2008 Mock Democratic primary (Democrats only for voting)

[Joe Republic]

This is a list of potential and/or likely candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination.  If you consider yourself as likely to vote for the Democratic party in 2008, please make your choice.  Anyone can comment in this thread, but please only vote if you are a Democrat.

If you feel that somebody has been left off this ballot, please feel free to write-in as a comment.

[Joe Republic]

Tough choice.

It was really a tie between Harold Ford, Clinton, Bayh, and Richardson, but I put Ford.  However, my real first choice is Feingold, who you didn't include.

My bad, sorry.  I immediately realised after submitting the list that I'd forgotten him.

[Joe Republic]

Senator Al

Good analysis of the candidates.

I won't comment on the personal merits of each candidate, but to your judgement of Nancy Pelosi I'd add that she's a member of the House.  If being a senator is grounds for losing an election, being a representative is even worse.  The same goes for Harold Ford I guess.

[Joe Republic]

Hey guys, answer a couple of questions:

When was the last time a United States Senator was elected to the Presidency?

When was the last time a Democrat Presidential nominee from outside the south was elected to the Presidency?

Since that date, how many Democrat Govenors from the south who have been nominated for the Presidency were elected?

1) John F Kennedy 1960

2) John F Kennedy 1960

3) Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter

They were rhetorical questions.  His point was that these days no Democrat has much of a hope unless they are A not a senator, or preferably a governor and B from the South.

JFK was one of only two sitting senators to win the presidency (the other was Taft), and was also the last non-Southern Democratic president.  Forty-four years is a long time for that record to go unbroken.  I doubt it will soon either.

Based on those two criteria alone, John Kerry was possibly the worst choice of candidate for the Democrats.  Aside from having the same seat from the same state, Kerry had nothing on Kennedy except the same initials.

[Joe Republic]

Rendell could make some noise. No chance in a general election, but that didn't stop Democrats from picking Kerry.

Touché.

I'm still stumped as to why they chose him.  A liberal senator from safe Democrat Massachusetts.  That's three ways to lose an election for sure.

[Joe Republic]

I would have said Wesley Clark.  That's provided he could have pulled a decent campaign out of his...hat.

Imagine how the issue of Bush's TANG service would have played out against a decorated general.  I would have liked to see a group like the Swiftboat Vets try and fight that one.

Not only that, but come on - even Michael Moore liked him!  And he doesn't like many people!  Clark's not even that liberal either.

[Joe Republic]

I would have said Wesley Clark.  That's provided he could have pulled a decent campaign out of his...hat.

Imagine how the issue of Bush's TANG service would have played out against a decorated general.  I would have liked to see a group like the Swiftboat Vets try and fight that one.

Not only that, but come on - even Michael Moore liked him!  And he doesn't like many people!  Clark's not even that liberal either.

He made a major tactical error in Iowa and that was the end of that.

Very true, but I was answering Akno's question of who would actually have done better than John Kerry in the general election.  I was using a hypothetical scenario where Clark actually won the nomination.