Obama-White Man ‘08
By Masoud Shafaee - Aug 19th, 2008 at 11:45 amIn the search for Barack Obama’s running mate, several names have been floated and are rumored to be on the Senator’s “short list.” Each is said to add certain strengths to the ticket that would nicely complement Obama’s supposed weaknesses. Some bring foreign policy expertise, others add experience, some counter his “liberal” image, while others are seen as valuable for their ability to court both Catholic and Hispanic voters, demographics that polls show Obama is struggling with. Others are attractive merely for their ability to make swing or traditionally red states competitive come November. Let’s go through the list:
- Joe Biden - Experienced, has foreign policy expertise, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Catholic.
- Tim Kaine - Catholic, fluent in Spanish, governor of newly competitive Virginia: a traditional red state.
- Evan Bayh - Experienced, centrist, member of the Armed Services and Select Intelligence Committees, senator (and former governor) from newly competitive Indiana, a traditional red state.
- Chuck Hagel - Experienced, Republican, has foreign policy expertise, is a Vietnam veteran.
- Sam Nunn - Experienced, centrist, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, former governor of newly competitive Georgia, a traditional red state.
One name absent from the list is Bill Richardson. Richardson is the current governor of New Mexico, a very competitive swing-state. He is Catholic, fluent in Spanish, and is widely seen as a centrist. And his foreign policy credentials? He was the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and has been called on by both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to serve as a key negotiator with Iraq, North Korea, and Cuba, among other nations.
Given that Richardson has all of the attributes that Obama is perceived as lacking, why has he not been receiving more attention as a potential VP? Could it be that he’s more than fluent in Spanish–that he’s Hispanic? With his Anglican surname and lighter complexion, this would not ordinarily be an issue. But given that the presumptive Democratic nominee is already a minority, the question must be asked: Is Richardson receiving less attention simply because he is a man of color? Would a completely non-white Democratic ticket be political suicide–and if so, what does that say about the state of race relations? Perhaps we’re not as post-racial as Obama would have us believe.
Bet on a true ‘change we can believe in’ pick - Gov. Richardson.
http://www.bogusreports.blogspot.com.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:55 pmRichardson has some pretty skeezy stuff in his past, like conducting interviews (of women, no less) at Vegas strip clubs. I think in light of the Edwards story, Richardson would vet himself out of consideration if he had any regard for the party. But Edwards didn’t so you never know.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pmI’ve also heard Kathleen Sebelius floated a lot. Is there some reason she wasn’t included on your list? She most certainly would be a better pick than “faulty zipper” Richardson.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:38 pmi’ve only seen her mentioned as a long, long, outside shot, but if you want, you can add her to ‘my’ list and change the title of the post to “Obama-White Person ‘08.” that aspect of the ticket would remain accurate.
the post was never about who is or is not a good pick—that would be against C4 regulations, after all—it’s about whether or not Richardson’s ethnicity (and not his alleged weaknesses) make him a less desirable candidate.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:36 pmWhy does this even matter? Obama, unlike Bush, is unlikely to go to war because his VP tells him to. Barring Hillary, is the choice of VP really going to tip the scales of electability dramatically?
Change happens on the local level, and we should all blog about the progressive city council candidates in our communities and maybe inspire some hapless twenty-something blogger in pajamas to run.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:06 amBill Richardson is white you numnut. So are a good percentage of Hispanics what with them being descendents of the dreaded Europeans- unless they have Indio blood - then I guess you can call them non-white. The whole “people of color” BS is a flying leap onto the bandwagon of affirmative action which was supposed to help the plight of the blacks in this country - they are the ones that deserved it.
Your Hispanics smelled a free handout and suddenly discovered their “color”. Quite ironic for imperialist conquerors.
August 20th, 2008 at 6:37 amGoofy,
Are you White or just on drugs?
August 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pm