Cross posted from Open Left
Speculating over prospective vice-presidential running mate choices is undoubtedly one of the baser forms of pundit wankery. Basically, it is the sort of discussion that just kills time rather than providing any actual insight or moving toward any actual goal. However, due to the importance the VP choice will have on the current and future direction of the election, next administration, and indeed the Democratic Party itself, it is still something I would like to talk about and, hopefully, influence in the two or three months before the decision is made.
As such, this afternoon I would like to continue the vice-presidential discussion simply by listening to you. In order to have any influence on this choice, it seems important to find out where the section of the political community I interact with on a regular basis currently stands in this discussion. So, over at DemoChoice, I have set up a Vice-Presidential straw poll that lists 15 potential running mates for Barack Obama. They are the 15 candidates for whom I have seen the most online support at Open Left and Daily Kos. The list does not include John Edwards, because he flatly said that he will not be the VP this time. Bloomberg is not included because he is not a Democrat. Also, Al Gore is not included just because he isn't. Over the last eighteen months, I have discovered that including Al Gore in online polls ruins those polls, doesn't make any sense, and also that arguing with Al Gore supporters over this is impossible.
The goal of this straw poll is simply to get an idea of who the most popular and acceptable choices are right now. Only rank the candidates you find acceptable. If, for whatever reason, you do not consider any of the fifteen to be an acceptable VP choice, then don't include those candidates in your preference rankings.
So, take the poll. This is mainly just an informative exercise, so I won't provide any pros or cons for any of the candidates. I want to see where you guys stand on this right now, and not skew the results in one direction or the other. Vote for your preferred choice for Obama's vice-presidential candidate.