The World According to Oatney

Obama/Kaine?

As has been written here in recent days, it would be unwise for Barack Obama to put Hillary Clinton on the Democratic ticket because her negative numbers are so high. Many of the votes that she was able to garner during the Democratic Primary were votes of opposition to Senator Obama, not votes of support for her. Senator Clinton is not well thought of in the country, and even in some quarters of the Democratic Party she is persona non grata. Instead, Obama needs to look for a running mate that could help him carry a State that he might not otherwise carry.

If news reports hold any truth today, the Obama camp may be getting that message, as they are apparently weighing the possibility of putting Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on the Democratic ticket:

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine.

Picking Kaine would seem to satisfy many considerations Obama has recently laid out. During an interview with Tom Brokaw on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the presumptive Democratic nominee said he was looking for someone who shares his desire to change Washington politics.

The choice of Tim Kaine could take Virginia from the category of a Republican-leaning toss-up State to one that goes for the Democrats. This could also cause the electoral map to favor Obama merely because it would make a dent in the Solid South that John McCain needs to insure victory. To win the General Election without Virginia, McCain must carry New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Colorado to make up for it-and that presumes that McCain carries Ohio. If John McCain fails to carry Ohio after losing Virginia for the presence of its Governor on the Obama ticket, it would be virtually impossible for him to win the election.

Barack Obama is taking a hard look at the map to see what he needs to reach 270.

Labels: Democrats, Presidential Election, Republican Party

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 11:12 AM