Obama-Hillary Ticket? Why Hillary Clinton won’t be Obama’s VP Pick for Vice President

Feb 21, 2008:

Now that it looks like Obama will get the nomination, the next question is who will he choose for VP? And the first person to come to mind to rule in and out as Vice President is Hillary Clinton.  Here is why she will not be on the ticket as Obama’s running mate.

1. Hillary is too big for the role of VP. 
She was in the White House for 8 years, and has been expected to BE the Democratic nominee (and due to the unpopularity of the Republicans the last couple of years, she was expected to BE President). Because of this, as strange as it sounds, this relatively new senator from New York seems over qualified, or too large, to be Obama’s Vice President.  It would be seen as settling for less, settling for a role of following instead of leading.

2. Does Obama gain more than he loses with Hillary?
He gains some votes from women perhaps, but two liberal Northerners doesn’t add much variety, not to mention that Hillary has served to rally the Republican troops and would still do so even as VP.  To have an Obama/Hillary ticket would be adding a very heavy ball and chain to Obama’s fresh and anointed foot.  Not a good move for fresh change.

3. Obama has to go for a Vice President with solid foreign policy and international affairs experience. 
His ticket needs an experienced VP.  (This is what is troublesome about an Obama/Edwards ticket.  Sounds great at first, but this gives the Republicans even more grist for sounding their alarms.  He needs a solid, experienced VP who has an international resume. This is why an Obama Biden ticket may be the way to go.  But certainly, Hillary doesn’t fill this gap enough.

4. It just isn’t a good match for Obama.
He doesn’t want a VP that millions of Americans would love to be the first woman President ASAP, (and with time running out on that possibility).  He also doesn’t want to be upstaged by the bigness of the force that is the Clintons.  Lot’s of baggage as mentioned earlier.

5. About Bill.  We were having trouble picturing exactly what Bill’s role would be in Hillary’s Presidency, but the spouse of a VP? That just gives another eight years of Clinton scandal risk, without the big pay off.  Would Bill even consider going from popular ex-President to husband of the lowly VP? Not exactly what they had in mind.

What do you think? Are there solid reasons Obama might ask Hillary and she might except? (I think he has to ask her, once he knows she will decline, to show he extended the olive branch and to bring on board more Hillary lovers).   Who do you think he’ll choose?   

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