The Democratic Veepstakes

Pretty much everyone thinks Obama will choose his running mate prior to the Convention which means any day now and the speculation is centered on three candidates: Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Gov. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.). Ugh, that is a bummer of a list. I am no fan of Bayh because of his votes on Iraq and FISA as well as his ties to the Clinton crowd (and I am sooooo done with them). Kaine has been something of a disappointment as Governor, not bad but hardly outstanding. And while Biden may have foreign policy chops and a penchant for hardball, the guy is a tool of the credit card industry. I mean, Biden is not simply in bed with MBNA, he is a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Like I said, ugh. There is not much to love about those options so I am hoping that Obama decides to double down on his “Change” message and go with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.) or Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM). Sebelius has pursued a solidly progressive agenda and largely succeeded in Kansas of all places and all the while maintains high approval ratings from her conservative constituency. That is leadership, people. Then there is the case for Bill Richardson; another good progressive who is bilingual, hugely appealing in the Latino community and has a resume a mile long (Congress, Sec. of Energy, UN Ambassador, etc.). I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his one potential deal-breaker; Richardson is rumored, though never proven, to really, really like the ladies, especially those not married to him. So there is that.

At any rate, the Obama campaign is making history in and of itself. I say why not push that envelope even further, particularly if one has groundbreaking yet accomplished candidates from which to choose? Why not have the first African-American President enter office with the first female or Latino VP? Whose says you need to have a token White Guy on the ticket?