IDEA: Obama/Bill Clinton -- Unity Ticket Without High Negatives

[davidlynch]

This is just a crazy idea I had last night. If Obama reached out to Bill Clinton, he could form a unity ticket but without Hillary's high negatives. I believe that many Hillary voters look at Hillary as a restoration in any case. Discussion?

[Indenturedebtor]

1. Would that even be legal?

[SharonRB]

4. No.

The vice president has to be eligible to become president, and Bill already had his two turns. He can't have another.

[rurallib]

6. I doubt it. WJC would have to be eligible to be president

and he's DQed by previous service.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. Bill Clinton

is *probably* constitutionally ineligible to be VP. Legally, a narrow case could be made, but practically, not in a million years.

[Marnieworld]

8. nope he's not elligible

The VP has to be able to become the President and Consitutionally he is unable to do this.

Besides Bill Clinton would never accept this role in a million years. Not with Obama, or anybody.

[MonkeyFunk]

12. It's not that clear cut

the wording of two different clauses technically allows it, but I can't imagine any court would uphold it. The intent of the constitution is clear.

[SteppingRazor]

20. MonkeyFunk is right here.

The 22nd amendment states that no person shall be ELECTED to the presidency after having served two terms as president, which seems to suggest that an ex-president could be Vice President, because if he had to assume the presidency, he wouldn't have been elected to the office.

However, it's iffy constitutional grounds, and having the SCOTUS decide whether the Democratic ticket is constitutionally legitimate is a very, very bad idea at this point.

[Orsino]

28. I would hope that that quaint document still holds some meaning...

...and think that we can count on the * Supreme Court to rule against Bill Clinton's entering the line of succession.

UN Ambassador, anyone? He's still widely loved around the world--despite his fingerprints all over globalization--and could help repair America's image.

[scheming daemons]

3. 25th Amendment prohibits it.

[natrat]

5. no thanks enough is enough

[seabeyond]

7. nope. we made it thru the bill era. dont want to go back. how about obama/clark.

that is a clinton supporter. young enough can run in 8 yrs. and wont have to keep eye on back to make sure no knife. integrity. i think clark has it. i think clintons lack integrity.

[blm]

9. Nope - Clinton doesn't know how to support any other Dem leader. Period.

He's INCAPABLE of it. Why ask him to do something he doesn't have the ability to do?

Besides - The Obamas don't NEED the Clintons - Clintons no longer have the death grip they once had on our party.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[highplainsdem]

16. Every time an Obama supporter posts lunatic nonsense like this

you hurt his cause.

This is as bad as the drivel from Pat Robertson, alleging the Clintons are murderers.

Before you post anything so stupid again, think how you'd feel about anyone posting such nonsense about Obama if the situation were reversed and he might be under consideration as the choice for VP.

[davidlynch]

21. Sorry honestly didn't mean to hurt -- just curious about this possibility n/t

[highplainsdem]

24. David, it wasn't your post that hurt. Nothing wrong with it

though Bill Clinton can't be VP.

What hurts is seeing an Obama supporter suggest stupidly that if Bill (or Hillary) Clinton were VP, they'd want Obama killed, or a friend of theirs would. That's what I was responding to. This is the second such post I've seen this morning -- the other has already been deleted -- and I can't tell you how damaging such idiocy by some Obama supporters is to Obama's cause and the party's cause.

We won't win without unity. You can't have unity if you have that kind of garbage posted and unchallenged.

[highplainsdem]

25. Just saw this one was deleted. Thank you, mods!

[stratomagi]

22. I'm not saying he would

I'm saying he COULD, guess everyone is hypersensitive given the climate and all, but think back in history, there were times when something like that would be far easier to get away with. Makes sense why a former Pres being a Veep would be illegal. Maybe you'd prefer it if I had said Bush Sr. killing his son if he were Veep to regain the presidency.

And about Obama being veep the scenario doesn't apply since he hasn't been a president yet.

[Aloha Spirit]

19. Bill should know, he's been talking about "hit jobs" for so long.

[BlooInBloo]

11. Teh stupid! IT BURNS!!!!

[Orangepeel]

13. Bill Clinton can't be Vice President

because the VP has to be eligible to be president and he can't be president again.

There is an academic argument that the Constitution could be interpreted to allow it, but it would be challenged and the Supreme Court would never rule in favor of it.

[SteppingRazor]

14. Possibly unconstitutional.

Due to a combination of the 12th and 22nd amendments.

From the 12th: "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."


From the 22nd: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."


That seems to suggest that, should anything happen to Obama, Clinton could assume office but would be barred from running for election at the end of the term. But the question might have to go to the courts, and the last thing we need is the SCOTUS deciding whether the Democratic ticket is null and void.

[Occam Bandage]

15. Unlikely. Twelfth Amendment states,

"no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

Bill Clinton is prohibited by the Twenty-Fifth from being elected to the Presidency. One could theoretically make the case that the Constitution does not claim he is not ineligible, as it does not explicitly prohibit him from assuming the office in another fashion (say, he becomes Speaker of the House, and the President and VP are assassinated).

Realistically, though, nobody is going to test that.

[bowens43]

17. He's not elligable.

[JVS]

18. LOL! Bill would be in deep shit at home if he pulled that one off.

But it's not legal anyway as the people said above.

[redqueen]

23. No. (nt)

[marlakay]

26. after all the shit bill said about him no way! nt

[DB1]

27. You should have stopped at crazy idea.

[merh]

29. OMG

Are you folks truly that ignorant about Clinton's administration and all of his high negatives?

You need to go do some study on his foreign policy (especially ME policies), his use of extraordinary renditions, his NAFTA and DODT positions (failures), not to mention all of his dealings with China, Dubai/Saudis and Columbia since he left office.

Folks, the Clinton's are not our heros.