If he offers it and she says no...

by Mandoliniment, Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:38:17 PM EST

...you'll never know.

I just saw another comment along the lines of "If Obama offers Clinton the VP slot, I'll support herhim, even if she turns it down."

But you won't know if that happens.

There will be (and certainly have been) closed door talks. For all you know he's begging her to sign on, but she's saying no. Or vice-versa. I don't believe either of these scenarios, but it's possible.

But you have to remember that decisions like these are closed-door affairs, not something that takes place in speeches or on TV. So it's silly to set conditions based on information to which you will never be privy.

Edited typo...




Tags: VP, Obama, Clinton (all tags)

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Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

good point worth remembering.


by poserM on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:45:14 PM EST

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Yeah, but wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall for that meeting?

Bill and Hill and Obama all in the same room....

One ruling generation looking at the other?

Theatre at it's finest, man, what a show that would be!

But, we will never really know what was said.


"Well the danger on the rocks is surely past... Still I remain tied to the mast"...Don Fagen, Poet and Piano Player
by WashStateBlue on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:47:27 PM EST

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Oh, totally. I imagine it won't be all that rancorous... I think everyone knows how the game is played and for all the rhetoric on either side they were both, to my mind, within the limits of what's acceptable.

But no question it would be a highly charged atmosphere.


John McCain
by Mandoliniment on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:53:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Personally, I think Bill Clinton should be down at the Starbucks or something during that meeting.


by EvilAsh on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:57:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Welcome to Earth? With a HRC VP we wouldn't just have co-presidents, we would have an executive triforce of sorts.

Dick Cheney is set to be cast as the role of Gannon.


by notxjack on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 09:11:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

My ideal scenario. (none / 0)

He offers it and she says no.  I don't want her to take it and I think that many of her supporters believe that she has earned the right to decline it.


Linfar's co-blogger opposing John McCain
by psychodrew on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:48:03 PM EST

Re: My ideal scenario. (none / 0)

I have long argued that it's not a good use of her skills... But again, this'll all be backroom stuff.


John McCain
by Mandoliniment on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:51:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: My ideal scenario. (none / 0)

I have long argued that it's not a good use of her skills...

This.

She's too good of a politician for the second slot. Look at the last vice presidents:
Cheney - Dark Lord
Gore - Lost election, 10x more likable, energetic and popular now that he's focusing on a single issue outside of politics
Quayle - What happened to him?
George HW Bush - One term wonder.
Mondale - Lost presidential race
Rockefeller (replaced Ford after Ford moved up) - Left politics after leaving VP slot
Ford - Replaced Nixon and fell down a lot
Agnew - Resigned
Humphrey - Lost to Nixon

And so on and so forth. Let's be honest: Clinton deserves a better fate than VP.


by TCQuad on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:02:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: My ideal scenario. (none / 0)

A part of me would like to see her pull and Al Gore and get out of politics altogether.

Whatever she wants to do, I will support.  I just hope that she uses the political machine that she built for some use, to move some agenda forward.


Linfar's co-blogger opposing John McCain
by psychodrew on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:12:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There will be plenty of specualtion (none / 0)

from bored pols and pundits trying to full 24 hours of cable news. But 99.9% of that will be hot air. Anyone in the know would have more sense then to talk about it.


by DSloth on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:48:24 PM EST

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Please stop talking about it.   He will pick someone and he will announce it.  All else is just mental masturbation that distracts us from important issues and the fight against McCain and Bush.


by rf7777 on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 07:54:49 PM EST

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

I'm THRILLED you wrote this diary, because I've seen that sentiment in a LOT of places.

One things that hasn't really been covered is that Hillary will likely take a hit if he offers and she refuses. The pundits will be harping that she's not a team player and all that crap.

Personally, I don't believe she wants the job. Obama's style is just too different from hers, and it would be a very uncomfortable fit. Also, she knows full well that the Obama VP will NOT be Cheney. (The only reason Cheney amassed so much power is because Bushie wasn't interested in all that governin' stuff. That's not a problem Obama has.) She would be more comfortable and play a bigger role in the Senate than playing second fiddle to an Obama administration.

They're both in a really tough spot right now. The rampant speculation will continue, and they're going to work out a way in which they're both happy (with Clinton heading back to the Senate to kick ass) and people won't freak out over it.


by EvilAsh on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:09:01 PM EST

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)


The preempted the blame by saying that she was ok with being VP. A good move on her side I have to say.
by TaiChiMaster on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:15:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

Exactly. She took the blandest position she could. She didn't say she wanted the position, but she said that she would serve if asked.

I expect we'll see a joint statement between the Obama campaign and Hillary Clinton saying that she was on the short list, that she and Obama had sat down and talked about the role of VP in the Obama administration, and that they decided together that she will be most effective as his strongest ally in the Senate.


by EvilAsh on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:21:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

I think you're right. The Obama and Clinton machines will be very closely coordinated very quickly.


John McCain
by Mandoliniment on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 08:46:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If he offers it and she says no... (none / 0)

When B & H call me up and ask what they should do in regards to the VP choice, I'm gonna write a diary here and put a poll question in it so we can give them the benefit of our collective wisdom.

My guess is that neither one of them gives a particular rat's ass about what we think in this regard, and that whatever is decided will be done without consultations with us and so we'll just have to wait and deal with it when everybody else does.

I might be wrong, though.


by xdem on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 10:15:43 PM EST

i assure you.... (none / 0)

if any of the scenarios you discussed in your diary occur - IT WILL BE 'LEAKED' TO THE PRESS.


"Me Fail English? That's Unpossible." Ralph Wiggum
by canadian gal on Thu Jun 05, 2008 at 11:21:52 PM EST


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