by Clarence Page
Just when it seemed as though the last nails had been driven into the talk of a White House-bound dream team of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, everything old is new again.
The morning after Clinton brought her struggling presidential campaign back to life with wins in the Texas and Ohio Democratic primaries, she dropped new hints of such an eventual political marriage. Asked about the prospect on CBS' The Early Show, the New York senator hinted that maybe, just maybe, it could happen. "Well, that may, you know, be where this is headed," she said with a laugh, then quickly added, "but, of course, we have to decide who's on the top of the ticket. I think that the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me."
Maybe.
And maybe the voters in the 11 primaries in a row that she lost have a different idea.
Later in the day, Obama stuck to the script that the two of them have been following in recent weeks. "It is premature to talk about a joint ticket," he said.
By holding out, Obama surrendered to Clinton a modest but significant psychological advantage. She was repositioning herself in many minds as the front-runner, even though her opponent still held a numerical advantage in pledged delegates.
(Clarence Page is a member of the Tribune's editorial board. See the rest of the column in Sunday's Tribune:)
There's been talk in political circles of Obama as a possible vice president for Clinton since before the Illinois senator announced his candidacy. After he started to win primaries, talk heated up of a ticket with either Obama or Clinton at the top.
The notion erupted into public debate near the end of their first one-on-one debate in Los Angeles in late January. CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer brought it up, sparking enthusiastic applause from the star-studded crowd in Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
When Blitzer asked if they would consider "an Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama ticket going down the road," Obama parried, "Well, obviously there's a big difference between those two." That sparked laughs, but he concluded that "it would be premature and presumptuous" to speculate on vice presidents now.
As to whether Clinton might be on his "short list" for consideration, he responded, "I'm sure Hillary would be on anybody's short list."
When Blitzer asked Clinton her thoughts, she responded, "Well, I have to agree with everything Barack just said," which drew laughs and applause. But she didn't answer the question.
But when Vibe magazine asked Clinton a week before the Texas and Ohio primaries if there was a chance she would put Obama on her ticket if she won, Clinton said three times, "Of course, there is."
Her position hadn't changed but the political landscape did. Before her Texas and Ohio wins put her back in the game, speculation was mounting as to who was going to break the news to her that she should drop out of the race for the good of the party's unity.
After Texas and Ohio, suddenly the dream-ticket dream became an inviting signal to Democrats still sitting on the fence: Vote for her and maybe, just maybe, you can get him too.
Ah, Democrats quite properly believe that if Clinton and Obama would just team up they would spare the Democratic Party months of factional fighting and wooing of Democratic National Convention superdelegates. That's the Democratic nightmare and, after Texas and Ohio, it was looking more inevitable than ever.
Teaming up two "firsts," like the first non-white and the first woman nominees, would violate the traditional political wisdom of balancing the ticket ethnically and sexually. That's not unthinkable but it would be risky at a time when smart campaigns try to reduce risks.
Beyond that there's the birds-of-a-feather principle. Obama and Clinton are too much alike to avoid competing to be the boss. Clinton, the former first lady, has little desire to be second banana again and Obama needs her less than she needs the support of his supporters.
And, as alike as the two senators may be in their drive and ambition, it may be impossible for them to project the image of two people who genuinely like each other. Remember the presidential campaigns of Democrats John Kerry and John Edwards in 2004 and Republicans Bob Dole and Jack Kemp in 1996? Sometimes they behaved as if they hardly knew each other.
With memories like that still fresh in many minds, Obama was only being honest by holding out. It's not only too early to imagine an Obama-Clinton ticket or a Clinton-Obama, it is also nearly impossible.
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Comments
"...of course, we have to decide who's on the top of the ticket. I think that the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me." H. Clinton
I have relatives in Ohio and I wouldn't let tem pick clothes for me let alone my President. If she truly believes that ONE state should choose the president then she is as much an idiot as Bush.
The sooner the better for America when the Bushes and Clintons are flushed from the sespool of American politics
Posted by: Buckley | March 8, 2008 2:31 PM
If Obama lowered himself to agree to a Veep spot, he'd be painting a lollipop on his forehead. At best, he'd be carrying water for the newest Clinton scandals, just as Al Gore had to do. At worst, he knows that the real Veep would be Hillary and the acting president would be guess who. This would eave Obama somewhere out in never never land, unable to criticize the administration or offer his own ideas. And don't even think about a Hillary VP for Obama. Talk about the enemy at your back. Dream team. Nightmare is a more apt description.
