I missed this when Cuomo said it on April 1:

Former Gov. Mario Cuomo shouldered the mantle of Democratic statesman Monday with his stepped-up insistence that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battle to the finish - with the loser guaranteed the vice presidential slot.

"Have the fight. Keep going. Slug it out," Cuomo told CNN.
But, he insisted, both Clinton and Obama should "agree in advance that if you win, you win, and you're the candidate for the presidency, and your opponent becomes the candidate for the vice presidency."

"That would, at the very least, mollify some of the constituents of the person who does not succeed, whether it's Hillary or Obama," the former three-term governor said.

It reminded me of something a very, very (very) smart man suggested, oh, a month earlier:

I propose that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both announce now that whoever prevails, they will choose the other as their running mate.

Why is this a good thing? First because it will limit the attacks and the incivility. It will force the debate onto substantive issues. Pennsylvania would get a rational discussion of issues by two very smart people, rather than a contest of sneers and subtle slurs.

Secondly, it's what all Democrats want. The fact is we like both these candidates. We want them both. Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton. Most Democrats can live with either.

A simple pledge that takes all the negatives out of this race, preserves party unity, keeps media focus on the Democratic side of the race, allows fundraising to go on apace, and leaves Republicans unsure of quite how to run against them.

Mario, Mario, Mario: dude. We both know you get all your best ideas -- and speeches from me. We both know that I am your muse. So why not just acknowledge it?

This entry was posted by Michael Reynolds, on Wednesday, April 16, 2008. You can leave your response.