Phil Bredesen

[© tweed]

I think he would...Bredesen's approval rating is sky high at 72%.

[agcatter]

Nope.  The'd still have to vote for Kerry for President and he's waaaay too liberal for Tennessee.

[Michael Z]

Hard to say, though I can't really see how local factors of this kind would affect a national election (especially one which appears to be the most important Presidential election in a very long time).

Paradoxically, Bredesen may be so popular in TN that they might want to keep him as Govenor and not lose him to Washington. Not sure if that sounds silly, it's just a thought.

[agcatter]

Not silly at all.  Some in Massachusetts are said to have voted for Kerry against Governor Weld in the Senate race when Weld was very popular for exactly that reason.  Uh, was it Weld or Welden, can't remember.

[© tweed]

Yeah, it was Weld.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes of course he would... but it's an academic point as Bredesen (unlike Warner) isn't term limited.

[© tweed]

Yes of course he would... but it's an academic point as Bredesen (unlike Warner) isn't term limited.

You don't an oppurtunity to prop up Gov. Warner, do you?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I was using him as an example... Bredesen would make an excellent VP but as he is very popular in Tennessee and not term limited will probably run for re-election against a sacrificial lamb GOP candidate.

[zachman]

Bredesen's name is too long. He could suffer the same problems Lieberman did. And name length does matter.

[© tweed]

Bredesen's name is too long. He could suffer the same problems Lieberman did. And name length does matter.

Huh?  Edwards is almost as long....but Bayh is a short name, but an odd-looking name.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

As the resident Tennessean, I think the answer is a qualified no.  We didn't vote for a Presidential candidate from our state, why would you think we would support a VP candidate any more?  That having been said, I think that if Bredesen were the Pres. candidate, he might win Tennessee, though it would be close.  

Bredesen's popularity is widespread but thin.  Bush's popularity isn't quite as widespread but is much deeper.  He wouldn't help anywhere else in the south because even though Tennesseans have adopted him, he's still a yankee.  Bredesen is popular now because he has enacted conservative policies... which is more than can be said for his predecessor.  If he were to attach himself to a liberal candidacy, he would be more likely to tarnish himself than help the Presidential candidate.

[Ben.]

Your right about that Zachman… Think about it you need a name that low on syllables and seems “solid”… Reagan, Johnson, Clinton, Bush… amongst the Dems Dean (you gotta say it…the guy had a good name), Kerry, Clark, Edwards but Gephardt, Lieberman and Kucinich all too complicated and jarring to seem right… Looking at in the future Republicans Dole, Frist, McCain seem good however Pataki and Santorum seem somehow jarring… President Dukakis didn’t seem right nor did he really look right… its an odd prejudice but your right it does matter just as much as looking and coming across as Presidential your name has to sound presidential to…

[opebo]

Bredesen's name is too long. He could suffer the same problems Lieberman did. And name length does matter.

Huh?  Edwards is almost as long....but Bayh is a short name, but an odd-looking name.

Weird names do well - Saxby Chambliss, Haley Barbour - particularly in the South.

[jravnsbo]

Bush still wins Tenn.  comfortably.  Plus Bresden does nothing for the ticket outisde of "possibly" winning Tenn.

[zachman]

The Roosevelts and Eisenhower (and van Buren) were the only presidents with difficult names. You're right about the south though opebo, I guess that explains Strom Thurmond, but why couldn't Erskine Bowles win on his southern name alone? Also Clark, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry have phoenominal names for politics, and of course so does Bush. Difficult names helped make Lieberman and Kucinich into joke candidates.

[jravnsbo]

Bowles was linked to trade policies of the Clinton WH.  Neither of which are popular in NC.  Plus their attacks on Tobacco hurt dem in tthis tabacco growing region.

The Roosevelts and Eisenhower (and van Buren) were the only presidents with difficult names. You're right about the south though opebo, I guess that explains Strom Thurmond, but why couldn't Erskine Bowles win on his southern name alone? Also Clark, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry have phoenominal names for politics, and of course so does Bush. Difficult names helped make Lieberman and Kucinich into joke candidates.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Tobacco stopped Clinton winning NC and VA in 1996, and resulted in Gore underperforming in NC in 2000.

[jravnsbo]

yeah was watching start of Daytona 500 earlier today and buddy said, "who's going to win the Winston Cup this year?" When I explained that it wasn't called that anymore because of the attacks on tobacco , lets say his response to the PC were not PC!

[StevenNick]

Two words for you all:  Al Gore.

[© tweed]

Two words for you all:  Al Gore.

One word for you: Governor.

[opebo]

The Roosevelts and Eisenhower (and van Buren) were the only presidents with difficult names. You're right about the south though opebo, I guess that explains Strom Thurmond, but why couldn't Erskine Bowles win on his southern name alone? Also Clark, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry have phoenominal names for politics, and of course so does Bush. Difficult names helped make Lieberman and Kucinich into joke candidates.

Having a weird and Southern sounding name will not help you in the South if you have the fatal flaw of being  Democrat.