An Improper Ticket?

Has anyone else noticed the preponderance of potential Obama VP candidates with four-lettered last names?

Could Obama and his team be ever so slightly influenced by how the ticket stacks up, subconsciously desiring a top-heavy ticket (or at the very least trying to avoid a dominant denominator).

It’s an absurd suggestion, of course, particularly where Obama-Axelrod-Plouffe are concerned.  But subconscious forces can be real, particularly when it comes to presentation and power.

Conveniently, a whole host of VP candidates with four-letter last names make some sense.

DODD endorsed OBAMA almost immediately upon quitting the Presidential race. Dodd has admitted to being vetted. Dodd said he would accept.  Dodd has Presidential hair.  And Obama owes Ned Lamont.  Dodd may make a better Attorney General, however.

BAYH secures Indiana (one would think). His selection would smell of an arrangement to keep Hilliary onside.  (For some reason certain voters are attracted to that odor.) If Obama choose Bayh, it would mean he is confident in getting Bayh to knuckle down and do what he’s told (and not snoop for Hilliary).  The smirk on Bayh’s face recently suggests this could be on.  But I am not sure how Obama then explains Bayh’s eagerness to support Bush’s war in Iraq.

REED has said no, and categorically so, months ago.  He prefers to serve Rhode Island. The need for Reed to balance McCain’s military credentials is now looking less important.  Still, Reed would be a reliable and capable LT.  His Napoleonic stature is sort of Presidential.  Plus, he drives a 1991 Ford Escort.  The voters would love that.  But the Electoral College has a harder heart.

NUNN could bring Georgia (and influence other Southern states).  Moreover, Nunn’s seriousness is something Obama is comfortable with. But Obama is proving he can handle Foreign Affairs (which is exactly what he said on the Mayhill Fowler SF tape). And what expertise does Nunn have on issues other than Foreign Affairs?  Nunn would not be a bad choice, but surely he would be more effective in the Cabinet.

GORE has placed term limits on himself, thankfully.  I like the idea of unfinished business.  And although I was all for Florida militias mobilizing at the time (to ensure the votes got counted), we don’t need to go back there now.  Gore can do more good if given some sort of Tsar like environment role.

WEBB was problematic for a whole host of reasons, discussed here often.  Webb can serve more effectively in the Senate.  The nation does not need two paperback writers in the White House at the same time.

So what of those with five-lettered last names, I am hear you saying.

BIDEN could help Obama with rust-belt Catholics.  Biden babble is sometimes untranslatable, but voters don’t necessarily want succinct smartarseness. Obama did say he wanted Biden to campaign with him this summer.  In other words, Obama wants to be seen hanging out with Biden. And the possibility of Biden being chosen can influence McCain’s planning.  At best, I suspect Biden is being held in reserve in the event that McCain picks Ridge, or the first choice VP pulls out for whatever reason.  If Biden is chosen, it may mean Obama having to entertain some hybrid of the Biden-Gleb plan.  Hello Kurdistan.

KAINE may be Obama’s other fall-back option should McCain choose Ridge.  Kaine could help Obama with more the devout Catholic (and Hispanic voter). Kaine could bring Virginia, help with pro-life Catholics in Pennsylvania, and grab just enough cross-over evangelicals in the South willing to give Obama’s broad church a go.  But reacting to McCain, especially with a VP that could alienate huge number of the Democratic base would be silly.  And let’s not forget the mechanics of the electoral system remain suspect. Would it really be wise for Obama to run the risk voters of getting mixed up with Obama-Kaine and McCain-Dingbat?  

HAGEL will beat McCain up enough without being on the ballot.  Hagel could help bring at least one electoral vote in Nebraska and could help tip the balance in states with large military populations.  He would almost certainly replace Gates as Obama’s Secretary of Defense.

CLARK has found his level on the talk show circuit. Like Bayh, Clark is another Hilliary stooge, but unlike Bayh he cannot be trusted because he is much more of an opportunist.  Bayh maybe a rightist DLC Democrat (at least we know that), but Clark would have been anything you wanted him to be in the last four years.  And Kosovo was as much an illegal screw up as Iraq, however you slice it.  The further away Clark is from an Obama administration the better.

I leave others make for those with more four or five letters in their name.  I am sure creative font choice, size and spacing will compensate for any character with more than four or five characters in their name.

Personally, I like this character with six letters in his name:  Mark Warner.  (Y'all knew I was going there, didn't you!)

There have been hints recently that Obama-Warner is on. The WAPO interview when Warner did not categorically say no, but talked about his children.  James Carville mentioning Warner as an ideal running mate on ABC’s Morning show.  And now Warner has been mentioned two days in a row in NBC’s First Read, suggesting those hounds are on the scent.

What y'all think?  C'mon now.  Let's hear from typesetters and numerologists among y'all.  It's a beautiful thing, no?

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