[Jim Lindgren, May 14, 2008 at 5:26pm] Trackbacks
Obama probably has the power to get Clinton to drop out.--

There are three ways to get someone to do something: You persuade them, you offer them some benefit, or you threaten them with harm.

Leaving aside the last method (threats), so far inducing Hillary Clinton to drop out has focused mostly on persuasion. Yet the possibility of Barack Obama’s paying Clinton’s $20 million campaign debt (much of which is owed to herself) is one benefit that could be offered to Clinton — and has been broached.

The more obvious payoff would be to offer her the Vice Presidential slot on the ticket. If Obama really wants Clinton to end her campaign now, it is probably within his power to do so. But the price might be more than he wants to pay.

Related Posts (on one page):

  1. Clinton says she's open to being Obama's VP.--
  2. Attorney General Hillary Clinton? Secretary of State? Justice?
  3. Obama probably has the power to get Clinton to drop out.--
Steve P. (mail):
Offering Clinton the VP spot strikes me as a bad idea. It seems like many people who lean Democratic now are either very anti-Obama (racism, or Rev. Wright, or Dyers, or his wife not being proud), or very anti-Clinton (list dating back to 1992). Combining the negatives could possibly overpower the positives and drive away the independents, winning the battle to then lose the war.
5.14.2008 6:37pm
OrinKerr:
Obama can also just make his nomination seem more and more inevitable, until Hillary looks more and more silly staying in the race. Getting the endorsement of both NARAL and Edwards today is a nice start.
5.14.2008 6:39pm
alias:
Right... the more inevitable his candidacy seems, the less it seems to matter whether Hillary is still officially in it.
5.14.2008 6:49pm
Joe Kowalski (mail):
My take is that so long as she isn't throwing any more stones in the glass house that is the Democratic party (and given that the nomination is practically his, it's HIS house now), Obama is content to have her keep running and make the remaining races be at least semi-competitive, giving opportunity to better energize the party.

As for Hillary's debt? Obama's campaign can't directly give more than $2300 towards her debt, but he can certainly tap his impressive donor network and let them know "for the good of the party, give Hill a hand."

The Vice Presidencey? He'd be an idiot not to offer her the chance simply as an olive branch to try to make amends. Now this does carry the risk that she might actually accept and throw his campaign image into conniption fits, but not offering her the spot would be even riskier if it caused her to support him less than enthusiastically.
5.14.2008 6:49pm
Perseus (mail):
I'm skeptical whether Senator Clinton would accept the VP slot in exchange for dropping out of the race now: it means 4 or 8 years of virtually no real power for her if they are elected.
5.14.2008 6:52pm
Adam J:
Hillary might look silly, but if this drags out Obama will have to devote more and more resources to the primary, and less to the presidency. Plus, more losses like WV &Obama's electability could be called into question. Obama's might be best off settling this with Hill &offering her vp or paying off her debt, even if her expectations of winning are frivolous at this point.
5.14.2008 6:52pm
VMakarov:
Offering Hillary! the VP slot would be suicide (quite literally) and Obama knows it. He doesn't want to be "Fostered" by the Beast.
5.14.2008 6:53pm
SenatorX (mail):
I read some article last week that said Michelle Obama hates Hillary so much that she would be obstacle for BHO inviting Hillary into the VP spot. I bet she takes the money option if offered and then plans for the next election cycle.
5.14.2008 6:53pm
anon252 (mail):
O should have offerred C the VP slot after Super Tuesday, and ended things right there.
5.14.2008 6:55pm
Thales (mail) (www):
"As for Hillary's debt? Obama's campaign can't directly give more than $2300 towards her debt, but he can certainly tap his impressive donor network and let them know "for the good of the party, give Hill a hand.""

Is this correct? Do campaign finance restrictions even put caps on retiring debt from a defunct campaign?
5.14.2008 6:56pm
Thorley Winston (mail) (www):

I read some article last week that said Michelle Obama hates Hillary so much that she would be obstacle for BHO inviting Hillary into the VP spot.


