Saturday, October 6, 2007

Obama for vice president?

I've been thinking about Clinton and Obama and I've decided I want Obama for vice president. I see Obama this way: I gravitate toward him out of the feeling he could be truly revolutionary. In particular, I wonder about him using the bully pulpit to talk about race, to engage this country in a conversation about race in a way no resident has tried before. The closest parallel would be the conversations/propaganda used during WWII to discuss the war effort. I should also say that I feel like Obama could lead these conversations not so much because he is black, but more because of his ability to communicate, to engage and connect. The subject, race in the US, is chosen partly because he is black but mostly because it is an issue about which action must be taken and legislation can't do it. I worry about Obama because of his lack of experience.

In my view his strengths are his magnetism and potential to use the White House in a way never done before. His weaknesses are his naivete and the chance that Washington is a place where personality isn't enough to change the tone of things in the country. In other words, his strengths are his soft power, the power to set the agenda in Washington through conversation. With the right president, a vice president could lead these conversations almost as effectively as if the VP were him/herself president. And the president, Hillary Clinton, could wield her preparedness and experience in a way Obama could not.

[This leaves out Edwards who scores major points on health care, poverty issues, and for his wife's support of gay marriage. However Edwards was only Senator for one term and in places where he and Clinton are more different, I find Edwards too liberal (e.g. Edwards is more protectionist than Clinton). I should note that my view of Obama being the perfect vice president means that he is not in second place to Hillary's first. Should Hillary falter I think I would be more likely to support Edwards for president and leave Obama for VP. (Total side note: if the VP is perfect for using soft power doesn't that mean that they must have a positive message, for no one wants the bully pulpit to be used to spread a negative message....Dick Cheney?]