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In the days since Obama's clinching of the nomination, the media is abuzz with the clamoring of Clinton supporters for Obama choosing her as VP. It got so bad that Hillary was forced to make a public announcement that she was not pusuing the VP slot because of all the backlash the entire brewhaha was engendering. Some argue that the Obama Clinton ticket would be the "dream ticket". That together, they would be an unstoppable machine. I have to disagree. Clinton on the ticket would only hurt Obama and the vision that his campaign has been trying hard to create. Here are the major reasons why Clinton should not be VP. CHANGE Change has been a constant theme in the Obama campaign. Clinton signifies a throwback to a past time, not a move towards the future. Although association with the relatively prosperous Clinton years may not be a bad thing for Obama, his campaign has been operating on a vision that presents a clean break from the past and a bold new future for America. Putting an icon of the past on the ticket would significantly hurt this image. It would hurt the Obama "Change" Brand. ATTENTION In Obama's campaign, his charisma has been center stage. However, if Hillary was on the ticket, you know that Bill will be getting in on the action too. This will be too much for Obama. He will no longer be standing on center stage, but rather be edged out by both attention seeking Clintons. This will make Obama appear weak and further underline the "inexperienced image" that his opponents have been trying to create. Obama needs to stand front and center in his campaign, choosing Hillary as VP will ensure his failure in achieving that. TO THE TABLE
Some have argued that Hillary will be delivering working class Whites and Hispanics to the table and thus, help Obama with his weakpoints. Wrong. Hispanics will by and large stick with the Democratic party no matter who is elected, because the tough Republican stance on illegal immigration will make McCain appear as an un-trustworthy candidate although his stance is relatively moderate. Hillary won't be able to deliver working class conservative Whites to Obama because if given a choice, many of these voters would choose McCain over Hillary. Also, Obama and Hillary would both easily be labeled as elitist liberals with no blue collar credentials. Obama needs to go with a VP who has more rooted support amongst the working class, and Hillary is not that person. Obama's campaign has indicated that they are in no rush to choose the VP, and neither should they. That is a crucial choice. But if they had any sense, we will not see Hillary on the ticket.
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