Yeah, I know, at this point I don't like her either. And I know many other Obama supporters are not going to give up their outrage about the Clintons' slash-and-burn campaigning easily.
But here are 7 reasons to get her on the ticket, the sooner the better:
- If she comes on board, she will bring at least some (most?) of her supporters with her, including many who otherwise wouldn't vote for Obama. (I'm talking about the soft bigots here.) Maybe they'll figure if Hillary is for Barack, then they can be for him, too.
- She can make a nice big speech about how, yes, she has some differences with Barack, but they agree on many more issues, and then list them: ending the war, starting national health insurance, lowering college costs, and so on. That speech will be healing, and maybe it will bring fans of both her and Barack to their senses a little. Because it really is true, they do agree on many things that are important to all of us.
- She and Bill have proven that they are vicious, ruthless campaigners. Wouldn't it be nice to have them train their brutal firepower on McCain for a change? We've all seen how they could damage even a master Zen politician like Barack, at least temporarily. Imagine how they could tear up an old confused man with known anger problems and lots of real scandals in his past. Think of how fun it will be to have them fighting for us, instead of against us. As Lyndon Johnson once said about an opponent, "I'd rather have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in."
- The classic ticket rolls are that the Presidential candidate is serene and friendly, while the VP candidate is the attack dog. The big criticism in the last election of John Edwards (whom I like a lot) was that he never could bring himself to get down and dirty. Can Hillary? Yes she can!
- Hillary did her best to try to steal Barack's "Yes We Can" phrase by changing it to "Yes We Will." A fun moment at the unity convention will be when they both appear on stage together and someone says the new slogan will be, "Yes We Can and We Will!"
- The Clintons need a way to restore their standing with African Americans. Campaigning at Barack's side for the next few months would do it. And for Obama supporters, the best way to get over having been attacked unfairly is always to let your enemy try to make amends.
- If any crazy right-wing nut is thinking of attacking our first black president, maybe the idea that Hillary would take over as our first woman president might give him pause.