Sen. Ted Kennedy, who has been a prominent supporter of Barack Obama's for some time now, sat down with Bloomberg's Al Hunt -- at Kennedy's home, no less -- for an interview that's airing this weekend. And during the interview, Kennedy threw cold water on the idea of a joint ticket of Obama and Hillary Clinton. Asked by Hunt about the prospect, Kennedy flatly responded, "I don't think it's possible."
Hunt then asked Kennedy what kind of person he sees as Obama's running mate. Kennedy said:
Well, the first is always a demand that you're going to have someone that's going to be able to assume the responsibility. I would hope that he would also give consideration to somebody that has -- is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people. And I think if we had real leadership -- as we do with Barack Obama -- in the No. 2 spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful.
Kennedy also discussed Clinton's recent arguments about the demographics of the support for her and her opponent, which he seemed to attribute more to the Clinton reputation than anything else. "I think the fact that she is able to draw on her constituency is as much a reflection or more of a reflection of the fact that she has been around. President Clinton has been around for a long time," Kennedy said. "Many of those groups have great confidence in the Clinton brand, so to speak ... I think the great challenge that Barack has had is getting around and getting out. And the idea that you can go into a state and have just a handful of rallies, because there's so many of these primaries, and expect to alter and change some very fundamental voting patterns just doesn’t take place."
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