It begins! Mark Warner forms Federal PAC--washingtonpost.com

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

With all due respect for Hillary (I do love her) she isn't the closest thing to a Clinton in the 2008 race. Southern governors win elections. Especially popular governors (60-70% approval).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=102

"Last week, he went to Iowa to prepare for the association's annual meeting in July and make the rounds of the state's top Democrats. In Iowa, Warner criticized Kerry for failing to appeal to moderates, according to the Associated Press. "I can't tell you where he ever broke with anything in Democratic orthodoxy," the AP quoted Warner as saying."

"But Warner has qualities that could make him attractive in a general election. In recent history, governors have been far more successful than legislators in presidential races, in part because they do not have lengthy voting records that opponents can distort. And Warner has proved to be popular in a conservative Republican state, territory that Democrats must win if they are to regain the White House."

[boohootwo]

1. What has Warner accomplished as Governor?

I met him in Richmond but I don't know anything about him.

[ruggerson]

2. Brilliant venture capital businessman

Helped found Nextel and other telecom startups. Self made millionaire.

Fiscally responsible/social progressive.

All round good guy.

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

6. he was born into a middle class family

And ended up being very successful in the telecom industry. Deficit hawk, and isn't an ideologue.

[lonestarnot]

8. Don't want a rich president....

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

4. warner

Warner erased a massive state budget deficit, which is probably his biggest accomplishment (I think). I don't know much else about his accomplishments. He won most of the state's counties, including the most conservative counties. Kerry lost most of the state's counties. He promised to bring broadband and other telecom technologies to the rural areas. He also signed into law a partial birth abortion ban. VERY smart move if you want to appeal to red states IMHO.

[boohootwo]

17. I thought he had a hand in some type of prison or

sentencing reform. Do you know anything about that?

[liberalitch]

19. We went from a huge budget deficit caused by Jim Gilmore...

and his car tax screw up (drive a Hoggin' SUV and don't pay ANY taxes..... I often wonder what relationship there exists between the tax cut that allowed people to pay less for huge trucks and highway deaths in va. is...) to a surplus.

Even the NRA endorsed warner in va.
He's just the ringer we need

[seabeyond]

3. kerry had a plan for small business, he talked about

balancing the budget, and he talked about getting government out of our lives by fixing the patriot act. sheeit i am not even in government and it was easy for me to name three off the top of my head. if you are suggesting this man is running for president, then i want someone that
a. thinks
b. doesnt just trash soemone without facts

[DuaneBidoux]

5. I think Kerry did appeal to moderates but unfortunately Bush

appealed even more to wingnut radicals and they simply came crawling out of the woodwork in numbers not seen before 04.

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

12. kerry lost by only 2.5%

But Clinton won by 6% in 92 and 10% in 96. Kerry appealed to some moderates, but not enough. 20% of the electorate are liberals, 30% conservatives. By fact the democrats have to win more moderates than the reps do just to tie. Kerry lost because he lost soccer moms. Clinton swept soccer moms. The point is to find someone who can at least come close to tieing in the south. If you do that, you have a 1996 repeat. Soccer moms go overwhelmingly for you, you win a landslide in the urban vote (which Kerry did not), win suburban areas by a decent margin (Kerry lost the suburban vote) and are competative in rural areas, winning some, being very close in others.

[DuaneBidoux]

16. I remember reading somewhere that Bush was reelected by the closest

margin ever for an incumbent. Usually, historically at least, when incumbents win it is a stomping. But as you pointed out it was anything but a blowout.

But I also remember reading that in rural areas especially where Repukes did well the early tactic by Shrub to get church directories to local republican offices (but of course, only certain churches) really increased the rural turnout with virtually all of it going for shrub. I think the other factor is that many people (myself included) voted not as much for Kerry as against shrub. I don't think elections can be won that way. And I'm still to this day not sure, to be honest, it wasn't stolen (edited to add: again).

