Posted on 08/19/2008 7:05:57 PM PDT by maccaca
Count Ralph Nader as unimpressed by the crop of supposed finalists to be Barack Obama’s running mate.
“I don’t think he’s that dumb,” said Nader, commenting on widespread speculation that Obama’s choices are down to Sens. Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, or Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.
The smart pick, according to Nader, is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nader phoned into Politico Tuesday afternoon to offer his prediction that a surprise nod to Clinton is actually what Obama has in store—never mind the talk of mistrust between the Clintons and Obama.
“He just has to swallow hard and do what JFK did” in picking rival Lyndon Johnson in 1960, said the liberal activist and maverick presidential candidate.
According to Nader’s logic, Obama may dislike Hillary, but will conclude he has no choice but to get over it if he hopes to leave next week’s convention in Denver with a unified party and a decent shot against John McCain in the fall: “The polls show 25 percent of her supporters have not gotten on board.”
“He’s got to be very concerned by the [neck-and-neck] polls and by what happened at Saddleback,” added Nader, referring to the recent candidates forum hosted by evangelist Rick Warren. “He got beat in Saddleback—big time.”
Nader said his own sources—and, to be blunt, they sound a bit sketchy—lead him to believe that Clinton remains in serious consideration. A friend, he said, recently saw Clinton family intimate Vernon Jordan on Martha’s Vineyard and reported the “usually very effusive” Jordan to be suspiciously “tight-lipped.”
Nader said he does not see how Biden, Bayh or Kaine would help Obama politically, and believes the speculation about them is a "smokescreen." If it’s a traditional white male politician Obama is after, Nader offered, the better pick would be former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, who brings national security heft and could put his home state in play.
It might be tempting for the Obama partisans to brush off Nader’s freelance forecasting, but dismissing him as a crank is a risk. Many Democrats believe he siphoned votes and cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000.
As for his own reading of the vice presidential tarot cards, Nader admitted, “I may have egg on my face in a few days.”
I still think it’ll be Bill Richardson.
I don’t THINK so. As some one pointed out...Obama would need a food taster and a body guard attached at his hip to deal with Hillary as VP.
If they nominate anyone else, McCain will be the next President.
Like Rush said, if he does pick her, he better watch his back.
I am thinking Hitlery too — he is that arrogant and blind about capturing the power of the White House. He is willing to take the risk, IMHO.
Ralphie is now a Count? Since when?
It must be getting tiresome by now.
Slick Willy roaming around the WH and Hildabeast trying to figure out her next move should give the messiah second thoughts on that. You never know though.
“The only Demagogue combo that can win is Obama/Clinton, Inc.”
Actually Clinton/Obama is their strongest ticket.
Been saying it for months.
If anything would make me vote for McCain, that would be it.
Nader may finally be right about something.
The way things are shaping up, Hillary and her supporters
may be ready to stage a coup and grab the nomination, if at that point Obama is tarnished too badly by circumstances and late-breaking revelations to get the final , final, final nod at the Convention, which is all that counts. It is going to be interesting to watch.
If the perception from Camp Obama (and whatever “deciders” are still clinging to him)is that Hillary’s support is strong enough to take over the nomination, then he may pre-empt a coup and in fact offer her Veep as a way to mollify her and her supporters-—however, I don’t think that would mollify her, and the general animosity from HRC’s staunchest supporters is “Obama, go back to CHicago, and earn the right to be the nominee for another 10 years or so.”
I don’t underestimate the depth of resentment from her people against him, even though part of it may be an act——Hillary has got several interesting cards to play, only one of which is her supporters going over to McCain come election day, which may be more bluff than anything else, but sometimes bluffs work. I still believe she will get the nomination anyway, and have said so at length about two dozen times on FR, for many months now.
That would be his best choice.
John
I agree - she's the pick that worries me the most. I was really hoping the Bill/Baraq feud would escalate to really take her out of the picture.
Richardson is the other one who scares me.
Biden, Bayh, Kane - they are all beatable. Clinton and Richardson make it tougher.
If I were 0bama, I'd go for Clinton, but the real question is whether or not she would do it.
I agree with EVERYTHING Ralph said, except maybe the part about Obama not being that dumb. We'll see about that. But I agree with him that, much as it may pain Obama to accept it, Hillary is the smart play.
I actually fear it, because as things stand, I believe McCain will win, even if some of the base stays home. I have faith that most conservatives possess enough common sense to make the rational choice of McCain over Obama--only a small group will sit on their hands.
But an Obama/Hillary ticket could sway some of those middle of the road types and some disgruntled Democrats. I hope he doesn't pick her. But Ralph's right. He should.
It's not a bluff. I've met people totally passive about politics who voted for Hillary in the primary, but are 100% convinced their voting for McCain in the fall. It's not just resentment. Middle of the road working class Democrats are not impressed by the Messiah.
Meanwhile McCain has absolutely and irrefutably earned the right to distinguish himself greatly from President Bush, and the Republican leadership of the last several years. And it turns out that's good for him.
I'm in NJ. We get NY network television, as does Connecticutt. It's part of the reason we're so infected with liberalism. We don't get our own TV market. We're dwarfed by the NY media...
Anyway, McCain ran an ad during the Olympics tonight. It was the one that says "John McCain knows the economy is not good." Shows the gas pump. Ends with the slogan "The Original Maverick."
That's intended for those people who voted for Hillary. He is a credible un-GOP Republican, and Hillary voters who really don't respect Obama are accepting him. But if he picks Hillary, as he should, all bets are off.
Sorry for the ramble. Wine's flowin'. Cigar's lit. Wife's asleep. FReegards. Huck.
There are lots of tricky dynamics at play here/
See my post immediately below your latest, in regard to
‘voting for McCain”. It’s one of Hillary’s biggest cards to play, and it’s not designed to force him to choose her for Veep, it’s one she can play to convince the “deciders” to go ahead and swing the nomination her way, and in effect “recapture” all those voters going to McCain, which circumstance, should it happen, would all but guarantee Obama and the Dems losing the election.
if Osamabama is stupid enough to pick Hitlery he better hire a food taster quick.
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