With Barack Obama having secured the Democratic nomination, speculation has abounded about whether Obama should offer Hillary the VP slot, as well as whether it is appropriate for Hillary to discuss in public this negotiation. I think Hillary should be offered the Vice Presidency, and further it would be supremely to Obama’s advantage for him if she accepts. But I have Machiavellian reasons for arguing this position.
Josh Marshall at TPM puts the issue in stark terms by publishing an email he received from a reader that says in part
Let’s be clear about what Hillary is doing here. By signaling that she’ll take the VP slot if offered — and insinuating that a joint ticket is necessary to heal the party(!) — she is foregoing the normal diplomatic niceties in order to screw Obama. It sticks him with the choice between looking like the bad guy (for not offering) and doing something he really doesn’t want to do (putting her on the ticket). Either way, he loses. And either way, she wins: she gets on the ticket or else she engenders a lot of bitterness in her supporters, hurting Obama’s chances in November (and thereby increasing her chances for a 2012 run).
Josh isn’t convinced that this is Mrs. Clinton’s intention, though he does admit that her campaign benefits from these tactics in just the manner the email author says. If Obama doesn’t at least offer her the VP slot, he runs the risk of insulting her large base of support. If he does offer her the VP slot, he’s presumably taken her into the inner circle of presidential politics where she – as VP – might interfere with Obama’s policymaking.
But there’s a third approach that few seem to be mentioning.
I say give her the VP slot. In fact, be magnanimous about it and do it in a large public ceremony so she can’t refuse, such as at the Democratic convention in Denver. Come on, Hillary – join the team! 🙂
Once January 20th comes and he’s taken the oath of office, well then things can change a bit. For example, why does the Vice President need an office at the White House? Doesn’t the Vice President have an official office at the Eisenhower building? She’ll be fine there – there’s plenty of room in that building. Further, why does she need to attend any oval office meetings or functions? Obama can CC: her on any official correspondence that’s necessary for a Vice President to be aware of.
What am I suggesting? That it’s time for the ascendancy of the power of the Vice Presidency that has taken shape since Jimmy Carter’s relationship with Walter Mondale and Bill Clinton’s relationship with Al Gore to be knocked down a few notches. Hey, if Obama needs Mrs. Clinton on the ticket to win – fine by me. Let them pretend they like one another like JFK pretended to like Lyndon Johnson. But, like JFK gave Vice President Johnson no authority to even pick his nose in policy meetings, perhaps so too should a Vice President Hillary Clinton have all levers of power removed from her grasp.
We’ll watch her power in the senate wane as she spends her busy schedule attending such perfunctory ceremonies as funerals for foreign heads of state and other officials who have passed away, or the occasional ribbon cutting ceremony instead of attending senate committee and sub-committee hearings.
Thus, I argue that the Vice Presidency is the perfect place to dump Mrs Clinton where she can do President Obama and his agenda no harm.
