 | Easing Relations Make Clinton-Obama the Clear Bet |
Last week’s debate was remarkable for what did not happen. Barack Obama did not strike out at Hillary Clinton in an attempt to take the lead. Obama’s campaign manager explained the absence of any attack from Obama against Clinton as evidence of “common purpose to our politics rather than divisiveness and … political point-scoring.”
Oh, there was point scoring going on all right, just not the sort you’d expect from a candidate who is trying to take the lead.
I’ve got a little bug in my ear, and it’s telling me that the Democrats are already organizing for the general campaign for the presidential election in 2008, and that Barack Obama is now aiming to become the Vice Presidential nominee with a Hillary Clinton for President campaign.
The match makes sense, because they balance out each other’s weaknesses. She voted for the war in Iraq. He stood against it. He’s regarded as too inexperienced. She’s got experience. Hillary Clinton represents the past. Barack Obama represents the future. They’re practically a Reese’s peanut butter cup, they fit so well together.
Hillary Clinton is getting an awful lot of powerful support, and is doing very well in state polls. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is running a very solid second to Hillary Clinton, and in some places, like Iowa, is even ahead of her. Barack Obama has also gathered an awful lot of financial contributions.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign would be foolhardy to ignore the strength of the Obama campaign. Given the absence of recent rancor between the two campaigns, it seems clear to me that both campaigns, if they haven’t come to an arrangement yet, have an unspoken understanding.
I feel very confident in saying that, in 2008, the Democratic ticket will be Clinton/Obama. Of course, a lot can happen between now and the few short months before the primaries begin. That’s why we’ve opened up a Running Mates shop, where people can select their own Democratic ticket for 2008.
Here on Irregular Times, however, I’ve started setting up a special page dedicated just to the Clinton-Obama in 2008 ticket. I’m that confident it’s going to happen.
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I wouldn’t bet against that ticket. There’s something else that I think will happen, though. There’s a fair number from the set of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters who are looking for Anybody But Another Republican in 2008, and who will coalesce around a Clinton-Obama ticket. But there are also a lot of people who vote or lean Democrat who don’t like to be told who to vote for, and the Clinton presidential ticket is pretty transparently being driven from within the DC Beltway outwards (in the way that Joseph Biden would love to be). So during the next three months, I predict that there will be a look for an alternative candidate and some gathering of support around that person. If Al Gore jumps into the race within the next week or two, it will be Al Gore. If he doesn’t (time’s a-ticking, Al), I don’t know who that will be. Kucinich? Edwards? I think Edwards really wants that slot, and he’s talking like an insurgent, but the problem is that in the last cycle he was on the establishment ticket, and in his Senate work had a history of playing it safe when he wasn’t absent.
Will people looking for an insurgent start looking outside the Democratic Party?
Comment by Jim — 10/1/2007 @ 11:49 am
I try to remember this about Gore: He’s the guy who picked Joseph Lieberman as a running mate.
I’m not saying that Hillary Clinton is my favorite choice for President. I’m just looking at the trends as they are.
I’d love to see Russ Feingold as Vice President, myself, with Patrick Leahy as President.
Comment by J. Clifford — 10/1/2007 @ 2:35 pm