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Despite disavowals, push for 'dream ticket'

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 23, 2008 03:22 PM

Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's campaigns today firmly knocked down reports that her people are in contact with his people about being his running mate.

UPDATE: Clinton, herself, told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader editorial board today that there have not been any V.P. talks and that she is not planning any such discussions, the Associated Press is reporting.

"It is flatly untrue and it is not anything I'm entertaining. It is nothing I have planned and it is nothing I am prepared to engage in. I am still vigorously campaigning."

Still, a citizens group is hoping for a repeat of 2004: It started an online petition for Senator John F. Kerry to pick John Edwards, and he did.

Now, Citizens Consent has a website for a petition calling on Obama to select Clinton.

"Barack Obama’s leadership has inspired a new generation to participate in politics. Hillary Clinton’s experience and perseverance will strengthen the ticket," the petition says. "We ask you to sign our petition calling for Barack Obama as President and Hillary Clinton as Vice President, a ticket that will be unbeatable this November."

Also, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, a staunch Clinton supporter, said today that she believes that if Obama becomes the nominee he should select Clinton as his running mate, the Associated Press reported.

"I think as this race has emerged each one of them has garnered a different constituency and different states, and therefore when you put the two of them together it forms, I believe, the strongest ticket," she told the AP. "Women feel very strongly about Hillary and African-Americans feel very strongly about Barack, and the election results show that, and the young versus old, the higher educated versus the working person ... All these things are sort of separated out into one or the other so there is a logic in combining the two constituences."

Public opinion polls and exit polls of voters have also shown support for the so-called dream ticket, but many pundits and Democrats don't think it will happen. That doesn't deter Citizens Consent.

"Citizen involvement is a cornerstone of Senator Obama's campaign, and frankly, a foundation of our democracy. We've seen millions of new voters get involved this campaign season. People believe their voices can make a difference, and that's what DraftObamaClinton.com is about," the group's co-founder Jim Spencer, a Boston-based political consultant, said in a statement.

24 comments so far...
  1. Dear Fellow Americans,

    Our Greatgrand Nation, the United States of America,
    is facing and will face very critical, substantial
    "Challenges" in the coming months, years, and decades.

    It is imperative that we the people of the America
    become interested, involved, and engaged in choosing
    and voting for our next President.

    The following criteria will guide and help us to a
    right candidate. The candidate we choose must have
    following characteristics:


    1. A clear, candid " Vision and Mission" for our
    Nations present and future.

    2. A " Strong Character and significant
    Integrity".

    3. A sound and sustained "Presidential Temperament"
    and " Judgment".

    4. Less "Washington exposure" and "real
    connectivity with the people and future
    generation".

    5. One who "Inspires us up" rather than
    "Tears us Down or divides us".

    6. One who is not based on sexism,
    racism,regionalism,ageism, or any other ism and as
    well as one who attempts to " bring us together ".

    7. A foreign policy of mainly "USA Centric".

    In my professional, political and personal opinion,
    the only candidate that meets all the above
    characteristics and has shown consistent
    coolness, calmness, and connectedness { PRESIDENTIAL
    TEMPERAMENT } is Senator Barack Obama.

    As an independent registered voter since 1980, I voted
    for Carter, voted for Reagan, voted for First Bush,
    and second Bush in 2000 and in the process lost
    interest in Washington politics to the point where i
    stopped voting. Getting disinterested and disgusted in
    our political process and stopping voting was a very
    very bad decision in any circumstance, particularly
    under present circumstances.

    This time we can not afford to stay on the sidelines
    and let "Washington" stay the same. We can not afford
    to allow our Greatgrand Nation to become less than
    what we are, what we were and what we can be.

    We need to send a clear, careful and candid message to
    the world and sometimes 24-hour partisan divisive
    media, that We the American people will set the agenda
    for our future. America and Americans will be back.

    These partisan media outlets are trying and will try
    their best to deprive, decieve,dupe, and derail us.
    Let us stay involved, engaged, and express our opinion
    freely and vote. Our Nation will get it right this
    time
    to protect, preserve, and promote our future.

    Some of these partisan media and pundits are trying
    their best to deny us a better future and continue
    focusing on our weaknesses to generate a bitter future
    for us and our Greatgrand Nation. Our nation's people
    will see thru. Unfortunately our Greatgrand Nation's
    people are persistently and constantly subjected to
    this "Psychological Terrorism" without common people’s
    knowledge.

