Although I still Feel the Bern, I cannot disregard the likelihood that Secretary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, nevertheless. Far too possibly, someday soon, I must shift to her my support and fondest wishes for her eventual victory in November. So, any speculation about Hillary Clinton’s probable General Election campaign quickly catches my eye, like this bit, today, from the Washington Post, about her possible Vice Presidential choices. To be sure, this article is by Chris Cillizza, so any depth, breadth or insight found in his observations will be purely accidental. Anyway, he says:
While the race will go on — maybe even until June 7 when California closes out the process — it's worth taking a first cut at the men and women that Clinton will consider to be her vice presidential nominee. This is a conversation that has been going on behind the scenes — in Washington and elsewhere — for the better part of the last two years (and truthfully, longer).
With his usual facility of expression, Mr. Cillizza leaves it unclear whether his VP predictions are informed by a “conversation” taking place within the Clinton campaign, a “conversation” in the media or among the pundit class, a “conversation he overheard in the Washington Post Lunch Room, or a “conversation” among the voices in his own head. Whatever, he names five names, two Senators, two Cabinet members and a Governor as his picks for nominee Clinton’s VP, respectively, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, Juan Castro, Tom Perez and Tim Kaine.
But Mr. Cillizza’s conventional recital of the usual suspects falls way too inside the box for my taste. We should expand our view of who might carry the Vice Presidential standard in Hillary Clinton’s Fall campaign. It needs to be somebody who is good on the stump and in the attack dog roll. The VP pick must be someone indisputably qualified to serve a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Universal name recognition would be a plus. Someone the nation’s first woman President trusts completely would be best.
Obviously, Hillary Clinton needs to pick Bill Clinton as her Vice President. You say she can’t do that? Oh yes she can, brothers and sisters. Let’s look at the pertinent language of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which applies to such questions:
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
You’ll see that there is nothing here to interfere with anyone ever running for Vice President, no matter their previous service as President. Likewise, nothing in the Amendment interferes with the succession of a Vice President to the Presidency, otherwise than through election to the office. So a Vice President Bill Clinton could legally succeed a deceased, incapacitated or impeached Hillary Clinton, and the 22nd Amendment would have no effect other than to forbid him to later seek reelection.
A Vice President Bill Clinton would also be a virtually impregnable firewall protecting Hillary Clinton from impeachment by Republicans. Bill Clinton for Vice President is a no brainer.
Friday, Apr 22, 2016 · 9:19:10 PM +00:00
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LeftOfYou
Note also that the 12th Amendment speaks to eligibility to serve in the office of President and the 22nd Amendment speaks to an entirely different matter, the eligibility to be elected to the office. As someone who practiced election law for years, I can tell you that it isn’t unusual for election laws to make such distinctions. There are many ways under the Constitution that someone may become President, not just by election. Any such person would have to be qualified to serve, that is, of age, proper citizen, proper resident. The 12th Amendment requires these same qualifications for someone becoming Vice President. In addition, and separately, anyone wanting election as President must not violate the 22nd Amendment limits on prior Presidential service.