There has been a ton of talk about who Obama is going to choose as his running mate and when that decision will be announced. What I'm thinking about is whether a completely different tact should be in place for this campaign.
One simple fact is this: A large swath of voters will be satisfied and a large swath of voters will be dissatisfied regardless of who the Veep selection is.
A way around this is to do a minor tweak on the process which would have major ramifications: Instead of announcing just the VP, why not announce a portion of the potential Cabinet?
I'll rattle off a few of the positives and negatives, and I'm sure you will have some of your own.
- Brings more potential relevant figures into the fold.
Many of us (including myself) want Joe Biden as the Vice-President. How could Obama take the sting out of that? By introducing him as Obama's prospective Secretary of State.
John Edwards? Either Attorney General or Poverty Czar.
Chuck Hagel could be a potential Secretary of Defense.
This could also solve the Hillary Clinton question if Obama et al have a role in mind for her.
Other possibilities include Bill Richardson, Sam Nunn, and maybe even Bloomberg if he was interested (which would be a coup).
- The timing
I can picture the ad right now:
[Barack Obama narration]: I know you are following our USA Olympics team on their quest for the gold in Beijing right now. But it's time for another "Dream Team" in the United States.
[Images of the other individuals saying their name and their prospective role]
[More Obama narration]: While we root for American teams halfway around the world, we're the new team in town working to make America's present and future brighter.
[Pans out to the whole group standing together with some caption like "Change the Experience" or something Hope-related]
Of course, my vision is incredibly hokey, but it seems easy to think of your own way of making it effective.
- The problem: Presumptiveness
The MSM is making a big to do about Obama's "presumptiveness" right now, but I feel that meme will be largely lost on the sheer scope of the announcement, especially if done in the context of the Olympics and the ad buy. That said, it is a valid concern.
Thoughts/comments/hate greatly appreciated.