VP Choice Is Obama's, Not Hillary's

Posted by Nicholas Joseph on 05.08.2008

Most Americans are tired of the Bill and Hillary show, including the re-runs.

I may be the discordant note in what appears to be a halleluiah chorus urging Obama to take Hillary as his running mate. Some have suggested that it is the politically safe and respectful thing for Obama to do in his quest to unify the party. Others have argued that she is stronger, is winning in predominantly white states and has a safe lock on women voters. But, while I am a pragmatist, it is idiotic to believe that the dynamics of a general election and a Democratic Primary are the same. Of course some of the voting patterns may be similar but the reality is these are two different campaigns. The style, substance, format and presentation of a general election must be tailored differently. I think Obama and his advisors are acutely and competently aware of this basic political strategy.

So, I am not a member of the "Vice President Hillary Clinton" cheering crowd. In fact, let me be categorically clear and blunt: Senator Hillary Clinton needs Obama more than Obama needs her. She can put this in her Bosnia "sniper fire" pipe and quickly smoke it. Please do yourself a favor and inhale. Excuse me folks, I have a problem with those hypocrites calling for Obama to include Hillary on the ticket. Senator Clinton blew her chance to be anywhere near an Obama presidential campaign when she made it clear that she was prepared to do and say anything and form any type of dirty, destructive and diabolical right-wing alliance to derail Obama's populist campaign. She went too far and clearly displayed very poor judgement. Bottom line, Hillary is very poor material for the seat of the Vice President! In any case, the people of America are tired of the re-runs of the Clintons in this democracy that we are attempting to create. The people of America left the monarchies behind in England and the rest of Europe.

Obama needs a presidential campaign that will be truly representative of real change. He does not need the Hillbillies fully loaded with all their baggage. The Republicans would like nothing more than to yoke Hillary to Obama in a campaign that will not focus on issues of relevance to the American people. Hillary Clinton on the ticket is an open invitation to Monicagate, Travelgate, Impeachmentgate, Whitewatergate and all the other scandals that have fed into the American people's low estimation of Hillary's honesty. In addition, Hillary has demonstrated during this primary season that she has a grave disdain for Obama. Undoubtedly, she views him as the "nobody" who stole her presidential birthright. She told us throughout the primary season that he was not "ready on Day One," to be President. She made it abundantly clear that she was the only one that could respond to the "Whitehouse red phone at 3 a.m." and that Obama was just a "speech!" To add insult to injury, she even suggested, over and over again, that Republican nominee McCain was better prepared than Obama to be the President. Well, her chickens have come home to roost and she will have all the time in the world to pick up her own phone any hour of the day or night.

It is time for a new generation. The Clintons' stranglehold on the levers of the Democratic Party is over. Obama is on the verge of writing a new progressive chapter in American history. He does not need Hillary Clinton as an appendage in that chapter. He needs to make a clean sweep and find himself a vice presidential running mate that shares his values, principles and beliefs. And of course, a Vice President who will not spew lies to the American people, and pretend to have misspoken. We are tired of the lying, the pandering and the misspeaking.

Obama's vice presidential pick — boy that sounds very good. It will be his first real test of quality leadership that can be verified and trusted. It will be his first public commitment of his desire to change Washington's politics and he must send a clear message that the old guards of ‘business as usual' are completely out. Hillary on the ticket is the absolute wrong message and a slap in the faces of the millions across the country who, mobilized on the principle of meaningful and progressive change in Washington, shouted: "Yes we can!"

Interestingly, some of the same suspect pundits who aligned with Hillary to fight Obama are the ones who are now suggesting that he should invite her to his side. Party unity at the expense of violating ones core beliefs and principles is called pandering and political expediency. Obama has demonstrated that he represents more than just talk but a new breed of politician. The gas tax debate between himself and Hillary showed that he is prepared to do what is right and not necessarily what may be politically expedient. He boldly and honestly declared to all Americans, even at the risk of losing popularity with some, that he would not unleash such "gimmicks" on the American people. It is that spirit of truthfulness, openness and transparency that the people of North Carolina rewarded. It is that quality for honesty that the people of Iowa recognized on Day One, and felt refreshed and exhilarated. It is that same principle that will rally the nation to Obama in a general election. And, ultimately, it is that principle of sincerity and honest engagement that will wash away the filthy mud with which George W. Bush disfigured Washington's face and restore domestic and international respect for American values.

It is ironic that the individual who has tailored an inclusive campaign, irrespective of color, class, race, ethnicity or economic background, is the same person the established media wants us to think will not be able to get white votes. This, I think is a gross insult to the American people, especially white Americans, who have shown that they are prepared to engage in honest dialogue and are ready to set aside old prejudices for a brand new experiment. He has won millions of white votes. Must America's millions of non-whites resign themselves to the theory that American whites will forever continue to wade in the murky waters of racism and senseless discrimination? The Obama campaign is showing that the United States of America can and must finally and permanently establish itself among the international community of nations where people can be truly and wholesomely liberated from racism, fascism and xenophobia.

Obviously, Obama is not a woman. So it is understandable that women as a group, black and white, who feel very strongly about the gender equality issue, might tend to vote for Hillary in a contest with Obama. It is just a plain and simple fact of human socialization. You form an association with people with common aspirations. So, naturally, white women found Hillary appealing as the first potential female president. But, with that experiment out of the way and Hillary out of the race, those women who understand where their interests lie will find Obama the most attractive candidate. At the end of the day, what those women want is someone who shares their values and who will champion their causes; someone capable of intelligently presiding over a political, social and economic infrastructure that provides jobs for their husbands and themselves; someone who cares enough to offer their children a better educational system; someone committed to ensuring that healthcare for their families is available and affordable; someone with the vision and the drive who will strive to lift the country from the burden of massive fuel hikes and its dependence on foreign oil; someone who will bring this illegitimate and criminal Iraq War to conclusion; someone who will not be asleep at the wheel while the environment is being destroyed and whose first instinct will not be to tell lies or misspeak when he picks up the White House Red Phone at 3 O'clock in the morning.

Of course, in the upcoming campaign, the Republicans will use all the old tricks of the past. What this democratic process has revealed, as imperfect and undemocratic as it seems, is that Obama is perhaps one of the most resilient politicians of this generation. He did not succumb to the scorched earth and kitchen sink dirty tricks of the Hillbillies. Surely, McCain was listening and taking notes.

Meanwhile, I will shed no tears for Hillary Clinton if Obama does not put her on his ticket. Truthfully, I will pop the champagne bottle. Finally and fundamentally, it is Obama's prerogative to choose his vice presidential running mate. Case closed!