2004 VP candidates

[NorthernDog]

I heard a report that Dean was seriously considering Bob Graham (D-FL) for his VP pick.  Personally I don't think this is a good choice because: 1) Health concerns (heart)   2) Odd habit of keeping diary of ALL activities he does ea. day. 3) No guarantee he'll carry FL for the ticket.  

[DarthKosh]

I heard a report that Dean was seriously considering Bob Graham (D-FL) for his VP pick.  Personally I don't think this is a good choice because: 1) Health concerns (heart)   2) Odd habit of keeping diary of ALL activities he does ea. day. 3) No guarantee he'll carry FL for the ticket.  

Plus his choo-choo went chugging around the bend.

[jravnsbo]

Graham has a great resume.  Gov, Sen and popula rin FL until he attacked Bush so much.  

However, Graham was about as boring as a dead cat in his campaign.  I thought he could have been strong but he was FLAT!  I think IF a Dem wins Graham would be better serving in defense sec or homeland sec director with his intelligence background.

[Nym90]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/02/column.shields.opinion.nominee/index.html

An interesting article from Mark Shields about a potential VP candidate that I hadn't thought of before. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Maybe those of you from New York can fill in some more of the details about him, I really don't know too much about the guy other than that he wants to run for Governor in 2006.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Karl Rove's dream team

[NorthernDog]

Maybe Tom Harkin of Iowa?  It would help Dean in the Midwest and he and Harkin are birds of a feather.  

[Nym90]

Why would Spitzer be considered unpatriotic?

[Flying Dog]

Maybe Tom Harkin of Iowa?  It would help Dean in the Midwest and he and Harkin are birds of a feather.  

I dont think Harkin will run

[TomAtPitt]

It likely won't make much of a difference who the VP is, and people generally do not vote for Vice Presidents. Predictions that a particular VP candidate would allow one candidate to peel off large regions of the country are not going to come true.

Clark could help the nominee look more patriotic as a VP, or an upper-midwesterner might signal to those voters some degree of sympathy for them. But don't expect any dramatic gains by picking a certain VP candidate.

[Nym90]

That's true, the VP nominee is not that critical, even an excellent or truly awful VP candidate isn't going to make more than 1 or 2% of a difference nationally, and probably not affect more than a few states. In a very close election though, it could make the difference between victory and defeat.

[Beet]

Yeah I think an overlooked aspect is that the Pres. and VP have to look like they can work together well as a team. Be "birds of the same feather".

[jravnsbo]

HArkin, nope, no way unless you want no states in Dem column.  I couldn't even dream of a all liberal dem ticket.

Harkin some days is left of ole Ted Kennedy and Harkin is proud of it.  

[Nym90]

Well, I doubt that a Dean/Harkin ticket would lose all 50 states.

[jravnsbo]

Was being a bit sarcastic, but I have 0% doubt they'd lose.

[Nym90]

Well, you never know. Harkin would not be the best choice for Dean, but he would help to secure Iowa and perhaps also help some in the rest of the Midwest. A Dean/Harkin ticket could still win but if Dean is the nominee he'd be better off picking someone more moderate than Harkin.

[CHRISTOPHER MICHAE]

Well, you never know. Harkin would not be the best choice for Dean, but he would help to secure Iowa and perhaps also help some in the rest of the Midwest. A Dean/Harkin ticket could still win but if Dean is the nominee he'd be better off picking someone more moderate than Harkin.

What Nym90 fails to understand is that the Iowa caucus is not the "be all, end all" of American elections, and its results don't represent the Pulse of the Nation. Christopher Michael.
Nym90 is welcomed to argue with CM.

[CHRISTOPHER MICHAE]

Well, you never know. Harkin would not be the best choice for Dean, but he would help to secure Iowa and perhaps also help some in the rest of the Midwest. A Dean/Harkin ticket could still win but if Dean is the nominee he'd be better off picking someone more moderate than Harkin.

A Democrat Candidate's focus should be on the East Coast and the South. Two candidates come to mind that fit the bill: Senator Edwards and Howard Dean.  If Sen. Edwards comes from behind and becomes the Democratic Nominee for the Presidency, perhaps he would choose Howard Dean as his running mate. A Southern/East-NorthEastern Victory to win the White House!??
Here's another scenario: Two Southerners, Clarke [from Liittle Rock, Pres. Clinton, from Little Rock] and Edwards as his running mate, a Southerner [Gore, was also from the South.] I don't even want to read anyone responding back to this that two Southerners could not win the White House again. Look at the Clinton/Gore  Record. People will remember the good ole' days.

[Michael Z]

If Sen. Edwards comes from behind and becomes the Democratic Nominee for the Presidency, perhaps he would choose Howard Dean as his running mate.

I doubt Dean would go along with that. It would be way too humiliating for him, going from being the "anti-establishment" candidate and the Next Big Thing, to playing second fiddle to someone approved of by the party mainstream.

I also think that those Democrats who support the likes of Clark and Edwards would rather be stuck in a lift with Don Rumsfeld than have any affiliation with Howard Dean.

But since we're talking Northern liberals, how about Biden or Durbin? Or even John Kerry?

[Nym90]

I wasn't referring to the Iowa Caucus, I meant that Harkin would help Dean in Iowa in the general election.

[jravnsbo]

yes Dean will help the nominee in the genral , just like Grassley will help the President.

IA is sitting good politically for the Senate.  Even though not a Harkin fan AT ALL.  He is chairman of AG cmmte when Dems run the place and Grassy our name for him.  is head of Finace Cmmte and pushing Ethanol bill as Harkin pushed the farm nbill that Bush signed.  Grassy also brought Prescription drugs through.

[M]

Evan Bayh would be more likely to join the GOP than even vote for Dean! I would not be too surprised to see him join Zell in actively campaigning for the big W.

Spitzer might be a good choice, if you can convince him. The GOP would have a good chance at NY with Dean as the nominee. The big Q for Eliot is, who would he run against in '08? He could maybe beat Pataki. He would go down in flames to Rudi.

Richardson is also an intelligent choice. Wil it sway any states? Likely not. But the Dems need to stop the GOP from dominating the Mexican vote as much as they do the Cuban.

But I don't think even Abraham Lincoln as Veep could give Dean this election. The problem is him. If he joins Jimmy Carter in actively attemting the destruction of the only democracy in the MidEast, he may even cost himself "Massachusatts, the one and only".

[jravnsbo]

2006 would be the Gov election in NY and Spitzer has his eyes set on Gov mansion.  Mark Shields today does have piece touting Spitzer for VP.

2006 will be in interesting in NY.  Sen Clinton adn Gov Pataki are both up.  Then you have Guliani and Spitzer as wild cards.  Also Pataki seems to want to be Prez or at least try and so may or may not run again for Gov ( a 4th term)

Bayh wants to be Prez and will stay a dem as like Miller he and his father ( family) always have been.  
Tough for him is that he is up for reelection in 2004.

[Demrepdan]

But since we're talking Northern liberals, how about Biden or Durbin? Or even John Kerry?

I've said this in another thread, Sen. Durbin has said that he has NO plans of serving as someone elses Vice President. Biden has a good chance of being Senate Minoirty Leader if Tom Daschle were to end his leadership. John Kerry might want to be Vice President, but I doubt it. He probably wants it all, or nothing at all. Which brings me to Frank Sinatra......

[jravnsbo]

Well I hope John Thune runs and beats Daschle and then Sen Biden could move on up.