Clinton VP news LATEST: Podesta now calling the losers to tell them its not them

[Suburbia]

Where is this Vilsack buzz coming from? Why is this happening, and why are people pretending this is a normal thing? Have I awoken in some sort of bizarro world where bronz4141 is running the Clinton campaign?

Yeah, next she'll be vetting Dick Gephardt and Sam Nunn. Hillary needs to stop catering to the bronz vote.

Working class Midwesterners and Southerners should matter to the Clinton campaign. I'm glad she's vetting him.

[Holmes]

I feel like Clinton is just trying to make it seem like she didn't decide on Kaine weeks ago, which she probably did.

I wouldn't mind Perez but if Vilsack is a serious possibility, I'm hoping you're right. Kaine is better than Vilsack.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'd prefer Warren or Perez, but Kaine is OK. Castro would be a joke choice and Vilsack sounds like Gephardt in 2004.

[Holmes]

Is Perez a good campaigner or speaker?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Is Perez a good campaigner or speaker?

I don't know. I like his record, though. And he's not an empty suit like his fellow cabinet member.

[freedomburns]

Vilsack for VP has a Twitter account called "Feel The Sack":

https://twitter.com/FeelTheSack

OK, THAT'S funny!

[Blair]

Seems like spin; famous last words but hasn't Kaine been the VEEP choice since Mark Warner messed up his Senate campaign?

[Vega]

Seems like spin; famous last words but hasn't Kaine been the VEEP choice since Mark Warner messed up his Senate campaign?

I don't think that's why Warner is out of contention, though. He's just a name from the past.

[Mr. Morden]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/two-names-emerge-from-clintons-vp-deliberations-kaine-and-vilsack/2016/07/19/62189146-4d2d-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html

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The story also indicates that Clinton has asked Obama to give her any advice he might have on picking the folks in his Cabinet (i.e., Perez and Vilsack….and presumably Castro).

[Suburbia]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/two-names-emerge-from-clintons-vp-deliberations-kaine-and-vilsack/2016/07/19/62189146-4d2d-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html

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The story also indicates that Clinton has asked Obama to give her any advice he might have on picking the folks in his Cabinet (i.e., Perez and Vilsack….and presumably Castro).

I'm glad. Vilsack and Kaine are good leaders.

[Mr. Morden]

This story says that Clinton is likely to announce her pick on Saturday in Miami, not Friday in Orlando as previously thought:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/hillary-clinton-vice-president.html?_r=0

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[Gass3268]

I really don't understand why everyone is so down on Vilsack?  It's clear from polling that Clinton is having more trouble with the Midwest swing voter than with the Southeast swing voter and that if she loses VA, she will have already lost the EC elsewhere.  She could use a boost in Iowa and in similar parts of other Midwest states more than she could use a boost in VA, right?  I'd be a lot more concerned about Perez or Warren saying something off-the-wall left wing and hurting her powerful stability argument with college-educated moderates

I don't know about Perez, but every speech I've heard from Warren has had a laser focus. I do agree that Vilsack could be useful in the Midwest, but I think that Warren's message would fit there as well. I think think this situation also shows just how bad the Democratic bench is in the Midwest.

[dspNY]

I really don't understand why everyone is so down on Vilsack?  It's clear from polling that Clinton is having more trouble with the Midwest swing voter than with the Southeast swing voter and that if she loses VA, she will have already lost the EC elsewhere.  She could use a boost in Iowa and in similar parts of other Midwest states more than she could use a boost in VA, right?  I'd be a lot more concerned about Perez or Warren saying something off-the-wall left wing and hurting her powerful stability argument with college-educated moderates

I don't know about Perez, but every speech I've heard from Warren has had a laser focus. I do agree that Vilsack could be useful in the Midwest, but I think that Warren's message would fit there as well. I think think this situation also shows just how bad the Democratic bench is in the Midwest.

Sherrod Brown would be an excellent VP choice but the Dems don't want to give up that Senate seat

[Likely Voter]

I wonder how much Iowa electoral math vs Virginia plays into this. Is Vilsack rising due to what looks like weakness in Iowa?

[DINGO Joe]

I'm of the opinion that the most important thing about a VP choice, aside from having some basic qualifications to be President if something awful happens, is the comfort level the President has with that person.  McCain-Palin (who wasn't even minimally qualified) was very awkward to watch as has Trump-Pence in their brief time together.  Kaine and Vilsack both seem to be in that comfort zone and the both seem to be workmen like types who can and will do the tasks asked of them.  

[Mr. Morden]

A short lister who isn't even certain that he's voting for Clinton:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/admiral-reportedly-being-vetted-for-clinton-vp-is-leaning-to

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[SteveRogers]

I really don't understand why everyone is so down on Vilsack?  It's clear from polling that Clinton is having more trouble with the Midwest swing voter than with the Southeast swing voter and that if she loses VA, she will have already lost the EC elsewhere.  She could use a boost in Iowa and in similar parts of other Midwest states more than she could use a boost in VA, right?  I'd be a lot more concerned about Perez or Warren saying something off-the-wall left wing and hurting her powerful stability argument with college-educated moderates

Well for starters there's not really any evidence that Vilsack would do anything to clinch midwest swing voters.

[RaphaelDLG]

I can't believe I'm begging Hillary to pick Kaine at this point. 

He makes sense strategically, is ready, and Vilsack is extremely conservative, despite the fact that i don't like him (Kaine).

[IceSpear]

LOL at the idea of a single voter thinking "Wow, I'm really going to vote for Hillary after she picked Tom Vilsack as VP!"

Does Iowa even care about him anymore?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I can't believe I'm begging Hillary to pick Kaine at this point. 

He makes sense strategically, is ready, and Vilsack is extremely conservative, despite the fact that i don't like him (Kaine).

Could this be the strategy?

[DINGO Joe]

LOL at the idea of a single voter thinking "Wow, I'm really going to vote for Hillary after she picked Tom Vilsack as VP!"

Does Iowa even care about him anymore?

Since he's the Sec of AG, sure. 

[Xing]

Yeah, Kaine is definitely the wiser choice, by this point.

[Blue3]

LOL at the idea of a single voter thinking "Wow, I'm really going to vote for Hillary after she picked Tom Vilsack as VP!"

Does Iowa even care about him anymore?

Who said she's picking a running mate for political reasons? Maybe she thinks he'd actually be the best successor for her, in case something happened.

[evergreenarbor]

I can't believe I'm begging Hillary to pick Kaine at this point. 

He makes sense strategically, is ready, and Vilsack is extremely conservative, despite the fact that i don't like him (Kaine).

I could vote for a Clinton/Kaine ticket, especially with Pence as Trump's VP pick. I'm not so sure that I could vote for a Clinton/Vilsack ticket.

[Maxwell]

Vilsack? Yuck. Iowa is the least important swing state by a longshot.