So there’s a fourth option – Barack divorces Michelle, Hillary divorces Bill and Barack and Hillary get married so she gets another 4-8 years as First Lady (possibly while continuing to serve in the Senate). ;)
5.14.2008 7:01pm
Joe Kowalski (mail):

Is this correct? Do campaign finance restrictions even put caps on retiring debt from a defunct campaign?

Well, it isn't a statement from the FEC, but for what its worhth this poster on dkos seems to be making a pretty authoritative statement that this is in fact the case.
5.14.2008 7:16pm
Nunzio:
I think the RNC would happily pay off Hillary's debt to keep her in this for another three weeks.

What Hillary gets is the Democratic nomination in 2012.
5.14.2008 7:16pm
Houston Lawyer:
She's got more balls than he does. I don't see her quitting until after a floor vote at the convention. The money angle is really weak, since Bill could make that much again in a year. I believe that Obama would bring a lot of votes to Hillary if she were the nominee and he the vp. I don't see her helping him any.
5.14.2008 7:20pm
Adam J:
Thorley Winston - Ohhh, that's a good idea.... But what would we call them? Oillery? Hobama? Harack?
5.14.2008 7:21pm
Adam J:
I don't like Oillery, doesn't seem ecologically friendly, totally improper for Democrats. Hobama rolls off the tongue, it might be a little risque though...
5.14.2008 7:23pm
Jim Miller (mail) (www):
I don't understand why you want her to drop out.

Clinton is -- marginally -- better suited to be president than Obama, though neither is exactly qualified. Her staying in makes it slightly less likely that either she or Obama will be elected president.

So, her staying in will either eliminate the worst candidate of the three, or make it less likely that he will become president.

Either way, it's a win for the country.
5.14.2008 7:30pm
Eugene Volokh (www):
Thorley: How Roman! Though the Romans would have married Chelsea to Obama or some such.
5.14.2008 7:30pm
Gaius Marius:
I think the RNC would happily pay off Hillary's debt to keep her in this for another three weeks.

The RNC would be lucky to raise $20 Million in the first place.
5.14.2008 7:45pm
Gaius Marius:
The more obvious payoff would be to offer her the Vice Presidential slot on the ticket. If Obama really wants Clinton to end her campaign now, it is probably within his power to do so. But the price might be more than he wants to pay.

Perhaps Obama, Edwards, and Clinton can form the first triumvirate of the Republic.
5.14.2008 7:46pm
Gaius Marius:
Offering Hillary! the VP slot would be suicide (quite literally) and Obama knows it. He doesn't want to be "Fostered" by the Beast.

Agreed. Hillary "Lady MacBeth" Clinton will do anything to undermine Barack "Banquo" Obama.
5.14.2008 7:48pm
alias:
Hamas, NARAL and John Edwards in one week... Go, Obama.
5.14.2008 8:19pm
Mike G in Corvallis (mail):
Offering Hillary! the VP slot would be suicide (quite literally) and Obama knows it. He doesn't want to be "Fostered" by the Beast.

I think that's waaaay over the line into the land of paranoia. But if I were Obama, I'd be worried that one of Hillary's True Believers might decide to rid the world of this turbulent priest hopemonger so she could ascend to the throne.
5.14.2008 10:59pm
Mike G in Corvallis (mail):
For that matter, if Hillary were veep and President Obama were assassinated by J. Random Lunatic, how many of Obama's True Believers would be eternally convinced that she was behind a conspiracy to do him in? Bonus points: What title would Oliver Stone give the movie?
5.14.2008 11:05pm
Gary McGath (www):
Then Clinton could become president if Obama is killed. Whether that would actually be worse than the vice-presidential alternatives is unclear, though the thought of that manic power-luster in office is very scary. All the plausible choices are very bad.
5.15.2008 10:41am
TruePath (mail) (www):
I don't think it's in his interest for her to drop out. So long as it's a positive campaign keeping her running actually garners much more free publicity and less chance for embarrassment (losing to a candidate who has resigned) than it would if she dropped out.

I only hear about Obama and Clinton in the news now. McCain appears almost as an after thought.
5.15.2008 4:48pm