Ideas for reconciliation
It's about time to think about practical, specific steps Obama should take to reach out to Clinton supporters and voters. So, I humbly submit my two cents.
1) He should not offer HRC a veep spot. Their styles simply do not mesh. He should however, ensure that she has a strong voice in the party and leadership positions are open to her, whether that be in the Senate or NY Governor.
2) He should promise that half of his cabinet will be female.
3) He should think seriously about choosing a female veep, such as KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius or even a Clinton supporter like Feinstein.
4) He should offer to pay off her campaign debt, but not the money that she put in from her own pocket. I know this is a touchy topic, but I think we can reasonably make a distinction between her personal debt and other debt. I'd be willing to have the money I gave Obama be used to build the party, distasteful as the means might be.
5) He needs to spend at least one week in MI and FL apiece before the convention. The Democratic campaign apparatus in those states is far, far behind.
6) He needs to be honest about his learning curve in speaking to working class voters. But he can learn to speak the lingo without pandering. Really, his message needs to be that he feels their pain, comes from their world, and thus will NOT pander to them. Examples: insist that some kinds of manufacturing will not come be coming back to the rustbelt, but that rejuvenation of their communities is his administration's top priority. Promise that even though corn ethanol subsidies need to go, other types of ethanol manufacturing will be located in the Midwest. Insist that subsidies will heavily favor new solar plants in the rustbelt. Emphasize that universal health care will make working class voters much more mobile and relieve some of the nastiest economic downward pressures. Ultimately: no more sociology, much more specifics that articulate his vision clearly.
7) Something has to be done about the age gap, but I don't know what. I don't understand old people and their goofy biases.
8) Openly endorse Dean's 50 State Strategy and get serious cash flowing into red states to make McCain play some more defense. He can't make up the white working class vote gap unless they are part of the party across the nation. Targeting swing states only won't work this time.
1) He should not offer HRC a veep spot. Their styles simply do not mesh. He should however, ensure that she has a strong voice in the party and leadership positions are open to her, whether that be in the Senate or NY Governor.
2) He should promise that half of his cabinet will be female.
3) He should think seriously about choosing a female veep, such as KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius or even a Clinton supporter like Feinstein.
4) He should offer to pay off her campaign debt, but not the money that she put in from her own pocket. I know this is a touchy topic, but I think we can reasonably make a distinction between her personal debt and other debt. I'd be willing to have the money I gave Obama be used to build the party, distasteful as the means might be.
5) He needs to spend at least one week in MI and FL apiece before the convention. The Democratic campaign apparatus in those states is far, far behind.
6) He needs to be honest about his learning curve in speaking to working class voters. But he can learn to speak the lingo without pandering. Really, his message needs to be that he feels their pain, comes from their world, and thus will NOT pander to them. Examples: insist that some kinds of manufacturing will not come be coming back to the rustbelt, but that rejuvenation of their communities is his administration's top priority. Promise that even though corn ethanol subsidies need to go, other types of ethanol manufacturing will be located in the Midwest. Insist that subsidies will heavily favor new solar plants in the rustbelt. Emphasize that universal health care will make working class voters much more mobile and relieve some of the nastiest economic downward pressures. Ultimately: no more sociology, much more specifics that articulate his vision clearly.
7) Something has to be done about the age gap, but I don't know what. I don't understand old people and their goofy biases.
8) Openly endorse Dean's 50 State Strategy and get serious cash flowing into red states to make McCain play some more defense. He can't make up the white working class vote gap unless they are part of the party across the nation. Targeting swing states only won't work this time.
