October 7, 2008 1:29:36 AM CDT
(Newser) – "What does Hillary want?" Hillary Clinton asked rhetorically last night at her rally in New York. Still a good question, writes Maureen Dowd, since apparently she's not going away anytime soon. Having given her surrogates the green light to push for an Obama-Clinton ticket, the New York Times columnist asks why Hillary is promoting herself for the vice-presidency—"a job she's already had and doesn't want again."
Two theories have traction among Clinton watchers: either she's putting on a show to position herself for 2012 in case of an Obama loss, or she's really banking on an RFK-style tragedy to bring her to the Oval Office. Either way, writes Dowd, Obama must resist or end up like Walter Mondale: a battle-scarred candidate "henpecked" into choosing a female running mate, who went down to a crushing defeat.
Source New York Times
Sep 9, 08 8:00 AM CDT In 1984, Walter Mondale had a strict "hands-off" policy with running mate Geraldine Ferraro, never even putting his palm on her back when they waved to crowds. Two decades later, times have changed: John McCain and Sarah Palin have been embracing on the campaign trail, forgoing handshakes for a series of somewhat stiff hugs. But etiquette for female politicians remains delicate, reports the New York Times. More »
Jun 16, 08 12:18 PM CDT The logic for Hillary Clinton as Barack Obama's running mate is simple, writes Ed Kilgore for Salon: "Obama doesn't have any obvious alternative option that will please everyone, much less provide the political payoff of an Obama-Clinton ticket.” Kilgore notes that rank-and-file Democrats support the pairing and refutes a laundry list of anti-Clinton arguments. More »
Jun 16, 08 12:17 PM CDT Barack Obama has a plethora of reasons to reject Hillary Clinton as his running mate, Thomas Schaller writes in Salon, but the most important is consistency: "Obama's decision to cast himself as a fresh alternative to both the Bushes and the Clintons is reason enough for him to choose somebody other than Hillary." Schaller lays out four anti-Clinton arguments and concludes by urging Obama to move quickly. More »
Jun 5, 08 7:07 AM CDT The champagne was barely uncorked at Barack Obama victory parties before Hillary Clinton's backers were pushing for her as veep choice, the Wall Street Journal reports, but the so-called "dream ticket" is looking unlikely. Dems on both sides point to a host of complications that could arise—especially when Bill Clinton and his undisclosed business dealings are thrown into the equation. More »
Jun 4, 08 4:56 AM CDT Hillary Clinton's non-concession speech last night left the Obama campaign with a major headache, as the New York senator left open the possibility that she might demand the second spot on the Democratic ticket. Clinton managed to take some of the spotlight from Obama even on his biggest night—a reality that will dog the nominee whether she runs for veep or not, reports the New York Times. More »
Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • vice president • running mate • Maureen Dowd • Geraldine Ferraro • dream ticket • Walter Mondale
