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An Anti-Clinton For VP

By David Sirota

You can’t turn on a television or have a conversation about politics without being accosted by speculation about whether Barack Obama will select Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Will he ask her or won’t he? This is the extent of today’s political debate — personality-focused chatter that goes about as deep as prom-season gossip at a local high school.… return to article

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    I would hardly call Clinton’s defeat “resounding,” and the assertion that Obama “faced at least as much racism” as Clinton faced sexism is preposterous.

    Racism has become, almost in a good way (almost!), something in the public sphere that is discussed much more than actually engaged in (which is not to suggest that racism is not rampant, merely that public admission of racism has become somewhat taboo).

    Sexism on the other hand, is so casual as to be practically unnoticed. Consider, for example, this from the Huffington Post:

    “Michelle Obama Vs. Cindy McCain: A Study In Styles

    “Every first lady needs to develop a signature style - a look that goes beyond the vagaries of fashion and trends. Cindy is some way towards achieving this. Her clothing consistency is satisfying: always immaculate, with never a hair out of place. But this striving for perfection is also her un-doing: she doesn’t know how to have fun with fashion.

    “Michelle, however, is showing enormous potential. She’s starting to own the puffed sleeve - it works for her on blouses and even on a red tailored suit that she wore recently. But the most obvious clue that Michelle possesses the first lady X-Factor came last month when she addressed a high school. Is that a belted dress or a trench worn flasher-style? Who knows, but it is in these mysterious details that fashion-forward presidential campaigns are made.”

    Hillary Clinton was subjected to endless nasty snipes about her clothes, her makeup, her voice, and even her cleavage. Obama got lapel pins.

    Having said all that, I think you have a point about “Clintonism.”

    United Kingdom Posted by monkyhead on Jun 13, 2008 at 6:45 AM

    Jim Webb should be the VP. He certainly is an economic populist, he wrote a great op-ed not long after his election discussing the widening gap between the haves and have nots. Beyond that, his military credentials give a boost to the ticket for Obama. And finally, he’s from Virginia, a state that would be a great early election day coop if it went blue.

    Hillary indeed represents the past. This election needs to end the Clinton/Bush era. It’s time to move on. If I were Obama, I would offer Hillary a cabinet post such as Health and Human Services. She could probably get more accomplished in health care in that job than as VP anyway. Whether she would want to vacate the Senate is another question.

    United States Posted by Jon B on Jun 14, 2008 at 7:18 PM
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