Going all in

Saturday marks the day Sen. Hillary Clinton formally suspends her campaign and will endorse Sen. Barack Obama’s nomination for president.
After the final primaries were finished, someone asked why she would wait until Saturday to give her last speech. It’s been said that people are less likely to get violent if they are fired on a Friday so maybe that has something to do with it.
The real reason, of course, is coverage. Sunday is traditionally the slowest news day of the week. By giving her final campaign speech Saturday afternoon, Clinton is all but guaranteed front page coverage by every major newspaper in the country. She is not stupid. More coverage keeps her in the public eye and increases her chances of being chosen as Obama’s running mate. That is the popular consensus; the so-called unity ticket.
This is a bad idea. Sure, an Obama-Clinton ticket would put the Democrats over the top and regain them the White House. And in politics, winning IS everything. If you don’t win, you haven’t actually changed anything. Losing isn’t a Clinton option. By accepting the vice president spot, she’ll get back on the winning track. Again, this is a bad idea.
If things turn out like some have predicted and we are given the Obama-Clinton ticket and the McCain-Mitt Romney ticket—don’t be surprised, it could happen—we’ll be left with four people representing groups sections of American society have always hated: blacks, women, Mormons, and the elderly.
Not much of a choice, is it?
I’m divided on the subject, however. If Obama wins with Clinton by his side, it will be either the greatest thing to ever happen to this country or the worst. Remember all those Kennedy comparisons? Many of the reason people loved JFK so much were responsible for getting him killed. Someone will shoot at Obama and it wouldn’t surprise me if a would-be assassin takes a crack at it before November. Same deal with Clinton. Somewhere out there, a lunatic misogynist with more guns than anyone needs is taking target practice at photos of Clinton and her well-pressed suits. If they both get shot, the Democratic party is toast, too. These two are the party’s last hope.
On the other side of the aisle, no one is going to shoot at McCain. They’ll just wait for his heart to give out and save their bullets for Romney—if he’s chosen for VP, that is.
Perhaps choosing Clinton as his VP is a good idea for Obama. Maybe it will lessen his chances of getting assassinated. You know, because there are plenty of people who’d rather see a black guy as president than a woman.
Personally, I’d take either one of them. Change is good, no matter what. If they blow it, we can sit back and go, “Well, we gave it a try and that didn’t work. Bring on the next WASP.”
If it does work—if we get the best thing ever outcome—get ready to see more “anyone can grow up to be president” commercials. I’d be OK with that.
I’ve said this a million times: great rewards are only possible with great risks. George W. Bush was a safe bet and look what that got us. It’s time to go all in, people. We might bust out and go home broke but we might win the biggest pot of the tournament. No more playing it safe.
Call this a candidate endorsement if you want. It is what it is.
It’s time to bet big. Come November, you all had better be ready to show your cards. Folding is not an option.