Since the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination began, roughly, on Inauguration Day 2005, it is not too early to speculate on who might be the leading candidates for the eventual nominees’ vice presidential pick.
The media’s attention is focused for now on the three-way dust-up between Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), liberal Hollywood mogul and former Clinton supporter David Geffen and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). The media cannot avoid a story filled with Hollywood drama and the politics of sex and race. Geffen, who hosted a megastar fundraiser for Obama, told the New York Times, “Everybody in politics lies, but (the Clintons) do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”
By comparison, the Republican nomination race is as exciting as MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Like Olbermann’s show, no one is watching.
Poor John Edwards has been relegated to bridesmaid status, but he won’t catch the vice-presidential garter this time. As the late Texas Governor Ann Richards might say, he can’t hep it. Edwards is the white male with perfect hair, a former vice-presidential candidate with a huge new mansion. At least Sen. John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, had the good sense to not enter the race. John Edwards is so 2004.
Given the liberal media’s characterization since 2001 of Vice President Dick Cheney as “Bush’s Brain,” the eventual Democratic nominee will surely choose someone with the charisma of the proverbial bucket of warm saliva. Since the likely Democratic nominee will be a “first,” as the media will repeat ad nauseam for the next century or so, he or she must balance the demographics of the ticket by selecting a relatively unknown white male. One “first” at a time is big enough a bite to take politically.
Let us consider the possibilities. It is probably safe to assume that if Clinton or Obama wins the nomination, they won’t choose the other as their running mate. A female or African-American presidential candidate cannot have a running mate who will overshadow their historical bid. Bill Richardson is probably out, given his past life as a cabinet secretary and U.N. ambassador in Bill Clinton’s administration. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who wants to replace the Department of Defense with a Department of Peace, is out. Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), who has already characterized Obama as “articulate” and “clean,” shoots his mouth off more than Howard Stern. He’s out. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) hails from the northeast and is best known for, well, he’s not known for anything. Dodd is out.
Which brings us to the governors.
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