With Barack Obama just about assured to win the Democratic Presidential nomination, attention is turning to whom he'll select as his running mate. Because he might sense a need to assuage the hurt feelings of women who enthusiastically backed Hillary Clinton, Obama may choose the NY Senator to join him on the ticket. Though at first glance choosing Clinton for the VP slot might seem to make sense, Obama and his team should not overlook persuasive reasons to spurn Clinton and select someone else.
As the primary season has dragged on, it has become evident a weakenss of Obama is his inability to connect with poorer white voters. His overwhelming losses in Kentucky and West Virginia have glaringly exposed this weakness. Thus, it isn't unreasonable to conclude Obama should pair up with Clinton in an attempt to mitigate his chief weakness. Yet, the presence of Clinton on the ticket in no way ensures he'll capture the white blue collar vote. This is primarily because most voters will choose between the two Presidential candidates on their merits not because of their Vice Presidential selection. While the media makes a big deal about the VP choice, it has traditionally not been much of a factor in the race unless the VP candidate has a history of being emotionally unstable or a scandal is uncovered. In other words, a VP selection won't account for winning usually, but a bad choice could derail a campaign.
The main problem with Obama picking his rival for the Vice Presidential slot is it undermines the very essence of his candidacy. Obama is the likely nominee today because he has convinced enough primary voters he is a new kind of politician who will seek to improve the toxic political environment in Washington. Because of how polarizing Clinton is, she'd be a liability if Obama really wants to bring this country together. Also, Obama has gotten far because he's seen as a fresh face that can make a fresh start. Putting Clinton on the ticket would damage this image Obama's campaign team has meticulously constructed during the primary season. If Obama wants to be seen primarily as an agent for change and a clear break from the past, then why pick Clinton who may get points for resiliency but can't alter the fact that she is inextricably linked to the past?
While Clinton has shown she is as tough as nails on the campaign trail, she is poorly positioned to help Obama overcome his lack of foreign policy experience. Though Clinton would strongly disagree, her years as First Lady shouldn't and won't be seen as vast foreign policy experience. It would be best for Obama to choose someone who is seen as a foreign policy maven, and if this premise is accepted then this would essentially disqualify Clinton.
And what about the need to salve the broken hearts of women who have enthusiastically backed Clinton during the primaries? There is no doubt Obama needs the votes of women to win. But, he has several months to win them over. And I don't see a majority of women flocking in droves to support McCain even if many are disappointed the female candidate fell short. The bigger concern is a large bloc of female voters don't trek to the polls at all. Though this is a valid concern after a hard-fought passionate primary season, the antipathy felt towards Bush and the GOP will probably trump any left over grudge women might still have in November because Clinton isn't on the ticket. The women vote should be there for Obama whether Clinton is his running mate or not.
The most compelling reason to resist putting Clinton on the ticket is what it would mean if Obama were to prevail. Hillary Clinton doesn't appear to be a person who is a good team player. With Bill Clinton by her side, there will be too many egos to manage. The media might love having as controversial a figure as Hillary Clinton in the VP role, but it will be a distraction for Obama that would have many minuses and few pluses. Even if an argument can be made that Clinton could help Obama win(though I don't buy it), Obama ought to consider how the cohesiveness of his administration might be negatively impacted by having Clinton as VP. Though the media touts the "dream ticket", Obama would probably rue the day he chose someone who is as nakedly ambitious as Hillary Clinton.
It has been a hard-fought primary. Hillary Clinton has received positive press for her tenacity as she has soldiered on against increasingly tall odds. Because she will almost certainly come up a little short in the nomination battle, there are those who'd argue she should be awarded the VP slot. I couldn't disagree more. There are enough drawbacks to the selection of Clinton as VP that Obama would be foolish to grant her a spot on the ticket. The "dream ticket" might be the preferred outcome for the media(and maybe the Clintons too), but it would likely be a nightmarish scenario for Barack Obama.