Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb launches exploratory committee!

[Likely Voter]

Webb can have some appeal but he is going to have to deal with a couple of issues. One is that he voted against the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, essentially being the deciding vote killing the Bill (which puts him to the right of GW Bush). The other is that he has spoken out against affirmative action.

[KCDem]

Folks, Webb is going nowhere. At best, he'll win some interesting counties in coal country.

[Flake]

I wonder how well Webb's going to perform with the dixiecrats if he stays in the race.

[H. Ross Peron]

Webb can have some appeal but he is going to have to deal with a couple of issues. One is that he voted against the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, essentially being the deciding vote killing the Bill (which puts him to the right of GW Bush). The other is that he has spoken out against affirmative action.

The immigration vote might be a concern, but its good that we have a Democrat running who isn't for race-based affirmative action which is one of the wedge issue the Right has exploited so successfully.

[IceSpear]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

[KCDem]

The Reaganite will not be competitive.

[Ljube]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

[IceSpear]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

[Ljube]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

[IceSpear]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

You've got a point, but in Gore's defense, this was his opponent:

[IceSpear]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

You've got a point, but in Gore's defense, this was his opponent:

A Yale-educated guy from Connecticut who was born into a wealthy political dynasty?

[Indy Texas]

DOA. At least when gadflies run in the Republican Party, they can just win favor with one eccentric millionaire and get off the ground that way (Newt Gingrich and Sheldon Adelson; Rick Santorum and Foster Friess). As long as they'll look after their pet/industry interests, the checks will keep coming.

The Democratic Party's equivalent big money donors aren't content to simply have someone who stands for "what's good for my business." They have to have a personal affinity for a candidate and the sort of hedge funders and venture capitalists and Yankee heiresses who make up Big Money on the Left are not going to fall in love with someone like Jim Webb who would probably order a mass-market beer at dinner and make them spend all night listening to him talk about Ulster Scots immigrants in 17th century Virginia.

[Indy Texas]

While I'm all for challenging Hillary from the left, it might be better to have someone a little more liberal do that.

I mean, I guess he could pull a Romney and flip flop into being "severely liberal", but would anyone really buy that?

Or Romney could pull a Romney and refashion himself as a severely liberal Democrat who deserves all the credit for signing the proto-Obamacare into law.

Or hell, maybe Scott Brown could run for president as a Democrat. He's still unemployed, isn't he?

[IceSpear]

While I'm all for challenging Hillary from the left, it might be better to have someone a little more liberal do that.

I mean, I guess he could pull a Romney and flip flop into being "severely liberal", but would anyone really buy that?

Or Romney could pull a Romney and refashion himself as a severely liberal Democrat who deserves all the credit for signing the proto-Obamacare into law.

Would the "progressive media outlets" then embrace him because muh anti-Hillary?

[Maxwell]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

Obama wasn't running against an incumbent Senator and a heavily entrenched Virginia politico. Taking results out of context like that is pretty terrible analysis and I'm sure you know better.

[Ljube]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

Obama wasn't running against an incumbent Senator and a heavily entrenched Virginia politico. Taking results out of context like that is pretty terrible analysis and I'm sure you know better.

Yes, he knows better. I told him that too.
But the problem is, he loves Hillary (for reasons that are beyond my understanding) and he can bend the truth, or omit facts defending her.

[IceSpear]

His immigration position being a "concern" is a bit of an understatement, considering how dependent among Latinos the Democratic coalition has become.

Not if they can win back the white working class.

Yeah, and the GOP would have a permanent majority if they could win back blacks.

Webb can win back whites.
For the GOP to win back blacks, the generation of blacks that were activists at the time of the Civil Rights Act would have to die out first.

Based on what? Obama outperformed Webb in Virginia twice.

Just because you're a white Southern male doesn't make you suddenly appeal to working class whites (see: Gore, Al).

Obama wasn't running against an incumbent Senator and a heavily entrenched Virginia politico. Taking results out of context like that is pretty terrible analysis and I'm sure you know better.

Allen was an incumbent yes, but at least McCain and Romney weren't flagrant racists.

[King]

Being more liberal than Hillary isn't enough to provide a challenge. There were people on the stage in 2008 more liberal than Obama to challenge Hillary. You need a charismatic figure.

Webb is not that man.

[Maxwell]

Being more liberal than Hillary isn't enough to provide a challenge. There were people on the stage in 2008 more liberal than Obama to challenge Hillary. You need a charismatic figure.

Webb is not that man.

Yes. This is correct.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Being more liberal than Hillary isn't enough to provide a challenge. There were people on the stage in 2008 more liberal than Obama to challenge Hillary. You need a charismatic figure.

Webb is not that man.

Yes. This is correct.

You mean Mike "The Rock" Gravel wasn't a good candidate??? Who the hell are you guys planning to nuke?

DOA. At least when gadflies run in the Republican Party, they can just win favor with one eccentric millionaire and get off the ground that way (Newt Gingrich and Sheldon Adelson; Rick Santorum and Foster Friess). As long as they'll look after their pet/industry interests, the checks will keep coming.

The Democratic Party's equivalent big money donors aren't content to simply have someone who stands for "what's good for my business." They have to have a personal affinity for a candidate and the sort of hedge funders and venture capitalists and Yankee heiresses who make up Big Money on the Left are not going to fall in love with someone like Jim Webb who would probably order a mass-market beer at dinner and make them spend all night listening to him talk about Ulster Scots immigrants in 17th century Virginia.

I listened to Webb talk about the Ulster Scot immigrants on C-SPAN once. It was quite an interesting lecture.

[KCDem]

Do people here legitimately think Webb has a shot? LOL

[IceSpear]

Do people here legitimately think Webb has a shot? LOL

Of course not. But it was inevitable that the media and the anti-Hillary people would immediately embrace and orgasm over the first Democrat who wasn't Hillary to declare. In fact, maybe that's why Webb announced first. He probably knew he'd get no attention whatsoever if he announced after Bernie Sanders or Martin O'Malley.

[Vega]

I can see Webb not withdrawing in 2016 till like July, and winning the Wyoming Primary or something.

[Ljube]

Is Jim Webb the next Barack Obama?

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/jim-webb-2016s-barack-obama