136or142
Adam T
Junior Chimp
Posts: 7,434
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« on: June 21, 2015, 04:26:20 PM » |
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« edited: June 21, 2015, 04:34:58 PM by Adam T »
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Bob Kerrey was a moderate governor of Nebraska who was regarded as the initial frontrunner by most pundits of the day (or maybe the co-frontrunner along with Clinton) but, despite being known as being capable of being every bit as charismatic as Bill Clinton, he was also known to be diffident and he basically let his advisers tell him what to do which frequently went against his own instincts, so his heart was never really into running.
For instance, they insisted that he run as an anti free trade candidate in New Hampshire, which was in favor of free trade at the time and he was likely also personally pro free trade, if for no other reason than he represented an agricultural state.
I'd hardly say Paul Tsongas ran as a liberal. He ran as a 'business' Democrat and was the first candidate to run on being anti debt/deficit months before Ross Perot came along. Tsongas was also the media darling, which may or may not have hurt him in the race, though it probably didn't have much impact either way.
Which is not to say that being anti debt/deficit means one is more likely to be a conservative as while conservatives/Republicans talk a good game of being concerned about deficits, the evidence that once they get into office they actually do anything about it is mixed at best, to the point of nearly being laughable.
Tom Harkin was basically a regional candidate. Had he been from any othern midwestern state, a first place win in Iowa might have given him momentum, but being from Iowa, all the other candidates skipped the caucus, and Harkin's win there was ignored.
Brown ran as an anti establishment insurgent and did better than anybody expected him to do, but had it been necessary the party insiders would have done everything in their power to make sure he didn't win the nomination.
Had then Irvine Mayor Larry Agran managed to get into the debates and be treated by the media as a serious candidate, there was some polling that suggested he might have been a major contender, though I doubt he could have won the nomination.
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