Obama/Kennedy?

August 19, 2008 5:12 PM

Obama and Kennedy?Michael Moore is suggesting that Caroline Kennedy should be the VP candidate... interesting, eh?
posted by HuronBob (39 comments total)

interesting, eh?

shhh...I hear crickets.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:19 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

I have to agree with this portion:

The media is reporting that Senator Obama has narrowed his alternatives to three men: Joe Biden, Evan Bayh and Tim Kaine. ... Senators Biden and Bayh voted for that invasion and that war, the war Barack ran against ... For Obama to place either of these senators on the ticket would be a huge blow to the millions that chose him in the primaries over Hillary. He will undercut one of the strongest advantages he has over the Hundred-Year War senator, Mr. McCain. By anointing a VP who did what McCain did in throwing us into this war, Mr. Obama will lose the moral high ground in the debates.

Absolutely. Caroline Kennedy though? I'll have to mull that one over. I know close to nothing about her.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:19 PM on August 19, 2008

I'm suggesting a reanimated cloned combination of JFK, FDR, Lincoln and Jesus. That's the only way to live up the meaningless hype of OMGVP.
posted by DU at 5:19 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nope.
posted by puke & cry at 5:20 PM on August 19, 2008

(And yes, I'm suggesting that Jesus is dead. Deal.)
posted by DU at 5:20 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, the last member of a VP selection committee to pick himself was Dick Cheney, and we all know that turned out great.
posted by Bromius at 5:27 PM on August 19, 2008

Any clue to what Moore meant when he said he "knew" JFK? I wonder how they met...
posted by emelenjr at 5:28 PM on August 19, 2008

Am I missing something? She has no actual experience in government at all, correct? I don't mean associated with pertaining to relevant to blah blah blah. I mean, holding elected office. The suggestion is idiotic.
posted by nanojath at 5:30 PM on August 19, 2008

emelenjr: I think he was referring to JFK Jr. Or a cardboard cutout of JFK Jr. Or maybe he just saw that episode of Seinfeld and is misremembering things.

Anyway, if this happens then Michael Moore owes us all 5¢ every time people on Fox say "Barack Hussein Obama and Caroline Bouvier Kennedy."
posted by tepidmonkey at 5:31 PM on August 19, 2008

Any clue to what Moore meant when he said he "knew" JFK?

He's talking about JFK Jr.
posted by nanojath at 5:31 PM on August 19, 2008

No. No. No. She seems to be a smart and capable woman, but she has never held any elected office. She may yet get more involved in politics, but she's just not ready yet. And I hardly think pulling another Cheney -- even for a woman who is thirty times the human being Dick is -- is a great precedent to follow.

I'm suspicious of any media reports that anyone specific is being chosen. The Obama campaign seems too disciplined to tip its hand like that. Of course, I'm still hoping for Schweitzer or Sebelius, where the latter has gotten only a little play from the usual suspects and the former has been totally ignored.
posted by maudlin at 5:32 PM on August 19, 2008

I'm suggesting a reanimated cloned combination of JFK, FDR, Lincoln and Jesus.

Assassinated, died in office, assassinated, executed. Are you sure?
posted by Sys Rq at 5:32 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

I heard that Obama's running mate is going to be Jesus. (Apparently Jesus hasn't been too happy with Bush's endorsement these last 8 years.)

Obama/Jesus. You heard it here first.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 5:33 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

DU, you've spoiled my fun.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 5:35 PM on August 19, 2008

Obama/Jesus. You heard it here first.

Obama/iPhone!
posted by Artw at 5:38 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

And, for the serious response: As much as I can't stand Clinton and disagree with her on almost everything and don't care for the idea of American Royalty and would prefer a new face in the race, Obama would have to be all kinds of stupid not to name her as his running mate.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:39 PM on August 19, 2008

Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound of athousand lame posts in the runup to a presidential election. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson.
posted by Justinian at 5:39 PM on August 19, 2008

Assassinated, died in office, assassinated, executed. Are you sure?

If the VP is killed, does that mean the President is DOUBLE President?

DU, you've spoiled my funextremely slow typing.
posted by DU at 5:39 PM on August 19, 2008

It’s a pity Gary Gygax is dead, that would have really annoyed Old Man Cranky-pants.
posted by Artw at 5:39 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Obama/Kennedy is good, I'll give him that. What I really want to see though is Bill Bradley. Tallest ticket ever. They'd dunk McCain. And he's an intelligent elder statesman who can credibly represent progressive change. But mostly the height. Americans love tall people.
posted by allen.spaulding at 5:41 PM on August 19, 2008

And, for the serious response: As much as I can't stand Clinton and disagree with her on almost everything and don't care for the idea of American Royalty and would prefer a new face in the race, Obama would have to be all kinds of stupid not to name her as his running mate.

Fuck no. I mean, it would make her *slightly* less inclined to sabotage him, but lets face it not much, but there aren’t any other advantages whatsoever.
posted by Artw at 5:42 PM on August 19, 2008

If you want to play that game, why not Ron Reagan?
posted by 2sheets at 5:44 PM on August 19, 2008

there aren’t any other advantages whatsoever.

