Well, Obama isn’t flattered–and rightfully so. Stumping this morning in Columbus, Mississippi ahead of tomorrow’s Magnolia State primary, Obama told a raucous, applauding crowd that he’s bewildered by Clinton’s second-fiddle suggestion. “With all due respect, I have won twice as many states as Senator Clinton,” he said. “I have won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. I have more delegates than Senator Clinton. So I don’t know how someone in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person in first place.” Then Obama twisted the knife a little further, mocking the Clintonites’ constant reminders that he’s unqualified to be commander-in-chief. “I don’t understand,” he said. “If I am not ready, how is it that you think I would be such a great vice president? You can’t say he is not ready on day one, then you want him to be your vice president. I just want everybody to absolutely clear: I am not running for vice president. I am running to be president of the United States of America.”
This, of course, has always been the absurd (and politically shameless) contradiction at the heart of Clinton’s offer. Some Hillary supporters have tried to square the circle by saying that the veep, unlike the prez, doesn’t need to be “ready on day one”; he or she can gain experience while in office. Sorry, gents: Bill Clinton told CBS in 1992 that the most important job qualification for a number two is that he’d be “a good president if, God forbid, something happened to me the week after I took office”–so unless some serious seasoning goes on between Day One and Day Seven, your stance contradicts Clinton’s own criterion. And the closest thing to an explanation from Team Clinton came on a Sunday conference call with reporters. “We do not believe that Senator Obama has passed the commander in chief test,” said spokesman Howard Wolfson. “But there is a long way between now and Denver.” Right. Because the junior senator from Illinois is sure to face a bunch of international crises over the next five months.
Obama was smart to call Clinton out for her loony veep logic; he’s made it so Clinton is either “hoodwinking” voters (his term) or conceding that her rival is, in fact, experienced enough to lead the free world. Seeing as the second option would undercut her campaign’s raison d’etre, we’re going with the first. So what’s the scam? On Friday, I asked whether the VP rhetoric was a “strategy for swaying fence-sitters,” and I think it’s clear at this point that it is. First off, it conveys some sort of cosmic, self-deluding “inevitability”–that despite her deficits in the popular vote, the delegate count and the state count, Clinton REMAINS a more likely nominee than Obama. Plus it’s a way of telling undecided voters (whom she’s wooing for momentum’s sake) and undecided superdelegates (whom she’s wooing for math’s sake) that a vote for her is not the end of the world. Democrats whose heads say Clinton and hearts say Obama will still get some Barack in the end. And superdelegates who are reluctant to overturn Obama’s pledged-delegate lead can still vote for him with an easy conscience–just as vice president instead of president!
The more Obama mentions Clinton’s silly gambit, the less likely it is to work. So expect him to keep mentioning it. That said, I still think an Obama-Clinton ticket is a possibility, especially if the Democratic contest continues until the convention.
UPDATE, 6:33 p.m.: A source points me in the direction of today’s Michael Goodwin column from the New York Daily News. The key quote:
The offer of a joint ticket looks like an olive branch, but it’s really a knife aimed at cutting Obama down to size. In the words of one Clintonista, “It’s a way of belittling him” by suggesting he’s not ready to be President and would lose the general election as nominee to John McCain.
So giving your rival an opportunity to remind voters that he’s “won twice as many states… more of the popular vote… [and] more delegates” than you is meant to diminish him? Seems to be working like a charm.
UPDATE, March 11: Clinton seems to agree that the politics aren’t playing out in her favor. Speaking to reporters at Ravello’s Pizza in Old Forge, Penn. yesterday, the New York senator suddenly downplayed the idea. Via First Read:
“Well, you know, this thing has really been given a life of its own,” she said. “You know, a lot of Democrats like us both and have been, you know, very hopeful that they wouldn’t have to make a choice, but obviously Democrats have to make a choice, and I’m looking forward to getting the nomination, and it’s premature to talk about whoever might be on whose ticket, but I believe I am ready to serve on Day One.”
Anyone else have whiplash?
