DeclinetoState
05-18-2008, 08:33 PM
Commentary by Albert R. Hunt
May 19 (Bloomberg) -- Over the past 50 years, 17 men and one woman have been chosen by the major parties to run for the vice presidency of the U.S. Only one -- Lyndon Johnson in 1960 -- demonstrably affected the outcome of the presidential race.
This is worth remembering as the nation enters the quadrennial feeding frenzy over completing the tickets. It's a big decision for Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama and will send important signals; it probably won't make much difference on Nov. 4.
``People vote for president, not vice president,'' says Stu Spencer, who directed the campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and Ronald Reagan in 1980.
...
`Masochistic' Choice
Worse for Obama would be if he asked and she said yes. ``It would be masochistic for him to bring Billary to the White House,'' says Harry McPherson, who was counsel to President Johnson and is one of Washington's wisemen. ``It's like Macbeth or maybe a second-rate Elizabethan horror drama.''
Just picture the stage on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Aug. 28: Barack, Michelle, Hillary... and Bill. Sorry.
Bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a8aZdQtitYJo)
Picking Hillary for No. 2 on the ticket would be masochistic for Obama, but not for the reasons Hunt insinuates: She would be looking for any means possible to get him out of the way once he was elected.
However, if Obama gets the Democrat(ic) nomination, don't be surprised if Senator Clinton tries to worm her way onto the Republican ticket.
http://newt.org/Portals/0/UltraPhotoGallery/706/mccain-clinton.jpg
May 19 (Bloomberg) -- Over the past 50 years, 17 men and one woman have been chosen by the major parties to run for the vice presidency of the U.S. Only one -- Lyndon Johnson in 1960 -- demonstrably affected the outcome of the presidential race.
This is worth remembering as the nation enters the quadrennial feeding frenzy over completing the tickets. It's a big decision for Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama and will send important signals; it probably won't make much difference on Nov. 4.
``People vote for president, not vice president,'' says Stu Spencer, who directed the campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and Ronald Reagan in 1980.
...
`Masochistic' Choice
Worse for Obama would be if he asked and she said yes. ``It would be masochistic for him to bring Billary to the White House,'' says Harry McPherson, who was counsel to President Johnson and is one of Washington's wisemen. ``It's like Macbeth or maybe a second-rate Elizabethan horror drama.''
Just picture the stage on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Aug. 28: Barack, Michelle, Hillary... and Bill. Sorry.
Bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a8aZdQtitYJo)
Picking Hillary for No. 2 on the ticket would be masochistic for Obama, but not for the reasons Hunt insinuates: She would be looking for any means possible to get him out of the way once he was elected.
However, if Obama gets the Democrat(ic) nomination, don't be surprised if Senator Clinton tries to worm her way onto the Republican ticket.
http://newt.org/Portals/0/UltraPhotoGallery/706/mccain-clinton.jpg