Obama Should Pick Jim Webb As His Vice President

Posted on May 13, 2008 by thestateofblog

From RealClearPolitics.com

“Webb is a Naval Academy grad and Vietnam veteran (exactly matching McCain), and a former Secretary of the Navy bringing directly relevant executive experience. He won four military medals in Vietnam, and was wounded twice, a record that, along with awards from the American Legion and VFW, would repel attacks by SwiftBoaters. His term at the Pentagon came under Ronald Reagan, when Webb was a Republican, an advantage in Obama’s effort to achieve a new electoral coalition. With this military background, he reinforces the Democrats’ case against the Iraqi intervention, a position he has articulated from the beginning of the war and with particular force, including a direct confrontation with President Bush at a White House reception. As a novelist, non-fiction author and Emmy-winning television reporter, he also shows intellectual distinction.

“Webb also would bring specific political advantages to the Democratic ticket. His rural roots, vigorous language and championing of working class values would compensate for Obama’s evident weaknesses among these voters. Webb provides a populist platform on corporate regulation, trade, taxation and health care that would further extend the party’s appeal to its lower-income base. Born in Missouri, educated in Nebraska, California and the Naval Academy in Maryland, he encapsulates a national electoral appeal. Finally, to the limited extent that state residence matters, he would help to switch Virginia into the Democratic column for the first election since 1964.

TheStateOf . . . Obama’s VP. Now that our boy has the game sewn up, who should be his VP pick? I (J) think Webb or former Senator Sam Nunn would be great selections for Barack. Barack needs a military guy (other than Wes Clark). Either Webb or Nunn could deliver Virginia and maybe North Carolina. Plus, Webb will be a strong presidential candidate one day.

Filed under: Politics

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11 Responses to “Obama Should Pick Jim Webb As His Vice President”

  1. Rich, on May 13th, 2008 at 6:01 am Said:

    I don’t think Webb would be a good pick right now. He’s pretty outspoken, which can be good and bad), he barely won the VA seat, and he has less elected experience than Obama.

    I think he needs someone with white hair more than a military guy.

  2. Roderick, on May 13th, 2008 at 10:26 am Said:

    I think Sam Nunn is too hawkish and too old ( 70 in September) to be Obama’s running mate. Plus he won’t add any geographic area to Obama’s Electoral College total. There isn’t any way in hell that a state like Georgia which elected a governor named Sonny Purdue twice is going to vote for a black man.

    I agree with you Rich that Webb is a hothead. Hell he almost came to blows with W last year when he was at the White House when they were discussing Iraq. But it would be nice to have the McCain campaign have to fight to hold onto Virginia while trying to win Florida and Ohio. I would suggest Mark Warner who just finished his term as governor of Virginia, but he is a Hillary man and I think he wants to replace John Warner in the Senate

  3. thestateofblog, on May 13th, 2008 at 11:02 am Said:

    Rod,

    I actually like Webb, too. He was tired of Bush’s treatment of the war and the soldiers. But I don’t think the majority of “the good folks” would like him. Obama will pretty much have to choose an older white dude. Anything else might be too much change.

    Rich

  4. Roderick, on May 13th, 2008 at 11:17 am Said:

    Rich, who are ‘the good folks’?

    I disagree about the age thing. Obama can’t pick someone who is too much older or he will have the opposite problem that McCain is going to have which is to pick someone who is younger ( that won’t be difficult-LOL) than he is but not too much younger (say mid to late 50’s to early 60’s max).

    I would suggest Tom Strickland who is the Democratic governor of Ohio and is in his late 60’s but he backed Hillary in the Ohio primary so he would be a traitor risk.

  5. thestateofblog, on May 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am Said:

    “Good folks” as in those middle of the road voters who don’t want to move too fast. I also think that the DNC wouldn’t like Webb too much as VP even though they let him respond to the state of the union address a while back. He’s not someone you can control which is what they want and, quite, frankly what Obama probably wants as well. After 8 years of Cheney, I think both sides will pick somebody less power hungry.

    Rich

  6. Big J, on May 13th, 2008 at 12:01 pm Said:

    Those are good points about Webb.

    Are there any good white hair-military-types from Ohio or Florida?

  7. Roderick, on May 13th, 2008 at 1:03 pm Said:

    Rich, I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree about adding Webb to the ticket.

    First of all if middle of the road voters are afraid of moving too fast they are not going to vote for a black man who has a Muslim middle name for president regardless of who his VP is.

    Secondly I believe that Webb is a bit of a loose cannon but the choices for VP are slim since a lot of the potential candiates have aligned themselves with Hillary and others like Dodd and Biden (says off the cuff ish) would overshadow Obama on the campaign trail.

    Lastly, I don’t know any politicians who fit your description, J. U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson from Florida is the only one I can think of who fits your description but he is a Hillary supporter..again it’s the traitor factor.

  8. rich, on May 13th, 2008 at 1:07 pm Said:

    Rod,

    I totally agree with you: he shouldn’t be on the ticket as VP. When I said I actually like Webb, I meant as a politician and for his view on the war. But not as a VP candidate.

    But on J’s point, I dunno who else is out there either. Is it really out of the picture that he could get Wesley Clark? I don’t think so. He wouldn’t be the only one to jump off the Hillary boat.

  9. LLR, on May 13th, 2008 at 2:35 pm Said:

    Webb is a half way decent Democrat and could help Obama carry Virginia.

    But I don’t know if they allow guns in the White House.

  10. brianr, on May 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am Said:

    A badass ticket, indeed! The seem to agree a lot, that’s for sure:
    http://whereistand.com/BarackObama/JamesWebb

    I think it makes sense for Obama and I think we’re going to see it happen. Webb fits the Change theme. He’s seen as someone who works with both sides of the aisle and someone who can change how D.C. works, which is Obama’s big message. Plus he has the street cred with white working class voters and he’s got a better military record than McCain.

  11. scott, on May 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am Said:

    Webb would be perfect. The demographic that Obama has issues with is the same demographic that Webb appeals to strongly. He is a former republican, and is still viewed as somewhat conservative in comparison to other democrats, making an Obama vote more attractive to independant and republican voters. He would probably carry Virginia for Obama. He has NONE of the negatives that Hillary has - what many liberals perceive as Webb’s negatives are exactly what others (e.g. independants and republicans and so called “Reagan Democrats” ;) would view has his positives.

    His one weakness is that he would do nothing to get the woman vote to Obama. In fact, he may hurt it.

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