Another Suggestion for Dean's running mate

[andym]

VP may help you win his/her home state, and an experienced
politcal operative may help you after you are elected, but
VP won't usually add to the resume of the Presidential candidate.
The Pres. candidate succeeds/fails on their own leadership
abilities.

Therefore, you can balance the ticket geographically. Or you can get someone who can help you pass legislation. Or you can take someone who is philosphically compatible with whom you can work.

My recommendation is that since VP doesn't matter much, is that Dean select Mayor/Governor Jerry Brown. He is known on the national stage, but he's an outsider. He shares many of the same philosophies about giving power back to the people (see his 1992 We the People Presidential campaign theme), is incredibly innovative, and will be protection that "empowering the people" should continue if anything should ever happen to Dean. Also, it helps take California out of play, given the Governator.

[mzmolly]

1. Is he a Southerner?

:shrug:

[salin]

2. Brown, I believe, is no longer a Democrat

made some kind of public split a few years ago and went Independent.

[andym]

5. That could be a problem, but

That could be a problem, but he has a long history as a Democrat,
and left because he felt the party was beholden to large corporate donors. I think Howard Dean could convince him to rejoin in order to help reform the party.

[southpaw72]

3. i'm afraid i can't agree

... whether it's justified or not, people don't take jerry brown very seriously. it would just add fuel to the repubs attempts to characterize dean as more left than he actually is.

i also disagree that "VP doesn't matter much" in the general election. choice of vp is not going to make anyone win, but it can certainly be a factor leading to someone's defeat. bush sr./quayle 92, anyone?

the schwarzenegger fiasco is a unique incident; the democrats still have the republicans out-gerrymandered. i'd be very surprised if california went for bush in 2004.

[andym]

11. Brown is taken seriously in Oakland, and would be elsewhere

Brown was unfairly characterized as "Governor Moonbeam" because he
did yoga, drove a Plymouth sedan instead of a govt supplied limo and meditated while he was Governor, etc. The press tarred him unfairly and I think these days he would be taken much more seriously, as the "new age" personal practices have been pretty much mainstreamed. As it was he won several states in 1992 primaries. In recent years, he has been quite successful as Oakland's mayor.

I'm not sure he is any more far left than Dean. Brown is eclectic,
and is a man of principle and would likely have a synergistic effect with Dean. Can't you imagine both screaming "You have the power"
together.

As for "the democrats still have the republicans out-gerrymandered."
How does that help in a state where the winner of the popular vote
gets all the electoral votes.

[mdmc]

4. Not Brown

I like him, but Trippi can't have a veep that used to want to be pres. How about Jim Jeffords?

[andym]

6. Why can't a VP be someone who once wanted to be Pres?

For example Clinton chose Gore (1988 candidate). Not only
that Trippi has worked with Brown. I bet that some of
the Trippi's empowerment approach even has its roots in Brown's
We the people campaign.

[mdmc]

8. Right

`Ex pres candidates can be veeps... But what would Brown bring to Dean? He is another outsider w/o DC experience. I have nothing against Brown, but think that there has to be a better ADDITION to the Dean team.

[Yupster]

20. Jeffords could change his registration to Wyoming

He'd look cool in a cowboy hat.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with having two candidates from the same state. All you're sacrificiang is three electoral votes for the VP candidate.

[CMT]

7. I respectfully disagree

not that Brown isn't a interesting man and politician, but I think California will be safe especially with Dean heading the ticket since the state as a whole is not enamoured with Bush or with his war.

Also, justified or not, Brown has a reputation in the country as being a bit of a flake. He also has, with the exception of being elected Mayor of Oakland lost several elections in the past 20 years--from US Senate to his run for president in '92.

[mdmc]

9. calling minorities

Dean will eventually need to reach out. Brown won't help much.

[SahaleArm]

19. Oakland is more diverse than Vermont

Brown renounces party affiliation: http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/03/18/jerry.brown/

[Closer]

10. I'm telling you all

Dean is going to choose Graham as his running mate. I PROMISE you.

[David__77]

12. No way!

I do not like that guy in the least! He's an opportunist above all else--a real "law and order" agent of gentrification in Oakland. He's definitely been an anti-people politician there. And I won't support him for Attorney General here either. He's neither an actual Democrat nor a progressive. He's waffled on something as important as abortion rights and his tenure as party chair in the 80's was dismal.

[politicat]

13. Ann Richards.

Tx Gov (okay, it's a skate job)

Dem.

Handed * the conditions for a huge surplus that he frittered away.

Smart.

Very cool.

Very much a lady.

Why am I the only one who thinks of her?

Her downsides - recovering alcoholic. This may be a good thing, considering. Makes her look really moral, since she did the 12 step thing, has taken all the right measures.

Getting a bit up there in years. But that could balance a younger Pres.

Sad to say, being a woman mightn't help. Or it might. No one knows.

Politicat

[Closer]

14. I like Richards

but that's just TOO risky.


Remember, Dean is going to be BRANDED "ultra liberal" from the get-go. Having a liberal woman on the ticket would sink him.


(don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to have a woman as vp or even as president, but the country's just not ready for it.)

[Rowdyboy]

15. If you want to destroy Dean....

make Jerry Brown his running mate. Same no matter who the nominee is.

This is so wrong on so many levels.

[terrya]

16. I used to think it would be Clark.

IF Dean is the nominee, I think he might choose Bob Graham. Graham isn't running for re-election to the Senate. Graham could help in delivering Florida.

[Terwilliger]

17. no

I don't think I trust Jerry

[jiacinto]

18. No

I disagree. Not Brown. That would be stupid.

[Yupster]

21. My guess

Dean will want someone with lots of Washington experience.

Who?

Gephardt would be like Reagan choosing Bush, plus he's from a good state.

Graham.
Landrieux
Breaux
Sam Nunn?
Feinstein
Richardson

just some ideas. To me Gephardt makes the most sense.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

22. Two neo-liberals on the ticket, one Governor Moonbeam

Both Dean and Brown SEEM more liberal than they actually ARE, which would make sense. But we already have California, and already SEEM more liberal than we are, so what's the point?

I thought it was going to be Graham?