The breaking news about Hillary suspending her campaign would accelerate, at least theoretically, the unity of the Democratic party that is needed to mobilize support for Obama in the general election. Gone were both the speculation and worry about the long and unproductive wrangling between the two political heavy weights. Also gone was one of the most feared stumbling blocks that could have jeopardize the Democratic party's unity: the use of Convention floor in Denver to decide the nominee. Finally, with the Hilary decision to suspend her campaign, the Dems presumptive nominee is now able to focus on the highest target of all: winning the general election as the main vehicle to change America.
The remaining nagging question would be Hillary's future political role in the post-primary election. We've seen, in the past few weeks, emotionally charged debates within both the Dems elites and the rank and file on this issue. Predictably, the most pertinent question is whether
Hillary will be on the same ticket with Obama in November as his running mate. Already there've been pros and cons about it generated by those among the media, politicos and pundits. Larry Davis and many Hillary supporters have, for example, forced the idea that Hillary should be put in the ticket as VP for the following reasons: she has been winning the so-called "popular votes" in the primaries and she could win the women, white working class, the Hispanic groups, and have strong appeal among senior voters. In response, Obama's inner circle and his staunchest supporters in the netroots as well as prominent Dems elite members such as Jimmy Carter have offered a counter argument: Obama needs the kind of VP who represents the messages of change and new direction which have been a central theme during his campaign and in his future Presidency. Hillary Clinton, with her political power and influence in the party notwithstanding, will not fare well in the Obama administration. Not only has she been seen as the remnant of the Clinton administration whose views on economic and social reforms as well as foreign policy have been considered passe by Obama and his new generation of political activists, but also her disingenuous and rather Machiavellian campaigns have created strong distrust and resistance among the Obama's loyalists against her.
At the more practical level, namely winning the general election, the joint ticket of Obama-Hillary will be, in Jimmy Carter words, "the worst mistake that could be made." The reason being that "both candidates' vulnerabilities could overshadow the ticket if the two team up together." In the former President's view,
If you take that 50 percent who just don't want to vote for Clinton and add it to whatever element there might be who don't think Obama is white enough or old enough or experienced enough or because he's got a middle name that sounds Arab, you could have the worst of both worlds
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...
It has remained to be seen the veracity of Carter's view, considering that those who don't want to vote for Clinton among the Dems, according to several polls, are rather low. In addition, it's still highly speculative that Obama's experience and middle name issues will become key factors in determining the voters' behavior in the ballot box. So far, there's been no strong polls that support such an assertion, regardless the opinions of the talking heads to the contrary.
However, I tend to agree that putting Hillary in the VP slot wouldn't be in the best interest of Obama, due to their differences in key political agenda. It's certainly true that Hillary's real presence and role in the campaign before November is indispensable for the Dems to win the general election. I couldn't even begin to imagine the negative impacts of Bill and Hillary's absence in the campaign following the national Dems convention in Denver. Obama himself has understood this very well as it indicated by his remarks on their role in the next campaign phase for the sake of uniting and reaching out the voters.
I would argue that the sooner both Obama and Hillary reach the agreement on the latter's role in his future administration, the faster the political "healing" within the party and among their followers will be. Even if the VP slot is rather moot at this juncture, Obama could offer key positions that which will enable Hillary to play a pivotal role in empowering the Democratic party's control in both the WH and Congress. For instance, Hillary could have the Supreme Court Justice position which would strengthen Obama's Presidency and at the same token enable Hillary to further promote her cause in empowering women in American politics. Hillary could be assigned in the field of foreign policy as special envoy not unlike her husband in recent years. Whatever role(s) that Hillary may play in the Obama administration, it/they should be something that would not diminish her political stature and, instead, enhance her contributions to the new administration and the Democratic party in general.
Obama and Hillary have expressed their political reconciliatory gestures in the aftermath of the primaries. The next step should be determining real and meaningful actions which would resonate with the Hillary and her supporters' political aspiration. Only then the consolidation of Dems party will have a solid political foundation and Obama's quest for change in American politics will soon gain its momentum. Last night meeting between Obama and Hillary could be paving the way for both political reconciliation and solidification.
God Bless Obama!!