Posted by: Darius | March 8, 2008 2:34 PM
If I wanted HillBillary in the White House, I'd be fighting to repeal the 22nd Amendment
Posted by: Doug "Hussein" Zook | March 8, 2008 2:39 PM
In Wyoming today Obama said he will not be a candidate for Vice President. Hillary has already waited too long to be president by her own calculations and every time she mentions a "dream ticket" she's on top of it. This is a fantasy.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/03/obama-you-wont.html
Posted by: Jeff | March 8, 2008 2:45 PM
Anyone who thinks the Democrat will get less than 90% of the black vote is delusional.
Hillary won't be anyones' second fiddle.
Posted by: whatnow | March 8, 2008 2:58 PM
Obama should denounce such a prospect NOW!
By saying "it's premature," he leaves open the possibility and that works against him big-time.
If I'm 50-50 and I hear Obama say "it's premature," that makes me think it's still a possibility. So I vote for Hillary and I hope that he accepts.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | March 8, 2008 3:51 PM
Why would Obama want Hillary as his Veep? There are many more experienced and more knowedgeable Democrats that would add to the ticket. Hillary would only bring the ticket down.
Posted by: John A | March 8, 2008 3:55 PM
The morning after Clinton brought her struggling presidential campaign back to life with wins in the Texas and Ohio Democratic primaries, she dropped new hints of such an eventual political marriage. Asked about the prospect on CBS' The Early Show, the New York senator hinted that maybe, just maybe, it could happen. "Well, that may, you know, be where this is headed," she said with a laugh, then quickly added, "but, of course, we have to decide who's on the top of the ticket. I think that the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me."
Hillary is delusional. That alone should be enough to wake up her minions to the fact that she is a joke. p.s. the joke's on you Ohio.
http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/2008/02/28/rush-limbaugh-urges-dittoheads-to-vote-for-hillary-clinton/
Hillary Clinton has a new best friend: Rush Limbaugh. The eponymous host of The Rush Limbaugh Show — which, according to its own website, is “the most listened to radio talk show in America, broadcast on over 600 radio stations nationwide” — this week began encouraging his listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Urging his army of ‘DittoHeads’ (as Limbaugh’s loyal listeners call themselves) to vote for a woman whom Limbaugh has spent 16 years vilifying as the she-devil incarnate might seem a surprising move on El Rushbo’s part. But if you listen to Limbaugh regularly, it actually makes perfect sense.
“We need Hillary,” Limbaugh declared on his show on February 26. “We need the soap opera. Hillary Clinton is J. R. Ewing, and her husband, Bill, is Sue Ellen. We need to keep this soap opera going, but we also need the chaos,” Limbaugh added.
In a segment entitled, “We Started Mrs. Clinton’s Slide, But Now We Need Her to Stay Alive,” Limbaugh argued that Hillary was now the Republicans’ best hope for victory in November.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | March 8, 2008 5:30 PM
The total amount of votes has Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obmama with about 13 million, 500,000 votes a piece. So there is no way that either Senator Barrack Hussein Obama or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede, so this spells doom for a hoefully unified Democrat Party. Looks like four more years of a strong Republcian Dynasty. Or maybe more, because Governor Jeb Bush will run in 2012.
Posted by: Black Panther | March 8, 2008 5:53 PM
Karl MArx squared.
Posted by: Terry | March 8, 2008 7:27 PM
John F Kennedy lost Ohio and won Wyoming before moving on to be president. Johnson took over after Kennedy's premature death. Obama, choose your VP very, very carefully.
Posted by: Susie | March 8, 2008 7:29 PM
I cannot believe that old Bill is campaigning for his wife, telling voters that if they vote for her, they could likely expect a Clinton-Obama ticket. There is just no line that he will not cross, piece of slime who lies under oath.
Posted by: tony | March 8, 2008 8:10 PM
I have to agree that I think neither Barack or Hillary really thinks this is a dream team. I believe that the reason the dems are in in masses is to make sure they vote in the person they want of the two. So many voters are going to be unhappy because they strongly dislike the other. I think pairing two headstrong candidates is like putting a basketball team together with two top players from two different teams and somehow expecting them to work together when all they know is how to be the chosen one. It never works. Jordan and Pippen worked so well because one was the leader and one was the follower. I can't imagine in my wildest dreams that Hillary would ever take the number 2 position. She would get virtually ignored. If Barack took the VP position he would have to wait possibly 8 years to run and then he would have to run after another Clinton era. Go ask Gore how well that worked.
Posted by: Verycold | March 8, 2008 11:09 PM