I know, I know. It’s Sally Quinn, and therefore it should be nonsense. But I’ve got to tell you: This blind squirrel might have found herself a nut. Dude?
She has been loyal and supportive to the president and has maintained a good relationship with him and with others in the White House. If she is being left out of the policymaking, or being sent on trips to keep her out of town, she has not shown it. She is cheerful, thoughtful, serious and diligent. There are no horror stories about her coming out of the State Department. Most notable, though, is that Bill Clinton has not been the problem that so many anticipated. He has been supportive of her and of Obama, and he has stayed out of the limelight and been discreet about his own life.
In short, the arguments against Hillary Clinton being Obama’s vice president have pretty much evaporated.
So, what kind of running mate would she be? We’ve seen the team player. Now consider Hillary the Democratic campaigner. She is tireless and relentless. Given the combination of votes that she and Obama got in the 2008 primary campaign, they would be a near-unbeatable team. Clinton also appeals to independents, but importantly, she would neutralize the effect of Sarah Palin. Whatever Palin came up with, Hillary could best her — and the Tea Party crowd as well. The Republicans would lose their “year of the woman” argument.
She goes on to remind us that VP Hillary would be positioned as the nominee for 2016, which would be no small benefit to the party. In six years, assuming that Obama wins re-election, the country will be suffering from serious Democrat fatigue. Under those conditions, nominating some no-name like Evan Bayh won’t do enough for turnout to help them hold the White House; it’ll take a political celebrity with enough “narrative” (first woman president!!11!) to excite the media to give them a chance. Enter Hillary. And Quinn’s point about neutralizing Palin is smart too. Even if she doesn’t run, demagoging Sarahcuda will be a major part of the Democrats’ 2012 strategy. If they can win over centrist women by setting up an implicit Hillary/Palin contrast, that’ll help.
The other benefit to having Hillary on the ticket in two years is that, thanks to The One’s haplessness, “Democrat fatigue” is setting in early among the electorate. Hot off the presses from Gallup:
Running with her as VP would probably help with indies and disaffected centrist Democrats, and more broadly it would send a symbolic message to voters who’ll be looking at Obama and thinking, “Four more years of this?” A new ticket would signal a fresh start — call it, er, Change — which won’t convince you or me but might convince the people in the middle who decide presidential elections. And don’t forget, there’s precedent here: FDR had three different vice presidents during his four terms and The One’s political hero made a fateful VP switch of his own in 1864.
Here’s Quinn chatting about her column today on MSNBC. She notes that the idea didn’t start with her, which helps explain why it has merit.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Join the conversation as a VIP Member