Bring on the winning ticket

By Weekly Archive On May 27, 2008

With
another victory in Oregon, Barack Obama has now won the support of a
majority of the Democratic Party’s 3,253 pledged delegates and stands
within 100 votes of the 2,026 total delegates needed to secure the
nomination.

Could
Hillary Clinton still win? Technically, yes. But it would take one of
two events: either a complete meltdown by the Obama campaign
(unlikely); or a total repudiation of Obama by superdelegates (even
more unlikely, given his success in the primaries and caucuses).

The
time has come. As difficult as it may be, even loyal Clinton
supporters must recognize that, although officially it’s not over,
unofficially, it is. Barack Obama will be the 2008 presidential
nominee of the Democratic Party.

The
end of one road, and the beginning of another, comes with mixed
emotions for many Democrats, including this one. I voted for Clinton
in the California primary, and would do so again today. She has the
judgment and experience to be president, and she’s an exceptional
candidate. But she was not served well by her campaign advisors. And
she was crucified by the media, who decided early on that Obama was
their favorite and painted her every legitimate criticism of him as
racist, while refusing to acknowledge many criticisms of her as pure
sexist.

In
fact, I still think Clinton would be a stronger candidate against
John McCain in the general election. She’s right on all the issues.
She has demonstrated her appeal to the working-class voters Democrats
need in order to win swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Michigan. She would easily put into play formerly red states like
Florida, Indiana and New Mexico. And there’s no doubt she’s tough:
tough enough to take anything Republicans might throw at her, toss it
right back at them, and enjoy doing it.

At
the same time, I have no hesitation in getting 1,000 percent behind
Barack Obama. He’s a phenomenal candidate, with a trans-generational,
trans-racial, indeed trans-political appeal unlike any political
figure we’ve seen in our lifetime. Obama makes you believe again:
believe in the goodness and greatness of this country, believe in our
potential to come together and work together for the common good, and
believe in our ability to restore our image in the world.

Obama’s
got the nomination. The next question is: Whom does he choose as his
running mate?

And
the answer is obvious. After all, what are the criteria for choosing
a vice-presidential candidate? That person must be a plausible
president, for starters. But also someone who can help win the White
House by uniting the party and broadening its appeal in key swing
states.

Be
honest. There’s only one person who fits that bill: Sen. Hillary
Clinton.

True,
Obama carried more states in the primaries than she did. But Clinton
won more big states, more swing states, and more Democratic voters.
Both ran remarkable primary campaigns. It would be a mistake to let
either one walk away in the general. The key to victory lies in
combining their strengths — her female, senior, middle-class and
white blue collar voters with Obama’s male, higher-educated, and
African-American voters — into one unbeatable ticket.

And
besides, none of the other potential candidates for the number two
slot would bring to the ticket what Clinton could, and each has his
own shortcomings. Sam Nunn? Boring. John Edwards? Been there, done
that. Chuck Hagel? Good man, but put him in the Cabinet, not on the
ticket. Bill Richardson? No demonstrated electoral strength. Joe
Biden? Perfect Secretary of State. Jim Webb? Another freshman
senator; make him secretary of defense. Janet Napolitano? Janet who?

Ironically,
most vocal opposition to an Obama-Clinton ticket comes from
passionate supporters of both. But those people are the same reason
the so-called dream ticket makes so much sense. If the Democratic
Party could harness the passion of the Obama camp with the energy and
excitement of the Clinton camp, the team of the first
African-American and the first woman to lead the country would
electrify the nation.

Barack
Obama has a lot going for him: his own strengths as a candidate; an
endless fundraising ability; the burning desire of the American
people for change; and the combined impact of an unpopular war and a
failed economy. He has a great chance of becoming our next president.
All he has to do to seal the deal is to name Hillary Clinton as his
vice-presidential nominee.

Bill
Press is host of a nationally syndicated radio show and author of a
new book, "Trainwreck:
The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too Soon)."
You can hear "The Bill Press Show" at his Web site:
billpressshow.com. His email address is: bill@billpress.com.