The Veep Thread

Get gutsy. Backtrack on previous condemnations.

Pick this guy.

 

I just don't know. There's too much weirdness going on in that state. I foresee some giant skeleton in his closet that comes out, oh, say, Oct. 27.

 

On paper, Strickland looks good, but I know almost nothing about him.
Details? Charismatic? Boring? What?

 

Funniest comment I saw about Strickland, doing a quick Google seach, was that he's "inoffensive and kind of bland. Just like the state." That AOL story said he's more valuable to the party as a governor than he is as veep. That said, the story was dated August 2007.

This is the district Strickland won six times in Ohio ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:OH06_109.PNG

... Just the type of voters Obama needs to win over nationwide, no? Of course, Strickland did also say this ...

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/05/12/the-obama-veepwatch-vol-1-ted-strickland.aspx

"Ohioans should vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton because the March 4 primary is not about selecting the 'next American Idol.' "

 

I worked on Ted Strickland's first Congressional campaign. Given his close ties to Hillary, I just can't see him as veep, and yes, he's prone to blandless, although he's also known to do crazy ass stuff like climb the rock wall at the Ohio U Student rec center.

EDIT: Good God has that district been gerrymandered. No way in hell should East Liverpool be grouped in with Meigs County. Absolute and total bullshit.

 

He seems perfectly...acceptable.

 

As a Libertarian I have no horse in this race but I think a sure way for Obama to lose would be to pick Jon Edwards -- who is viewed by many as an elitist lawyer snob, which is why he's been rejected every time he runs for the office of the presidency. He's also viewed as a liberal with a poverty pet project and that's why I thought he was a bad choice for Kerry as well.

The worst thing Obama can do is pick someone who is viewed as the white version of him.......

 

I think Schweitzer should be given very serious consideration. He fits the bill in many respects. If people are worried about how Obama will play with those "white, working class" voters, here's a pro-gun, "Prairie Populist" from Montana who clearly passes the "beer test." And best of all, he was against the war from the start.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08governor.html

 

But the war is still popular in some demographics, so he should pick someone who voted for it to offset his own views.........

 

Schweitzer, Strickland, Sebelius. Some governor whose last name starts with the letter "S" seems to make sense. Someone who would appeal to country voters Obama might be struggling with. Going with either Strickland or Sebelius would be a nod to Hillary, so I can see where they would have a slight edge on someone like Schweitzer at the moment.

 

Schweitzer for me.

From an old profile:
"When a reporter from an independent weekly newspaper visited his ranch to write a profile, Schweitzer took him shooting. After he won the gubernatorial election, Schweitzer threw a massive inaugural ball with three venues and more than 3,000 guests. When Butte, Montana’s famous M&M bar reopened, Schweitzer stood in the middle of the bar at 10 a.m., downing a shot of Jameson’s."
Jameson's at 10 a.m.?
My man!

 

Like Steinbeck, Irish on his mom's side and German on his dad's. "Irish blood doesn’t water down very well; the strain must be very strong," Steinbeck said of his heritage.