Obama Caught In The Webb?

The Nation: Va. Sen. Able To Awaken Folks To The New Progressive Potential Of Their Country

(The Nation)  This column was written by Bob Moser.

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As if the Democrats hadn't been forced into quite enough soul-searching by the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama death match, now comes the fraught matter of finding the right running mate for the survivor. A zillion strategic and ideological calculations are already knocking around the punditsphere. Does the changemonger from Illinois need the ballast of a well-traveled centrist with gravitas, like Sam Nunn or Wesley Clark? Dare the Democrats choose another "first" to run with Obama -- Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Kathleen Sebelius? Would Obama/Clinton really be a "dream" or, as some fear, a ticket to eight years of debilitating power struggles and internecine Democratic warfare? Should the party try to use the VP slot to clinch a key state -- with Ted Strickland in Ohio, Claire McCaskill in Missouri, Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania or Jim Webb in Virginia? Does it make more sense to look West, South or Industrial Belt? Is this the time for a no-excuses liberal like Russ Feingold, an evangelical do-gooder like Strickland or a working-class hero like John Edwards?

Exhausted voters don't get to (or have to) make this tricky call, of course. Neither, really, do the Democratic convention delegates -- that docile studio audience who rubber-stamped Geraldine Ferraro in '84, Lloyd Bentsen in '88 and Joe Lieberman in '00. This one's up to Obama, who recently tapped old Washington hand Jim Johnson -- the fellow who helped Mondale find Ferraro in '84 and Kerry pick Edwards in '04 -- to head up his search team. Let's hope the choice will be made with a full awareness of just how many political light-years we are removed from 1984 -- and from 2004. Obama should approach this decision not merely with an eye to winning 270 electoral votes, but with his sights set on the long term: finding the person who can do the most to broaden and invigorate the progressive-populist majority that is emerging in every part of the country.

Obama's strangest option is also his strongest. To many progressives, ex-Republican Jim Webb sounds like another centrist compromise -- Lieberman in combat boots. After all, he's got that history as a Reagan-era Defense official and Navy Secretary in the 1980s. He's a proud Vietnam veteran. He adores firearms. He's criticized affirmative action for helping blacks but leaving out poor whites. He wrote a paleolithic op-ed against women in combat in 1979 and later called the Navy investigations of the Tailhook sexual assault scandal a "witch hunt." He's railed fiercely through the years at the "cultural Marxists" and '60s liberals who, he felt, demonized his fellow soldiers in Vietnam and blamed his fellow working-class whites for Jim Crow.

It's understandable that the heavy VP chatter about Webb has some progressives climbing the walls, accusing his male supporters of hopeless "man crushes" and declaring, as G Spot blogger Kathy G. did recently, "Ixnay on the Ebbway." But the Webb who became the Democrats' boldest antiwar champion of 2006, when he unseated popular senator George Allen, bears little resemblance to the ugly composite portrait that can be assembled by quoting his old apostasies (all now heavily qualified or recanted). Webb is, in many respects, the antithesis of Lieberman or Bentsen -- "centrists" chosen not so much to appeal to independents as to placate Wall Street. While most reporters persist in describing him as a conservative, Webb has rapidly emerged as one of the Democrats' strongest voices from the left on the two great issues of the day: Iraq and economic fairness. He spent most of his 2006 campaign railing against the treachery of corporate America and trickle-down economics. Even more boldly than Obama, Webb spoke out against invading Iraq -- in fact, he began arguing against it in the late 1980s, when the neocons were first beating those drums. In the Senate -- as a freshman -- he has been the single most clever and relentless Democrat in challenging Bush's Iraq policy, most recently steering through the new GI Bill. While his voting record is short, it's thus far prochoice, prolabor and pro-environment. For what it's worth, Webb got an A in 2007 from the progressive Drum Major Institute; perfect scores from NARAL, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO; a 90 from the Children's Defense Fund; and an 85 from Americans for Democratic Action.

Virginia's thirteen electoral votes are already up for grabs, particularly with beloved former Governor Mark Warner running for the Senate and (along with Obama) driving up the Democratic vote in November. But one of the most powerful arguments for Webb is less pragmatic than symbolic: instead of just saying he honors the military and respects the white working class, Obama, by tapping Webb, would show it. Choosing Webb would also show Obama's willingness to have unorthodox and passionate thinkers around him. Webb would be the loudest and stubbornest "get out of Iraq" voice to have the President's ear. He would push Obama in a progressive direction on corporate re-regulation and income redistribution. And he would goad the President to think in fresh ways about old problems like the "war on drugs." Webb calls for ending the drug war in his new book, “A Time to Fight”, in which he furiously denounces the race-based injustice of US drug laws and the American incarceration industry. In it he imagines the lives led by an African-American youngster selling drugs and the white suburban teenager who buys them from him to sell at his school. "By the time the white kid reaches fifty years of age," Webb writes, "he may well be a judge. By the time the black kid reaches fifty, he will likely be permanently unemployable, will be ineligible for many government assistance programs, and will not even be able to vote."

