Reich: Get ready for an Obama–Clinton ticket in 2012

There was a point (see here) when I thought a primary challenge to Obama could easily come from within the Dem power structure. Obama seemed that vulnerable.

And I assumed that Hillary was positioning herself to be that person. In 1968, RFK didn't declare his candidacy until Gene McCarthy had fatally wounded Johnson, making a safe entry possible. I saw the same strategy back then for a Clinton challenge for the crown in 2012.

But the moment passed, and hopes for a primary challenge seemed to have dimmed. ("Seemed"? Yes.)

Not only that, but the Clinton and Obama machines seem to have merged; certainly the CEOs of those machines are more and more aligned.

So I find this the next logical step — Hillary Clinton as the 2012 VP nominee. This makes her a shoo-in for the nomination in 2016 (assuming no horrid misstep betwixt), and possibly the presidency as well, given the current state of the opposition. So everyone's happy:

▪ Obama can't run again and the Dems need an heir.
▪ His daughters are too young for their dynastic turn.
▪ The Clintons still want it.
▪ Hillary as heir-apparent gives both her and the Dems another 4–8 years on the throne.

Sweet deal for them. Let Chelsea and Sasha duke it out, come their turn to seek the crown. That will be later; this will be now.

Here's Robert Reich, who might know a thing or two about the Clintons, on this subject (my emphasis):

My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President.

So the Democratic ticket for 2012 is Obama-Clinton. ... Obama needs to stir the passions and enthusiasms of a Democratic base that’s been disillusioned with his cave-ins to regressive Republicans. Hillary Clinton on the ticket can do that. ... Clinton would help deflect attention from the bad economy and put it on foreign policy, where she and Obama have shined.

Sign me up — I think Reich makes the good call.

Am I liking this? Do you think I think we need 8 more years of progressive dreams deferred? That would be No.

But my dreams are beside the point, aren't they. You and me, we're just God's spies, inspecting the mystery of things. Birds in a cage, as it were.

GP