Who Should Be Obama's Vice Presidential Running Mate & Why

ABC News: Warning Signs for Obama in Big W. Va. Loss: "W.Va. May Just Be a Speed Bump for Obama, But Warning Signs are for Real"

Trailhead : Hard-Working White American Endorses Obama: "Edwards is still influential. Just look at the 7 percent of the vote he picked up in West Virginia—impressive for someone who dropped out more than three months ago. If Edwards supporters in Kentucky take his cue and vote for Obama"

Trailhead : How Clinton Can Spin West Virginia

Ron Paul loses worse than even Obama in West Virginia : Top of the Ticket : Los Angeles Times

Daily Kos: Demographic Tuesday - Obama's Vice President Edition: "Who should be Barack Obama Vice Presidential Running Mate, and Why?
White Males from Swing State Florida - Bill Nelson (S-FL) & Bob Graham (FL)
1% 4 votes
Swing State Hispanic Governor with Foreign Policy Cred - Bill Richardson (G-NM)
17% 42 votes
White Male Mountain State Governors - Bill Ritter (G-CO), Brian Schweitzer (G-MT)
1% 3 votes
White Male Senators with Gravitas but not Swing States - Jack Reed (S-RI), Chris Dodd (S-CT) & Joe Biden (S-DE)
1% 4 votes
White Male Governors from Swing States - Ed Rendell (G-PA), Jim Doyle (G-WI), Ted Strickland (G-OH)
7% 17 votes
White Female Governors - Janet Napolitano (G-AZ), Kathleen Sebelius (G-KS)
19% 48 votes
White Male Conservativish Ex-Republican Economic Populist Senator from Swing State - Jim Webb (S-VA)
16% 40 votes
White Male Conservativish Governor Jon Tester (S-MT)
0% 2 votes
White Male Virginia Swing State - Mark Warner (VA) & Tim Kaine (G-VA)
7% 19 votes
White Male Pennsylvania Swing State - Robert Casey (S-PA)
1% 3 votes
White (but Jewish and single) Progressive Male from Swing state - Russ Feingold (S-WI)
1% 4 votes
White Male Economic Populist from Swing State - Sherrod Brown (S-OH)
5% 13 votes
White Male General who won his war - Wes Clark (Gen-AR), Tony Zinni (Gen-PA)
12% 31 votes
White Female Swing State Senators - Amy Klobuchar (S-MN), Maria Cantwell (S-WA), Debbie Stabenow (S-MI) & Claire McCaskill (S-MO)
3% 8 votes
Hispanic Male Conservative from Mountain Swing state - Ken Salazar (S-CO)"


Here is a list of possible considerations...

1. Swing state politician who can tip a doable but otherwise iffy state's electoral votes.

2. Geographic balance - related to the 1st item above, but possibly a generic southerner (probably most of those states are out reach) or more usefully (perhaps), from the Southwest or Mountain-Plains.

3. Gender balance - A woman would good in an of itself, and supposedly it helps get women upset over Clinton losing back on board. Or is that too much change for white men to handle?

4. Hispanic. Or is that too much change for Anglo men and women to handle?

5. Religious balance - this usually is meant to mean Catholic (but hey how about having a real Muslim; lol. Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, Atheist...?).

6. Age & Experience balance (aka: older white male balance, part 1).

7. Foreign Policy/Military credibility (aka: older white male balance, part 2).

8. Ideological balance - viewed as more Conservative, even ex-Republican? (aka: older white male balance, part 3)

9. Probably should be opposed to original Iraq invasion and definitely to current ongoing occupation.

10. Willing to be on message as Vice Presidential candidate.

11. If a Senator (or aGovernor, but especially if a Senator), then replaceable with another Democrat.


Daily Kos: 5 p.m. PDT Daily Open Obama V.P. Thread #3 (w/poll): "Who should be Barack Obama's vice presidential running mate?
Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH)
1% 7 votes
Rep. Ben Chandler (KY)
0% 1 votes
Rep. Chet Edwards (TX)
0% 2 votes
Fmr. Sen. John Edwards (NC)
3% 16 votes
Sen. Russ Feingold (WI)
6% 27 votes
Sen. Chuck Hagel (NE)
11% 50 votes
Gov. Brad Henry (OK)
0% 4 votes
Gov. Tim Kaine (VA)
9% 38 votes
Sen. Claire McCaskill (MO)
4% 17 votes
Fmr. Sen. Sam Nunn (GA)
4% 18 votes
Justice (Ret.) Sandra Day O'Connor
1% 5 votes
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (NY)
0% 4 votes
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (KS)
27% 115 votes
Gov. Ted Strickland (OH)
6% 29 votes
Sen. Jim Webb (VA)"

Veepstakes: 97 interviews - First Read - msnbc.com: "The Hill newspaper recently asked the other 97 senators what they’d say if they were asked to be VP"