If it came down to these two: Kaine or Bayh--who would you favor as VP?

[book_worm]

Poll question: If it came down to these two: Kaine or Bayh--who would you favor as VP?

I'm not giving a neither option. Let's say it is going to be one of these two--who would you want Obama to select?

[napi21]

1. To me Bayh seems to be too much of a wuss! n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. Too much of a Republican. nt

[mod mom]

20. make that a war mongering wuss:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/16/obama-vp-prospect-evan-ba_n_113217.html

[alwysdrunk]

2. Used to be Bayh

But since I found out about the CLI thing I can't get over that. If he gets the nod I will still support Obama but have a very hard time getting over that.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. Reed > Kaine > Bayh > Nunn > Clinton

Reed is really my top choice, but Kaine is my second choice. Both are great.

I wish Wes was included in the list. If he were, he'd be my top choice, followed by Reed, then Kaine.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Reed was mine too--I wish he would reconsider.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. Reed took him name off the list? When did that happen?

[TwilightGardener]

13. Right after he got back from the Iraq trip--said he was not interested

and would not accept if offered. He had the resume Obama needed, as well as the careful/low-key personality that would not make gaffes or upstage Obama. His only drawbacks, IMO, were looks/height and lack of charisma. I do think optics are important, but you can't have it all.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Wow--that's tough. I'm leery of both of them. Gonna have to go with Bayh, as much as

I don't like him. I think he would be better in the national spotlight, would help smooth things over with the Hillary camp, has far more relevant experience than Kaine (sits on the Armed Services Committee), would be more helpful steering Obama's policies through Congress and twisting arms, and is just as bland/do-no-harm as Kaine, and might help us win Indiana. I think we'll win VA. That's a huge thing for me to say, because I really, really don't like the guy.

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. For God Sakes, PLEASE - A.B.B. - ANYBODY BUT BAYH!!

"- A.B.B. - ANYBODY BUT BAYH!!

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/bayh_as_veep_he_cochaired_wing.php

"In 2003, Bayh was an honorary co-chair of the neocon pro-war Committee for the Liberation of Iraq -- a group he joined along with none other than John McCain and Joe Lieberman, according to a press release from during the run-up to the invasion.

Check this out, from the group's press release on February 14th, 2003 (via Nexis):

The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) is pleased to welcome Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) as an Honorary Co-Chairman. Bayh becomes the third U.S. Senator to join the committee after Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced their participation on January 28.

The Committee is a neo-con group that was formed to propagandize the country into war. It boasted such illustrious neocon members as Bill Kristol, former CIA director James Woolsey, and even McCain senior foreign policy adviser and Chalabi-bamboozler Randy Scheunemann, whom Josh has been blogging about.

Bayh would, to put it very charitably, muddle Obama's message. It's true that Bayh was said to have subsequently removed himself from the group. But Obama's campaign is partly about -- and rightly so -- the judgment he made, and others didn't, in the run-up to the invasion.

The McCain campaign and the Repubs would have a grand time mocking the choice. Indeed, the McCain camp is already trying to make an issue of Bayh's past."."

[riverwalker]

21. yikes

Thanks for the reminder:scared:
anyone but Bayh!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

7. Kaine, hands down.

[jwirr]

8. Mainly because he does not remove a setting senator,

[tishaLA]

14. on the other hand, uber-conservative Lt Gov would replace him

[CalGator]

24. he'd be replacing him in a year anyway

Kaine is term limited out and cannot be governor two terms in a row in the '09 election. There is no Dem in the wings to take his place since Webb and Warner will be Senators, so the seat is pretty likely to go red in '09 anyhow.

[FSogol]

9. Kaine would be a good choice. n/t

[DJ13]

10. Neither

Obama needs a nationally recognized name as VP.

[DevonRex]

12. No to Bayh. Kaine doesn't excite me, but at least I can stand him. nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. If you've ever seen Kaine go after Pawlenty or O'Malley you would probably think differently

He did a fantastic job. I hope McSame picks Pawlenty because if Obama picks Kaine, that debate is going to be incredible. Kaine will beat him, hands down!!

