Can The VP Choice Make-or-Break An Election?

[arwalden]

Are there REALLY people who will choose NOT to vote for the candidate they prefer because they aren't thrilled over the VP selection?

Perhaps I could understand how an EXCITING choice for VP might energize the base or energize a segment of voters... but is there a substantial amount of people who will avoid the whole ticket because of the VP candidate?

-- Allen

[xultar]

1. Yes, Remember Mondale? n/t

[Bucky]

2. Yes, were it not for Ferraro, it'd be "4 more yrs" of Reagan

Plus remember how Lloyd Bentsen helped moderate Dukakis's image enough to keep that ex-CIA chief, what's his face, from becoming president. What a disaster that would've been.

[arewethereyet]

11. Mike needed no trouble losing

two words... the tank

[Bombtrack]

3. it matters on how he reflects on the person at the top of the ticket

3 big factors are considered for and result from a vp selection

demography
ideology
geography

a vp can either attempt to negate or lessen a political weakness, or sure up a potential advantage.

For instance A Clark-X ticket might win Florida, but Bush wouldn't go in as an underdog. With a Clark-Graham ticket, Bush does go in as an underdog in trying to win Florida

[ringmastery]

4. damn right

If Bob Graham was Gore's VP in 2000, he would be president today.

[ILeft]

6. Ouch, that answers it for me!

Lieberman...I still don't get that choice???

[cosmicdot]

9. we'll all thought that ... but, with the Jeb-Cruella purge and corruption

it's hard to say

[arewethereyet]

5. they can but almost never do

despite claims to the contrary.

that loon with Perot being not exactly the break but a good strong pull.

[cosmicdot]

7. Dan Quayle

:shrug:

as far as the ticket which is successful?

I say ... it depends

FDR had several vice presidents ... FDR was da man

who was Truman's VP?

Ike-Nixon ... I doubt it

JFK-LBJ ... probably

Nixon-Agnew ... it was a close election against Humphrey ... too many people fell for Nixon's lies about ending the war

Reagan-Poppy Bush ... unlikely ... they stole the election by making deals with the Iranians for Arms and stuff

Clinton-Gore ... hard to tell ... neighbors ... so much for geographical balance

Jr-Cheney ... they stole the election anyway

[Donna Zen]

8. CW says people vote for the top of the ticket

Benson might have won. The actually effect is slight. Graham might have taken Florida, while Lieberman didn't bring much of anything Gore didn't already have with the base.

Clark cannot cover X's ass on foreign policy with all the other baggage like taxes.

Gephardt maybe brings MO, but he does bring labor. Then again, with chimpster cutting overtime, labor is probably pretty well on board.

Kerry only works with a Southern candidate. But he is a huge plus with the environment, the man has a great record.

I don't know about Edwards, although with a Northern candidate it might help.

Breaux (sp) is the better Southern candidate, plus he is centrist-right.

All in all, the vp spot should cover some holes and balance the ticket, however, it has often been said, that people vote the top of the ticket.

[loudnclear]

10. It did in 2000.

And that is a truism.

[Mz Pip]

12. No

Maybe the only time it mattered was Bush's second term when everyone had figured out what a dunce Quayle was.




MzPip
:dem:

[salin]

13. yes and no... Ferraro... and Quayle.

so the answer is... hard to predict