« Jim Webb's Sexist Past | Main | The Gaffe-Obsessed Press » Veepstakes Continued25 May 2008 08:45 am
Commentor BillW speaks on his experience campaigning on behalf of Webb in the '06 Senate race:
Comments (5)
Heh, now reading that I kinda feel bad that I didn't add that I think Webb's done a great job in the Senate and would no doubt have been a strong choice for VP if this race hadn't been so overshadowed by claims of sexism (which I think are true, just not coming from the Obama campaign like many are claiming) from many of Hillary's supporters which make up about half of all the Democrats who have voted thus far. Sexism and racism have both definitely shown their ugly heads this campaign. This country still has a lot of growing up to do, but just the fact that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both made it this far proves we have come such a long way on both fronts. I'm really glad to have been a witness to this, as at least in my lifetime it seems that most all of the other events that will have made into the history books will have been negative ones.
I'll be blogging about Webb myself soon, but suffice it to say there are many reasons why I think he'd be a poor choice for VP. The biggest one, though, is that I don't want a man being one heartbeat away from the presidency who has held such sexist views and has done so much to damage the cause of gender equality in the military. I understand and accept that red state Dems are going to be more conservative on some issues than I'd like, but for me, any Dem presidential and vice presidential candidate has to be solid on race, gender, and labor issues -- no ifs, ands, or buts. Besides, in practical terms, selecting Webb would be a slap in the face to the Hillary supporters. I'm not saying that Obama has to pick Hillary as veep (and indeed, I think that would be a bad idea). I'm not even saying that he needs to pick a woman. But Hillary was the first woman to ever have a serious shot at the presidency, and she came so close. So the Hillary supporters (of whom, to be clear, I am not one) will feel frustrated enough that their candidate didn't win. But for Obama to choose -- out of all the well-qualified candidates out there -- the one person who has a really horrible record on gender issues would be like rubbing salt in the wound. It would be seen as a big "screw you" to Hillary's supporters and to feminists in general. How would Obama supporters feel if their man lost a closely contested fight, and then Hillary turned around and picked as veep someone who, into the 1980s, was an outspoken and powerful opponent of civil rights? It would seem tone-deaf and incredibly insensitive, to say the least. Webb has other problems which I'll write about as well. But his record on women alone should render him beyond the pale for consideration as veep.
I'm going to say his VP's going to be Kathleen Sebelius. I don't think it can be anyone else...and she can say the things to defend him against those white feminists that Michelle Obama can't.
Look, Webb ain't my No. 1 candidate for Obama Veep, BUT- Frankly, I'm OK with picking Bob Strickland as VP, though he is a pro-life Catholic, if it could guarantee Ohio and Pennsylvania. If Webb could guarantee Virginia for us and help out in Pennsylvania and Ohio, then hell yes, we should pick him.
I worked as a precinct captain to elect Jim Webb in 2006, but generally, I think he's more valuable as a Senator from Virginia than as a veep. Virginia hasn't quite turned blue yet, but with Mark Warner, we're about to have our Senate delegation flip from what used to be 2-0 Republican (George Allen and John Warner) to 2-0 Democratic (Jim Webb and Mark Warner). In addition, Webb specializes in economic issues & veterans' issues that would be difficult for him to do much about, if he's put on duty going to funerals of foreign dignitaries as a veep.
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The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
Alas, this isn't the first time I've heard this. That said, wasn't George Allen an incredibly strong candidate at the time. He's probably kicking himself right now. He's that doctrinaire conservative that Republicans couldn't find in their primaries.