I couldn't let Stonecipher have all of the fun, so I decided to throw my hat in and give my two cents on the subject of VP candidates(not to mix metaphors). Instead of engaging in speculation though, I've decided to take a different tack. I'm going to take all of the different metrics (age, executive experience, military service, etc.) that pundits have been using to make there predictions, and see how the field of potential VP candidates stack up.
So what are the metrics / categories? The ones I've found mentioned repeatedly are:
- Delegates
- Executive Experience
- Military Service
- Hillary Supporters
- Economic Issues
- Foreign Policy
- Moderate / Conservative Values
- Brand
The categories are pretty self explanatory, except for maybe "Brand". That simply means that Obama would pick a candidate that also embodies the messages of change and hope, so that they can "own" that brand.
We're setting up a Veepstakes section on Eyes On Obama this weekend for a detailed list of potential VP candidates, so keep checking back. On to the lists:
1. Delegates
This category is easy, since Hillary is the only one in it. She has been running a strong second, and if the Kennedy / Johnson episode is any guide, Obama may be forced to offer her the position and she may gladly accept.
- Hillary Clinton
2. Executive Experience
Obama has been knocked quite often for being light on experience, and having the steady hand of a proven executive is seen as a good balance for the ticket by some.
- Gov. Bill Richardson
- Gov. Janet Napolitano
- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
- Gov. Mark Warner
- Michael Bloomberg
- Gov. Phil Bredesen
- Gov. Tim Kaine
- Gen. Tony McPeak
- Gen. Wesley Clark
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Graham
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Kerrey
3. Military Service
Running against a war hero with a war hero of your own may take away the only reason to vote for McBush. Here is a list of contenders with military service in their background.
- Gen. Wesley Clark
- Gen. Tony McPeak
- Sen. Chuck Hagel
- Sen. Jim Webb
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Kerrey
- (Hillary Clinton apparently thinks she should be an honorary member of this group - we're not counting it)
4. Hillary Supporters
There are going to be some hurt feelings in the Democratic Party once Obama wraps up the nomination, so picking a Hillary supporter could help smooth things over. This list could swell be much larger given the number of party insiders supporting Hillary, but I went with the ones we could find a lot of chatter on.
- Gen. Wesley Clark
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Kerrey
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (we assume she's supporting herself)
5. Economic Experience
We're in a recession, and pocketbook issues are trumping the war. Here's the list of contenders with credible background in this arena
- Michael Bloomberg
- Gov. Phil Bredesen
- Gov. Mark Warner
- Sen. Chris Dodd
- Sen. Russ Feingold
- Sen. John Edwards
6. Foreign Policy Experience
The economy may be the number one issue, but we're a terrorist attack away from foreign policy expertise becoming a primary concern. Not that McBush has any expertise of his own...
- Gen. Wesley Clark
- Gen. Tony McPeak
- Sen. Chris Dodd
- Sen. Joe Biden
- Chris Dodd
- Sen. Russ Feingold
- Sen. Hillary Clinton
- Sen. Chuck Hagel
- Sen. Tom Daschle
- Gov. Bill Richardson
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Graham
- Sen. / Gov. Bob Kerrey
7. Moderate / Conservative Values
It's pretty clear that one of the few attack lines available to the Republicans will be to label Obama as a liberal. Selecting a running mate with moderate / conservative bona fides could help mute that argument.
- Sen. Lincoln Chafee
- Sen. Chuck Hagel
- Michael Bloomberg
- Sen. Sam Nunn
- Sen. Jim Webb
8. Brand
This line of reasoning says that Obama shouldn't try to balance the ticket. Instead, he should pick someone who reinforces the main themes of his campaign, which are hope and change. An example of this type of ticket is Clinton / Gore. That worked out pretty well...
- Sen. Claire McCaskill
- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
- Sen. John Edwards
Where does that leave us? Two names kept popping up, and they are General Wesley Clark and Sen. / Gov. Bob Kerrey. Despite their different backgrounds, they are quite similar in what they would bring to the ticket. Also rans include Sen. Clinton and Gen. McPeak and Sen. Hagel.
Its pretty clear though that there is no perfect candidate. I haven't weighted the categories or the candidates within the categories - that's for another time. I also didn't account for what each candidate would bring in terms of demographics (Stonecipher did a great job of that in his post), such as Bill Richardson or Jim Webb / Tim Kaine / Mark Warner
If there are names that have been left off of any of the lists, or if one of the ones listed has left you scratching your head, please let me know and I'll amend it if you make a good argument.