Of all the various forms of inspiration Obama's campaign has delivered, few have been more welcome than his promise to erase the red-blue divide. Obama has worked out most of the formula for a long-term national progressive majority: he's revived the hopes of black voters long overlooked by the party, honed a promising message for Latino workers and preached a fresh political gospel to younger voters of all races -- people for whom Republicanism will forever be associated with Bush, Iraq, the religious right and subprime America. But for the new majority to emerge, the Democrats must also tap into the antiwar, populist energy that has swelled up among working-class and middle-class whites in formerly Republican territory. Webb would bring some much-needed fire and brimstone on the economic populist issues that captured red-state Senate seats for insurgent Democrats in 2006 -- not just in Virginia but in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, Missouri and Minnesota.

After eight years of Bush and thirty years of middle-class decline, it won't take crippling compromises (like an antichoice, pro-war or pro-Wall Street Vice President) to make sufficient gains among these folks. But it will take a candidate on the national ticket who understands them, respects them and knows how to move them. Obama can pick between several distinguished and helpful partners for the Democratic ticket. But he cannot choose anyone who will speak to Western, Southern and Industrial Belt voters with more gut-level force, or do more to awaken these folks to the new progressive potential of their country, than Jim Webb.

But as far as the man crush goes, I'll stick with John Edwards.

[jrcrowle]

Chuck Hagel (R) for Obama''s VP
- agrees with him on illegal immigration and most importantly the war
- can criticize the current administration and make the Bush-McCain link better than the possible Dem choices
- gives the appearance of unity with not just Democrats but Independents and Republicans
- Hagel has experience in international affairs, military, economy, and pure life (age) that Obama lacks
- his differences on domestic policy would only feed the strength of Obama being able to compromise with those who share a different opinion
- not a dream ticket, but rather a real ticket, one provided to a country who desperately needs to merge rather than diverge

[jghutto]

Obama sitting in that church for 20 years and not leaving or speaking out until now - that is too much baggage for him. He will never win.

[element51]

perceptions5....Here you are again spouting off your usual non fact based predictions. Considering the fact that almost everything that this democratic congress has tried to do was either blocked by the republicans or vetoed by the "great one" it is amazing that anything was accomplished at all. And your claim that gas prices are a result of democratic incompetence is totally off base. It is the result of the falling dollar, (thanks bush) and the speculators that has caused the price of oil to skyrocket. As for your comment about who is smarter....that''s like a "my dad can whip your dad" comment. There are smart people on both sides but unfortunately they are not always listened to. Finally, this may be a close election but Obama will win simply because the American people have had it with the direction the republicans have taken the country. You need to give the American people credit for being a little smarter than you seem to think they are.

[ljb6599]

OBAMA/WEBB 2008

[perceptions5]

My fellow Americans how do you like the way the DNC runs a "simple" primary?

It''s just like the Democrats in our 110th Do Nothing Democrat Congress, who have since taken power have turned our economy from a "growing" one to one that is struggling and where gas prices have surged........thanks Democrats.

If the dumb dumb Dems had just "copied" the GOP rules they wouldn''t be in this situation.

Yeah and which party is suppose to have the "smarter" people in it? Just goes to show "perception vs. reality".

Doesn''t matter, Dems will not win the white house in November. Obama can''t even win the "white Democrat" vote and today in Puerto Rico he will lose the "hispanic" vote too.

Sad, but Obama is a product of our mostly corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press, who through the use of propaganda has somehow managed to put Obama on top.

Hillary and McCain supporters will assure this wolfpack press of one thing on the night of Novemer 4th.......their guy, Obama will lose.

[samthetvcat]

I really like Jim Webb for all the reasons stated in the article . . . just one counterargument I would make is that maybe like in 04 when we had an anti-war VietNam Vet try to make the withdrawal argument it didn''t sell nearly as well as Barack''s opposition to the war from the start platform.

I can''t decide whether it enhances the ticket or makes it look weaker to (have to) add Jim Webb when maybe the argument has to be made by Barack alone (?) I was getting antsy a bit last week when McSame was trying to taunt Barack into visiting Iraq, but by yesterday the tables had turned when Barack was able to slap him back down with the troop number clarification. And Barack handled himself just as well when McBush accused him of ''appeasement'' too . . .

I don''t know . . . although lately I''ve been wondering what made Al Gore pick Joe Lieberman . . . maybe this is hindsight but like did he add to the ticket at all (?)

