Democrats push for dream ticket

It’s hard to imagine in these rancorous days that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could ever sit side by side in office, but according to a new survey an overwhelming majority of Democratic voters would like to see their candidates swallow their mutual bile and team up to do just that.

Three in four Democratic voters are in favour of their rivals joining forces in a “dream team ticket” in the November election, the USA Today/Gallup poll, published today, found.

But on the point of most contention – who would top the ticket – voters are less united. The poll found that 30 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents preferred a ticket headed by Obama while 29 percent would pick Clinton for the presidential spot.

And in a reflection of the increasingly bitter relations between the two camps and their supporters, under half of Democrats – around 45 percent – said they would be happy with either ticket, while 26 percent would object to Clinton heading the ballot and 25 percent to Obama.

With the two locked in a divisive and seemingly unwinnable struggle, many senior Democratic figures believe a dream ticket would avoid the kind of implosion that would leave the way clear for a Republican victory in the autumn.

But is this truly a viable option, or is the "dream" ticket destined to remain just that? Readers, your thoughts please.

Comments

[Ganpat Ram]

The Obama dream ticket is Obama-Wright.

[Brett]

The idea of a "dream ticket" between these two repulses me. What states would either bring to Democratic column in the general election? What would having Clinton serving him do Obama in terms of his image as a "voice for change"?

[Andrea, Fort Wayne, Indiana USA]

I think this so-called "dream ticket" would be nothing short of a nightmare. Hillary's mismanagement of her own campaign finances and the desperate dive into gutter tactics show that she is firmly rooted in last century politics as usual. We don't need that kind of "help" on the Democratic ticket. It is also doubful that Hillary would even consider being VP to Obama--she's already played second fiddle to Bill, why do this again? And Obama could never be certain that as VP she wasn't working behind the scenes to sabotage his policies in order to be in place for another try at the White House in 2012--something she may do anyway if she remains in the Senate. As for watching the party implode--sure it's a possibility, but I'm convinced that we Democrats aren't about to settle for four more years of the Bush administration's failed economic policies, the continuation of the tragic war in Iraq, and the embarassment the US has suffered globally because of Bush and the diabolical Mr. Cheney. McCain offers nothing new--just more of the same, although perhaps a bit less hateful.