For some time now, Chris has been arguing for notion of picking a Vice-Presidential candidate based on reinforcing the Presidential candidate's message, rather than balancing their politics with another candidate who can helpe consolidate the diversity of a broad coaltion. Taking off from my earlier diary about Edwards as a possible running mate--"A Different Dream Team? Obama/Edwards"--I want to focus on what I see as a logical extension of Chris's thinking, which might at first appear contradictory to some.
Basically, I'm arguing that by choosing Edwards as his running mate--and thus balancing his ticket with someone who can appeal to the core white working-class demographic that has been Clinton's base of support--Obama can in fact reinforce what he is all about. Let me be clear. He will be filling a defecit, there are no two ways about it. But many of his supporters will claim that this is only a perceived deficit.
This is at least an arguable proposition, and the choice of Edwards, over the course of the campaign, gives Obama--and Edwards--a chance to prove them right. That's the trick that could allows Edwards to be both a "balancing" and a "reinforcing" candidate, and the end result would be a much more robust model of just what it is that Obama stands for--which is why it would be such a potent, powerful move on Obama's part.
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