Obama's Surprise VP Choice

by Dan Proft

Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, or Evan Bayh?

Oh, you silly country rubes. There is not an audacious name in that bunch.

On Saturday, Barack Obama will return to the initial scene of his crimes against humanity with his vice presidential choice in tow.

That choice?

Does the phrase, "We're putting the band back together," mean anything to you, Chicago?

That's right, Obama's choice will be a friend to lobbyists big and small, the master of economic disaster, a man of few usually unintelligible words, and the man at whose ample teet Obama suckled for his seven vanilla years in the Illinois State Senate--I am of course talking about retiring State Senate President Emil Jones.

The campaign commercials write themselves: Let the Chicago Democrats do for America what they have done to Illinois.

While some may view this as the ultimate patronage hire, that take misses Emil Jones' robust record as an agent of change.

Think of all of the change Illinois has realized during Jones' tenure as Senate President and Governor Rod Blagojevich's BFF.

For example, Illinois has shed 60,000 manufacturing jobs, currently enjoying an unemployment rate 28% higher than the national average.

Not convinced? What if I told you that Illinois is number one in the nation in its unfunded pension liability?

Still not sure Jones is the best choice?

Did I mention that Illinois is 44th in the nation in per capita income growth?

One has to appreciate how difficult it is to rack up numbers like that in a state with the logistical advantages, transportation infrastructure, corporate bases, and post-secondary educational institutions that exist in Illinois.

To achieve these changes, one must have the fortitude to stare down common sense policies and say, "Not on my watch."

Jones has shown this willingness to discard conventional wisdom--and the laws of supply and demand. While other politicians offer up loose talk in support of higher taxes, onerous, job-killing regulations and politically expedient subsidies, Jones has always been a man of action.

So who better than Jones to ride point for Obama's carbon tax and his capital gains tax increase and his income tax hike and... well, you get the idea.

Comments

Enough with Proft. Why doesn't he go back and run allen keys again?

[Matt Gauntt]

Anon @ 1:21

That was an intelligent comment. Probably thought for 30 minutes to come up with that one.

Dan - funny stuff.

[Bayne]

If I were Obama it would be Biden. Biden has very good ties to the Kennedy people and (by transitivity) the real Democrat powers, including Hillary. Hillary and Biden to not not get along. Bayh cannot deliver Indiana. He's the one I feared for a long time; he presents a centrist persona, but this may be cause for distrust; and if he's going to make his selection, *without* making this paramount, the decision would, and might be, Hillary rather than Bayh. But she cannot be trusted by Obama, so he would really have to believe he is in trouble with Dems to pick her. I don't think he lacks this confidence. Kaine has his trust and is ethically, it seems, beyond reproach. He's "dullsville" so he may be good. As one show biz friend of mine used to say: "We can have only one red head on the chorus line."

Biden is a very sharp cookie; call him the "cookie monster" or, perhaps, more aptly the "Kookie Monster." In any case, he's strong on foreign policy, but more than that he is a, reasonably, good congressional proceduralist. Combine that with the Kennedy etc. connection and the fact that the average person doesn't really know his record etc and he's got to look very attractive. Sebellius would, also, cause trouble for Repubs; but I suspect, although I could be wrong, that any "woperson" besides Hillary "babes" would evoke too much resentment. So among the big names Biden is most likely.

[It's Hillary for Barry's VP Dan]

The reporting is that Barry made the decision while in Hawaii the same time he decided to give Hillary parts of 3 nights at convention.

The delegates want her for VP by far over anyone else.

Has been vetted more than any other Dem.

Can raise money and bring votes that might stay home or McCain might get.

Can put several states in the W column and put other states in play.

Helps Barry with Hispanics and older white ladies.

[Pete Speer]

Hillary is the most likely choice. She will certainly give him the most immediate bounce. And he needs it.

Zogby shows him behind, but the better poll --NBC/WSJ -- shows him ahead but with a thinning margin.

Hillary gets her campaign debts (including the Clinton family loans) paid off, making her whole if not more wholesome. I don't believe she could turn that down.

From the point of view of adminstrative experience and broad male support, Jim Webb would have been better. The Governor of Virginia is a cipher. Bill Richardson would be better.

McCain's choice will embody three things -- executive ability, successibility, and the delivery of heavy electoral votes from otherwise Blue states. That makes Romney (Michigan and Massachusetts) likely.

[Christine]

Please not Romney! and not Huckabee either. I would love to see Condi, but I suppose that's a pipedream. But Romney doesn't help him at all. He turns off both conservatives and moderates because of his flip flopping as well as that too smooth image. I just don't trust the man and I think many feel the same way.

As far as Obama picking Hillary, I just don't think it can work. Biden won't help him much either. He is probably going to go for some relative unknown who he thinks will help in where he is weakest. But who knows.

[Spense]

but would were it true.........

Word on the street is that Sen. Dave Syverson and former Sen. Steve Rauschenberger lobbied Keyes heavily to get in the 2004 Senate race and now the 2008 Presidential.

I don't think Proft will be the manager this time around, but I hear Jon Zahm is in the mix.