    The common and regular people do not have time to see
    thru and sort thru this psychological terrorism
    perpetuated by some of these partisan media outlets.

    I find it tragic, unfortunate, and sad [ They probably
    do not care about our Greatgrand Nation ]as they claim
    that they do it in the interest OF our Greatgrand
    Nation.

    We the Americans should not and will not to allow
    some of these partisan media outlets to
    psychologically
    terrorize, traumatize and silence us this time nor
    any other time in future.

    I am sure that we will get it right this
    time and elect Senator Obama as our next President.

    Let us remember that our Greatgrand nation consists of
    family, friends,fellowships, faith, funds,foundation,
    fun, and future with fairness and freedom and without
    fear, favor, or failure .

    We can not afford to lose any of the above. Let us
    stand up, be counted, save and rebuild our Greatgrand
    Nation for centuries to come. I am sure our Greatgrand
    nation andits diverse people. will reclaim, regain and
    restore the global economic, social, moral, and power
    status of USA.

    God Bless our Great grand Nation and its diverse
    people.

    Our Greatgrand nation needs present and future
    stability, security, safety,sustained progress and
    restoration of our due status in this perilous Global
    World at all levels.

    Yours sincerely,

    COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall M.D.
    Forensic Psychiatrist.
    Disabled American Veteran.
    Las Vegas Nevada.
    Cell: 951-505-6975


    Posted by COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall May 23, 08 02:37 PM
  1. obama & clinton will be a ticket i will vote for,if she is not on i will not support another.

    Posted by jerry shiwnath May 23, 08 03:03 PM
  1. Col., please take this as constructive criticism. Quotes and capitalization do not signify what you seem to think they do. Please consider consulting a grammar and usage guide, regarding their use, before writing further in a public forum on any topic you seek to positively influence.

    Posted by Jon Massey May 23, 08 03:12 PM
  1. I've lost all respect for Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. How out of touch with the obvious can a person be?

    Posted by Sammy May 23, 08 03:12 PM
  1. Two things:

    1. Do we really want Slick Willy back in the Whitehouse?
    2. Would Obama die a "mysterious" death thrusting Hillary into the number 1 spot?

    Hillary, the Queen of Spin and a Legend in Her Own Mind!

    http://klintons.com

    Posted by Bob May 23, 08 03:14 PM
  1. Type your comment here...As a Republican family who is actually planning to vote
    for Obama unless he slips on a banana peel we will not vote for him if Hillary is on the ticket with him. Hillary will be that banana peel,pure and simple. He would have to be less than ready for the presidency if he chooses her as hios running mate.

    Posted by Sunshine Snyder May 23, 08 03:23 PM
  1. The best comment I've seen on this "dream ticket" is that if Obama picks Hillary Clinton for his vice president he'd best hire a taster.

    Posted by Cecil Driver May 23, 08 03:26 PM
  1. Greetings, I've posted the following message to Senator Obama's campaign, and I know of no better way to attempt to get it out than to repeat it across sites. It is not spam - it is conviction:

    Greetings,

    I am a strong supporter of Barack Obama and a donor [content on amounts edited for public version of this letter]. Despite great ideological differences, I believe Senator Obama provides a great hope to save us from absurd partisan division and the general unethical and bad faith discourse which has grown like a cancer on the body politic over the last couple decades.

    However, Sen. Obama will almost certainly lose my vote (and Sen. McCain - whom I also respect - will gain it) if Sen. Clinton is chosen as VP, because I cannot abide putting a person a heartbeat away from the presidency when said person has as recently as this very year used Nixonian-style tactics - with even more blatant race-card playing - and has demonstrated a history of unethical and unnecessarily vicious political dealings. I plead with Sen. Obama to find a way to work through this without being forced into taking on one of the most craven political figures of our times (at the national level). Allowing a Sen. Clinton vice-presidency would be a betrayal of the very foundation of Sen. Obama's campaign's premise. Thank you for, I trust, forwarding this to the correct parties and considering this. I would hope that at least my comments would be posted prominently in whatever office they end up in, with my explicit understanding such is just indicating my opinion and not necessarily the candidate's or his staff's.

