There are a lot of people talking about who the candidates are going to choose as their running mates. Obama is getting most of the ink right now, mainly because everyone assumes he is going to announce his pick, well, maybe before I finish this post, but in the next day or two either way. So, today i’m going to focus on him…McCain will come later.

I supported Hillary Clinton in the primary and I still think, that she would be the best person suited to win in November and be President…but that’s a post for another day. However, I think she  would be a solid addition to the ticket for two reasons. 1. She has a huge following and what better way to really unite two great camps and channel all the enthusiasm and energy than to put her on board. 2. Bill Clinton. Now, a lot has been said about him hurting is image in the primary, etc, etc. Well, I disagree. The man is still Bill Clinton. He is still loved (and hated) by so many. I still say he could run today and win a third term if the constitution allowed. Let’s not leave out that, all scandals aside, the man is one of the greatest presidents this country has seen. Even republicans will generally acknowledge he did a pretty damn good job in office these days.  Bottom line is, Obama NEEDS him on the trail for him and what better way to make him happy that put his wife on the ticket. BUT, why not pick her? One reason…she is NOT a white male. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have NO problem with a woman, african american, hispanic, etc. in the White House, BUT in the history of this country, we have never had anything but a white male in either spot. I think it will be hard to have both spots on the ticket taken up by something different and still win. Obama and his advisors are pretty damn smart people, they know this. So, in my opinion, Hillary’s out.

Ok, who does that leave? Well you have Biden, Bayh, Kaine, Sebelius, and a few others who in my opinion don’t have a real shot. Let’s break them down…

Biden – I’ll admit, I am actually a huge Biden fan so I would not be opposed to him being the pick, purely on the fact that I like him. I think his foreign policy credentials  are the best out there. He has the experience (which in my opinion, in and of itself is NOT a huge factor, because once they are elected, the President is calling the shots, not the veep) and he is a damn good attack dog, which you need in a running mate. He can deliver the harsher message that Obama does not need to be delivering. The downside, he will be perceived as another Northeast Liberal that has been in Washington too long and is out of touch with the people.  Biden is also known to stray off message at times…but he is a smart guy and that, when the time is right, I think he can control. 

Bayh – I think he is a pretty safe pick. He definitely has the experience that can balance Obama’s sort time in politics, but again, not the biggest factor I don’t think. You seldom see any controversy surrounding the guy. He is generally seen as a nice safe pick that can maybe bring a midwestern state into play. I don’t know too much about his record as governor, that could work to Obama’s favor if he kept the state in good shape financially. I would have to assume he did a decent job seeing as how the voters thought they should send him to Washington. The negatives…he really is just kinda bland. I guess the good thing is that he would not overshadow Obama, but can he go be the guy that takes the other side to task? I don’t know, maybe so.  All in all, a pretty safe pick, if he can bring a state to the table. 

Kaine – I think Tim Kaine has started to believe his own press a little too much. He may very well be the pick, I have no idea, but from what I’ve read of his actions the last few weeks, he may be going a little far. If he is the pick and he knows it, it makes me question how he will perform under pressure. Obama’s camp has seemingly wanted to keep all this under wraps and here you have a guy calling emergency meetings to talk about what happens should he step down. Maybe that meeting was necessary, but if he really is a guy worthy of being vice president, he would have been able to keep those type of meetings under wraps. This is an area where I think experience would have helped some…if you’ve been there (either as governor for a while or senator) you understand that you are on a different playing field and that play time is over, i’m not knocking Kaine, but i’m not sure he gets that yet. I started with his negatives, now lets look at his positives. He is a southern governor that potentially brings a new state into play. (I think VA is in play with or without him though.) He also reinforces Obama’s change message, something the two guys above do not. Kaine seems like a pretty good guy from what i’ve heard of him, but i’m not sure he is quite there yet, maybe in 4 years…if Obama does not win. 

Sebelius – I’m not going to go into much about her. From what i’ve seen of her, I think she would be a sold pick. Normally I would say she brings more women to the table, but choosing her over Hillary could backfire big time. I don’t really see her putting many other states in play…maybe Kansas, maybe. But at the end of the day, I put all this aside and go back to my white male argument from above…so I do not think she is the pick. 

Where does this leave Obama? In my opinion, probably with Biden or Bayh…but I worry they do not balance the ticket enough. Having said that, I think the odds are pretty good that he goes with one of them. 

Now for my own personal preference…

 

…I would not be surprised of Obama had seriously looked at Bredesen. I have ZERO inside knowledge on this, but I did read yesterday that Bredesen said he was not being considered…or something to that effect. In full disclosure, I did work for the Governor for the better part of four years, so I am biased toward him. Most people here, myself included, have generally dismissed him out of hand from the start. I think because we know him and know that he is a man that is not prone to be anyones number two. On the flip side of that coin, those of us that know him also know that he is a guy that like to solve problems. I think he has done a great job here in TN (look to the comments section for the people that do nothing but troll blogs looking to knock him down) and I think he would enjoy the challenges that being vice president could present. But, putting all of that aside, like Tim Kaine, he is a southern governor and like Kaine, he represents change in Washington. Unlike Tim Kaine, Bredesen has almost 6 years experience in the governor’s office under his belt. He came into office facing a huge budget problem left by the prior administration and has done a tremendous job getting and keeping the state on track. Again, I know there are people that will find reasons to knock all the good i’m saying here, but you will always have that. Remember, this is a guy that just got reelected two years ago by being the first person in the state’s history to win all 95 counties. The big question is can he be enough of a difference to bring Tennessee to the table for Obama? Well, that is probably a question that Obama and his team have asked themselves…and answered at this point. Like the other candidates mentioned above, Bredesen has his strengths and weaknesses and at the end of the day only Barack Obama can decide who “the guy” is that can help him win in November. As much as I know its probably not going to happen, I would like to see Bredesen on that stage in front of the old courthouse in Springfield on Saturday.

Who do I think it will be? My money is on a white male from somewhere east of the Mississippi River, aside from that, its anybody’s guess. 

If you want one more darkhorse candidate to ponder…what about Dick Gephardt?