Gather round everybody, it’s time for the US presidential election presumptive nominees to pick a vice presidential running mate. Like a good family, we can help each choose the best partner!

Of course, the candidates like to make the vice presidential pick themselves. But I would offer the benefits of arranged marriage against the willy-nilly whims of pick-it-yourself marriage which has a high failure rate (as we might note in some of our presumptive nominees).

Picking a vice presidential running mate is traditionally based on state of office, political connections, ability to draw genders and groups and other such trivialities. What’s truly important is that the president and vice president get along, especially since they’ll be spending July through November like close family and then will see each other several times a year, at least.

This is where astrology can do great good and where Ohio Astrology (OHA) would like to offer its services. Today we’ll provide astrological feedback on Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton’s potential vice presidential picks. The NBC news article Here’s Who Hillary Clinton Could Pick as Her VP will be the source of options. We’ll take a look at Top Tier and In the Hunt selections.

The Candidates

Top Tier: Tim Kaine, Elizabeth Warren & Sherrod Brown

In the Hunt: Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Tom Perez & Xavier Becerra

When looking at compatibility, there are two approaches to take when offering advice. The first way I think of as the pick-it-yourself marriage. Compatibility is determined by traditional factors of romance such as Mars – Venus (romance) connections and Saturn – moon connections (stability). In this way, people are energized by each other and go through a period of seeing the other as perfect and wonderful.

The flaw in this approach is that what we like isn’t always what we need. If I love to gamble and you also love to gamble, we may get along very well while spending our last pennies. But it might not be best for both of us in the long run. Eventually the points of attraction may diminish and the ability to solve problems together will be challenged. The hazy glow of attraction fades.

The other way to approach compatibility is balance. If you have lots of air sign ideas but have trouble putting them into action, an earth-sign companion can help. The benefit of this pairing is that we develop weaker traits through our partner and some of our worst excesses are kept in check as the other provides offsetting energy.

The flaw (from a romance perspective) in this approach is that the people involved may not be entirely enamored of each other. Balance offers respect, learning and discipline, not the usual goals of those seeking marriage. Ironically, we see balance most in political marriages where those of us in the traditional kinds of marriage (arranged or love) wonder how these politicos stay together with all their public shenanigans and humilations. Somehow they choose to stay together.

Most Balance

Two candidates stand out as having the most balance for Clinton – Tim Kaine and Xavier Becerra.

Kaine has a T-square of sun and Mercury (in Pisces), moon (in Gemini) and Pluto (in Virgo). Saturn is in Sagittarius but too far in degree from the other planets to make a grand cross. These four signs are the mutable signs and Pisces aligns with Clinton’s natal moon. The mutable energy has not been popular in US politics until this election where the ever-changing Gemini Donald Trump has risen to the top of the Republican primaries. Mutable energy is fluid and changing which balances Clinton’s preponderance of fixed energy which makes her seem power-hungry, controlled, stiff and choreographed. Kaine’s Jupiter/Neptune conjunct Clinton’s sun makes him highly attractive and charismatic to Clinton. It’s a great match for balance, but ultimately Clinton is a controlling individual so the chameleon Kaine might be a little too squishy and vague for her tastes. But he’s balancing, for sure.

Becerra has sun in rational Aquarius and moon in fiery Aries. The air detachment and fire passion can also balance Clinton’s controlling nature, which has its roots in emotional defense (sun in obsessive Scorpio and moon in secretive, sensitive Pisces). Clinton foe Bernie Sanders has moon in Aries which roused the crowd for sure. Uranus is currently transiting Aries which creates a strong, impulsive desire to express for these moon-in-Aries souls. Aries sextiles Aquarius so the added energy feeds Becerra’s planning mind which wants to create the new, the improved and the innovative. He could add some pizzazz to Clinton’s detailed policy talk by adding vision and raw energy. Like Kaine, who is only a month older, Becerra’s Jupiter/Neptune is conjunct Clinton’s sun. She will be attracted to him in the same way as Kaine.

