#NeverHillary Places Emphasis On Clinton’s Vice Presidential Nomination
Yesterday, I came across an article on Medium from Patty Jane, speaking thoughtful about why #BernieOrBust is Going #NeverHillary. This is a concern for Hillary Clinton. When the sides turned contentious at the New York Debate, a lot of the mainstream talk was couched in a “yeah, but, things between Clinton and Obama were more contentious than this” type of language.
Which, is true. The Obama/Clinton Primary fight was more of a knock-down affair than Clinton/Sanders. But, that’s on the surface. In terms of what is seen from the candidates and campaigns.
2016 is different. Sanders has already scaled back a lot of what had led to that contentious debate after losing in New York, and the mathematical writing slammed on the wall and laid bare to see that he’s not winning the nomination.
But, Sanders is right to continue to fight. He’s right to continue to make the case for his Presidency all the way through California. There are a lot of Sanders supporters who want to see him fight the good fight until the end. The question becomes, will Sanders attempt to bring his supporters around to Hillary Clinton in the end?
Clinton shouldn’t expect that. Sanders has hinted at needing to see direct action from Clinton when it comes to altering her platform to win over his supporters. Hinting that they won’t come easily has certainly continued among his supporters now with the cropping up of more and more talk of dissatisfaction with Clinton.
Clinton can not simply rely on Sanders rallying his supporters to back her for a Blue November. Which makes her Vice Presidential selection increasingly more important.
An obvious choice would be Elizabeth Warren. Warren is, essentially, a smarter, more substantive version of Bernie’s platform. Warren is an ideal candidate for progressives, and given the momentum Sanders has been able to build, makes many wonder what-if it was Warren who was giving Clinton a run right now. Warren could have competed with Clinton in states like new York where Sanders folded.
One of the strengths that Warren would bring to the table is being able to articulate Clinton policies in a way that would be so strong that people would likely allow their negative thoughts about Clinton to fade to the back of their mind. Another potential Vice President that can bring a similar quality is Tom Perez. Like Warren, Perez has a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a way that is substantive and easy to understand for many.
This is something that Sanders has struggled with, and why Clinton has been able to win states like New York and Pennsylvania. Perez boasts strong credentials among progressive Democrats and would be an excellent selection for Clinton.
Sherrod Brown is a candidate who also would strike a chord with progressive, Sanders supporters, while also bringing the added benefit of being a politician from Ohio. A state to have an even higher level of importance this fall.
What the #NeverHillary talk may do is take someone like Tim Kaine, a more moderate Democrat and Clinton-ally, and place them on the back-burner. Someone that would stand as a traditional Clinton VP choice likely would not serve as the best thing for her come the fall. The VP selection should not simply be an extension of Clinton.
Sanders has too much momentum to let that happen. And, while he hasn’t been as close to Clinton in campaign results this Cycle as she was to Obama, the different type of noise that Sanders has made is one that could have a lasting impact. Especially in the social media environment we find ourselves in currently.
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