    Best of luck,
    Wilson Zorn

    Posted by Wilson Zorn May 23, 08 03:27 PM
  1. should it be an Obama clinton ticket I will not vote I rather stay home and suffer four more years with Mccain, I refuse to see those Clintons in the White House, I hope Obama is smart enough to realize the consequences

    Posted by joe May 23, 08 03:32 PM
  1. I Find Clinton(s) very very untrustworthy
    She has Sanjayad the Primaries(remember Sanjaya from American Idol)
    She has Mocked the system
    Taken Full Advantage of her previlages and abused it, being the former First Lady
    She has Lied all the way
    she to me is like the Gum stuck to sole of your shoe ,just does not leave.
    an Irritation in your throat
    an Itch between the buttocks.
    I have lost complete Respect for both Clintons,it just shows their senility
    and if she still dose'nt understand the Math , she is nowhere close to being even the janitor on the hill.

    Posted by Jessee May 23, 08 03:33 PM
  1. Obama,

    Do what's right for your country and your candidacy. Don't let those old ppl Clintons, Feinstein, Boxer... put you around.
    Young Dems

    Posted by Demgirl May 23, 08 03:41 PM
  1. God willing - I will have to hold my nose and vote for Obama if Clinton is on his ticket. He can do so much better.

    I do not want her one heartbeat away...I don't trust her!

    Posted by LM May 23, 08 03:48 PM
  1. Amen to what Mr. Khajawall has posted!

    Posted by Barrie O. Ward The Canadian Geezer May 23, 08 03:54 PM
  1. OH MY GOD what a terrible idea!

    It would be good for Hillary on an obvious level, sure, as by this point she MUST be aware that without some seriously shady moves there is no way she's getting the nomination... but even for her, it's not ideal. It's not what she was looking for and her accepting the position would make her look pathetic and hypocritical due to how strongly she's stated that Obama absolutely CANNOT be President. She's going to make statements like that and then become party to his doing so? Ill-advised, at best.

    It would be TERRIBLE for Obama. Yes, true, MAYBE it would gain him some votes from die-hard Hillary fans. But it would certainly hurt the level of support that he is receiving from those who HATE Hillary - a group that is increasing in number every time she opens her mouth. Additionally, Hillary has shown in no uncertain terms what she is willing to sacrifice and how low she is willing to sink in order to gain attention and support, and to undermine her opponents, especially Obama. What reason can possibly be given to believe that she will not use her position to gain personal advantage and power in a way that will overshadow and undermine the activities of Obama, as the President, as well as of the White House as a whole? While I will not try to, in any terms, say that I am a Hillary supporter, I myself cannot imagine a situation where this does NOT happen... where Hillary does NOT misuse the position and manipulate herself into the person who is primarily televised and speaking and taking credit for decisions. The woman has far too much pride to play second fiddle and far too small an ethical compass to do so in spite of her pride, regardless of the effect it will have on our country, our government, or our president.

    Obama/ANYBODY BUT HILLARY 08. Seriously.

    Posted by Mallory May 23, 08 03:54 PM
  1. "Clinton, herself, told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader editorial board today that there have not been any V.P. talks and that she is not planning any such discussions, the Associated Press is reporting."

    This is good to hear, because we don't want her (and Billary) on the ticket. It would be a very bad idea.

    Posted by Character Counts May 23, 08 04:05 PM
  1. COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall M.D.’s repeated and identical postings at various locations on the internet are becoming very annoying.

    Posted by Character Counts May 23, 08 04:15 PM
  1. Although I can understand why many believe that adding Hillary to Obama's ticket would be 'healing' and 'unifying' in terms of winning in November, few are discussing the long term challenges that a Hillary-Bill vice presidency would pose for Barack, who is trying to 'turn the page' and start a 'new chapter' of American history.
    I believe it would be far better for Barack to engage a strong Clinton supporter, or even a Chuck Hegel, to balance the ticket, bring in independents and have none of the Clinton baggage weighing him down and distracting him.
    We need to believe that Obama can win without Hillary; I believe he can. And please consider the following 4 to 8 years of trying to govern!!!

    eig

    Posted by rosie May 23, 08 04:21 PM
  1. COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall M.D.-
    I could not have said it better. I concur.

