Clinton Campaign Chair: Obama would make a good veep

In an interview, Terry McAuliffe says Obama would be considered for the vice presidential slot of a Clinton ticket:

McAuliffe: “But clearly Barack Obama has shown that he can excite people. She needs to make sure the next, whoever the Vice President is, could take over if anything happened to her. But it’s early for us to be talking about Vice President. But let me tell you this, I sat in that Kodak Theater the other day, I was there in Los Angeles. I flew out with Hillary, I went to the event, I sat in that audience, and Dominic to sit there and look at that stage - the two finalists, African-American and a woman of the Democratic Party - I think that was exciting. I think that’s exciting for the Party for our country, and I think it’s exciting for the world.”

Carter: “So it might be a good idea to put him on the ticket?”

McAuliffe: “Sure it would be, absolutely. How could you deny consideration of someone who has excited so many people?”

Lanny Davis: Obama-Clinton won't happen

On Huffington Post, Clinton supporter Lanny Davis makes the case: if you want to see both Clinton and Obama on the same ticket, then you should vote for Clinton:

If You Want the "Dream Ticket" Then Vote for Hillary

I admit my bias towards Senator Clinton because I believe so strongly she is more experienced and ready to be president than Senator Obama, although I am not bashful to say I hold Senator Obama in great respect and admire the way he has energized younger voters.

Watching both of them in last Friday night's debate debating the issues civilly and virtually embracing after the debate was over, I was proud to be a Democrat and to have two such outstanding candidates. However, the final question by Wolf Blitzer as to whether they would consider the other on the ticket begged the following reality. (To repeat: This is entirely my opinion, not reflecting anyone's view from the Clinton campaign or anyone connected to the campaign.)

That reality is that it is highly unlikely -- I would say virtually impossible -- for the ticket to be Obama-Clinton; but it is at least possible that it could be Clinton-Obama. I say this not because of any bias towards Senator Clinton. It is just a simple reality. Senator Clinton would not likely want to be Vice President -- she is now holding the U.S. Senate seat of the revered Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; and she hardly would enthusiastically give up that Senate seat to go back to the White House, even as Vice President.

Moreover, it is very likely Senator Obama might feel having Senator Clinton as his Vice President would be very difficult since given her fame and political influence, it would create the appearance if not the reality of a co-presidency.

On the other hand, a Clinton-Obama ticket would fit into the aspirations and goals of many supporters of both candidates: Most Clinton supporters like Senator Obama and believe he could make a good president, but just not yet; and most Obama supporters would love to see him as president but might see the wisdom of waiting eight years so when he runs for president as Vice President, the issue of experience and political maturity will not be a factor.

So, if you like Senator Obama but want the dream ticket, vote for Senator Clinton! And be patient -- eight years from now, he could be President Obama.

Michigan Governor: hoping for Clinton Obama dream ticket

From "Granholm likes a Clinton-Obama ticket":

The Democratic Party has such “an abundance of riches,” in the presidential race this year that Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Thursday she hopes Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama run as a team — regardless who wins the nomination.

“I would love to see her ask him to run as her vice president,” Granholm, a supporter of Clinton’s candidacy told the Free Press editorial board. “And if he gets it, I would hope that he would do the same.”

ABC News: Clinton-Obama ticket is "talk of the town"

In the latest Democratic debate, both Clinton and Obama kept the door open to the possibility of sharing the same ticket.

Last night, when CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked, "Would you consider an Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama ticket going down the road," neither candidate denied the possibility.

"Well, there's a difference between those two," Obama laughed. "But her service to this country has been extraordinary. And I'm glad that we've been walking on this road together." Clinton dittoed it.

"Well, I have to agree with everything Barack just said."

Now, the possibility is the talk of the town.

DailyKos poll: Will you support a Clinton/Obama ticket?

Diarist Yashua says:

Personally, I hope that Senators Obama and Clinton run together (I don't care in which order). Now that would be a historic White House. That would be way for us to be inspired.

Here's the poll and reader comments.

Clinton supporter: Clinton-Obama ticket is possible

Joel Ferguson, a Michigan cochair for the Clinton campaign, said:

It’s possible, said Joel Ferguson, a cochair for Hillary Clinton’s Michigan campaign.

Ferguson said Clinton’s Democratic rival Barack Obama has appeal among young voters – especially young African Americans – that would make him a potent vote-getter as a vice presidential running mate.

“There’s a shot at that happening,” he said after taping public television’s weekly show, “Off the Record.”

Right Matters: how likely is a Clinton-Obama ticket?

Conservatives weigh in on this question:

If Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, will she have to make Barack Obama her running mate?

Presumably enough harsh words have been spoken that she won't offer the vice-presidential nomination to him unless she has to. But it may be that so many harsh words have been spoken that she will have to do it in the interests of party unity--particularly given how racially divided the party is likely to be by the end of these primaries.

Whether it would be in Obama's interest to accept is another question. If the ticket wins, he may figure he will effectively be the number three official in the White House, behind both the president and her husband. If the ticket loses, he has the examples of the last two losing Democratic vice-presidential nominees as a cautionary tale. Joe Lieberman went nowhere in 2004, and John Edwards has gone nowhere this year.

