11 April 2008
Revolving Presidential Ticket
A lot of Democratic Party observers have been advocating a joint Obama-Clinton Presidential Ticket for 2008 in order to combine the strengths of the two candidates and to avoid alienating the supporters of either of them. Despite their conviction that ultimately the Party will unify behind whichever of them is actually nominated this summer, it’s only the media and the travel/hospitality industry that benefits from extended campaigning by the two rivals. Moreover, the Republican presumptive candidate probably reaps more advantage than either of his eventual opponents from any inevitable bickering between them.
It appears that both the Clinton and Obama campaigns have realized that they are in danger of hurting themselves through their delegate fight. Indeed they have both begun to orient their critical rhetoric towards Senator McCain. Nevertheless, their continued competition is depleting both the patience and the pocketbooks of Democratic voters, whose energy and resources would better be reserved for the electoral battle in November.
It seems that neither Senator Clinton and her supporters nor Senator Obama and his consider their respective candidacies unattainable, and they seem to agree on every major policy issue. Therefore, why not split the ticket between them? One of them could run for President and the other for Vice President on the condition that in the case of a reelection bid, he or she would be the other’s running mate in four years. Of course, each of them would have to make an irreversible commitment to switch roles with the other after their first term of office. This revolving arrangement would effectively result in a joint Presidency, minimizing disgruntlement over who goes first.
Maybe it’s audacious to think that with egos large enough to make a run for the White House either of them would accept such a wing-clipping. It may be just the sort of paradigm change for which this country is ready.
A lot of Democratic Party observers have been advocating a joint Obama-Clinton Presidential Ticket for 2008 in order to combine the strengths of the two candidates and to avoid alienating the supporters of either of them. Despite their conviction that ultimately the Party will unify behind whichever of them is actually nominated this summer, it’s only the media and the travel/hospitality industry that benefits from extended campaigning by the two rivals. Moreover, the Republican presumptive candidate probably reaps more advantage than either of his eventual opponents from any inevitable bickering between them.
It appears that both the Clinton and Obama campaigns have realized that they are in danger of hurting themselves through their delegate fight. Indeed they have both begun to orient their critical rhetoric towards Senator McCain. Nevertheless, their continued competition is depleting both the patience and the pocketbooks of Democratic voters, whose energy and resources would better be reserved for the electoral battle in November.
It seems that neither Senator Clinton and her supporters nor Senator Obama and his consider their respective candidacies unattainable, and they seem to agree on every major policy issue. Therefore, why not split the ticket between them? One of them could run for President and the other for Vice President on the condition that in the case of a reelection bid, he or she would be the other’s running mate in four years. Of course, each of them would have to make an irreversible commitment to switch roles with the other after their first term of office. This revolving arrangement would effectively result in a joint Presidency, minimizing disgruntlement over who goes first.
Maybe it’s audacious to think that with egos large enough to make a run for the White House either of them would accept such a wing-clipping. It may be just the sort of paradigm change for which this country is ready.
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