McCaskill looking vice presidential?
Ever since she became one of Sen. Barack Obama’s most trusted and effective surrogates in his campaign for president, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, has been tossed around as a possible vice presidential candidate.
Today on Meet the Press, Tom Brokaw threw a little fuel on that fire. He asked McCaskill whether she was being vetted as a VP candidate and while McCaskill offered the typical dodges, she didn’t deny the premise of the question. (Brokaw also asked Republican Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, if she was on Sen. John McCain’s short list for VP, but he was less specific in her questioning).
McCaskill told Brokaw that she wouldn’t bet on her being the VP. But there are several reasons why McCaskill might be a good bet. First, she and Obama see eye to eye on many issues, and as his national co-chair, she’s obviously gained his trust. As a woman, she could help ease the pain of female voters upset over Hilary Clinton’s loss. McCaskill is from a traditional battleground state.
And her biggest negative — like Obama, she is in her first term — might work to the campaign’s advantage as it pushes “change.”
Brokaw pointed out that this was the first time in Meet the Press history in which the two surrogates sent to represent presidential candidates were both women. McCaskill and Fiorina both seemed to recognize the importance of that moment as they represented their candidates aggressively but fairly and shook hands at the end of the discussion.
All in all it was an interesting segment. McCaskill didn’t speak for quite a bit into it.
Fiorina is much more professional at letting her smile be the delivery system, perfecting it as a push when the concepts might be controversial.
Democrats would have to be idiots to run McCaskill as a VP and then have to fight all over again for a Senate seat in Missouri.
A special election to replace McCaskill, if elected veep, would not occur until Nov 2010, and would only be for the last two years of her term. The seat would be occupied during 2009-10 by an appointee of the governor, as it was when Jean Carnahan was appointed to fill the first two years of Mel’s term. I think the timing of when the new governor gets sworn in would allow the appointment to be made by the new governor, which could (but doesn’t have to be) a Democrat. There is some risk.
The special election would put both of MO’s senate seats on the ballot in the same election in 2010, just like is taking place this year in Mississippi.
But none of it happens unless McCaskill is nominated and elected vice-president, or (less likely) if Obama wins and then appoints her to the Cabinet or some other position worthy of leaving her senate seat.
Those are important points Oracle, but I still think it would be way too risky. Nixon may look good now, but that’s mostly because he’s the only candidate with name recognition. Whomever comes out of the Republican primary is probably going to have plenty of money to spend to get introduced to Missourians fast, and the race will tighten up at that point. We know that Republicans will filibuster any piece of remotely progressive legislation, so why take a risk at losing a hard-fought senate seat?
Not saying this is going to happen, but if …
McCaskill becomes VP.
Nixon appoints Robin Carnahan to McCaskill’s seat.
Margaret Donnelly becomes secretary of state.
A lot of positives all around for everyone. Except the GOP and Chris Koster of course.
She was great today, she was effective, astute, she sparkled, and she was fascinating. In spite of Carly’s hard edge, she was peaceful and easy. This was my first time to really get to hear your Claire McCaskil though I have heard great things about her. She was eminently and tremendously vice presidential. I just think Obama will be a little hesitant to enrage the Clinton feminists or so called feminists.
I am a born Democrat. However, if Claire McCaskill is Obama’s pick, I will vote for McCain. Claire is an unworthy famewhore, who will do anything - anything - to step up higher on the ladder. Politicians like Claire makes me want to turn my back on the political process. If you don’t know her, you wouldn’t know that she cares too much about herself to care about other people.
She has not been in the Senate seat long enough to accomplish anything, and the time she has been in the Senate seat she has been too busy flying around the country getting her mug on every television show possible.
She is a career politician, who really hasn’t taken any time to do anything to better her county, state, or country for people. Obama is a fool if he picks Claire.
What was scary about the MTP interview was how delusional Claire sounded when she said that the “great boom of the 90’s was because there was a Democrat president and a Democrat Congress.” I don’t know what Claire was doing back then to cloud her memory of the 90’s, but the Republicans swept Congress in Clinton’s mid-term back in 1994. Funny Brokaw didn’t correct her as Russert most likely would have.
Also interesting that there are more people showing up for 7:30 AM mass now that Russert has passed away. Brokaw is a real yawner in that spot.
I am voting for Obama, I have voted for McCaskill, but I don’t think she will be the VP nominee, nor do I think she is the right choice. I think Obama’s best choice would be someone who does NOT think like him, rather, challenges him to be better and make decisions based on the country’s needs, not just the political Left (and I am very much a Leftist). That’s why I think an Obama/Hagel ticket will be the most intriguing.
Having watched the segment with Senator McCaskill and Fiorina (wasn’t she the CEO fired by HP for in-house spying and one or two other things?), I will take McCaskill at her word when she said she did not think she would be the right one for VP.
It was Fiorina who mentioned the boom years of the 1990’s, and it was McCaskill who reminded her under whom they occurred.
As to Fiorina’s “smile”, most sharks look like they are smiling before they take their share of your flesh. McCaskill was more than her match. I have a bet that McCain will dump Ms Fiorina prior to the general campaign.
Fiorna was fired from HP. However, she was NOT the CEO that got into hot water over spying on employees, pre-texting, etc. That was the Chairman Patricia Dunn. (I thought the same thing when I heard she was being considered for McCain’s VP.)
I am in agreement with Adam S in thinking that a McCaskill VP is a bad idea. Both her and Obama are fairly new to the Senate. It is usually a wise choice to pick someone who strengths can fill in your weaknesses. McCaskill does NOT do this for Obama.
Harnack - Ms. McCaskill also smiled ever so fake through the entire segment, were you referring to her too?