VP Stakes; The I Have No Freakin Clue Edition

Seriously. I have no idea. I agree with Michelle, I am glad I don't have to choose. This has built up to be a thing. Any guesses? Educated or otherwise-- have at it. This is probably our last chance to speculate.

VP OPEN THREAD

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VP Stakes; The Sen. Chuck Hagel Edition

I've been ignoring this one, like the proverbial elephant in the room. I mean surely the VP pick will at least be a Democrat. There has been speculation and speculation over this choice.

Intrade.com is one of the offshore entities that allows you to place a wager on countless political propositions and among the popular areas for wagers is who the presumptive presidential nominees will select as their running mate. I always enjoy visiting the site because you get to see how real money is being wagered, rather than the meaningless hot air we get from the talking heads on cable television.

So, it struck me this afternoon when I noticed that a pretty massive wager was placed on July 20 that Barack Obama (D) will select Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) as his running mate.

On that day, it appears that someone purchased a single block of 20,000 futures contracts that the Republican Hagel will become the Democratic vice presidential nominee. The contracts would have cost approximately $13,500 (~$.675/contract), and if correct, the wager will return $200,000.--Mark Nickolas

I really hope this is not a case of someone knowing something that the rest of us don't.

Senator Chuck Hagel from Nebraska has been floated for the last two months as a choice on the short list. The thinking behind this is of course since the moderate Republicans feel so disenfranchised from their party-- a respected member like Hagel would bring them in droves to our side. I, for one, am not buying it. Plus we certainly have enough talented people in our own party to choose from.

It is unclear that Hagel would even deliver Nebraska, let alone some fantasy mass movement of the republicans to our side.

Plus sides- Vietnam Vet with honors (Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge). Won his senate seat in a land slide back in the day. Good foreign affairs creds.

Chair of both the Senate Global Climate Change Observer Group and the Senate Oversight Task Force. He serves as co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. He also serves on the NATO Observer Group. Hagel is a member of four Senate committees: Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Rules and Administration. (wikipedia)

I did like him when he said "To question your government is not unpatriotic — to not question your government is unpatriotic." This was in reference to the lack of open debate in Congress regarding the Iraq War, and in defense of his assertion that the United States should withdraw its troops.

But that doesn't mean he gets to be our VP. Can you imagine a Republican choosing a Democrat for that spot?

Downsides, in addition to his party affiliation;
Senator (I prefer a gov. to balance the ticket)
Lobbyist history
Worked with big telecom
Voted FOR the war (though he changed position later)
Pretty lousy on immigration, supported the President's plans. Which I guess is better than if he supported the Brownback, Tancredo types.

And more... (that I am counting on you to elaborate in the thread)

In addition to the VP speculation there are people who float his name for cabinet position of Secretary of Defense in the Barack Obama administration. I might be ok with that.

What are your thoughts?

(PS on the photo test, I found some great shots of them together recently in Jordan, but all were not allowed to be reposted-- stupid heads-- I would have linked with attribution but now they can bite me.)

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VP Stakes; the Evan Bayh Edition

AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson

Time is running down-- and speculation is running rampant. Huffington Post is reporting it will be Bayh.

He is the Former Gov. of Indiana, currently the Jr. Senator from that state. The thinking is that his nomination would help in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, all critical to the game day strategy.

He is/was a BIG DLC'er

More according to wikipedia;

Bayh was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 to the seat that was once held by his father. He won with 64% of the vote, the largest victory margin ever by a Democrat in a U.S. Senate race in Indiana.

currently serves on five Senate committees: Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, on which he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance; Armed Services; the Select Committee on Intelligence; the Special Committee on Aging; and the Small Business Committee.

He fails my photo test. But is in LOTS of photos with Hillary and Bill.

He seems good on healthcare, is pro-choice, pretty good on the environment.

BUT he is hawkish on Iran, over the top on Israel, and generally seems overly focused on triangulating and centrist thought. He is no Lieberman but he is not anywhere near progressive either.

Your thoughts? (This may be the last VP Stakes edition if rumors are true, as the announcement is expected to come tomorrow) I was hoping for Sebelius, Reed, and/or a few of the others... oh well. We'll see. soon.

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VP Stakes; the Jack Reed Edition

Anonymous Photo of Reed doing an Online Chat with Rhode Island Voters

Another name that has come and gone and come back again on the VP short list is Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed.

Highlights from Wikipedia

Reed resigned from the army in 1979 as a captain and enrolled in Harvard Law School. In 1982, he graduated and served as an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. Afterwards, he returned to Rhode Island and joined Edwards and Angell, a Providence law firm. Reed was elected as a state senator in 1984 and served three terms. In 1990, Reed was elected to the United States House of Representatives. For the next six years, Reed became well known in his state for his positions on education and health care, and when Senator Claiborne Pell announced his retirement in 1996, Reed campaigned to be his replacement and won the election. He was easily reelected to a second term in 2002.

Reed is currently a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Americans for Democratic Action has often listed him as a "hero" as they indicate he has one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate.

Reed has military experience, well liked and well known in his state, liberal voting record, and active in education, labor, and health policy.

Downsides, not that well known. Maybe not the strongest balance on the ticket. "Northern Liberal?" that kind of thing.

According to the New Republic;

In office, Reed has focused on important but not always sexy domestic policy issues, like public housing. He's also developed a lot of expertise on education. But mostly he's known for his work on foreign policy and national security. A longtime member of the Armed Services Committee, he has, I am told, the almost-universal respect of both his colleagues from both parties as well as the military brass. When he accompanies Obama to Iraq, it will be his twelfth trip there.