[DevonRex]

23. Now that is something I can get excited about. Thank you.

I have to confess I haven't followed Kaine much at all. Maybe it's time I started, huh? :)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. Yep. Learn more about him. I'm not happy that he's more socially conservative

but that helps him and he's against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and overturning Roe, though he's *personally* pro-life. He speaks fluent Spanish but also would appeal to blue collar workers. I think he brings more to the ticket without being over the top like Evan Bayh. He was also opposed to the Iraq *occupation* which is a plus.

[DevonRex]

26. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this information. I'm going

to bookmark this so I can tell my husband later on. We were talking about it this morning and I had to confess my ignorance. This is the one time I didn't have the facts at my fingertips for him and he teased me a bit about falling down on the job. My son Steve and I are the ones who keep everybody else informed. It's something we consider as sort of a duty since everybody else is so busy. You just may have saved my reputation as the politics guru around here. :)

[salonghorn70]

15. Can I Vote For Both?

I really love both of them. I probably favor Bayh by an eyelash.

[newmajority]

16. Kaine is a governor and Bayh is a senator - on that reason alone Kaine is the better choice.

Add the fact that Bayh is a horrendously boring white bread DLC 'Puke, and it becomes even more obvious.

Having said that, Richardson is a far better choice than Kaine.

And here's the reality that not many have thought of.

"Obama Kaine" "Obama Bayh" - say either one out loud about 10 times in a row. You really want to hand the Repukes such easy material?

[Cosmocat]

22. Bayh WAS a governor ...

For two terms, before he was a Senator in his third term ... Was Secretary of State before Governor ...

Kaine has been Governor for what, two years ???

I will say this, I personally like Kane, and I will support him full out if he is the choice, but he brings more REAL negatives from the perspect of the MAIN STREAM MEDIA than Bayh ...

All this neoncon talk HERE, that just ruffles the feathers of people who are voting for BO regardless ... The MSM WILL NOT hammer someone for being a hawk ...

Meanwhile, Bayh, for his age, TOTALLY ramps up the experience factor, while a Kane selection amplifies the lack of experience ...

And, while people want to call Bayh boring, Kane DOES come across as "arrogant" ... Don't get me wrong, that isn't MY belief, again, I like him plenty ... But, the thing were people want to THINK it is a negative that Bayh is "vanilla" don't get that the MSM is ready and set to TAKE OFF on the VP pick ... Bayh does not harm in that regard ... BO doesn't need a VP to be any more dynamic, the pukes already have spun that as being a negative ... He needs someone who is not an easy mark, and I repeat, for those HERE who WANT to think that hawkishness is a target, Bayh is a hard mark for the MSM and right wingers ...

Kaine just has that thing about him that right wingers can get ahold of ...

Again, I like him, but I see him as an easier mark who, whether people like it or not here, offers a broader bullseye than Bayh ...

[mod mom]

27. Bayh's experience includes CO CHAIRING COMMITTEE FOR THE LIBERATION OF IRAQ w McCain.

NO thanks to Bayh!

[Cha]

19. Obama campaigned for Kaine in 2005..

Kaine was an early supporter of Obama's..Bayh was reported to undermine Obama in the Indiana primaries.

I wonder which one he could work better with based on that alone?

[Jakes Progress]

28. Kaine if you gotta, but

neither of these will add .25 % to Obama's count. And there are always problems with mostly unknown VP candidates.

[truebrit71]

29. Neither.

...

[Awsi Dooger]

30. Kaine, although Bayh puts another state in play

We're not winning Indiana unless Bayh is on the ticket. I know there are plenty of state poll-loving posters on this forum and elsewhere who thrill to assert Obama can win Indiana on his own. They don't have a clue. Indiana is too far gone unless it's a national landslide and/or Bayh is VP.

It's possible to carry Virginia minus Kaine at VP but we would be an underdog unless Obama wins nationally by let's say 3 points or more.

IMO, Virginia plus Kaine is a better investment than Indiana with Bayh. Virginia is nearing 50/50 with the nation while Indiana at base instinct is many, many points red and there's no fundamental demographic shift like northern Virginia. You have to give Virginia the benefit of a doubt and skill be skeptical about Indiana.

Besides, there are two more factors I need to be honest about. I like Kaine much better than Blase Bayh, and I'm very eager to bet on McCain in Indiana if Bayh is not VP.

[Douglas Carpenter]

31. kick