With Clinton as the running mate, they:

1) Attract the 4 people who really would switch to Obama because of that, rather than just say so because they are racists.

2) Make the election About Them, giving McCain even more free passes on all his gaffes, faults and screwups.

So yeah, great choice!
posted by DU at 5:44 PM on August 19, 2008 [2 favorites]

You know who would be a really interesting running mate?

Zippy the Pinhead, yo.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:44 PM on August 19, 2008

I think he should go with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin -- what's he been up to recently?
posted by empath at 5:44 PM on August 19, 2008 [2 favorites]

My serious first choice is Sibelius.

But this is kind of shit post and just news and chat filter.
posted by empath at 5:46 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

What about Hillary? Or are we only looking for serious contenders?

::ducks::
posted by SeizeTheDay at 5:47 PM on August 19, 2008

Fuck no. I mean, it would make her *slightly* less inclined to sabotage him, but lets face it not much, but there aren’t any other advantages whatsoever.

To the hoardes, the masses of people who will go in and see the word "Clinton" on the ballot, remember the name, and vote for the ticket, yes, that is an advantage. I think he'd be smart to choose her.
posted by cashman at 5:48 PM on August 19, 2008

Yes.. Bill Bradley. And yeah, this is weak, like a lame duck president.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:48 PM on August 19, 2008

As a point of explanation for a non-American, can anyone explain what the benefit in holding off on deciding on a VP candidate is? Obama has been the presumptive nominee for his party for nigh on three months, McCain for his for about twice that... what do presidential canididates gain by waiting months to name a name?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:49 PM on August 19, 2008

Ok, baby boomers, here's the deal. Those of us who are Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers and...whatever a younger-than-a-baby-boomer is...I would say in general, we don't really connect with the Kennedy name. Yes, of course we know about JFK and RFK, and know who Ted Kennedy is and even who Caroline Kennedy is. But don't assume that the ingrained reverence (or hatred, or whatever) translates to anyone under 40 or so.

The talking heads on TV and newspaper columnists are replete with this kind of assumption (and to be fair, their viewership and readerships probably are baby-boomers and older). People start making comparisons between Obama and McCain and McGovern and Nixon and Goldwater and Regan and Dukakis and Mondale and many of us under 40 go ????????? and then zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Ok, that's out of the way. Caroline Kennedy is a dumb choice for V.P.
posted by zardoz at 5:50 PM on August 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm all about the Obama, guys, but you have to have your head in the sand not to realize that naming Clinton as his running mate may well lock down Ohio - and thus the election - for Obama. Possibly even Florida. Could it cost him elsewhere? Perhaps. But if Obama wins Ohio, he wins the election.
posted by Justinian at 5:50 PM on August 19, 2008

Bruce Campbell!
posted by Bookhouse at 5:50 PM on August 19, 2008

Obama - Stewart..... ?
posted by HuronBob at 5:51 PM on August 19, 2008

Four years ago Moore endorsed Clark. While he may not be at the top of Obama's list, surely Kennedy isn't either. Why not Clark now, Moore?
posted by pwb503 at 5:53 PM on August 19, 2008

To the hoardes, the masses of people who will go in and see the word "Clinton" on the ballot, remember the name, and vote for the ticket, yes, that is an advantage.

Exactly. That's basically what got Bush elected in the first place. People are that dumb.

Ok, baby boomers, here's the deal. Those of us who are Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers and...whatever a younger-than-a-baby-boomer is...I would say in general, we don't really connect with the Kennedy name.

Bingo.

Four years ago Moore endorsed Clark.

And eight years ago? Oh, right.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:56 PM on August 19, 2008

But if Obama wins Ohio, he wins the election.

Seriously, if you think '08 is going to play out like '00 or '04, you're nuts. Economy is being destroyed, $200-300 billion a year in Iraq ain't gonna play well when unemployment and inflation are astronomical (or on the way), and Bush's ratings are the lowest of almost every modern President.

'04 was a do-over from '00, and the Dems blew it. (And the economy has rebounded from post 9/11 recession by then.) But luckily, Bush only sandbagged the last 4 years. Katrina? Gas at $4 (even though he had nothing to do with it)? Unemployment probably at 6% right before the election? Not even Osama himself can save the Rs this time. We would need to literally declare war on Russia (or Obama outs himself) to lose.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 5:56 PM on August 19, 2008

People start making comparisons between Obama and McCain and McGovern and Nixon and Goldwater and Regan and Dukakis and Mondale and many of us under 40 go ????????? and then zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

As someone under 40, I don't think we should be avoiding comparisons to recent history just because it might bore some people. There's a lot that can be learned, and a lot that should be learned. Count me out of this "too young to care" mentality.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:58 PM on August 19, 2008

Count me out of this "too young to care" mentality.

It's not about caring, it's about knowing.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:59 PM on August 19, 2008