As the days wind down to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, people are growing more and more curious about who Obama will select for the VP role. Moreover, my friends have even been debating when Obama will announce and which possible days would make the bigger headlines. We set a friendly wager, each selecting a candidate and announcement day, and sit on the edges of our seats, waiting for Obama’s announcement.
“He has to announce on the 19th,” one of my friends declared. “He gets back from vacation in Hawaii over the weekend, he’ll meet with the VP on Monday, and will announce Tuesday. It’s a sure bet.” However, this friend went with more of an underdog for his choice of candidate: General Wes Clark. Originally slated as a top contender for VP, his comments stating that McCain’s war record wasn’t enough to qualify him as president, took him out of the running in many people’s minds.
“Biden on the 20th,” another friend suggested. Joe Biden, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, would bring to the job the foreign policy experience people say Obama lacks. Having been in the Senate nearly four decades, however, choosing Biden for VP would go against Obama’s message of change in Washington.
With those options taken, I put my bet in for Evan Bayh on the 21st. This Indiana Senator sits on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, which could be seen as a way of countering McCain’s military experience. Bayh was also governor of Indiana, giving him executive experience, as well. I felt that his younger image would pair nicely with Obama’s youthful energy in the campaign.
Another strong contender for the Veepstakes is Tim Kaine, the Democratic governor of Virginia. He endorsed Obama early in the primary race and is also considered a “different kind of politician.” Fellow Virginian Mark Warner, Democratic candidate for Senate and former contender for VP, will give the keynote address at the Convention. This could either signal that Kaine will not be nominated veep, or it could mean that Kaine is still in the running, and Obama will focus more on Virginia this election.
The Obama campaign has announced that both Biden and Bayh will speak in Denver on Wednesday, August 27. Wednesday is the night that the vice presidential nominee will speak, and the theme is Securing America’s Future. I guess all I can do is sit, wait, and cross my fingers that I win this bet.