Dean's running mate

[NHPolitico]

Dean has some problems in picking a running mate.  he is running against the establishment of the Democrat party.  So how can he pick a senator or Congressman.  Did you see he just attacked Terry McAulliffe in the last few days.

Edwards has said no.  Clark and Dean had a little spat about it already, and very publicly.  

Another governor would be the most logical, considering Dean's rants, but who ever knows with Dean.

The establishment is starting to come around.

I think, now that I've posted about Feinstein and Graham, that Harkin would be a great choice.   The more I ponder it, the better of an idea it becomes. That's my new prediction. Dean-Harkin. It's damn brilliant and I congratulate myself for my brilliance. Bully for me!

[NHPolitico]

Seeing how Dean has had so much success with the Internet, wouldn't it be cool if he had a poll asking voters who should be his running mate?

I doubt many Dean supporters would like Clark - he's tried time and time again to stop Dean (with no success, I might add).  Edwards would be Clark with no "stop Dean" credentials.  But judging by Edwards failure to even beat Kucinich in some polls, I doubt he'd be a possibility.

Dick Morris thinks Hillary might be the VP pick of Dean, but who knows?  The Clinton's have tried their own "Stop Dean" scenarios (enter Clark), so they might be out too.

Harold Ford, Jr. would be a good pick.  Or John Lewis from my state of Georgia.  Lewis wouldn't win GA for Dean, but it could help some - along with other southern states.

It would be way stupid to leave something as important as a VP pick to internet voters.  They don't have access to the info Dean would have in the vetting process. They'd be totally uninformed decisions.

[NHPolitico]

Or John Lewis from my state of Georgia.  Lewis wouldn't win GA for Dean, but it could help some - along with other southern states.

I don't think Dean needs to grab a desperation pick like that.  At least Ford has had a major speech at a Dem convention. Has Lewis?  I don't think he has.  Choosing sitting House members just strikes me as odd. I think it would strike other voters that way.

[NHPolitico]

Agreed(what about Gephardt as sec. of Labor?)

I'd go with Reich again for Labor Secretary in a Dean administration.

[NHPolitico]

For all those listing listing candidates like Dick Gephardt, and Kuchinich as cabinet members, I wouldn't get your hopes up. They are negatively attacking Dean who will win the nomination. Clark is the best shot. the next colin powell

Kucinich has mostly stayed out of the beat on Dean game.  

[NHPolitico]

The selection of a running mate may give everyone a clear idea of Dean's compaign strategy:
Clark, Edwards, or Ford, would indicate he is going for Southern border states (MO, AR, TN, LA, KY, WV, FL)
Feingold or Gephardt, or another midwesterner: OH, MO, and solidify IA, WI, MN)
Richardson a Southwest strategy: (NV, AZ, CO, solidify NM)
I don't think Kerry or Lieberman would make anything more competititve for Dean

Dean is who he is. His strategy should be to get people to believe he's right. No amount of patchwork with a "southwest strategy" or "southern strategy" in picking a VP will make a bit of difference. He needs someone who will help him convince voters that he's right. That means he needs someone with gravitas, but other than that is just like Dean.

[NHPolitico]

For all those listing listing candidates like Dick Gephardt, and Kuchinich as cabinet members, I wouldn't get your hopes up. They are negatively attacking Dean who will win the nomination. Clark is the best shot. the next colin powell

Clark is not as smart as Powell.

Yes, you're right. He's smarter! Although I really admire Colin Powell. His wife won't let him run for anything.

Powell is sane. That's the key advantage he has over Clark.

[NHPolitico]

Listen to what we can do with Feingold:
Solidfy Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, open up Ohio, and Mizzo.  Edwards could Open up Arkansas, Louisiana, maybe Mizzo, and NC, but he wouldn't solidfy anything.  Calrk would have the same effect.

Gephardt won't run with Dean after they have been ripping each other's heads off for months now.

Can Feingold run for both races? Would Wisconsin voters allow it? Lieberman is a much safer incumbent than Feingold.

[NHPolitico]

Listen to what we can do with Feingold:
Solidfy Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, open up Ohio, and Mizzo.  Edwards could Open up Arkansas, Louisiana, maybe Mizzo, and NC, but he wouldn't solidfy anything.  Calrk would have the same effect.

Gephardt won't run with Dean after they have been ripping each other's heads off for months now.

VPs really don't do that much other then fill the ticket.

VPs usually hurt tickets.  You want a VP who will limit the amount of harm. You also want a VP who's on the same page as you on almost everything.  

[NHPolitico]

If Feingold is picked can he simulataneously run
for Senate in WI?  Or will he have to give up his seat?   I can see the logic of this choice, but I believe his voting record is so liberal that he won't sway enough centrist voters to help.  
Mondale tried Geraldine Ferraro in ' 84 to capture the female vote, but it back-fired.  Clark is the obvious choice but he isn't lighting the wolrd on fire in the polls yet.  Are there any Democrat mayors that qualify???

Yes, he can run simultaneously for senate in Wisconsin.  Lieberman did the same thing in 2000, and when Gore lost, he kept his Senate seat.

Some states don't allow it.

[NHPolitico]

I still maintain that Graham would be the best candidate for Dean.  Dean won't be thinking about how old Graham would be when he himself ran for President, but rather how he would help.

I think that GWB is right that you want to pick a VP who won't be eyeing his own run for the WH while you're trying to govern.

[NHPolitico]

I heard Janet Napalotono, AZ gov mentioned as a possible running mate for Dean today.

