Can a senator win the election?
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  Can a senator win the election?
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Author Topic: Can a senator win the election?  (Read 595 times)
ukchris82
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« on: January 11, 2008, 01:46:30 PM »



Again, sorry for my ignorance,

I was just reading that senators hardly ever seem to win an election.

Why is this?
Will/Why it change in 08? (if not, it's over for the dems, and leaves only Huck, Romney, Guiliani on the rep side?

Cheers
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AndrewTX
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« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2008, 01:51:52 PM »

Eh, I believe that a Senator will win this election, because the only person who is electable is Rudy, and at this point as much as I like him, he isn't going to win the nomination.

 One of the reasons why is because Senators can't hide behind there voting record. It's out there, in the public, and sometimes ya got some bad votes. Also, Senators are sometimes seen as do nothing politicians. As for Governors, they have the executive experience, and can show that they led the general assembly in there respective state to get the job done. It's tough to explain. Anyone else wanna take a stab?
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MODU
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« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2008, 01:53:22 PM »


I was just reading that senators hardly ever seem to win an election.

Why is this?

Typically, it comes down to the stack of material that can be easily spun against the Senator due to their voting record.  That is why you see the jabs at McCain from Romney.  "How can you be a candidate for change when you've been a part of the problem for so many years?"  That kind of stuff.  Additionally, Governors, Mayors, Generals, and Lawyers had positions where they had to act and make decisions on the execution side of the decision-making process.  Their "action" tends to weigh more in their favor than those that make laws.
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12th Doctor
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« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2008, 02:04:59 PM »



Again, sorry for my ignorance,

I was just reading that senators hardly ever seem to win an election.

Why is this?
Will/Why it change in 08? (if not, it's over for the dems, and leaves only Huck, Romney, Guiliani on the rep side?

Cheers

The reason Senators rarely win elections is their paper trail.  Senators are often faced with a number of votes that are either all-or-nothing, or where they are forced to compromise for something (half-a-loaf or none at all, as they say).  These votes can then often be mischarecterized by their opponents.  Voting against an education bill can come back and haunt you, even if the reason for your no vote was because it had some ridiculous clause attached to it... on the converse, if you vote for it, your opponent can bring up that one clause and say "Sen. Smith voted for allowing the distribution of condoms in schools"... or something like that.  Also, committee votes tend to pile up against you.

Anyway, that is the short hand of it.
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Bay Ridge, Bklyn! Born and Bred
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« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2008, 03:57:58 PM »

Because Dems don't realize that America is--for better or worse--a center-right country whose citizens have a historically deep suspicion of big-government, big-spending, tax-and-spend, leftist policies.  Republicans can run conservative idealogues, and win. When Democrats run liberal idealogues, they lose...sometimes badly.  Also, the electoral college is stacked up against anyone whose politics is left-of-center. Democratic legistlators, by the nature of how they are elected by appealing to various liberal constituencies back in their homestates, are easy to paint as "too liberal" by their opponents.  Americans also like electing someone who isn't a Washington insider, since they are "part of the problem".  Its as simple as that.

However,
Democrats can compromise and effectively neutralize such a disadvantage by nominating centrist, moderate candidates with executive experience, preferably from Southern or Western states.  Of course, other factors such as charisma, youth, and record of achievement also helps.  That is the Democrat's fundamental inherent strength, just like GOP inherent strength lies in their ability to bring together their coalition of fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, and defense conservatives, winning 9 out of the past 12 presidential elections.

The problem is that Dems are too stupid to figure all this out.  Just look at their horrendous candidates for 2008. 
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Fmr. Pres. Duke
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« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2008, 04:23:03 PM »

Probably not, since we all know Rudy will win the election.
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BRTD
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« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2008, 04:25:48 PM »

Probably not, since we all know Rudy will win the election.

LOL!
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BRTD
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« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2008, 04:26:53 PM »

Anyway, a senator will win the election.

Giuliani is done, Romney and Huckabee are dead on arrival if nominated. Every other candidate is a senator.
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JSojourner
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« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2008, 04:28:39 PM »

You guys summed it up very well.  

I would frame it this way:

A Senator votes for a bill that would provide nutritious school lunches for poor children.  It goes to the House and comes back, this time -- with a rider or clause that adds something the Senator has promised to oppose.  Now what does he or she do?

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

Sorta like the strawman/paper tiger of "I voted against the war after I voted for it".

Senators and Congressmen can get spun.

But I don't totally buy that Governors can't be spun.  They have records too.  

All my top choices for President over the years have been sitting senators.  Dodd, Kerry, Bradley, Tsongas, Simon, etc...    

That's turned out well.  @@
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Silent Hunter
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« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2008, 04:42:57 PM »

It has happened in the past. Kennedy was the last, though.
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Joe Republic
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« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2008, 04:47:02 PM »

It has happened in the past. Kennedy was the last, though.

He was also only the second.
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minionofmidas
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« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2008, 04:50:02 PM »

It has happened in the past. Kennedy was the last, though.

He was also only the second.
Wow. You serious?
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ukchris82
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« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2008, 05:01:10 PM »



Didn't both senators who were president die whilst in office?

That is creepy

no way as a senator would I run!!!!
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Joe Republic
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« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2008, 05:02:23 PM »


Warren Harding was the first sitting senator to be elected president; JFK was the second.
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MODU
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« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2008, 05:12:24 PM »


Now, none of this means a Senator CAN'T be elected.  Just that it is difficult.  Of course, if we end up with a McCain/Killary match-up, the only way the trend holds true is if Bloomberg enters the race.  hahaha
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