Who is a better candidate - Kerry or Gore....?

[The Vorlon]

Which of the two is a better candidate... and why...?

random economic stat...

[© tweed]

Gore...because of where he is from.

[© tweed]

And Kerry is more dislikeable than Gore, even though neither is likeable.

[zachman]

Thats a tough question. Kerry doesn't have the Clinton ties, but is a weaker speaker and humorist. If Kerry can get back into his January mode, he will be a better candidate. Both are very similar.

[Lunar]

We haven't seen Kerry truly tested yet, but I'm going with him.  That was a hell of a primary to come out of, Kerry made an excellent move firing his campaign strategist and hiring a new one who threw him out of obscurity.

He should be trying to appear on every major media show from TV and Radio at least twice between now and November though, including right-wing ones.

[Beet]

Kerry's "January mode" was basically hovering over the Dean-Gephardt free-for-all looking moderate, experieneced and statesmanlike. He'd been out of the spotlight for so long people had forgotten why he was out of the spotlight in the first place. His economic plan looked moderate next to Dean and Gephardt. His late January mode was not created by him at all but handed to him by the voters. He'll have to discover a "new" mode, he won't get the exact same "January" mode over again.

Overall I have to say Kerry because Gore, no matter how bad his charisma, should have at least been able to capitalize on Clinton's record. Him throwing that away over some alpha-male obsession & running a lackluster campaign is pretty hard to get over. Gore never had the lead in that race for longer than a few days. Kerry's doing better against Bush than Gore did four years ago, and this after 9/11, and he's the most liberal senator.

[StevenNick]

Asking which would be a better candidate is like asking 'how would you rather die, by the gas chamber or by burning at the steak?'

[© tweed]

Asking which would be a better candidate is like asking 'how would you rather die, by the gas chamber or by burning at the steak?'

gas chamber, hands down.

[agcatter]

my choice also

[Lunar]

Asking which would be a better candidate is like asking 'how would you rather die, by the gas chamber or by burning at the steak?'

And what's wrong with a question to that?  Pretty easy to have an opinion on the subject.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Gore the populist or Gore the DC Hack?

[© tweed]

Gore the populist or Gore the DC Hack?

He ran in 2000 as a populist, so Gore the populist.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Gore the populist or Gore the DC Hack?

He ran in 2000 as a populist, so Gore the populist.

Only some of the time...

[ShapeShifter]

Kerry

[© tweed]

Gore the populist or Gore the DC Hack?

He ran in 2000 as a populist, so Gore the populist.

Only some of the time...

Nah, all of the time.  He ran with a populist message.  On the other hand, Kerry has no message.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Gore is a natural populist... but he just didn't play the populist enough in 2000
Had he done so (ie: in the debates) he would have won WV and probably Tennessee as well...

*Sighs*

[angus]

We haven't seen Kerry truly tested yet, but I'm going with him.  That was a hell of a primary to come out of, Kerry made an excellent move firing his campaign strategist and hiring a new one who threw him out of obscurity.

He should be trying to appear on every major media show from TV and Radio at least twice between now and November though, including right-wing ones.

I think you're right.   Kerry is potentially a better candidate.  Gore, for example, never won his own party's nomination in his own right (e.g., 1988) but only after Bill Clinton picked him for VP.  Gore also never learned to correct his mistakes on the trail (e.g., distancing himself from Clinton was reactionary and should have been immediately reversed).  Kerry does seem to learn on the fly.  But he was the media's pick over a year ago, before the meteoric rise of Dean in the polls, and their pick after Dean's meteoric descent in the polls.  So, mainly he needs to repay their investment, as you suggest, by appearing as much as possible, preferably wearing camouflage stuits, orange vests, holding a rifle in one hand and a dead deer in the other.  

Neither of those two candidates would defeat Bush.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Gore, because he will have learned from last time.  First time around, still Gore, cause at least he wasn't being as moronic as Kerry is now.  

[angus]

Which of the two is a better candidate... and why...?

random economic stat...

oh, did I mention I like the new color scheme in your signature?  Too bad ayn rand is so small now.  and your random stat is nice too.  In defense of supply side economics?  Welcome to the dark side, Luke.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Tax Cuts only seem to help in the short term... Thatcher's tax cutting and manic de-regulation in the '80's actually weakend the UK's economy (3 million on the dole and so on).
Although the fact that she wasted the North Sea Oil money on attempting to balance the budget (looking fiscally responsible was needed to get re-elected) can't of helped...
The UK got a few boom years in the mid-late '80's, before the bust in the late 80's-early 90's.

---

[Lunar]

Couldn't you also pick out cases where economies had a huge boom after intense nationalization?  Germany (works both ways here), Russia, China, etc?  While maybe not the best examples, they're the most famous ones that come to mind.  Also, I suppose the public works projects did a lot in the 1950's and 1920's.

[ian]

Kerry.  By far.  Kerry has personality.  Kerry is not a psychopath.  Kerry is charismatic.  Kerry can take on Bush.  Kerry will pick a good running mate.  Kerry is not Al Gore, the worst Democrat of all time (and if you count Zell Miller in that list, I hate you.)

[© tweed]

Kerry has personality.    Kerry is charismatic.  

Are you kidding?

[A-Max]

Gore actually ran a decent campaign.  However, not many people actually see a candidate on the stump.  More people see the debates and that was a horror show for Gore.  I got to see both Gore and Bush when they came through Memphis.  Gore was pretty solid but not very likable.  Bush was both.  Kerry is neither.  Tweed is right about Kerry's message.  He doesn't have one.  That won't carry you to November.

[angus]

Kerry has personality.    Kerry is charismatic.  

Are you kidding?

Yeah, you're beloved many-term governor had charisma.  And a big whale belly to match.  Kerry has neither!