Monday, August 18, 2008

Obama Could Pick VP As Early As Weds. He's In Virginia Weds.

According to the New York Times, we all could know who Obama's vice presidential pick will be as early as Wednesday. Here's what they reported:
WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has all but settled on his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate rollout plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday morning, aides said.

Mr. Obama’s deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff members: that his decision not leak out until supporters are notified.

Mr. Obama had not notified his choice — or any of those not selected — of his decision as of late Monday, advisers said. Going into the final days, Mr. Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.
So, it appears that Tim Kaine is still in the running. And if the timing is any indication of things to come, here's what Obama's schedule will be for the next few days, again, according to the NYT.
Mr. Obama’s schedule calls for him to awaken on Tuesday in Orlando, Fla., and by the end of the day be in Raleigh, N.C. By Wednesday, he is scheduled to be in Virginia. The Obama campaign has cautioned against reading anything into his schedule, saying it could be changed in an instant to accommodate the plan to introduce the running mate.

Aides said the announcement would come at the earliest on Wednesday morning.
So, the earliest the announcement could come is Wednesday. Obama has been opening headquarters all over Virginia and has a great field operation. Virginia is definitely in play. And Obama will be here on Wednesday. Hmmm...

What do you think?

4 comments:

spotter said...

I think Tim Kaine would be a great choice.

You hear a lot of dissent on the blogosphere about disagreements on this issue or that.

Tim Kaine has solid executive experience and common sense. Ask any state employee about the difference working under Mark Warner or Tim Kaine, versus Gilmore or Allen. Night and day.

Karen Duncan said...

I agree with you Spotter. I had my issues with him during the Byrne campaign. But I am not as angry as some of my fellow bloggers.

I think he's done as good a job as humanely possible given that the Republicans' announced strategy was obstructionism - they had vowed not to give Tim the victories that their moderates allowed Mark to have. They even punished those moderates for compromising, even if it was ultimately good for the Commonwealth. All they saw was that it made Mark look good and they weren't about to let that happen to another Democratic governor.

Up against that hyper-partisanship, there's really not much Tim can do.

My only concern is that an Obama Kaine ticket would have a paucity of foreign policy experience. I'm not sure how important that is given that the economy and energy are the main issues in voters' minds right now. But one incident in a distant part of the world, one videotape from Osam bin Laden, could change that as it has in the past.

But other than that concern, I think it would be exciting to have Kaine on the ticket. And I think he brings a lot of positives. Labor in Virginia loves him. I think that will translate nationally. Virginia is one of the best run states and consistently ranks high as having a favorable business environment. And his fluency in Spanish and ease with Hispanics could bring in that vote nationally too. Hispanics are the sleeping giant, both electorally and in marketing.

There's a lot to recommend him beyond just putting Virginia in play.

Anonymous said...

Have you guys given up on the foreign policy piece? I think you need a Biden/Bayh type.

I hope McCain goes with an out-of-the box type like Lieberman or Ridge or even Jindel but it will propably end up being Romney or that guy from Minnesota. Republicans tend to play it safe.

NMM

Karen Duncan said...

Nope, I haven't given up on the foreign policy piece. I was pointing out Tim's positives, which are definitely there, despite the naysaying of some of my fellow progressive bloggers.

However, I also agree with Johnny Comacho, who left a comment on RK, that Republicans are experts at framing the debate and will do their utmost to keep it on the issues that are their perceived strength, national security, foreign policy and the war against terrorism. They'd be crazy not to do that.

Thing is, most people are hardwired to respond to threats and danger. That's why those issues are potent. There are real threats to our national security. The question is who is better able to respond.

Here's what the Democrats need to do to win the argument and the election.

They can't ignore those issues. They've got to make the case for the economy, where the public trusts them most. But they also have to stay focused on the security and foreign policy issues. Somehow, they have to weave the these issues together and make it a question of better judgment and competence.

They can't shy away from criticizing McCain for his support for the war in Iraq and they have to drive home the point that we went to war under false pretenses and it was the wrong war. Iraq did not have WMDs and was not a security threat. But Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are still dangerous. All the time and resources we've wasted in Iraq have not ameliorated those threats or made us safer.

And then there's the economy and the mishandling of Katrina, and, etc, etc. That's how you weave them together: You make them issues of competence and judgment.