Hillary for Veep...a realistic scenario!

Forums: Politics, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Us Elections, 2012
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In a terrific op ed piece in today’s New York Times, columnist Bill Keller proposed a scenario that has Hillary Clinton replacing Joe Biden as Veep on the November Democratic ticket.

The article makes lots of sense…and is a great read!

Here, in Keller's words, is the scenario in a nutshell:

"THAT leaves the delicate question of ditching Joe Biden. He is not a dazzling campaigner, and — five years Hillary’s senior — he is not Obama’s successor. But he is a loyal and accomplished public servant who deserves to be treated with honor.

A political scientist I know proposes the following choreography: In the late winter or early spring, Hillary steps down as secretary of state to rest and write that book. The president assigns Biden — the former chairman of Senate Foreign Relations — to add State to his portfolio, making him the most powerful vice president in history. Come the party convention in September, Obama swallows his considerable pride and invites a refreshed Hillary to join the ticket. Biden keeps State. The musicians play “Happy Days Are Here Again” as if they really mean it."

Here is a link. Hope you take the time to read it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/keller-just-the-ticket.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

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@Frank Apisa,

Didn't read the whole Keller thing yet. I tend to agree with him so far, even though Hillary Clinton is even further right than Obama - to me. She makes me grit my teeth, as they say; on the other hand, others make me grit my teeth more, and I think Biden would be apt to be good as Sec of State.

Adds on edit - I don't know the numbers re the people who admire her and those who virulently despise her (I'm not one of those, just a teeth gritter).

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@Frank Apisa,

Joe Biden for State is interesting, but doesn't the position have something to do with diplomacy? You and The Times might want to ponder this.

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@Frank Apisa,

Interesting scenario.

Nay, fascinating scenario. It could be what Obama needs to achieve re-election.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Well, better than Bill Clinton wandering around the White House with too much time on his hands.

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@Frank Apisa,

I was "pffting" and "are you serious??"ing throughout that Op-Ed when I read it this morning. Very annoying.

Just take "swallows his considerable pride" as a starting point. How about what he's ALREADY done -- immediately after a hard-fought and bitter campaign, Obama invited Hillary into his cabinet.

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@sozobe,

Well now, he surely didn't want Hillary as an active opponent in the Senate.

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@sozobe,

Agreed. Might as well just ask Ron Paul to be his new Veep.

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Biden will be the VP candidate. The only person in the Obama administration who has any credibility at all with the Republican leadership is Biden. They won't talk with the WH and they'll only deal with JB. No way Hillary takes the position of Capital Hill liaison.

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Ossobuco thanks for stopping by. ALL politicians these days make me “grit my teeth”, but I also understand that their jobs have become almost undoable. We are a hard people to govern.

Roger…there was a time when I thought Biden was a take-no-prisoners kind of guy, but I truly think he has mellowed. I think he could do a good job as Secretary of State. And it is a decent way to let the guy down…which is a prime requisite of this exercise.

Lustig…the main reason I like the scenario is because it actually gives a way for Obama to win re-election. I have become convinced he is going to lose…no matter which of the clowns the Republicans finally select. But this scenario actually has given me some hope. I can tell you this: If a Republican gets the Oval Office, the people can forget about having the federal judiciary and SCOTUS protecting their interests. Judicial appointments are the major reason I want to see Obama re-elected.

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@JPB,

Great point, JPB.

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@Frank Apisa,

Absolutely, re the Supremes et al.

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@Frank Apisa,

Under normal circumstances, I would have dismissed this as just so much idle bloviating on the part of a political columnist (call it the "Krauthammer Irrational Wish Fulfillment Syndrome," if you will). But then I saw former labor secretary Robert Reich laying out the exact same scenario and now I'm not so sure. Granted, now that Reich is part of the vast yammering commentariat, he is not immune to the occasional bloviation himself, but I'm sure he still has connections to the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. This could be a trial balloon -- seeing how people react to the notion of HRC running as VP before making a decision. The fact that multiple commentators are picking up on the same story, however, suggests to me that there might be something going on behind the scenes.

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@Frank Apisa,

The major reason I want to see Obama re-elected is because every one of the GOP candidates scares the bejazus out of me. Romney perhaps a little less than the others. But I lived under a Romney administration in Massachusetts at the time he was governor and, believe me, I don't trust the son-of-a-bitch.

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I'm enjoying this thread, it's nice to read something informative without it being hijacked by the usual suspects. Long may this continue. I was under the impression that the VP doesn't actually do that much, other than cast the deciding vote in the Senate. Clinton seems to be doing a good high profile job at the moment, wouldn't VP be a backward step?

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

it's nice to read something informative without it being hijacked by the usual suspects

It's early days. Don't hold your breath.

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Sozobe…there are times when adjustments HAVE to be made. I truly think the liberal base is so eroded, it will take a major “adjustment” to re-energize them enough to stave off a Republican victory. The Republicans are going to throw so much money into this effort, it will pale an previous ones.

Questioner…Hillary was my first choice. I would love to see her in the second seat for four years…getting ready for 2016.

JPB…you may be right…but then I think the Oval Office transfers to the Republicans.

JoefromChicago, there does seem to be lots of noise coming from the Democratic establishment on this thing. I suspect you are right about it being a feeler. Good idea to see what the reaction is before moving too much in that direction. We’ll see. (Did a few drinks with Joe Nation just before Christmas…and he had some nice comments to make about you.)

Izzy…hope it stays on topic. Happens every once in a while.

Folks, I just do not want to see a Republican in the White House.

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@Frank Apisa,

Frank Apisa wrote:

JoefromChicago, there does seem to be lots of noise coming from the Democratic establishment on this thing. I suspect you are right about it being a feeler. Good idea to see what the reaction is before moving too much in that direction. We’ll see. (Did a few drinks with Joe Nation just before Christmas…and he had some nice comments to make about you.)

Us Joes have to stick together. Wink

For an alternate take on the Keller's column, see here.

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Frank, it's a wonderful idea. It's not going to happen.

Be of good cheer about the liberal base, Move-On just put a joke up about whether anyone wants a third party to emerge and hundreds of our friends yelled "Hell No, Don't Nader Us Again!"

Obama is going to win a second term.
Hillary will serve as Secretary of State until it's time for her to begin her campaign for the Presidency (mid-2014).

If the good people of this nation hold together, the GOP, at least in its present flawed incarnation, will have withered and blown away.

Print this out and tape it to the side of your refrigerator, I want to read it at the New Year's Party in 2013.

Joe(out loud)Nation

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@joefromchicago,

From joe's link...

Quote:

One: it does more to guarantee Obama’s re-election than anything else the Democrats can do. Two: it improves the chances that, come next January, he will not be a lame duck with a gridlocked Congress but a rejuvenated president with a mandate and a Congress that may be a little less forbidding. Three: it makes Hillary the party’s heir apparent in 2016. If she sits out politics for the next four years, other Democrats (yes, Governor Cuomo, we see your hand up) will fill the void.

One: What? Prove it, maybe? Two: Haha what, again? Congress will get ungridlocked if the president switches vice presidents? To a Clinton? Three: OK, but what if Obama/Clinton loses? And if Obama wins again wouldn’t any Democrat be at a disadvantage in 2016 due to historical trends anyway, making it a “safer” bet to not be his running mate, assuming she actually wants to be president still, which is not at all a given?

Precisely!

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Hillary for Veep...a realistic scenario!

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