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.  

Chris Dodd: American Patriot

Senator Chris Dodd's threatened filibuster against proposed legislation supported and asked for by George Bush and the Republicans in Congress to shield telecommunication companies against prosecution for cooperating with NSA on wire taps without a warrant and make it retroactive was the American thing to do.  Senator Dodd, with his threatened filibuster, showed the Democrats how to handle Bush concerning his reckless behavior.  The Republicans do not have enough votes to break a filibuster and Democrats in Congress need to use that tactic more.

 

As an American, one would think the telecommunications companies would be against this legislation because it opens up their networks to spying on their customers.  They should be mobilizing their people and industry to tell Congress to stay out of the people's private communications.  They should be totally opposed to having government spy on their customers without proper cause and authorization from a proper court.

 

It is so un-American for a President to have such a secret agenda.  To give telecom companies immunity from prosecution amounts to a bribe by this administration.  The terrorists successfully attacked us on 9-11 because Mr. Bush's mind was on Iraq instead of the threat bin Laden posed. Bush, like all Americans, knew bin Laden wanted to strike the United States.

 

The Democrats in Congress may not have enough votes to pass all their legislation and override all of Bush's vetoes, but they do have other means to deal with this President.  The filibuster is one means.  The other is to forget about being called "unpatriotic" by Republicans and do the right thing for the American people, especially concerning Iraq.  If Democrats do the right thing, the American people will stand behind them.  Senator Dodd did the right thing when he left his campaign in Iowa to come back to the Senate and let his voice be heard.  I salute Senator Dodd for his actions.

Tim Russert: The Voice Of The Republican's

On "Meet the Press" on October 28, Tim Russert once again proved he is the voice for the Republican Party and George Bush concerning the war in Iraq.  Senator Chris Dodd was asked his position on the Iraq War several times and Russert then put statements on the screen that Dodd made in the past that represented only part of what he said.  Dodd had to point out on two occasions that Russert should go back to the statement he made in 2004 to get the full story.

 

It is typical of Russert to quote only part of people's statement and then try to use that to show a lack of consistency.  A few weeks ago on Meet the Press, presidential candidate John Edwards also had to correct Russert when he showed a partial statement concerning Mrs. Edwards.

 

Then Russert asked Senator Dodd, "Are we safer today...and if our men and women in uniform in Iraq have died in vain?"  The fact is we are not safer today.  We have lost almost 4000 troops in Iraq and over 2000 people in the tragic attack of 9-11.  Both events happened on Bush's watch.  Mr. Russert needs to understand our men and women in uniform are Americans so therefore America is less safe.  The Clinton administration went 7 years and 9 months without a foreign terror attack on U.S. soil.  George Bush's administration will never match that safety record for this great country.

 

Our men and women in uniform go where the President and Commander in Chief tells them to go. They do their duty, serve their country, and therefore never die in vain.  George Bush started a war and occupation in Iraq and committed our troops to an unnecessary war over WMD that did not exist.  The casualties that America has suffered are the result of his reckless behavior and incompetent decisions and not providing our troops with the proper equipment to protect themselves from the type of attacks the war has exposed them too.

 

Mr. Russert, like Bush, is careless when talking about this war and asking if our troops have died in vain. Russert should ask Mr. Bush why he did not possess the wisdom, character, or maturity to make sure his information was rock solid before starting a war and occupation over WMD that did not exist.  The best intelligence on the ground in Iraq before Bush started this war was the U.N. inspectors.  They said over and over again that Iraq was disarmed of those weapons but Bush tried to play god and disregarded their findings.

 

This is the same Russert who let Dick Cheney tell the american people on Meet the Press, prior to the war, that Iraq reconstituted its nuclear program and then never asked Cheney for proof.  And this is the same Russert who months after the war started had Cheney back on his show and Cheney said he was wrong about Iraq reconstituting its nuclear program.  This statement came after no WMD were found and many lives were lost and Russert let that statement slip by without pressing Cheney for some answers about his and Bush's incompetence.  I those those who watch Meet the Press will realize the lack of creditability on the real issues that really matter and I hope they themselves will look for the facts, because Tim Russert can not be trusted to give them. 

The Democratic Candidates' major flaws

There are currently eight democrats with the hope of winning the 2008 Presidential Election. All eight have some great upsides and major pluses, but they also have some key flaws. These key flaws are what divides democrat's on who their nominee should be; there is no "perfect" or ideal candidate.

1. Hillary Clinton- Hillary's major flaw is her image. A lot of people picture Clinton as a cold, stiff person. In other words her appeal and favorability is believed to be limited and democrats don't want to go into a general election with a losing candidate again.

2. Barack Obama- Obama's main issue that he will have to overcome is his experience..or lack there of. With having only spent two years in the U.S. Senate, Obama is still seen as a rookie. The fact that he has had numerous slips and mess-ups in the debates, further speculation as to whether or not Obama is ready to run a general election campaign and ultimately run this country.

3. John Edwards- Edwards has become the populist candidate. He has taken a sharp turn to the left and is appearing to be more and more liberal each day. This might have appeal to the far-left faction of the democratic party, but to moderate democrats and the American people, Edwards is seen as just a little to "out there".

4. Bill Richardson- Bill's huge issue is getting a point across. He has performed horribly in the debates and whenever he makes a speech, he fails to get his message out there. In this day and age, ability to deliver a speech is a key asset needed to reach out and appeal to people. Richardson's inability to reach out to an audience greatly hurts him as people don't get to see Richardson's views adequately expressed.

5. Joe Biden- Joe Biden is the angry candidate. When you see him in the debates, he always seems angry. While a little force in your voice can be a plus, Joe takes it a little to far. His passion comes off as anger, and instead of people listening to what Biden is actually saying, all people hear is enraged yelling.

6. Chris Dodd- Chris has the exact opposite problem that Biden has. Dodd comes off as too sub-dued. His passion for this country fails to come out in his speeches and his debate performances are forgettable.

7. Dennis Kucinich- Dennis has very little appeal to main-stream democrats. He is by far the most far-left candidate in the race. He is the democrat who would do the worst in a general election, as his message just doesn't resinate with the majority of the American people.

8. Mike Gravel- The question for this guy is, "where were you the last 30 years?" In fact my favorite interview of this campaign came when Chris Matthews asked Gravel that exact same question and Gravel responded, "under a rock!" (get it, gravel..rock) Another major issue for Gravel is his over all wackiness. Its not something you can pin-point, the man just comes off as crazy.

There you have it, what I think are the flaws of the democratic candidates. None are the perfect candidate, but then again there has never been a perfect candidate, but I feel confident that one of those people in that list will be our next president.

Be sure to check out my blog on the flaws of the GOP candidates as well.