So how likely is a Clinton-Obama ticket? And how strong would it be?

Read the discussion here.

Poll: 3 out of 5 Democratic voters want Clinton and Obama on same ticket

According to Bloomberg:

Clinton leads Obama, 42 percent to 33 percent, down from the 24-point advantage she held in early December. Three out of five supporters of each candidate say they would like Clinton or Obama, if nominated, to choose the other as a running mate...

The survey finds that 62 percent of Democrats would like Clinton to pick Obama as her running mate if she is the nominee; 60 percent say they would want Obama to pick Clinton.

``You need to have complementary people,'' says Marian Dondero, 53, an elementary school administrator in the Philadelphia suburb of Wyncote, Pennsylvania, who plans to vote for Clinton. ``She's really intelligent and straightforward and she's a good problem solver. He lifts your imagination.''

Recent clashes between the candidates may dim the possibility of a shared ticket. During a Jan. 21 debate in South Carolina, the two battled over their past actions as lawyers, their votes as lawmakers and what they described as misrepresentations of their views by the other's campaign.

For all the talk on Internet discussion boards of Obama supporters who say adamantly that they will not support Hillary Clinton if she's the party's nominee, there seems to be little evidence of this in the national poll: 60 percent of Obama supporters want Clinton as vice president. That's only 2 percent less than the number of Clinton supporters who want Obama as veep. There's a lot more party unity out there than one would imagine based on the blogosphere rants.

Cognitive Dissonance: 7 reasons for a Clinton/Obama ticket

The Cognitive Dissonance blog advances 7 reasons to support a ticket of Obama and Clinton...

1. Experience AND Change: Some voters think with their hearts and some think with their head. It’s difficult to predict which way the wind blows on this issue and even worse, it’s always subject to change...

2. Clinton/Obama could equal a Democratic White House for the next 16 years...

3. The Democrat/Independent/Young voter alliance : Without a doubt one of the main draws about Obama are the indepedent voters he draws. It’s good to have bi-partisian support, but at the end of the day Obama will need democratic voters AND the democratic machine behind him to win...

4. The Campaign Machine: One of the reason’s why Obama has benefited and Clinton has been harmed during the primary season is because primary elections and general elections require a completely different type of campaign...

5. Attacking from a Defensive position: I’m making this point descriptively and not normatively. Republicans will have to watch their step when going after an African American/Female candidate...

6. the Huckabee factor: I think it’s becoming increasingly likely that Huckabee will become the Vice President for whoever is the nominee, unless he is the nominee in which this point is even stronger. A lot of people like Mike Huckabee..

7. The Downticket races: Many democrats argue that if Clinton is the nominee, downticket races will be harmed. I don’t think that’s true but address it in a later piece. But even if that were true, people overlook the campaign structure that is necessary to win a state...

Read the whole post.

Big Sven makes the case for Clinton/Obama

Here's what one very articulate netizen has to say:

Obamatron-

Hi, yourself. The contest between Clinton and Obama will be all about "ideas or issues". In fact, you've hit it squarely on the head.

One of the reasons that Obama and Clinton supporters often seem to be speaking a different language is because they are. They have a diametrically opposed view of what their candidates should be about.

Clinton looks at political power, and tends to collect supporters (such as myself) who also look at political power, through the prism of specific policies and actions- what bills will we propose today, what policies will we put forward today. It's a pragmatic, checklist-based view of leadership. FDR, for all his eloquence, had this style.

Obama looks at the process it terms of what ideas and long term goals get you up in the morning, and what are the goals of the people supporting you. He thinks that if you have the right vision, the details will work themselves out. Churchill had this style.

But it's why he's ultimately not really excited talking about policy details. And she hates the touchy feely stuff that he's good at. It's also why, when she had her "emotional moment" it manifested itself in the statement that "Some of us know what we will do on day one, and some of us haven't really thought that through enough." Because for her, that is the essential characteristic of a leader.

I totally understand why some people chose Obama's ideological (note: not partisan) style over Clinton's more pragmatic approach. Pragmatism isn't exciting, and it's often not motivating. But for some of us (a plurality in NH yesterday), the comfort of knowing that Ms. Clinton already has her "to do" list for day one is what we *love* about her.

So you're right- people will be voting on ideas or issues over the next couple of months. And their will determine who we have representing us in the fall.

One final point- the difference in their leadership style makes me think they would make a *great* Prez/Veep team. There's probably already too much blood spilt, but one can always hope.

What do Seattlites think of Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton?

See what the discussion looks like on the Slog.

AllHipHop discussion: Clinton and Obama getting friendlier?

Says one forum poster on AllHipHop:

I was watching the debate last night and I noticed a few things that have changed in the last couple months between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Like if you mentioned a Clinton/Obama ticket a few months ago, there'd be no way. They really did not like each other... but they seemed to be more friendly now, and willing to side with each other to change the regime in the United States.