    Posted by Rita Douglas May 23, 08 04:32 PM
  1. This is not the right time for Obama to be President and thats from a real concern Independent.I heard a voice speaking to my ears and in my heart saying his time to be the President of this nation is not now but in couple of years ahead.He needs more time to study the Constitution and the meaning thereof and what it really mean spiritually.Obama is a devout Muslim and he does not fully understand why God reveal this nation to the world centuries later for a man of God and a man of deep faith in him and a devout Christian follower is worth to be President of this the Promise Land the voice said.He is indeed a good citizen but the adversay is waiting patiently for Barrack Hussein Obama to carry out his evil agenda but I will not let it happen to some of my faithful people in the land the voice continue to speak to me.

    Posted by skmj May 23, 08 05:03 PM
  1. Now that Hillary has invoked the "A" word in reference to what happened in 1968 with Bobby Kennedy, how can anyone think that Hillary could seriously contribute to this Democratic ticket? Barack Obama's next biggest challenge(besides the vp selection) is to stay safe for the duration. Having your opponent throw around the "A" word does not make the campaign trail a safer place. I'm sorry, but Hillary's justification for using the word is paper thin. In fact, in view of the health crisis facing Senator Kennedy, it is hard to believe she used the reference at all.What 's next?

    Posted by berg1 May 23, 08 06:36 PM
  1. While Clinton and Obama slightly differ on policies they differ greatly on vision and how to get there. Obama has a vision of a people-powered government; Hillary does not. Obama believes in diplomacy, Hillary's idea of diplomacy is too similar to Bush's. Obama represents change, Hillary is steeped in the established ways of Washington. To choose Hillary as his veep would negate everything Obama campaigned on especially change.


    Furthermore Hillary is not the type to take second-chair. And there is the chance that she and Bill will undermine Obama at every turn. Moreover those opposed to HRC will come out in droves. We will hear the same arguments as we did in the 1990s ad naseum not to mention other distasteful things which all but guarantee a loss in November.


    Obama earned the right to choose his VP. To take that away from him is unfair and disrespectful. I trust his judgment to pick the person who shares the same vision and goals as well as enhance and compliment his candidacy. Whomever he picks I will respect that decision. If that is HRC fine, but it is Obama's choice to make.

    Posted by serena1313 May 23, 08 07:29 PM
  1. Adding HRC to ticket would make two elections that the Clintons have cost the Democrats. If Bill had acted like a grownup Al Gore would be finishing his 2nd term and the world would be a different place. Please let this woman find the grace to leave the race before she wreaks the party.

    Posted by John May 24, 08 07:33 AM
  1. This is in response to a comment by skmj, who said the following about Sen. Obama: "He needs more time to study the Constitution and the meaning thereof and what it really mean spiritually.Obama is a devout Muslim.."

    1. He taught Constitutional Law. Are you saying he understands the constitution less than McCain or HRC? What is your basis for saying he needs to spend some more time with the constitution? I will admit Obama does not carry a pocket version with him everywhere he goes like Dennis Kucinich...

    2. Obama has said over and over and over he is not Muslim. Don't you think all the political news shows would tell you he was Muslim if he truly was Muslim?

    3. People who believe he is a Muslim (and don't bother checking for facts) will not vote for Obama regardless of who his VP is. (That is probably 40% of KY & WV).

    ...In regards to the VP question, I hope Obama chooses Sen. Webb from Virginia. He has lots of military experience, is not a "Washington insider", a former republican turned democrat, and popular with blue collar workers in his state. I think Webb would help deliver Virginia - a big catch for the general election.

    Posted by Obama/Webb in 2008 May 24, 08 06:37 PM
  1. When Sen. Obama cited the three qualities he was looking for in a VP, I believe that integrity and consistency were two of them. Why should he choose someone who has tried every trick in the book to undermine his candidacy and who has a penchant for outright lies which the press generously calls misspeaking? Would Sen. Feinstein want to run with any individual of that caliber? The RFK incident (repeated) indicated to everyone but the most diehard of Sen. Clinton's supporters that she was totally unsuited for the post of Obama's running mate. There are a host of better qualified candidates. And finally it's actually quite unusual in history for a nominee to choose their top competition as a running mate, so let's put this puppy to rest.

    Posted by Eugene May 26, 08 10:31 PM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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