Keep Your Hands Off Governor Sebelius

Count me as another Kansan that doesn't see much reason for picking our own Gov. Sebelius as candidate for Vice-President.  However, my take on it is a bit different than Joel's at RedBlueAmerica.  His facts are all correct, but his analysis doesn't seem to give enough allowance for the fact that Sebelius is, indeed, a Democratic Governor of one of the reddest of red states.  He seems to think that she should govern more as a progressive Democrat, which would have guaranteed a one-term career as Governor.  Further, if Morisson had been able to win the AG's spot without Sebelius at the top of the ticket - not to mention Nancy Boyda - then when his utter idiocy was exposed and he resigned, it would have been a Republican Governor appointing his replacement.  They'd probably just put Phill Kline back in as AG out of spite, since spite seems to be the main fuel keeping the Kansas GOP going.

I don't want to see Sebelius as VP because the Kansas Democratic bench is just too shallow to lose her.  If the Democratic nominee wins in November, then we'll get a Democratic Vice President no matter who it is.  But if that person is Kathleen Sebelius, then we don't have a chance at taking Sam Brownback's Senate seat in 2010.  What's better for Kansas and the nation as a whole?  Obviously having one more Democratic Senator is much more important than whatever contribution Sebelius could make as VP.

Comments

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

Brownback has announced he'll stick to his term limit pledge, right? That will certainly help, and suggests picking a different candidate would be a good idea.

I also am not sure Obama wants to double down on history-making in that way.

[rtaycher1987]

I think youre wring about allowance Joel dosn't seam upset with her for being too moderate, he is just saying he doesn't want someone that far from the center of the national democratic party representing it. He says it is because he wants a fiercer VP in the election, but I also important is leaving a successor who would be more liberal.

[rtaycher1987]

than her.

[low-tech cyclist]

I'd like to see a woman as Obama's VP nominee because, let's face it, a lot of women are excited about the prospect of a woman President, and it would be good to not totally dissipate that if Hillary fails to win the nomination.

But Sibelius isn't the Dems' only woman governor or Senator, and some of them are from places where it should be reasonably possible to elect a Dem successor.

Here in the East, I've got no idea what sort of governors Christine Gregoire (WA), Janet Napolitano (AZ), or Jennifer Granholm (MI) have been, or how good a candidate any of them would be on the national stage. But I'd be interested in finding out.

[Joel Mathis]

Stephen:

Thanks for the link. And I very much take your point. But I think I'd be more inclined to agree with you if I could point to one -- just one -- action she has taken that her moderate GOP predecessor, Bill Graves, wouldn't have.

The coal plants thing comes pretty close. But if it's about to be pulled off the table, well, that's pretty much it. If you're going to pick a VP, I think you'd want to get somebody who is in the habit of making the case for an explicitly Democratic view of governance -- and Sebelius simply isn't in that habit.

[Mike B.]

Napolitano would be unlikely to be able to make a bid for the top spot herself (for maddening but valid reasons), which would put us in quite a bind in eight years. She also has the same Senate opportunity as Sebelius in '10 that would otherwise probably go untapped.

Gregoire and Granholm are not particularly popular in their states, though I wouldn't think either would be at risk of tipping GOP nationally in any event. Moreover, Granholm's a naturalized citizen and (I think) therefore ineligible. Sebelius is the only female governor with real nationwide potential--and there aren't too many female senators who could bump up that list of viable running mates. Hence the singular focus there.

And I think "doubling down" is really something Obama can't afford to be afraid to do. When you run as the agent of change, your choice of running mate shouldn't provoke yawns--choosing a woman would palpably underscore the point. (There are limits, of course: choosing, say, Deval Patrick might be unduly risky, as would it be for for Hillary to choose Sebelius.)

[low-tech cyclist]

Mike - the 12th Amendment concludes with the decree that "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States," so you're right, Granholm's out.

And I agree completely with your last paragraph.

[Stephen]

point to one -- just one -- action she has taken that her moderate GOP predecessor, Bill Graves, wouldn't have.

That's true, but Graves was hardly from the Phill Kline wing of the Kansas GOP.

We actually agree on most of this. I think I'm just a bit more willing to give Kansas Democrats a pass. What I'm hoping for is a mainstreaming of the Democratic brand in Kansas so that later on we can move things leftward.

[Tony V]

Alas Nick, I feel Democrats (both the party and the individual politicians involved) are absolutely horrible about respecting national tactics over raising individual people to new offices.

The logic that went into choosing Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, and John Edwards as 3 consecutive VP nominees is astounding. A southern senator, a senator that could flip the balance of the Senate, and another southern senator. What the hell. I can totally see these people being short-sighted enough to pick Sebelius. And you see this every day too on the Republican side, as congressmembers abandon dfficult to hold seats because they don't enjoy the minority anymore.