Has Kerry's Tenure As Secretary of State Changed Your View of a Kerry Presidency

[sentinel]

I always thought Kerry was dull, but his performance as Secretary of State has me thinking that he might have been a pretty good President.

Thoughts?

[Maxwell]

No change. His tenure as Secretary of State has been decent, but it's the job he's always wanted.

[7,052,770]

I already idolized him and thought he had Rushmore potential as president, so I don't think he really could have gotten any better.

Still voted option 1, though.

[Brittain33]

No change. I thought he'd be a good president albeit less successful than Obama because he would have had a Republican Congress and some kind of financial crisis in his first term the Republicans would blame on him.

[henster]

Kerry would've made a great President what a shame he couldn't dislodge Bush and save us from his second term.

[Pheurton Skeurto]

No change, he still bores me to tears.

[H. Ross Peron]

No change. He'd have been a horribly ineffective President considering the Republicans would still have retained a majority in Congress and thus he'd have lost in 2008 to a Republican which would have had disastrous consequences as the Great Recession began.

[7,052,770]

No change. He'd have been a horribly ineffective President considering the Republicans would still have retained a majority in Congress and thus he'd have lost in 2008 to a Republican which would have had disastrous consequences as the Great Recession began.

Entirely speculative.  It's very difficult to beat a sitting president.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kerry is clearly a zombie.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

No change. He'd have been a horribly ineffective President considering the Republicans would still have retained a majority in Congress and thus he'd have lost in 2008 to a Republican which would have had disastrous consequences as the Great Recession began.

Entirely speculative.  It's very difficult to beat a sitting president.

If Bush could run for a third term in 2008, would he win? Kerry would have faced a very, very tough reelection.

[Paul Kemp]

No change, they're two different jobs.

Also shouldn't it be "Yes, my my opinion of a Kerry Presidency has become more negative" along with "Yes, my opinion of a Kerry Presidency has become more positive"? The "No" in the second answer implies that there hasn't been a change in your opinion which doesn't jive with your view becoming "more negative."

[sentinel]

No change, they're two different jobs.

Also shouldn't it be "Yes, my my opinion of a Kerry Presidency has become more negative" along with "Yes, my opinion of a Kerry Presidency has become more positive"? The "No" in the second answer implies that there hasn't been a change in your opinion which doesn't jive with your view becoming "more negative."

You know what I mean.

[Cory]

Entirely speculative.  It's very difficult to beat a sitting president.

Not when the economy collapses right in the middle of the fall campaign (assuming). Keep in mind the Democratic wave of 2006 is almost definitely handwaved without Bush as President so Kerry will most likely have to deal with a GOP Congress his entire (first) term. Also Iraq still isn't going to be pretty

The 2004 election was fools gold similar to 1976.

[henster]

Kerry would've made a better President than Bush by far but I doubt he would've been re-elected. I think Kerry could've ended up like Carter in 2008.

[Eraserhead]

More negative. He was embarrassing during the whole Syria snafu.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

More positive in some ways, more negative in others. It's too early to tell which wins out.

[King]

Kerry has unilateral powers as a diplomat that the President doesn't.  If you thought the Tea Party bossed Obama around, the 2004 Senate/House makeup would've flattened him.

Then, the housing bubble burst that would have happened at that point regardless of 2004 outcome would have been blamed squarely on the Democrats.

[Sec. of State Superique]

I'm not that optimistic of a Kerry Presidency in 2004 and I don't think he has anything special as Secretary of State. The question would be different if you were asking about a 2008-2012 Clinton Presidency, she was pretty amazing as SoS, better than Kerry.

[Hatman 🍁]

Three words: John Edwards scandal

[Cory]

Three words: John Edwards scandal

The Edwards scandal is handwaved by him winning the Vice Presidency in 2004. He will almost definitely never meet Hunter.

[anvi]

The last things I heard Kerry say that I liked were uttered in the early '70's.  To be honest, I never thought he was very bright.  His performance as Secretary of State hasn't really impressed me, but he is probably better at that job than he would have been as POTUS.

[badgate]

Yes. But I also agree he was embarrassing during the Syria debacle.

[Mordecai]

Not really. He's much better off as SoS now than President eight years ago.

Edit: Not saying that he would have been a bad President, but that his Presidency wouldn't have been very worthwhile.