Too Much Alike

Brown has a fixed sign T-square involving sun (in Scorpio), moon and Pluto (in Leo) and Jupiter (in Taurus). These fixed signs knock up against Clinton’s six fixed signs suggesting too much control between them. There is no balance, too much likeness. While a Brown nomination would make OHA proud, it’s not advised from an astrological perspective. Clinton and Brown are too many control freaks in the kitchen. They will simply grab for the same ladle at the same time all the time.

The Venus Crowd

It’s interesting how much Venus energy is in the rest of the group. Venus rules both Taurus and Libra. Venus is associated with pleasure and social life. It represents the things we like from a walk in the rain to chocolate bars at two in the morning to a dark, swarthy mate. Venus, ruling pleasure, tends to indulge. While that’s something of a balance for Clinton, it might lack some of the purpose and drive that fuels our Scorpio sun candidate.

Taurus sun and moon

Booker has sun in Taurus and Pluto, Venus and moon in Virgo. Taurus is opposite Clinton’s sun in Scorpio. Virgo is opposite Clinton’s moon in Pisces. Rather than being balancing, this is too much opposition and suggests that common ground is too difficult to find. These aspects are like speaking two different languages, being on two different sides of the fence. There’s not too much connection between Booker’s and Clinton’s chart besides these oppositions.

Warren has sun and Uranus conjunct in Cancer and moon in Taurus. Warren’s chart is an interesting mix of predictable routine (Cancer and Taurus) with the completely unexpected Uranus conjunction sun, Mars and Mercury conjunct in Gemini. Taurus moon desires peace and stability which is opposing Clinton’s Scorpio sun which turns up the rug to see what’s underneath. The 2016 primary process was driven by yelling and insults so possibly Taurus moon is needed, but it doesn’t appear to be what the people want – think Republican candidate Ben Carson who at first appealed to the a crowd but then was pushed off the stage with 15 others as the loudest man in the room took over. Warren’s Cancer sun is a nice trine to Clinton’s sun and moon and fills the gap in that way – Cancer is warm, as is Clinton’s Pisces moon but for some reason Clinton rarely expresses her moon. Possibly Warren would help with that.

Libra sun and moon

Perez has sun in Libra and moon, Venus and Pluto in Virgo. My own experience with the Libra/Virgo combined energy is chronic confusion over everything from choosing a spouse to choosing a hamburger at McDonalds. Virgo moon as already noted is the opposite of Pisces and extremely detailed to the point of backing oneself into corners with one’s own rationalizations and over-thinking. As with Booker, it’s difficult to see much connection here.

Castro has sun in Virgo and moon, Mars and Pluto in Libra. As with Perez, the Virgo/Libra energy can chase its own tail for a long time. As with Perez, moon and Pluto are connected, for Castro a much closer conjunction. Castro also has Uranus, Mercury and Mars in Libra. You counted correctly – five planets in Libra. Too many planets in a sign suggest a lack of balance, even in Libra whose key phrase is “I balance.” Castro has four planets in mutable signs which combined with Libra energy suggests a lack of commitment due to simple fear of not making every single person in the room happy. While this could have some balancing effects, it’s just not Clinton’s style.

Who to pick?

As with spouses, there is no perfect pick, just a choice. When I asked my cat who she’d pick for Clinton’s running mate, she chose Xavier Becerra.

I asked if it was his rational, electric Aquarius sun (with ruling Uranus opposite in Leo) that appealed to her?

No, she responded.

Is it his firm, driven Saturn/Mars conjunction in Sagittarius, I asked? While that itself is a nasty aspect, sextile sun and Mercury in Aquarius and trine moon in Aries makes for one fine chess player.

No, not that, she replied.

What was it then?

It’s his name, she replied. She likes his name.

It’s a good thing cats can’t vote – they are too superficial in their choices.