which presidential candidate was weaker?

[dazzleman]

The 1988 Democratic ticket would have won had Lloyd Bentsen been running for president and Dukakis for veep.

True.

I also agree with that.

The problem is that Bentsen would never have gotten the nomination.  The primary voters were so far left that year that at one point, it looked as if Jesse Jackson might get the nomination, and the Democrats were staring at the prospect of a 50-state defeat.  Only DC voters would have been stupid enough to favor Jackson.

[Beet]

The 1988 Democratic ticket would have won had Lloyd Bentsen been running for president and Dukakis for veep.

True.

I also agree with that.

The problem is that Bentsen would never have gotten the nomination.  The primary voters were so far left that year that at one point, it looked as if Jesse Jackson might get the nomination, and the Democrats were staring at the prospect of a 50-state defeat.  Only DC voters would have been stupid enough to favor Jackson.

Part of the problem is that Jackson made Dukakis-- who otherwise would have been the liberal in the race, look more moderate. He also divided Al Gore's base in the South. In many ways, a similiar thing happened in 2004, when Howard Dean made Kerry look more moderate, when he would have been the liberal compared to Gephardt, Clark, or Edwards. The funny thing is that Kerry had all the baggage of a liberal voting record but- because of his equivocating on the war- without the benefits of major grassroots support.