Who will be Dean's VP?

[ringmastery]

Graham have the best shot now?

The Clark VP scandal seems to draw him out of contention. I don't think he would ever want the job, anyway.

[BJ]

1. At this time, it's too early in the campaign season to speculate.

VPs are usually chosen when the nomination's settled. Not before.

[floridaguy]

2. You'r getting way ahead of yourself - please reconsider

Like many others, you seem to be trying to make Dean's nomination a foregone conclusion.

We know what the Republicans have to gain from this.

They know Dean's support is so far to the left, the general election will be a cake walk.

Do you really want that?

Nominate the only "electable" Democratic candidate - Wes Clark!

[OrAnarch]

11. bush is "electable"...

Maybe hell run on our ticket if we are lucky. Lets all compromise our beliefs and values for a clear shot. :)

[Gore1FL]

44. They are all electable

To state otherwise hurts your cause. There are enough reasons to vote for any given candidate that you really don't have to make shit up.

[Alpharetta]

3. scandal?

well gosh, I didn't know it was a scandal. How embarrassing for us all. We're so tainted, I should run down the street shouting "Unclean! Unclean!"

[GainesT1958]

4. Little early for that one, isn't it?

Unless, of course, Dr. Dean plans on naming his VP before people in Iowa and N.H. actually VOTE!:eyes:

B-)

[Yupster]

5. Someone with Washington experience

Graham, Gephardt, Feinstein, Breaux (if he wants to move to the center).

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Uh... he is in the center.

Kucinich is the "wacko".

[liberalnurse]

9. Now, thats not at all nice.

Kucinich is a dedicated, pure liberal democrat. I find your view point offensive and a dishonor to all democrats and people Kucinich has fought for.......

[YEM]

7. Hillary. Just have that feeling.

[auburnblu]

15. Hillary?

I'm not so sure she's a fan of Dean's. Somehow I think she sees 2008 as the right time for her.

Why not take a shot with CMB, she's been a senator and an ambassador, I would imagine she's as qualified as Quayle was in 1988.

[ringmastery]

16. she was involved in a scandal

as a senator right? Something about campaign funds?

Also, there's a big question as to whether america is ready for a woman as VP/President.

Let alone a black woman.

Remember, there are millions and millions of idiots and racists in this country.

[auburnblu]

33. Can't pick her because she is a black woman???

Holy smokes, that's a sad attitude. I'm in grad school and a few weeks back, I had a chat with a foreign exchange student from Asia, she was stunned I liked Joe l and she said but he can't be the nominee, he's Jewish, how would that affect how Muslim countries view us. My response was too damn bad if those that are intolerant in other countries don't approve. I sure hope we're at a point where we're ready for anybody, as long as they are a viable/reasonable choice.

The capaign funds scandal, hmmmmm, yeah that sort of rings a bell, that might be an issue. But less of one than say is attached to Bob Kerry.

[jmaier]

46. LOL

Hilary doesn't want any part of this debacle. She'll honor her Senatorial commitment and then keep an eye on 2008.

[mikehiggins]

8. If Dean gets the nomination I wouldn't be at all surprised

if he picked someone like Edwards for the spot. He's a great guy, very smart, wouldn't be intimidated by Cheney in any debates (assuming BushCo doesn't cut Dick loose) and definitely appeals to the Southern voters.

Clark was never a serious consideration for VP. If he doesn't get the Dem nomination its very unlikely he'll even stay in politics. I'd guess he isn't going to go back to work for CNN anytime soon, but most likely he'll find a way to eke out a living.

Anyway, he said his plans were to teach, and then become a golf pro.

I don't think a cabinet post would be in the offing in a Dean administration anyway.

[ringmastery]

10. I don't think

Edwards would help Dean win anywhere in the South.

[auburnblu]

13. Edwards appeal to southern voters

I intially thought Edwards would appeal to southern voters, but he is not even on the radar screen in the recent GA poll and I think he's faded in SC.

[anti-bush]

22. Nobody is...

Nobody is on the radar screen in Georgia.

Wait until after the Feb 3rd primary that Edwards wins, and the press will put him into the collective conscience of the south. When they start paying attention, you'll see him jump to the top.

[styersc]

17. Cheney is going to be cut loose-

and he will be replaced with Zell Miller.

[worldgonekrazy]

21. Clark would be great

Imagine a Dean/Clark ticket. You get the best of both worlds, with Dean's populist appeal and Clark there to answer any allegations that Dean "doesn't have foreign policy experience" or "is soft on terrorism."

Of course, it is true that neither Dean or Clark can be considered a Washington insider, but Clark DOES have a lot of ties to Clinton and I think that would be sufficient.

Another reason I think Clark might be the choice is that he is the only other major candidate who has not attacked Dean much. Kerry, Lieberman, and Gephardt have all attacked Dean a lot, so it would be odd for them to become the choice for VP. Edwards has also attacked Dean a lot, but I suppose that could be mitigated by the fact that he would appeal to southern and black voters. The only other possibility I can think of is Bob Graham, who had the good sense to get out before it got nasty.

[Gingersnap]

12. no offense, but could we please keep these threads in the 2004 primary

forum?

I was enjoying having GD back to being a place to go to discuss political issues OTHER than the primary.

[ringmastery]

14. this isn't about the primary

VP isn't about the primary.

[Gingersnap]

18. whatever, the "horse race" then

Sorry, you know what I mean. God, I really wanted to have one forum I could go to to discuss politics without running across threads about the election...

/rant over

[bleedingheart]

19. He asked me but I told him that I was far to busy and that

I would have to decline...

:evilgrin:

[artr2]

20. Dean will pick

Bob Graham

[in_cog_ni_to]

23. Graham. n/t

[jpgpenn]

24. No one!

Dean will NOT be elected president!

