  

4) Colorado.  This is another once red state that is going blue.  Mark Udall's lead over Republican Bob Schaffer has grown from a tie, to 3 points, to 7 points, and now to 10 points.  Again, just like in New Hampshire, momentum is on the Democratic side.

5) Alaska.  The longest serving Republican in the Senate, Ted Stevens, is locked in a tight contest with former Anchorage mayor, Mark Begich.  The two most recent polls show mixed results.  One has Begich up by 2 points, the other has Stevens up by 2.  But again, the momentum is on Begich's side.

6) Mississippi.  Just like in Alaska, one poll puts incumbent Republican Roger Wicker ahead by 1% while another poll puts former Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove ahead by 1.  

7) Kentucky.  Yup, thats right, Mitch McConnel is in trouble.  Survey USA puts McConnel up over Bruce Lunsford by only 4%, while a month old Rasmussen poll puts Lunsford up by 5.  No doubt, this is going to be a close one.  

8) Maine.  Moderate Republican Susan Collins might meet the same fate that the politically similar Lincoln Chaffee did last cycle.  She's popular within her state, but the "R" that is attached to her name will be her downfall.  Right now, Collins does have a significant 7 point lead, but it's important to note that that number is down from about 16 just over two months ago.  The momentum is definitely with Democratic Congressman Tom Allen.  

9) Oregon.  Another moderate Republican in Gordon Smith is in trouble in a heated battle against Jeff Merkley.  While Smith is ahead in the race, by about 9%, Merkley has just recently captured the Democratic nomination and has already cut Smith's lead in half from earlier this year.  

10) Tie: 

a. Minnesota: while earlier this year, Republican Norm Coleman's seat did appear more competitive, I am convinced that Democrat Al Franken can still win this thing.  Depending on which poll you look at, Coleman is ahead by only 3 (Rasmussen) or by 10 (Quinnipiac).  Either way, it's a long way until election day.

b. North Carolina: Liddy Dole faces a tough challenge in Democrat Kay Hagan (who happens to be my favorite Senate candidate this cycle).  Although Dole appears to have a double digit lead, Hagan proved to be very resourceful in a fairly competitive Democratic primary.  Dole has spend huge amounts of cash on TV ads trying to quell the momentum Hagan had after her primary win bump, which had her within 4 points of Dole.  And although that ad blitz has worked for the meanwhile, Hagan has yet to put up her own general election ads.  Once she has, I am convinced this will once again become a single digit race and with Dole's unimpressive approval numbers, it's not hard to see that this North Carolina seat could once again go blue.   

A few things of note: 

-Increased African American turnout due to Obama's candidacy in Mississippi and North Carolina could propel Musgrove and Hagan to the Senate.

-With Barack Obama planning to campaign in Alaska and John McCain not, the feeling is that Democrats could get a huge boost in Alaska just from the fact that a Presidential candidate decided to actually show up.  

-The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has a huge cash advantage over the RSCC.  The DSCC is having to play defense in only one state, Louisiana.  The RSCC is having to play defense in just about every state that it currently holds a seat.  It's not hard to see that Democratic Senate candidates are going to be able to easily compete with Republicans even if the candidates themselves aren't able to compete with their Republican opponent.  

Our Troops in Afghanistan Deserve Better

Our men and women in uniform are still paying the ultimate price in Afghanistan and Iraq because of the mistakes and incompetence of our leaders.

 

As reported by the Associated Press, the Pentagon just announced the tour of 2200 Marines in Afghanistan has been extended an additional 30 days after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.  The 24th MEU is involved in combat operations in the volatile south in Helmond Province. 

 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates had repeatedly said he did not intend to extend the Marines in Afghanistan.  In fact when he was asked about an extension in early May, Gates said he would "be loathe to do that."  The Pentagon Press Secretary said commanders on the ground asked for the extension.  Being extended in the time of war is nothing new to the troops.  It has happened in many of our past wars, but happened for different reasons.  The extensions of tours for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are a direct result of the incompetence of our Commander in Chief who committed our country to a war and occupation in Iraq over WMD that did not exist, an unnecessary war that depleted our ready troops and reserve levels and as a result short changed our troops in Afghanistan where the real war on terror is located.

 

Our men and women in uniform will continue to serve their country with the highest honor despite their hardships and this setback.  It is hard to comprehend how our leaders have learned nothing from their sacrifice.  After all, the war in Afghanistan has been going on for over six years.

The Evening News With ABC, CBS, and NBC

The thirty minute Evening News from the above networks is a welcome from the beat of the cable news networks who repeat the same worn out stories over and over.

 

Thirty minutes is just right and is filled with several different news stories which keep people up to date.  The people learn more on the evening news because it is not dominated by journalists who harp on their favorite subject like the cable news journalists. 

 

Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, and other shows are repeated at different times every day and is used to fill up air time and not to educate the people as to what is going on.  ABC, CBS, and NBC also have a Sunday show that views various topics and guests that prove more informative than cable news.

 

Cable news coverage concerning the Presidential campaign is laughable.  The Networks have already chosen sides and drawn the line and are trying to undermine the people's thinking.  I have always followed politics and the news but cable has been a turn off for me for some time.  I am now giving serious thought to give up my cable service since I hardly watch any more and go back to the basic service we had before cable came about.  I certainly can not justify subscribing to cable TV any longer. 

 

It is a pretty sad situation for America when two of its fundamental tenets, politics and the news media, can not be trusted.