Barack Obama will probably win South Carolina, but it won’t give him enough momentum to defeat Hillary on Super Duper Tuesday.
Hillary can win the election no matter whom she picks as her running mate, but only a Clinton-Obama ticket could secure an overwhelming mandate of the people powerful enough to transform Washington and usher in a new era in American life. The time to start pushing hard for a Clinton-Obama ticket has come.
A Clinton-Obama presidency would give the United States a domestic policy that invests in human capital, protects the poor and the neglected, and encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. It would pursue a morally responsible foreign policy that would foster allies instead of resentments and deploy medicines instead of mercenaries while simultaneously keep the US military strong instead of overextending it.
I quote Ellen Goodman:
The common wisdom says that we need a balanced ticket. But these are both senators, one from New York and one from Illinois. Moreover, the Democratic Party already has racial and gender gaps. Want chasms?
But what if "there's no such thing as false hopes"? - thank you, Obama. What if "what we need is somebody who can deliver change"? - thank you, Clinton.
What if a new, improved idea of a balanced ticket goes beyond demography and geography? What if balance rests on different personal and political strengths? Link.
A Clinton-Obama ticket would afford Hillary a golden opportunity to realize all of the reforms that she has pursued throughout her adult life because it would likely carry in its wake the mother of all coattails by generating tremendous excitement that would spill over into the senatorial and congressional races too. It would also position Barack as her political heir and potential successor as President.
As Joseph Collins perspicaciously pointed out over a year ago, a Clinton-Obama ticket would bring together two powerful constituencies, help soften Hillary’s image, provide a stepping stone for Barack to the presidency, and harness two powerful intellects for the common good:
She understands the value of his fresh star power and he appreciates the vastness of her experience and political network. Together, they could represent the most formidable presidential ticket Americans have seen in decades. From a historic perspective, it would be unprecedented. The keys will be leveraging each other’s strengths, working together behind closed doors and not allowing the media to draw them into a bloody contest for the nomination. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have the opportunity to do great things with a historic partnership in difficult times. More importantly, they are both smart enough to make it happen. Link.
Collins’ point about a "bloody contest" is of course well taken, but I don’t believe that either of these candidates are thin-skinned enough to let the argy-bargy of the past couple of the weeks destroy any hopes for future cooperation, even for close cooperation. There is no other running mate that Hillary could choose who would generate anywhere near the enthusiasm that Barack would, and I find it hard to believe that he would reject the VP role if it were offered. Imagine the groans that will be heard around the world if Hillary announces Wesley Clark or Bill Richardson as her running mate. Oh the weeping! Oh the gnashing of teeth! Please don’t do it to us, Hillary!
Given the weakness of the Republican field, the mere announcement of a Clinton-Obama ticket would put the world on immediate notice that a new and renewed America is imminent. It would instantaneously proclaim that Iraq will soon be free to determine its own destiny, that Guantanamo Bay will be closed, that torture will be stopped, and that the United States of America will be reclaiming its soul and returning to its historical role of upholding the lamp of liberty before the nations.
Hillary and Barack have an awesome opportunity to create positive change the extent of which we cannot even begin to fathom. I hope they don’t let us down.