I Have a Dream about the "Dream Ticket"
Posted: March 5th, 2008, 8:33 pm
I'm not one of the myriad members of the press that believes that continuing the race between Clinton and Obama until the last vote is counted is a bad thing for either the candidates or the party. Frankly, it keeps the Democratic candidates on the front page, which will become harder and harder for John McCain to do now that he has no Republican opponent with whom to joust. Yes, some resources that could be used in the fall will be exhausted, but I think the overwhelming Democratic turnout in the primaries signals that the Republicans' are in trouble in the fall and that this support will continue politically and financially once the nominee, whether Hillary or Barack, has been chosen.
I think that frankly it's a huge mistake if the party does not hold new elections in Michigan and Florida between now and the convention - the Democratic party does not and can never stand for disenfranchising voters. Including those delegates might put one candidate over the top, but given the way the party assigns delegates in close elections, probably not.
Maybe it will come down to Super-Delegates, and if that's true maybe Ted Kennedy will have to switch back to supporting Hillary since that's the way his constituents voted. If Obama's camp wants to seriously argue that the Super-Delegates should follow the popular vote, then they should reject support from Super-Delegates whose constituents voted for his opponent. The reality is that the Super-Delegates should vote for whoever will do the best job in office. Maybe they should consider who has the best chance of winning in the fall, and maybe they should consider who will do the best job of turning the party's platform into legislative and political reality. Maybe that's a push.
I do think that whatever direction this goes, the party's leaders and both candidates need to meet behind the scenes now and jointly plan their attack against McCain and the Republicans, and begin to implement it. It shouldn't be hard to figure out some unified points that should be leveled at McCain during the upcoming campaign.
Democrats have been calling for a "dream ticket." The idea has even been raised in the debates with both candidates essentially saying that the real question would be who would be on the top of the ticket. The national polls show that both of them would beat McCain in the fall, although they currently show that Obama might do so more handily. Hillary has a strong argument that she has won the swing states and the states that Democrats' must win in the fall. Obama is currently slightly ahead in the delegate count, but has not carried big states.
One argument I hear frequently is that Obama has energized and brought independent and young new voters into the party. He appears to have a better chance of taking more independent voters from McCain than Ms. Clinton. I'm concerned that some of these new voters will not turn out to support Clinton in the fall, and will see her nomination as more "politics as usual."
Even though I think she would be able to better deliver on her promises sooner because they already have an experienced team in place and ready to go on day one, I love the fact that the electorate is truly invigorated by Obama's vision. Having these new party members on-board is not only significant in this election, but also in future elections, and it may be that party leaders should consider that such new party members might keep the Democrats in power for 8 years, or 12 years, or even 16 years, if not longer. It might be the beginning of a death knell for the Republicans' divisive ideology. It might begin a new era that focuses on making the future a better place for our children and our society as a whole.
So I had this thought this afternoon, which even as a Hillary supporter, I think may be acceptable to both candidates, and grants the party and it's members with their wish:
Hillary Clinton has the unique opportunity, a truly historical opportunity, to be the one and only, the sole, person, who can practically guarantee that a black man will be elected President by offering to end her campaign if Obama will select her as his Vice-Presidential running mate. The Clintons' have always been seen as champions of civil rights and strong advocates for the black and hispanic communities. This would make them civil rights icons perhaps approaching the status of Martin Luther King, Jr., when in the future history books are written describing this period of American politics.
Obama would be a fool not to accept her historical offer. It also would virtually eliminate attacks on his experience as the Clintons' would be able to provide him with all the education, staff, experience, and insight that he would need to do an effective job, actually deliver change, to avoid foreign policy blunders and restore America's credibility in the world.
She would instantly become a hero, forever. It would instantly unify and invigorate the party. It would virtually assure a huge win for the Democrats in the fall and likely for many years. It might also give her a very real opportunity to become President after 8 years in office and eliminate much of the criticism among independents that currently hamper her hopes. As a woman, I am crying as I write this, because I do want to see a real end to the ultimate glass ceiling, but as a civil rights attorney and advocate, it would make me extremely proud of Ms. Clinton and our country to forever signal to the world that, as our Constitution proudly proclaims, ... "all persons are created equal."
