Since Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, perhaps the other Democratic Presidential candidates are in the race for consideration to be her Vice Presidential running mate.  If Hillary decides to choose one of them to share the Democratic ticket with her, who should she pick?

Seasoned political operatives will evaluate potential vice presidential candidates based on his or her appeal to various portions of the electorate in order to get out the election-day vote.  However, for actual governing purposes, perhaps it is better for all of us to determine which of them will be the best for Hillary from a Lil' Matchmaker™ perspective.

A Clinton-O’Malley Partnership

Using the key principles in Lil' MatchmakerTM, I took a close look at Hillary’s character and compared it first to Martin O’Malley’s.  In this case, they have very compatible personalities.  However, Hillary’s character is very productive to Martin's.  In other words, she will be more supportive towards Martin than he will be towards her.  In an ideal case, the President should get support from the Vice President – not the other way around. If Hillary were to decide on Martin as her Vice Presidential running mate, this would be great for Martin’s political career but not necessarily great for Hillary’s Presidential term(s).

Should Hillary Clinton be elected President of the United States, as her Vice President, Martin O’Malley would gain a larger political stage and national name recognition.  In addition, should Hillary become incapacitated for any reason, Martin would assume the role of President. In any event, he is young enough to run for Presidential office four or eight years in the future.  And, should he be involved in the success of a complicated foreign or domestic policy mission during her term(s), his Presidential prospects would be much better than they are today.

Clinton Paired With Sanders

When comparing Hillary’s character against Bernie’s, it is clear that she dominates and extinguishes him; they are in fierce opposition.  While Hillary and Bernie have been relatively courteous towards each other on the campaign trail, because of their opposing characteristics, it may take great effort to maintain their professionalism and civility long term.

However, if Hillary Clinton subscribes to a “team of rivals” leadership philosophy, similar to her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s, it may do her credit to keep Bernie Sanders close.  As it is, Hillary Clinton is too often shielded from differing opinions by her close circle of long-time political confidants.

Is Bloomberg a Better Match?

The above comparisons only include the announced slate of Democratic candidates.  Should former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg formally proclaim his interest in running for President as a Democrat, is he a good Vice Presidential running mate for Hillary Clinton?  Alas, no.  Hillary’s character dominates Michael’s.

What About Biden?

Although Vice President Joe Biden, Jr. has decided not to run for US President, he could have thrown his hat in the ring for another Vice Presidential run.  Joe Biden is very popular with the Democratic electorate, has a proven “in-office” track record, and would signal a continuation of President Barack Obama’s policies.  However, Joe and Hillary won’t be productive or harmonious together.  Similar to Michael Bloomberg, Hillary’s character ultimately dominates Joe’s.

Tim Kaine: Clinton’s Pick

Of the early potential Democratic candidates, the only pretty good Vice Presidential choice for Hillary Clinton was Martin O’Malley.  Can she do better with Tim Kaine?  They can be relatively harmonious but he will tend to dominate her.  However, since Hillary will not see Tim on a daily basis, and he is a consummate politician, he may not pose an immediate threat to her leadership.  Hopefully, Tim will do better as Hillary’s Vice President than Dan Quayle, former Vice President for President George H.W. Bush.