Amidst all the discussions about Barack Obama's potential running mate, the single most important consideration is being consistently overlooked.
The office of vice-president exists so that the president can be swiftly replaced in the event of his death, removal or incapacitation. Indeed, this is why we have vice-presidents. These individuals are only a heartbeat away from the most powerful office in the world.
This is such a stark consideration that it really ought to narrow things down somewhat regarding whom Obama should choose. Far too many discussions that I have observed treat the "running mate" as some kind of special electoral buddy, whose primary responsibility is to somehow grab votes that Obama could not secure on his own. Much of the reasoning behind the purported electoral impact of the running mate is ill-founded, speculative and secondary to our principal goal of electing representatives that we believe in.
We have a precious opportunity to reclaim the Democratic party as the party of progressive values. Obama has the potential to reshape the political landscape in this country and preside over the most ambitious slate of reform legislation since FDR. The role of his vice-president could prove instrumental in this regard. Obama seems to be the kind of leader who actually listens to his closest advisers, and his vice-president is likely to be a key collaborator in his administration.
The office of vice-president also provides the strongest position by which a candidate can run for president in 2016. We should therefore be thinking about the long-term direction of the party - and the country - not just focusing on a win in November.
In short, the vice-president is the individual most likely to become the next president. With this in mind, when discussing potential running mates, I think the most important question we should ask ourselves is: whom would I most like to be president?
Poll
If Barack Obama was not an option, and you could simply select one of these candidates to become president in November, whom would you choose?
STATE BLOGS
