I think a large part of the dislocation is that Biden IS who Hillary wanted to portray herself to be- a guy from a working class background with a lifetime spent in politics (...senator at 29- my life has been wasted...)who should appeal to the Democratic base.Given the attributes Biden brings to the table, it's worth considering why Obama didn't pick Hillary. As was mentioned on Meet the Press yesterday:
Brokaw: And you have been spending a lot of time looking at the undecided voters, and we want to share with our viewers now just who they are. A lot of those undecided voters are women between the ages of 35 and 49, they're Catholic, they're moderate, and they're independent. They all sound like Hillary Clinton voters to me.
Chuck Todd: A lot of them were. Nearly half of them supported Clinton in the primaries. In effect, we even slice it even more. We--we're able to take a look at what our pollsters call "Hillary not Obama," and it's this group of voters that supported Clinton in the primaries, are not there yet with either Obama, supporting McCain, or sitting in undecided. And all of them look like, in this very respect, they're Democratic voters on the issues, they're picking a Democrat and generic matchups not just for president, but for Congress. So they are going to walk in that voting booth, and they're going to vote for a Democrat for Congress, they're going to vote for a Democrat for the U.S. Senate, which is why everybody knows that the House and Senate are going to pick up members. But these women are not there yet on Obama. Some of them are, are angry. Some of them--a lot of them live in rural and small-town America.Obama's people are aware of this, and they're also aware that if they lock up another 6-8% of the electorate this race is over. Biden's national security bona-fides are legitimate, whereas Clinton's were largely perceived. And, I think it's fair to say that Obama personally likes Biden more than Clinton. Bill is also a wildcard.
Are these the reasons he didn't pick her? I think it's refreshing to see something other than electoral politics dictate campaign decisions, but I do think it's possible that the Biden selection reduces his chances in the general election visa vi a Clinton VP choice. Thoughts?
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2 comments:
Firstly, I marvel at the prodigious expanses of transcribed text you regularly produce after Sunday's morning shows. One assumes your tivo finger is well callused...
Back to the subject however, I think the reasons for not picking Hill are legion and not particularly sophisticated- the vast number of critical video clips, the appearance of weakness (he couldn't win without her), the motivating factor for the Republican base only the Clinton's could provide, not to mention that she would be measuring up the oval office for new drapes every time she entered, moreso than most other people in her shoes.
On the whole, I think Biden was a good pick for Obama. Yesterday's McCain staffers were focusing on the idea that he made Obama look too inexperienced to lead, although I would say it demonstrates his ability to select good advisers, which is at least if not more important. Other critics focused on the idea that many voters didn't "know who he was," although again that seems like its at least as useful, provided he works quickly to define himself.
On the whole it makes for a more interesting race, and although everyone will no doubt be focused on Denver for the remainder of the week, the dedicated staff at the TPBP might strike boldly and start the speculation on who McCain's choice will be. Joe Lieberman anyone? Huh? Anyone? Hello?...
It's amazing I even watch it, and I would never waste time transcribing it. Check out their website at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Secondly, I think you're approaching this the wrong way. I'm simply wondering if they couldn't have been successful with the 51% (but never 52%) ironclad majority that might have been forged by bringing Clinton on board. All of the negatives you mentioned about her seem like they're geared toward progressives who aren't going anywhere.
And, I really disagree with the concept of some undying hatred that only Hillary could produce. The last couple of months should have illustrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that the entire conservative movement will rally against anyone they see as opposed to their worldview. NONE of them liked McCain 6 months ago, and equally none of them had huge problems with Obama until he became the nominee.
Lastly, I might add that it doesn't matter whether the Rush Limbaugh wing of the party hates you a lot, or hates you a little, or hates you for real, or hates you for show, the outcome in the voting box is the same.
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