I liked Rhode Island, I like Reed. Your thoughts?

P.S. Reed passed the tlg photo test but the one photo I could find was not open for re-posting; by request from the photographer. So I ran with the Reed chat photo.

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VP Stakes; The Gov. Tim Kaine Edition

Virginia's Tim Kaine, with Barack Obama (Reuters photo)

Starting to wind down now, they must be getting close to deciding. (especially since there are all those signs to be printed before the convention)

Gov. Tim Kaine is reportedly moving towards the top of the short list. (And he passes the tlg vice presidential photo test)

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama appeared close to selecting his presidential running-mate Tuesday, as intense speculation thrust the rumoured front-runner onto a political hot seat. Timothy Kaine, who was elected governor of the swing state of Virginia three years ago, issued a series of uncomfortable denials after reports emerged that Obama was close to picking him to round out the Democratic ticket.

"My mom loves it," Kaine told a Washington radio station that had already scheduled an interview with him Tuesday before a front-page Washington Post story and a leading political blog branded him Obama's likely selection.

"I haven't sought it. I'm not running for it. I'm not asking for it," Kaine later told reporters.-- Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service

Kaine is a pretty middle of the road, uninspiring choice to me. He supports a mishmash of positions I like and hate.

*Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years. He focused on representing people who were denied housing opportunities based on their race or disability.
*Anti Death Penalty (yeah!)
*Anti-choice as a matter of personal conviction, though not actively working on broad legislative measures
*(exception to above) Anti late term abortion.
*Pro mandatory vaccinations (???!!! This makes me very uncomfortable)
*Pro tighter gun legislation-- this position a reaction to the Virginia Tech Shooter
*Kaine opposed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution defining marriage as that between one man and one woman, but publicly stated that he personally opposes same-sex marriage.

All in all, this one leaves me pretty uncomfortable. You?

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VP Stakes: Ted Strickland Edition

So, people keep telling me we need Ohio. Ted has been mentioned on quite a few shortlists and would supposedly help bring home his state.
In his Governor's race;

Strickland easily won the Democratic primary on May 2, 2006, winning 80 percent of the vote. In the November general election, he was challenged by Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Libertarian economist Bill Peirce and Green Bob Fitrakis, but won handily on November 7, 2006, capturing 60% of the vote. Blackwell finished in a distant second with 37% of the vote.

He's a bit conservative for me, and the NRA loves him... but he is popular in Ohio-- he's a gov. rather than a Senator. Police and first responder orgs love him. And he seems like he would be a fighter.
I think Cupcake Rollins would have a mixed reaction? Your thoughts?

P.S. Strickland passes the tlg photo test with bonus points since he has 2x the Obama factor in his picture.

P.P.S. He also says he does not want the post but insiders say he would serve if asked.

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VP Stakes; The Brian Schweitzer Edition

Ok, this one is definitely not one I am thrilled about but it is being floated. Given other efforts to reach out to "Values" voters Schweitzer, is socially conservative, pro-gun and very popular in Montana. Not really my type of Pol but he has a following.

As you can tell from the split-screen photo, the Gov. of Montana does not pass the tlg-photo-test. (I could not find any good pics of BHO and Schweitzer together) But he fits the strong governor vs. senator bill, which is even more important now that the weak willed senate caved on FISA.

Some highlights from his wikipedia page...

*Schweitzer currently has one of the highest gubernatorial approval ratings in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of around 70 percent.

8he has a Master of Science in soil science from Montana State University.

*He worked as an irrigation developer on projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He spent several years working in Libya and Saudi Arabia and speaks Arabic. (I found that bit surprising)

I have to admit that the travel abroad and understanding of the Middle East, Africa and Asia is a big plus to me. His speaking Arabic is also a big bonus.

He has made a lot of news being against gun control AND being a very outspoken critic of the REAL ID legislation.

One big downside is that his science degrees and irrigation work could be a good thing, BUT I suspect he is more a big-ag-monsanto type rather than a al-gore-save-the-planet type...

He was the USDA guy under Bill Clinton. Need to read up more on that time period for the Dept. of Agriculture. I suspect it was a time a mixed messages and bad food policy, though better than under Reagan, Bush the First and certainly better than Bush the Second.

So... Obama-Schweitzer '08? Your thoughts?

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VP Stakes: Jim Webb Update

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., removed his name from consideration Monday as a potential vice presidential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama.

That answers that question.

next?

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VP Stakes: The Ed Rendell Edition

The vetting continues. Ed? What can I say... I am not objective. I lived in Philadelphia (Philly) while he was mayor. He changed the city in a really positive way. And he bridged an enormous gap between the suburbanites and the inner city dwellers in a way not seen before.


I was NOT surprised when he handily won the Governorship, twice.

As VP he brings to the table a lot of executive experience, but no foreign affairs experience. He was a big supporter of the Clintons as we all know and so he can speak with credibility to Bill & Hill's fans who's feathers are still ruffled. As you can see, he passes my photo test.

He is a do-er. A good fundraiser. And I think he would be OK with the second seat. He did a great job in my city, and state and he would bring a good solid win in PA. He would certainly not be the kind of VP candidate that could not win his own state.

He was 1996 Municipal Leader of the Year.

On the downside, as I said... no real foreign affairs credentials. And not a lot of name recognition west of Ohio. And he is a bit "in" with the beltway Bobs and Betties. He was also one of the dems praising fox for their coverage of the primary. (boo) But he took good care of the city of brotherly love and the keystone state.

Your thoughts on Vice President Rendell?

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