[kansas1946]

I agree totally. I have thought Jim Webb would be a wonderful VP for Obama ever since I started supporting him. I love Jim Webb and think he is very complimentary to Obama. Unless there is a skeleton in his closet, I don''t think Obama could do much better than Webb.

[eroosevelt08]

It took Obama until May 31, 2008 to resign from his horrible church, Trinity United Church of Christ. He is a SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW learner.

[element51]

sthinker....You are wrong, this story is relevant. I''m not saying that Obama is a slam-dunk but I believe this election will be a close one. I feel that your comment is a wishful comment on your part but don''t be so quick to write us off.

TruUSA...Most of your points best describe McCain. However I won''t be so rude as to insult your candidate. The fact is that I hope for a clean campaign where the issues are debated in a clear way so we can make up our minds based on facts, not just a bunch of BS. Come November, we will have a new person in charge and let''s all hope that whoever it is can get the job done. We''re all riding in the same boat and if it goes down we all go with it.

This Webb guy is interesting. I will do as much research as possible and if he checks out I think he would be an excellent choice. I like the fact that he was a republican at one time, probably an old school republican, and he will have good ideas to explore.

[ubrew12]

No ones gonna take away your guns. But you should have to register them, demonstrate safe usage/cleaning/storage annually, submit to unannounced inspections, and we should fund ''snitch laws'' that allow citizens to anonymously collect modest rewards for alerting the police to unsafe, illegal gun ownership (punishment: gun taken away and a modest fine). We put Americans through more hoops in owning a car than in owning a gun, even though the gun is engineered specifically to kill another human being.

Here are gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in the world''s 36 richest countries in 1994: United States 14.24; Brazil 12.95; Mexico 12.69; Estonia 12.26; Argentina 8.93; Northern Ireland 6.63; Finland 6.46; Switzerland 5.31; France 5.15; Canada 4.31; Norway 3.82; Austria 3.70; Portugal 3.20; Israel 2.91; Belgium 2.90; Australia 2.65; Slovenia 2.60; Italy 2.44; New Zealand 2.38; Denmark 2.09; Sweden 1.92; Kuwait 1.84; Greece 1.29; Germany 1.24; Hungary 1.11; Republic of Ireland 0.97; Spain 0.78; Netherlands 0.70; Scotland 0.54; England and Wales 0.41; Taiwan 0.37; Singapore 0.21; Mauritius 0.19; Hong Kong 0.14; South Korea 0.12; Japan 0.05.

We can do better.

[nonayabiness]

Just a clarification on the prior post. If anyone threatened my family, most of all, not only my property or home, I would not hesitate to shoot first, and allow for questions later in a court of law.

[nonayabiness]

Gun control will never work. Besides, its UnConstitutional to disallow people to bear arms. There are too many guns out there to ask people to just give them up. What would happen, is that a few good, law-abiding citizens might give them up and the criminals would keep theirs. I don''t want to say ''Guns don''t kill people, people do,'' because there have been too many incidences of toddlers and young children happening to find guns and accidentally killing each other. In that case, the parents are completely at fault for not securing their weapons. However, in general, it is not guns that kill people, it''s people that do.

If someone thinks I will give up my guns that I acquired as a young girl before registrations were necessary and required, think again. I was born a hunter, but gave that up long ago. Just too much time and effort in it. However, I would never use my guns against anyone unless they threatened my property and home. In that case, look out, you''re going to get shot first, and the opportunity to ask and answer questions later.

[ubrew12]

chalres said: "red state (La)... is easily manipulated by fear. Their gone a take our guns, and other traditional B.S. like that. Mr. Webb would bring to the table a calming factor "

You may be right. I wanted Hillary for V.P., but Webb is a good choice, one that''ll tie it up for the Democrats this Fall. Don''t wanna diss your state, but I just wish the red states would grow up already. That Civil War ''chip on the shoulder'' is smelling pretty stale.

[old300d]

He is caught in the YouTube web ! ! !

That he can not escape ! ! !

You Tubers will tell the real story about Obama and who he really is ! ! !

Get tuned into YouTube ! ! !

[chalres-2009]

This is what I have been saying for months. I''m a white, 47 year old engineer in a very red state (La). This state is easily manipulated by fear. Their gone a take our guns, and other traditional B.S. like that. Mr. Webb would bring to the table a calming factor to these B.S. arguments that the right is going to use. Obama / Webb 08

Obama all the way baby!!!!!!

[sthinker]

Obama doesn''t have any chance in November, so this story is irrelevant.

[patrick16689]

Jim Webb would be an excellent choice. He would actually be able to challenge Obama in an intellectual conversation about the choices they would be making.

But at this point I would prefer him at Sec Def. The man is extremely intelligent with some incredible insight. And the experience to run the department better than anyone.

We need this guy to get the Defense Department back on track and running efficiently and effectively.