While some are still talking about it, it seems that Hillary Clinton's chances of becoming VP are pretty slim -- about 8%, to be exact. It's still possible she might be chosen, but let's go with the odds for a moment and assume that she is not. How might she improve her image, build herself a lasting legacy, and remind the droves of Democrats like us of why we so admired her in the first place?
I have a suggestion, which would be very simple in theory, but in practice would require a good deal of sacrifice on Sen. Clinton's part: Hillary should come out and publicly endorse the idea of a female Vice President, and ask that Obama take herself out of consideration.
The fact of the matter is, I believe that a majority of the Democratic Party was enthusiastic about the idea of a Clinton candidacy and presidency at the beginning of 2007. The potential of a President Hillary Clinton; the idea of a woman leading the free world; in truth, these things were every bit as groundbreaking as Sen. Obama's candidacy. Unfortunately, a series of campaign dustups - and we all know what I mean here, so I won't reopen any wounds - essentially tanked her candidacy and, I believe, tarnished her reputation somewhat.
That said, Sen. Clinton still remains a major figure in the Democratic Party, as she should be. She still has a strong future ahead of her and the potential for many great accomplishments - that is, if she can regain a positive public image. She has also clearly indicated that she is still very much interested in her legacy - just yesterday she spoke of her desire for her supporters to "be heard" and honored.
So, why not take up the cause that best fit and embodied her candidacy to begin with? That is, women's rights and gender issues. Her best speech, in my opinion, was her final one. She spoke eloquently about making millions of cracks in the glass ceiling. She now has a unique opportunity to shatter that glass. It would require a bit of selflessness, humility, and grace, yes. But when you are considered the most ambitious woman in America, a little bit of selflessness could go a long way.
For these reasons, I believe it would be in Hillary's best interest to publicly announce that she wishes to be removed from consideration as Obama's VP (so she can focus on the women's and children's issues near and dear to her, of course), but also "strenuously hopes" that Barack would honor her candidacy by giving serious consideration to female VP contenders.
For those skeptical of this amounting to much, remember that for someone like Kathleen Sebelius, it could be just the lifesaver she's been needing. Sebelius is consistently mentioned as being possibly the BEST fit for Obama's VP, she has enormously positive qualifications - and yet no article about her is complete without mentioning that she is not in contention because Clinton's supporters would not accept her. Kos called this out for what it is - a crock of shit. Clinton's endorsement of another woman would be an implicit nudge to her supporters - a "hey, guys, its time we move on, and let's help out a fellow woman while we're at it."
Just as Gore recast himself into America's "environmental protector" after his defeat, so too can Hillary reclaim a new mantle - one of "female empowerer," perhaps? It seems fitting, to me.
This would also benefit Obama. As Kos put it,
Several people [on the] list of veep possibilities would certainly reinforce Obama's core message of change, and several are women (mainly Sebelius and McCaskill). I don't have any inkling where Obama is going with this thing, but I do know that being forced to take women off his shortlist lest he offend some Hillary supporters is asinine. I doubt Clinton fought to shatter one glass ceiling to replace it with another.
As far as I can tell, this is a unique opportunity that would
- Allow Hillary to claim her legacy,
- Push the women's movement forward,
- Remove a ridiculous roadblock that is preventing Obama from making an excellent VP pick, allowing him to make his decision based on qualifications and not chromosomes
So, what do you say?