[frustrated_lefty]

25. Graham (n/t)

[mandyky]

26. Do we have a Black or Latino woman southerner

that has armed forces and foreign policy credentials? I know it is a lot to ask, but that would be my dream VP candidate for Dean. If CMB did not have baggage (No matter how untrue) I think she'd be great but she is not a southerner... Maybe Sheila Jackson Lee?

[GBD4]

27. Graham

When Bob Graham's on live national TV calling Dean's f.p. "visionary" and Gwen Graham is a paid adivsor (one of the head honchos for Dean's Southern primaries) and Adele Graham is going to Dean fundraisers, it seems to me like Graham, the fellow ex-governor, is at the top of Dean's list, also keep in mind that Dean has latched onto Graham's war vote floor speech that concentrated on the theory that War in Iraq would make us LESS safe

fingers crossed Graham will be on the ticket :) . . .

[Spider Jerusalem]

28. You assume that Dean will be nominated.

That's presuming entirely too much before a single primary has been held.

[liberalpragmatist]

29. Jay Rockefeller

I honestly suspect he'll be the running mate. He could work with any number of candidates, but he works with Dean especially well. Also works well with Edwards or Clark.

He's liberal, has access to money, comes from a key swing state/region, extremely popular, years of experience, opposition to the Iraq War, I believe he sits on the armed services committee or the foreign relations committee. He'd in many ways be ideal.

Carl Levin's also an excellent choice. And, of course, there are plenty of others.

[KaraokeKarlton]

30. It's most likely going to be Graham

Dean only surrounds himself with people he knows he can trust. Clark will never get an offer and I doubt he's even on the long list after implying he was already offered VP. That's not the behavior of a trustworthy person.

[zulchzulu]

31. What does Dean need a VP for?

He'll be doing motivational speaking engagements next year in Vegas. Why would he need a VP? That would cut into the profits. Maybe he'll need a bass player when he does his acoustic guitar song list about how to make money on the Internet.

[Duder]

32. My guess would be Graham...

...with Richardson as an outside possibilty.

[mouse7]

34. Dean should pick Edwards for Party-building

Edwards is still a young future superstar. He just was a little too inexperienced to do real well and distinguish himself in a huge field.

Edwards has no job in the spotlight after the election. He made a mistake in withdrawing from the Senate, but it's already done. NC is not FLA, but it's a solid state to add to the Dean column if Edwards were on the ticket.

Dean shouldn't pick Graham because Graham is too old to launch a Presidential bid in 8 years from the VP slot. You have to think long term.

[mb7588a]

38. Edwards is 50.

That's not all that young. Though he is politically young.

[windansea]

35. Dean + any VP =

[RamboLiberal]

36. I have a weird theory tonight - it will be a General

but not Clark. After reading article in Wash Post - General Zinni - I seem to remember reading he's advising Dean.

Ok, he's not a Dem, he actually leans moderate Repub. But he could be a Dem.

I know a lot of you will not like it. But man could this be a kick-ass ticket. Zinni may have more respect among his peers than Clark. Just think about it, and read the article.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I23247-2003Dec22

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22922-2003Dec22.html

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction," Cheney said. "There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us."

Cheney's certitude bewildered Zinni. As chief of the Central Command, Zinni had been immersed in U.S. intelligence about Iraq. He was all too familiar with the intelligence analysts' doubts about Iraq's programs to acquire weapons of mass destruction, or WMD. "In my time at Centcom, I watched the intelligence, and never -- not once -- did it say, 'He has WMD.' "

Though retired for nearly two years, Zinni says, he remained current on the intelligence through his consulting with the CIA and the military. "I did consulting work for the agency, right up to the beginning of the war. I never saw anything. I'd say to analysts, 'Where's the threat?' " Their response, he recalls, was, "Silence."

<snip>

Zinni says that he hasn't received a single negative response from military people about the stance he has taken. "I was surprised by the number of uniformed guys, all ranks, who said, 'You're speaking for us. Keep on keeping on.' "

Even home in Williamsburg, he has been surprised at the reaction. "I mean, I live in a very conservative Republican community, and people were saying, 'You're right.' "

[hellhathnofury]

39. I would love to see Zinni as the VP canidate but...

But Zinni vows that he has learned a lesson. Reminded that he endorsed Bush in 2000, he says, "I'm not going to do anything political again -- ever. I made that mistake one time."

I doubt he would change that unless it was Clark, though you never know. It might make sense for Dean to start consulting with Zinni, or any of the candidates for that matter. My guess though is that if we prevail in 2004 Zinni will take Bremer's job.

[dkf]

42. Zinni would be the best bet for fixing the Iraq situation - much better

than Clark because Zinni has already examined the problem.

In addition, he speaks Arabic and has been involved in the I/P situation.

I vote for Zinni. I think he would be a great choice.

[RetroLounge]

37. Could we please wait for some actual votes first?

Or perhaps rephrase your question to indicate opinions for VP IF Dean wins the Primary.

I think Dean will win, but it seems kinda rude to talk like it's a forgone conclusion...

[arewethereyet]

40. wishful thinging ?

may want to wait till some votes are cast

[AnnitaR]

41. Better question... who will be Clark's VP?

Seriously though folks let's wait until we have a nominee!!

It ain't over until the votes are counted.

[Clark Can WIN]

43. Harvey

the Rabbit. Very strong in the carrot district.

[Gore1FL]

45. Whomever gets the nomination for Pres

will probably not pick any of the current nominees as VP.

If Dean gets the nod, as this thread specualtes, I suspect the VP will come from the House or Senate.

A lot depends on the electoral math too. If Dems runa a Southern Strategy, then Maxine Waters is my choice. If they don't, look for a rust-belt VP.