Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont

[JSojourner]

Do you folks think he has any political future, beyond being Governor?

[Хahar 🤔]

No.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Wrong state, wrong time, wrong party.

[Ronnie]

If it's a good year for the GOP and Leahy is retiring, he could run for a senate seat.  That's about it.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Not really, no. Governors of the party opposite the state's natural inclination rarely get elected to the Senate, and he's probably not conservative enough (and definitely not well-known enough) to run for President. Plus, he'd suffer from one of Romney's problems: Vermont is a favored target of scorn for the Republicans, just like Massachusetts. At best he might be able to be elected to an open House seat until a sufficiently Democratic year knocks him out.

[Eraserhead]

Why is he even a Republican at this point?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not really, no. Governors of the party opposite the state's natural inclination rarely get elected to the Senate, and he's probably not conservative enough (and definitely not well-known enough) to run for President. Plus, he'd suffer from one of Romney's problems: Vermont is a favored target of scorn for the Republicans, just like Massachusetts. At best he might be able to be elected to an open House seat until a sufficiently Democratic year knocks him out.

Vermont's House seat won't be open anytime soon. Welch will have it a long time.

[JSojourner]

Why is he even a Republican at this point?

That's my other question.  Add Jodi Rell to the mix, too. 

Still, it's more or less a fact -- Republicans don't become Democrats.  They might bolt and call themselves Independents, but Democrat?  Never.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Why is he even a Republican at this point?

That's my other question.  Add Jodi Rell to the mix, too. 

Still, it's more or less a fact -- Republicans don't become Democrats.  They might bolt and call themselves Independents, but Democrat?  Never.

Pretty much. I've threatened to leave the party if we take the populist route, but I'll never become a Democrat. I can't be in the same party as the left wing loons who are an embarrassment to society. Plus, I am still hoping we'll return to our small government roots with less emphasis on social issues.

[Joe Republic]

Still, it's more or less a fact -- Republicans don't become Democrats.  They might bolt and call themselves Independents, but Democrat?  Never.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_switching_in_the_United_States#Republican_to_Democrat

[DownWithTheLeft]

That list is actually kind of interesting, I never would have guessed some of the following were Republicans only quite recently:

Ray Nagin?  Charles Barkley? (not that it matters) John Yarmuth?  Lorretta Sanchez?  HOWARD FREAKING DEAN???

[JohnnyLongtorso]

I think the difference here is, Republicans that become Democrats tend to do it before running for office.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

That list is actually kind of interesting, I never would have guessed some of the following were Republicans only quite recently:

Ray Nagin?  Charles Barkley? (not that it matters) John Yarmuth?  Lorretta Sanchez?  HOWARD FREAKING DEAN???

The Republican party can take Ray Nagin back.

[DownWithTheLeft]

That list is actually kind of interesting, I never would have guessed some of the following were Republicans only quite recently:

Ray Nagin?  Charles Barkley? (not that it matters) John Yarmuth?  Lorretta Sanchez?  HOWARD FREAKING DEAN???

The Republican party can take Ray Nagin back.

Only if we don' have to take back Ariana Huffington or Teresa Heinz Kerry