A friend recently asked whether I thought there was any chance that Hillary and Bernie would run together, with one of them as the Vice Presidential nominee and the other as the Presidential nominee. For various reasons, I think the answer to both possibilities is no.

At the outset, I should mention that I’ve already suggested that Hillary should choose Joe Biden as her Vice Presidential nominee. It would be unorthodox, for sure, but what hasn’t been unorthodox in this political season? Would Joe accept the challenge? Who knows? But they would make a great combination.

So, I don’t think that Hillary would ever accept being the Vice Presidential nominee if Bernie tops the ticket because, essentially, she’s already been there and done that. Her stint as Secretary of State was as close to Vice President as Hillary is ever going to get. She hasn’t been waiting for sixteen years to complete the backend of the “Hill and Bill” ticket just to end up as the second banana.[1]

Likewise, I don’t think Bernie would accept a position as Vice Presidential nominee if Hillary were to top the ticket. Bernie is a “message” candidate. If Hillary does become President, his role will be to be the “social conscience” on the left, reminding Hillary of the large and progressive constituency that she needed to “bring it home” and get herself elected. Vice President is for someone who is still building their Résumé, who is willing to wait for their turn to run for President. Martin O’Malley, for example.

For Bernie, this is his swan song. After over 33 years in office – eight as Mayor of Burlington, sixteen as a Congressman, and now another nine as Senator from Vermont – he must have figured it was now or never to get his message out. And there’s no better way to get your message out than to run for President of the United States, if you can run a credible campaign.

And Bernie has run a remarkably credible campaign.

If I were Hillary I’d choose Joe Biden or Martin O’Malley. If I were Bernie, I’d choose Elizabeth Warren, and go for broke. A progressive revolution all the way!

[1] It’s rumored, although it hasn’t been proven, that Bill and Hillary Clinton have a tacit agreement that they would try to work it in such a way that both got a chance to be President of the United States.