Monday, July 07, 2008

Webb Won't Be VP

The report is here. I'm not as harsh on Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) as some, but he would have been a surprisingly catastrophic pick for someone who superficially is so tempting. It would have been the single choice most likely to (justifiably) re-enflame the wounds of the Clinton/Obama primary fight, primarily by unnecessarily pissing off women who are already annoyed at Obama for back-tracking on reproductive rights. The advantages Webb wins (military experience, appeal to rural and purple-state voters) can be gotten elsewhere. The visceral anger he provokes in the Democratic Party's female base can't.

2 comments:

PG said...

Er, how did Obama backtrack on reproductive rights? Perhaps it's my fault for reading Southern Appeal and The Corner lately, but I am now firmly convinced that he is not merely pro-choice but actively hates babies.

David Schraub said...

This is the interview that's been stirring up trouble (when he says he doesn't consider "mental distress" to be part of a health exception -- which is being taken to include serious psychological issues [which can of course bleed into physical threats if they turn suicidal]).