Barack Obama stepping aside to let Hillary Clinton run is "rediculous" -- Neera Tanden

[DCBob]

The idea of President Barack Obama stepping aside to let Hillary Clinton run for the White House, as posed by two pollsters this week, is “ridiculous,” said Neera Tanden, a former aide to both politicians.

“It was fascinating that the right uses Hillary against Obama,” said Tanden, who served as her policy director during the 2008 campaign for the Democratic nomination and has worked in the administrations of both Bill Clinton and Obama.

“It was actually just the president’s political enemies using Hillary as a battering ram against him,” Tanden, who now runs the Democratic Party-aligned Center for American Progress, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “The only people that that serves is very conservative Republicans.”

more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-23/obama-swap-for-hillary-clinton-is-ridiculous-idea-tanden-says.html

============

Clearly its a GOPer wetdream that this could possible happen. However, I think they know it will never happen but they hope just throwing it out there might create controversy and chaos among Democrats.

[roseBudd]

1. They know about PUMAs

[Marnie]

9. That's sexists.

[Marnie]

10. Why is the author going crazy about what a pollster says

rather than what his polls show?

Sounds like the pollsters referred to are McCainites who are still waiting for the Hillary voters to switch to a crabby old man and his ovary carrying VP candidate.

I would have thought that the extreme non Hillary switch would have forever put to rest that women think with their gonads, and the same for the writer of this silly article.

[Enrique]

2. i never heard Neera Tanden

but I don't need her to tell me the idea is ridiculous. It's not even a real idea, Pat Caddell is just fucking with us, I don't know why people are taking it at face value as an actual proposal.

[DCBob]

3. Clearly its not serious on its face but it is serious in its attempts to divide us.

Sounds very Rovian.

[sellitman]

4. They need Hillary to run for GOP ticket to have any chance.

Don't think they aren't running scared. Their bunch of monsters and misfits do not have their base motivated. In fact I'd say their group has motivated our side.

[Mimosa]

5. It's so ridiculous only Republicans could keep bringing it up

I doubt Hillary would do anything much differently than Obama.

What I'm saying is sometimes Cadell seems like Repug to me.

[Ikonoklast]

6. More PUMA shit from the Clintonista money worshippers.

They miss that gravy train full of faux Democrats to ride on.

[dsc]

13. that is just plain bullshit

Cadell hated Clinton throughout Clinton's entire administration.

[Skip Intro]

24. But he/she got to use PUMA and Clintonista in the same subject line.

Can't really expect facts to follow, eh?

[Beacool]

26. Shhhh, don't let them get confused by the facts.

:eyes:

[_eh]

7. It's stupid, too

Were these pollsters drunk at the time?

[JNelson6563]

8. I've seen many a wanker enjoy this wet dream

Right in this very place we call DU.

Julie

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. +1

:thumbsup:

[PragmaticLiberal]

17. Yep.

:)

[karynnj]

11. True and it has to be more uncomfortable for Clinton and the people nearest her

There is no doubt that she wanted to be President and worked to the point of near fatigue to get the nomination. This is a completely bogus idea - as President Obama is completely unlikely to do so. Additionally, it is not clear that Clinton would do better - or even as well - as Obama. One thing that Obama has for him is that his personal favorability is far higher than his job approval. Now, as SoS, her numbers are based on her as the top US diplomat, representing the US. The fact is that Condi Rice's and Madelaine Albright's numbers were also higher than their Presidents'.

My guess is that these stories are frustrating to people for whom her primary loss still stings. (My perception is drawn in part from frustration that every Kerry success is diminished in the media by speaking of him failing to win in 2004 - a loss that still stings for me.)

At this point, Hillary's legacy will likely be any changes that she made to how the State Department is run - and by many accounts her changes have been good. That has been her focus - leaving the more high profile diplomacy to others and not really being seen as laying out a new foreign policy vision - something that might have been hard for any Obama SoS, as he has clearly not delegated that - even to Biden.

[DCBob]

12. Yes, I agree. It must be a bit embarassing for her for this to come up again.

Hillary has been an outstanding SoS as most of us thought she would. I wonder what her plans are post 2012.

[Skittles]

25. SHE has nothing to be embarassed about

[karynnj]

29. Uhm -neither of us suggested she did anything to beembarrassed about,

but Schoen worked for her in 2008 - and you can be embarrassed by things others do -when as here they chose to bring you into to it.

[ladjf]

14. In the first place there is no way Obama would voluntarily step down. nt

[ladjf]

15. In the first place, there is no way Obama would voluntarily step down.

[AtomicKitten]

18. Interesting that they suggest 'stepping aside' - completely bypassing a primary process.

I'd say that is the second most ridiculous suggestion, the first being the now infamous suggestion that there be a 'switcheroo' of VP and SOS jobs.

:freak:

[Politicalboi]

19. Do they even think they stand a chance

Without stealing an election that Hillary would lose to them? Are they Series? LOL!

[Vanje]

20. What? Is THAT even a rumor?

I dont think so.

[bigwillq]

21. Ha! Yeah, it is.

:rofl:

[tledford]

22. But is it *RI*diculous? eom

[NorthCarolina]

23. It's also pointless since Obama and Clinton are political clones. nt

[Beacool]

27. Oh please, both sides can relax.

Hillary has no intention of running against Obama.

Nope, the Democrats will win or lose with their current lineup.

:eyes:

[center rising]

28. I see the Clinton hate hasn't subsided

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. Many here on DU who just can't seem to get past the 2008 primaries are just as guilty

of the same thing that the wingnuts have been doing since Obama announced his candidacy in 2007.

The fact that we as Democrats fall for their divisive trickery is most disheartening!!