I have nothing against Gephardt. I think he is a nice guy, personaly, I approve of him. Personally, I think that if the Dems are attemping a Mid-west strategy then he is their best bet, but there are some draw backs to consider.
1) Protectionism will not sell in New Hampshire, Oregon or New Mexico. Correct me if I am wrong, but those are mostly free-trade states.
2) Protectionism never wins. The only protectionist who was able to carry the election in since FDR was Truman. Since then, the U.S. has never elected a true protectionist (Carter wasn't that big of one).
3) Gephardt probably won't carry Missouri for the ticket. Most of Missouri is not like St. Louis.
4) Gephardt's support for the war will turn-off a lot of the Deaniacs.
P.S. Dean and Gephardt hate each other.
I'll have to agree with you on this super. It's funny coming from you because you're in a part of PA Gephardt may actually swing. Other than old factory workers here in say NE Philly or Bristol, he won't do anything and in fact hurt. The Center City liberals would not go for him, but I do think they would go for Edwards. He has the charisma to sway the Philly burbs and CC liberals while he can switch it up out in Pittsburgh and talk about protectionism and still hold credibility.
I should probably add New Jersey to that list as well. New Jersey is not a big protectionist state (unless I am very mistaken, but the economy there is changing, indeed, thriving in many parts) and New Jersey seems to have mysteriously become at least a nominal swing state (which still leans Kerry). But with Gephardt on the ticket, they run the risk of making the campaign look way too protectionist, which is frought with major hazards in the states that I mentioned and states like Ohio and Tennessee (where large numbers of people are employed by foriegn companies). If they go with Gephardt, they should just allow that in itself to be a statement and not work too hard to press the issue.
You're right Gephardt would be a very bad idea for New Jersey, the Philly burbs, Delaware, or Connecticut. From my local perpective, he would help NE Philly and maybe older industiral suburbs like Norristown or Bristol, but hurt elsewhere and enough to turn PA or even NJ.
Gephardt would be disasterous in the philly burbs...absolutely disasterous...they're libertarian and you put a populist on the ticket.
Damn...its enough to give me second thoughts.
Gep's a dud...
Kerry would be a fool to tap him for VP.