Hillary has the unique historical opportunity to end discrimination.
I have a dream.
I think that frankly it's a huge mistake if the party does not hold new elections in Michigan and Florida between now and the convention - the Democratic party does not and can never stand for disenfranchising voters. Including those delegates might put one candidate over the top, but given the way the party assigns delegates in close elections, probably not.
Maybe it will come down to Super-Delegates, and if that's true maybe Ted Kennedy will have to switch back to supporting Hillary since that's the way his constituents voted. If Obama's camp wants to seriously argue that the Super-Delegates should follow the popular vote, then they should reject support from Super-Delegates whose constituents voted for his opponent. The reality is that the Super-Delegates should vote for whoever will do the best job in office. Maybe they should consider who has the best chance of winning in the fall, and maybe they should consider who will do the best job of turning the party's platform into legislative and political reality. Maybe that's a push.
I do think that whatever direction this goes, the party's leaders and both candidates need to meet behind the scenes now and jointly plan their attack against McCain and the Republicans, and begin to implement it. It shouldn't be hard to figure out some unified points that should be leveled at McCain during the upcoming campaign.
Democrats have been calling for a "dream ticket." The idea has even been raised in the debates with both candidates essentially saying that the real question would be who would be on the top of the ticket. The national polls show that both of them would beat McCain in the fall, although they currently show that Obama might do so more handily. Hillary has a strong argument that she has won the swing states and the states that Democrats' must win in the fall. Obama is currently slightly ahead in the delegate count, but has not carried big states.
One argument I hear frequently is that Obama has energized and brought independent and young new voters into the party. He appears to have a better chance of taking more independent voters from McCain than Ms. Clinton. I'm concerned that some of these new voters will not turn out to support Clinton in the fall, and will see her nomination as more "politics as usual."
Even though I think she would be able to better deliver on her promises sooner because they already have an experienced team in place and ready to go on day one, I love the fact that the electorate is truly invigorated by Obama's vision. Having these new party members on-board is not only significant in this election, but also in future elections, and it may be that party leaders should consider that such new party members might keep the Democrats in power for 8 years, or 12 years, or even 16 years, if not longer. It might be the beginning of a death knell for the Republicans' divisive ideology. It might begin a new era that focuses on making the future a better place for our children and our society as a whole.
So I had this thought this afternoon, which even as a Hillary supporter, I think may be acceptable to both candidates, and grants the party and it's members with their wish:
Hillary Clinton has the unique opportunity, a truly historical opportunity, to be the one and only, the sole, person, who can practically guarantee that a black man will be elected President by offering to end her campaign if Obama will select her as his Vice-Presidential running mate. The Clintons' have always been seen as champions of civil rights and strong advocates for the black and hispanic communities. This would make them civil rights icons perhaps approaching the status of Martin Luther King, Jr., when in the future history books are written describing this period of American politics.
Obama would be a fool not to accept her historical offer. It also would virtually eliminate attacks on his experience as the Clintons' would be able to provide him with all the education, staff, experience, and insight that he would need to do an effective job, actually deliver change, to avoid foreign policy blunders and restore America's credibility in the world.
She would instantly become a hero, forever. It would instantly unify and invigorate the party. It would virtually assure a huge win for the Democrats in the fall and likely for many years. It might also give her a very real opportunity to become President after 8 years in office and eliminate much of the criticism among independents that currently hamper her hopes. As a woman, I am crying as I write this, because I do want to see a real end to the ultimate glass ceiling, but as a civil rights attorney and advocate, it would make me extremely proud of Ms. Clinton and our country to forever signal to the world that, as our Constitution proudly proclaims, ... "all persons are created equal."
Hillary has the unique historical opportunity to end discrimination.
I have a dream.