CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Former Cincinnati Mayor Jerry Springer, whose TV show in Chicago is to culture what cutoffs are to couture, popped up on MSNBC Tuesday as a political analyst pushing Hillary Clinton for vice president: "The only conceivable reason she's not selected . . . is because Obama can't handle her."
Springer is a Democrat whose show is famously uncouth, a fact that MSNBC host Dan Abrams overlooked. Instead, Springer was portrayed as a radio talk show host. What? For a time, Springer was a radio talk show host. But his stint on Air America in Ohio ended with low ratings. Before he became a national figure, he was a local TV anchorman and commentator in Cincinnati, where he was a City Councilman and the mayor. But he's best known as a broadcast raunchmaster non pareil. Still, back home in Cincinnati Springer is seen as someone with impeccable political instincts. And Springer says that Obama should pick Hillary because she is the only and obvious choice. He says she got the votes from Democrats in the primaries.
"The people have decided, the people have voted . . . The people have decided."
Springer contends that Obama, if he passes on Hillary because he "can't handle her," instantly diminishes his presidential prospects. His take: If he can't handle her, he can't be the leader of the Free World.
I'd be fine with Springer as the pick.
ReplyDeleteSpringer's instincts are wrong. Obama is running on change from the Clinton way of triangulation, and would be seen as weak if he chose her out of pressure from the Clinton camp.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben --
ReplyDeleteSpringer as Vice President? People would sure forget about the Cheney years quickly. Would he do his TV show from an undisclosed location . . .
CityKin --
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. I need to get you on the blogroll. I don't know what to think when I hear that Hillary is being pushed for Veep. She probably would strengthen the Dem ticket in some states, a net gain there perhaps. But it would be a political marriage of convenience -- the way John Kennedy ended up with Texan Lyndon Johnson as his runnng mate in 1960. The Kennedy folks, I have read and heard, did not have much use for Johnson. Vice versa when LBJ moved up after the assassination of JFK. Bobby Kennedy detested LBJ and ran against him in 1968. Anyhow, I wonder if Obama and Clinton in '08 make much sense. She might try to run the show.