Woman, new governor from 2002 and could make a play to AZ in general election.

Drawbacks-inexperienced, really would start to look like Mondale campaign then with a woman on the ticket, which cuts pro and con for Dean; essentially gives GOP, FL, AR, MO, LA and the entire rest of the South.

Yeah, I don't see Dean choosing Janet.  When you go in that direction, it makes you look like you're apologizing for your candidacy. "I'm sorry I'm running.  You can vote for the token on the ticket if that will help you forgive me."  It always backfires.

[NHPolitico]

There's a very interesting piece on Weeklystandard.com entitled "Leftward, Ho?" that speculates that Dean may think he has a chance to win some Southern states by appealing to black voters by putting someone like Kweisi Mfume on the ticket.

It sounds kind of far-fetched to me, but who knows?  Whatever will be will be, right?  We'll just have to wait and see.

"Stop rhyming now, I mean it!
Anybody want a peanut?"

If Dean would want to go there and just pick a black guy and didn't care about anything else, he could go with Doug Wilder.

[NHPolitico]

Bill Clinton should be the next leader of the DNC.

Dean won't allow it.  I think Gore or Bradley would be good choices. If Gore wants to run in 2008, go with Bradley.

[NHPolitico]

Yes sadly.  That is why many think Jindal (R-LA) lost in LA Gov race.

Some areas were high and low, not sure about overall.  But it would also probably turn out white voters as well.

Just how it is.


But what about turnout? I thought there was low turnout amoong black voters, but I could be wrong.

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You mean racist white voters would be sure to come out and vote against a black candidate?

Louisiana white voters don't deserve Jindal.

[NHPolitico]

Some areas were high and low, not sure about overall.  But it would also probably turn out white voters as well.

Just how it is.


But what about turnout? I thought there was low turnout amoong black voters, but I could be wrong.

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You mean racist white voters would be sure to come out and vote against a black candidate?

Certain white voters would have a hard time voting for a black or female candidate, nationally at least.  Not so much anymore with a female candidate, but still somewhat.  I personally would have no problem (I love Elizabeth Dole, J.C. Watts, Alan Keyes), but many would.

The fact that Geraldine Ferraro was a woman might have (and probably did) hurt Dukakis at least a little in 1984.  (He still would have lost without Ferraro, b/c his entire campaign was based around tax hikes.)

In fact, and as much as it pains me to say this, some in my own family (who consider themselves Democrats, I might add) would not vote for a black candidate no matter who he or she is.

Dole would be a credible minority. Keyes and Watts have speaking problems. Keyes talks too much and doesn't know when to shut up or when to not say the impolitic thing. Watts has always struck me as a lightweight in debates on TV with Dems. He looks better on paper than he really is, I think.

[NHPolitico]

He should pick Carol Moseley-Braun.

Might as well.

Braun? Even the silly Kweisi Mfume suggestion is a smarter pick than that.

[NHPolitico]

I am saying that he might as well pick her because he does not have a chance anyway.

Sorry, it was a lame attempt at humor.

Using Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton would have made for a much funnier joke.

[NHPolitico]

I read once that the main prurpose of the VP was not to hurt the candidate electorally, rather than help him...

Exactly. Do no harm.

[NHPolitico]

Anyway, getting back to the disscussion of Dean's running mate.  It seems that the only two people that he can pick are Edwards and Clark.  The other candidates have spent all their energies attacking Dean, so hew won't pick them.

Why does he have to pick an opponent as his running mate? I think it's a dumb thing to do.  The media will make the stories about the battles you had and all this other garbage.  These elections aren't some kind of presidential nomination system all star game.

[NHPolitico]

Dean's running mate should be former Senator Sam Nunn, or Bill Richardson.

I don't know who Sam Nunn is.

Whoever said that Edwards would change his tune about the VP slot, I totally agree.  he would accept even if it just was to keep him alive in 2008.

Nunn is way outside of Dean's region of the ideological spectrum on all sorts of issues.

[NHPolitico]

Okay, Thanks JR.  But was he defeated in a re-election campaign?  Because that would hurt him.

The GADP may beg him to run this year for Senate.  He'd have the best chance of any Dem besides Zell deciding to return to DC.

[NHPolitico]

I know,  Sen Wellstone would have been a perfect fit for Dean.

That makes him a better choice then.

A moderate southerner sounds good. But probably wouldn't run with Dean. Some people seem to be thinking that if Dean is not ready to give up on his leftist principles, he should pick a running mate who is. But what are the odds? I say he is going all the way.

So, pick someone who spoke at the fune-rally-- Tom Harkin!

[NHPolitico]

How about Sen. Max Cleland as Dean's running mate? From the South, war hero, good foreign policy credentials...

Interesting about Cleland. He supports Kerry, but he opposed the war, which Kerry supported and still does.

[NHPolitico]

Defeated in 2002, by now Senator Saxby Chambliss, who was  a House member.

Yea, Cleland won't be anyone's running mate now, not after he lost in 2002.  Maybe if he hadn't been defeated...

Just like Roy Barnes, the former governor here who was also defeated in 2002.  Barnes was at one time considered a possible presidential candidate.  Not anymore.  bwahahaha.  That's right: takin' 'em out one by one here in Georgia.

I disagree. Cleland has turned into a folk hero in the Dem Party. They make up tall tales about his re-election campaign and blame his loss on GOP dirty tricks and lies.  Barnes, on the other hand, is done.