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So, any bets on who Kerry picks as Vice President?
The leading candidate these days seems to be John Edwards, the last competition standing in the primaries. (Sorry, but Kucinich didn't count as competition.) But his total governmental experience amounts to a Senate term he's finishing out now.
For a while it seemed like Kerry would pick Dick Gephardt, but the only people that excites are the rapidly-shrinking ranks of union members. Gep turns off everyone else.
If Kerry wants national security and diplomatic credentials he might pick Gen. Wesley Clark, but he's never held elective office, and showed himself to be a weak campaigner in the primaries. There are also some senators that might be chosen for similar reasons, but they're all pretty old -- not a good match for a guy who looks like a cadaver at 60. (Compare with the buzz for young-looking 50-year-old Edwards.)
Not too long ago rumors were floating around that Kerry wanted Republican Senator John McCain as VP, but McCain doesn't want the job. For a Republican in today's partisan climate, I like McCain, but I wouldn't want him as Kerry's VP. The interest does give some clues about what Kerry might be looking for - war hero, national security, unification of the country, making a splash with a bold choice.
Well, it seems that the latest rumor is that Kerry is considering Howard Dean. Dean had been initially discarded (even by Dean himself) as a VP possibility because he's another New Englander, and everybody always wants geographic balance. On the other hand, Clinton/Gore are both southerners, and Bush/Cheney are both Texans (despite Cheney's house in Wyoming). Maybe that "geographic balance" thing is just code for "there has to be at least one southerner on the ticket, preferably two." Dean also has plenty of executive branch experience and loads of followers.
The most interesting thing about choosing Dean is that Kerry's image is more centrist than his reality, while Dean's image is more left than his reality. I guess the combination would let them merge the image and reality of both.
Anyway, I know I'd be happy with a Kerry/Dean ticket. I don't think it'll happen, but it would be really cool. I'm sure next week there'll be some other rumor floating around.
The leading candidate these days seems to be John Edwards, the last competition standing in the primaries. (Sorry, but Kucinich didn't count as competition.) But his total governmental experience amounts to a Senate term he's finishing out now.
For a while it seemed like Kerry would pick Dick Gephardt, but the only people that excites are the rapidly-shrinking ranks of union members. Gep turns off everyone else.
If Kerry wants national security and diplomatic credentials he might pick Gen. Wesley Clark, but he's never held elective office, and showed himself to be a weak campaigner in the primaries. There are also some senators that might be chosen for similar reasons, but they're all pretty old -- not a good match for a guy who looks like a cadaver at 60. (Compare with the buzz for young-looking 50-year-old Edwards.)
Not too long ago rumors were floating around that Kerry wanted Republican Senator John McCain as VP, but McCain doesn't want the job. For a Republican in today's partisan climate, I like McCain, but I wouldn't want him as Kerry's VP. The interest does give some clues about what Kerry might be looking for - war hero, national security, unification of the country, making a splash with a bold choice.
Well, it seems that the latest rumor is that Kerry is considering Howard Dean. Dean had been initially discarded (even by Dean himself) as a VP possibility because he's another New Englander, and everybody always wants geographic balance. On the other hand, Clinton/Gore are both southerners, and Bush/Cheney are both Texans (despite Cheney's house in Wyoming). Maybe that "geographic balance" thing is just code for "there has to be at least one southerner on the ticket, preferably two." Dean also has plenty of executive branch experience and loads of followers.
The most interesting thing about choosing Dean is that Kerry's image is more centrist than his reality, while Dean's image is more left than his reality. I guess the combination would let them merge the image and reality of both.
Anyway, I know I'd be happy with a Kerry/Dean ticket. I don't think it'll happen, but it would be really cool. I'm sure next week there'll be some other rumor floating around.
(no subject)
There's no way Kerry will choose McCain or Nader.
Clark terrifies me, and Kerry is not exactly weak in the area of defence. Neither Edwards nor Gephart could deliver votes that weren't Kerry's already.
Just my opinion.
Edwards, Nader
As far as Nader goes, there's an outside chance that Nader could be persuaded to drop out in Dean were the VP candidate. He appeared ready to sit out if Dean were at the top of the ticket.
(no subject)
But Kerry/Clark runs a close second to me. I liked Clark best from the beginning. Besides, didn't he get more votes in the primaries than Dean?
Kerry/Dean is pretty far down on the list. He seems like a whiner, and a bit of a jerk. Of course, Kerry seems like Lurch, so it might balance out well.
Ugh. Why can't the Dem's field a candidate I could genuinely like? Is that so much to ask?
(no subject)
I don't think primary votes matter for the VP. The veepstakes never comes down to "who got more primary votes"; it's fairly rare for the VP to be one of the primary compatitors anyway. Also, exit polls showed lots of people liking Dean better but voting Kerry because they thought he had a better chance of winning, and their biggest concern was getting rid of Bush.
Obviously I disagree with your assessment of Dean, for many reasons I won't go into now, but the fact that you do hold that opinion is important, since you're probably not the only one.
And actually it is too much to ask for either party to field a candidate that any particular person actually likes; the country is so diverse that the final 2/4 candidates are necessarily a compromise. This is what the Naderites fail to recognize. (Along with the fact that the two-party system is a direct result of our system of voting, rather than a conspiracy of those parties.)
(no subject)
The media painted him an interesting colour.
going home with the ball
Eh? OK, that part I have to take strong exception to. The other primary losers took their balls and went home, but Dean turned around and rather quickly converted his organization into one working hard for Kerry and other candidates all the way down the line. Of the primary challengers, I think only Dean and Edwards seem to have stuck around working hard for Kerry.