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August 22, 2008
No VP News is Good News
Obama is about to announce his choice for VP, and with all the speculation, I find myself completely unenthusiastic about most, if not all, of his potential running mates. I listen to the Sunday talk shows ramble on about this, and I've come to realize that the VP is not there to make me happy. The VP is supposed to provide some balance on the ticket, and that likely means I won't be happy at all because I am already happy with Barack Obama as a candidate (in spite of the fact that I wanted Hillary Clinton to be the nominee).
Back in '04, I was NOT at all excited about John Kerry, but I liked Edwards (sex scandal aside). Edwards got me excited about voting for the democratic nominee. So, he provided balance to the ticket. I think Obama's nominee will do the same. Back in 2000, I wasn't wild about Al Gore either, although I've warmed up to him a bit since then. And, I was completely put off by his choice of Lieberman. Here, I think it was a bad move--a centrist choosing another centrist. Not enough balance there, even though Lieberman may had some influence. It's hard to say.
I'm not sure who I would get excited about: maybe Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, or Janet Napolitano. Unlikely choices, the pundits say. Although ot perfect choices by any means, each of these speaks to some part of me and my demographic. But, I am already planning to vote for Barack Obama.
I'm totally NOT excited about Joe Biden, Evan Bigh, or Sam Nunn (who may be a longshot at best, even though he is continued to be named). But someone like these will likely be the choice. Someone completely uninspiring to me, but someone who might persuade a centrist grandmother to vote for Obama after all. I suspect plenty of people are going to be a little surprised, even disappointed, with his choice. I'm probably not the only one who'd like the VP to be a shot in the arm, a burst of energy to give us all Obama mania all over again.
I don't think that's going to happen. I think Obama's hopes are on his supporters staying energized no matter who he picks. The VP choice will be all about giving potential naysayers the chance to feel a little Obama fever. I hope it works. Because I for one am not ready to start down the long road to yet another disappointment....
Posted by chri1010 at August 22, 2008 4:43 PM | Politics in the Cities