Many of us have long admired Hillary Clinton.  She has made public service and fighting for Democratic ideals her life’s work.  She is smart, competent, and hardworking.  Hillary Clinton is an American icon to some and a role-model to many, but she should not be Barack Obama’s vice presidential candidate.

While we certainly don’t expect many Republicans to vote for Obama, there is a palpable lack of enthusiasm among conservative members of the party about his nomination.  If there is one thing that would put an end to this ambivalence and inspire these conservatives to unite behind John McCain, it is Hillary Clinton.  Hillary has long been demonized by the conservative right, and her presence on the ballot would mobilize its foot soldiers.  With our country mired in two wars abroad, a failing economy, rising gas prices, diminishing civil liberties, and looming environmental disasters; too much is on the line to risk a vice-presidential candidate who will rally the Republican right-wing base.

Concerns about “Hillary Democrats” not voting for Obama are overstated.  The people who are seen as Hillary’s base - working class, white Americans among them - identify with the Democratic Party and have reason to be skeptical of a McCain presidency. As the Obama campaign and the media turn their focus to McCain in the coming months, these voters will learn the many ways a vote for McCain would be a vote against their personal and national interests.  Women who supported Hillary in the Democratic primaries will not migrate to McCain, whose slippery stance on Roe v. Wade would likely cost them their right to choose.  Nor will blue collar workers elect another Republican who embraces NAFTA and dismisses their unions’ concerns.  Americans who want an end to the war in Iraq will not back McCain and his decision to stay the course indefinitely.  It’s true that Hillary supporters wanted this election to have a different outcome, but in the end they will not elect McCain simply to register their disappointment.

Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination because of his vision of a new America.  His call for change is one that resonates with voters.  It is not simply a call for much-needed policy change, but also for a change in the way government works, an end to old party politics, and a rethinking of the role of lobbyists and special interest groups. Hillary Clinton is part of the old guard.  With Barack Obama’s appeal grounded in a new vision for our country and government, he risks undermining his own message with Hillary as his running mate. Barack Obama has earned the opportunity to choose his running mate. Aside from selecting someone who will help him win, he should also pick someone who complements his message and style and who he wants at his side as he navigates the challenges that he will surely face during his presidency. For all her strengths, that someone is not Hillary Clinton.

Disclaimer: MixedInk is emphatically nonpartisan.  This letter to the editor may not represent the views of MixedInk, it’s founders, beta testers, employees, advisers, contractors, line cooks, chaufers, deep-sea welders, horseshoe fitters, and other associates.

Not bad, huh?  We think it came our rather nicely, once again proving the age-old aphorism that 30 heads are better than one.  (What, you’ve never heard that one?)

Obviously the credibility of the output depends on the trustworthiness and democracy of the process, but we’re still in private beta so we’re not quite ready to spill the beans yet…  To gain access to the beans before or during spillage, submit your email address and we’ll invite you participate in future testing and you’ll receive an alert when MixedInk is publicly unveiled!

UPDATE: The letter to the editor was published in the Capitol Times in Madison, WI (you’ll notice that only 18 of our 30 beta testers were comfortable signing their names to this publicly), and at OANow, a news site for Opelika/Auburn, AL (but edited significantly to cut down the length - and they only let us attach one name to it!)