Vice President Hillary; Speculation Intensifies In Washington

[DonP]

It's about the base

Bush has pretty much got his base of hard core righties lined up. A couple of programs launched between now and November and he'll have them ready to rock.

Heck, letting the AWB expire and maybe another bone or two and most gunnies will be ready to rock too.

But the Dem's have a real problem this year with their base. Kerry was the choice of the party elites and there are some hard case kool aid drinkers that are still for Kucinich and other that feel Sharpton was dissed. Then there is the Nader crowd. Scary!

Gebhardt was the Labor guy and he got peed on all through Iowa by the hard lefties and Deanie weenies.

Centrists like Lieberman have been booed off the stage.

The African American community is not excited about voting for another billionaire white guy that can't answer a straight question, tell them what's in it for them, ... or bust a rhyme in a speech for that matter, ala Jesse.

Their base is very fragmented and not terribly motivated, they have to fire them up. Hating Bush isn't going to be a fire they can really sustain, IMHO, for another 6 months. People burn out and don't feel like writing a check for hate month after month.

Floating the Hillary rumor is one way to get the far, far, far left wing of the party fired up, Even if she doesn't run they will get excited over voting for her next time around.

It all keeps Kerry's name in the papers without actually having him ever say anything. If you have noticed his numbers actually seem to drop after he makes a big speech.

The Hillary rumor is good for another three weeks of headlines and editorials.

 

[rick_reno]

No way. Kerry wants to pitch himself as the person who will bring the nation together. The monster known as Hillary is someone who is capable of dividing people like no one can. He won't choose her.

 

[Chris Rhines]

Kerry must really not want to be president if he's considering Hillary as a running mate.

- Chris

 

[SteelyDan]

Guess I'm in the minority here. I have the sense that there a lot of women (and others) who tend to lean democratic, but don't really feel like they know or trust Kerry. However, a lot of them respect Hillary and would like to see a woman in a top national office. So, I think adding Hillary to the ticket would result in a net gain of several percentage points for Kerry. And that could be enough to change the outcome.

 

[R.H. Lee]

It's not likely IMO. Kerry does not want a VP who will overshadow him. She is too controversial and polarizing, not to mention that she has a TON of baggage. She is not popular in either "flyover country" or the south. Kerry needs a lot of help in these regions.

 

[Monkeyleg]

No Hillary as VP, no way, no how. And I'll put a case of South African .223 ammo on the line (one contestant only, please) as assurance of my faith in that statement.

#1: Kerry could and should be doing better in southern and midwestern states than he is, based on job losses (which are now coming back).

#2: Kerry needs those states, and his credentials as a Teddy Kennedy wannabe are a huge albatross around his neck. Not to mention his northeastern "more superior than thou" condescending attitude.

#3: Given points 2 & 3, Kerry needs someone to help in the south. Hillary grew up outside Chicago, went Red, moved to Arkansas for a few years, went to DC, then settled in NY. Not exactly Southern bonifides if you ask me. The better pick for the southern vote would be John Edwards. Oh, and did I mention condescending attitudes when it comes to Hillary?

#4: Hillary isn't just disliked, she's hated by nearly half the voting population, including a large segment of women.

#5: As a senator, Hillary can get enormous press coverage every time she opens her pie hole. As VP, her role would be diminished.

#6: If Kerry should win, he's going to create his own peculiar baggage, particularly with regard to fighting terrorism. Hillary already has enough baggage to fill a freight train. That would spell bad times in 2008.

#7: If John Kerry would be elected president, and prove popular, Hillary's out in 2008.

#8: If John Kerry would be elected president, and prove unpopular, Hillary's out in 2008.

#9: Bill and Hillary both understand points 1 through 8.

#10: Bill and Hillary want GW to win.

Slick Willy as been grabbing every piece of airtime and every column inch for the last couple of weeks, and it looks like his book tour may eclipse the latest Britney escapades in terms of press. Too bad that John Kerry can't get much more than a couple of column inches.

Anyone think this is an just a coincidence, or instead perfect timing?

 

[twoblink]

if it's true; Kerry can practice is Shakespeare:

Et Tu Brutus...?

 

[Rebeldon]

If Hitlery runs has VP and wins, she can't run against Comrade Kerry in 2008. It's possible to run against a sitting president in your own party. It happened in 1980. Ted Kennedy ran against Carter...and lost.

 

[spartacus2002]

HAH!

All you guys worried about Hillary as VP make me laugh.

What scares me is Hillary as Attorney General.

Think about THAT one long and hard...... All the comments about "Oh, quit your whinin' over the Patriot Act, GW won't let it be abused" might come back to haunt some folks.

 

[Bainx]

I have to agree with Rush's assessment in the past:

These people [Hillary, et al] can not stand to lose

Therefore, she will not appear on a potentially losing ticket

It all-or-nuthin for her in 2008

 

[hillbilly]

Some good points made.

But I think we are forgetting something key here.

While it doesn't make logical sense for Hillary to run now as a VP, egomaniacal grasping tyrants-in-waiting usually don't use a lot of logical sense in their decision making.

I could really see Hillary, overcome with hubris, going whole-hog for this VP slot.

hillbilly

 

[Monkeyleg]

Hillbilly: " ...egomaniacal grasping tyrants-in-waiting usually don't use a lot of logical sense in their decision making."

Hitler waited many years before he thought the timing was right. In the interim, he built his "base" using the Brown Shirts, before finally utilizing them to his best advantage in 1933.

I'm not comparing Hillary or Bill or any other modern-day politician to Hitler. I think that's an affront to those who suffered in the camps.

But the planning starts early on. I'm sure that John Kerry was doing all he could thirty years ago to position himself for a presidential run when the time seemed right.

If Kerry wins this year, Hillary's hopes for 2008 are dashed.