[Selatius]

26. You're going to need to find a better strategy if you hope to repeat Bill

In 1992, Bill only won 43.3% of the vote. In 1996, he won 49.2% of the vote. If you want to win a majority of voters, you've got to have a strong record with standing up for the workers of America. You've got to tackle head-on and talk directly about issues such as labor standards, job security, health care costs, etc.--issues that real people can connect with and see everyday.

Economic populism works because the Republicans don't own the issue. They never have, and they never will, so they've attacked Democrats successfully by hitting them with social issues such as abortion, gun control, and gay marriage. An economic centrist who doesn't advocate real, substantive change asides not being a far rightwinger is in less of a position to make himself stand out from his opponent than a solid economic progressive candidate can.

Kerry's weakness was his record on free trade, the vote for the tax cuts for the rich and a penny for the poor, and his vote for war on IWR.

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

11. kerry

Kerry's problem was he never came out with many plans. His big mistake was not coming out with a plan for Iraq beyond "going to our allies." His budget proposal was recinding the bush tax cuts for the top 2%, and passing tax credits for almost everything imaginable (which he never would have done) which if he had done, the budget would have been worse off. As for the PATRIOT act, he may have spoken out against it, but he voted for it. Hard sell to say the least. In the end Kerry's biggest problem was being a senator from MA. Either are bad in and of themselves. Together they are worse. The last 2 dems elected president have been southern governors. Warner has a 70% approval rating in VA. The rural voters love him. This is the case to the point that in the race to replace him, Kilgore (R) is comparing Kaine (D) to Kerry, not Warner.

[seabeyond]

14. so you are being an apologist for warner, lol

k, this is my first experience with the man, and i see him attack a fellow dem, and not speaking the truth. that is fine. but it is the first impression.

that is what i see to this point.

well learn more about the man as he progresses

[LightningFlash]

7. No thanks...

I'll keep southern governors off the table. Put them nowhere near this ballgame, ever again.

[FreedomAngel82]

10. I disagree

There are some good southern democratic governors out there. Some are better then others but don't dismiss them automatically.

[CRYINGWOLFOWITZ]

13. southern governors do the best in the general election

Do you not like strong candidates?

[liberalitch]

20. Well, Va. IS the mother of presidents..... and the two term presidency...

of the big dawg (A SOUTHERN GOVERNOR).. that should tell you something....
But I guess ONCE AGAIN us liberals are ready to fall on our swords for principle....
let's get into the whitehouse take the Congress back (being as mean as they are if we have to... we can do anything they can do better, we can do anything better than them) and talk principles later.

[FreedomAngel82]

9. Of course he's running

I knew he was when I read a report about a week or two ago that he was attending Bilderberg meetings.

[LightningFlash]

15. Attending bilderburg meetings just did it in for me.

The only governors I can see supporting is the likes of Howard Dean. Now real rural governors like that, they know how to light the truth up on fire.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. John Edwards attended Bilderberg in 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm

[MGKrebs]

18. I saw him speak recently.

He sounded very DLC centrist to me. But I've gotten to the point where I don't care so much who the candidate is, I want to know who's running the campaign, who's going to be making the decisions and setting the policy.

[ruggerson]

21. How charismatic was he as a speaker?

I believe his one weakness (a big one) is that he hasn't developed an engaging, easy going speaking style.

[MGKrebs]

23. Uneven.

He had moments, but would lapse into low voice monotone sometimes.

[seabeyond]

22. i think it was stolen

which kinda changes perspectives if kerry really won on vote. also you had the soccor moms voting for bush because they were afraid of terrorist and 9/11 not cause bush was good, adn had a good plan. i really giggle at people critizing kerry's campaign, that he ddint present a plan. he did. and media would play it and say how boring. bush presented nothing. but this is hard work. be afraid. gays are comin to get you. yet people go after kerry

[blm]

24. What broadcast media and what voting machines does he control?

Because this isn't the same ballgame they were playing in 1992, ya know.