The Repub Field Is SO Much Bigger Than Ours

[BamaLefty]

Think of all the candidates they have to choose from, then look at ours. Don't give me also rans (Gore and Kerry) and don't give me sure losers (Mosely-Braun, Kucinich, Sharpton, and MANY others).

Who is out there that doesn't lick the feet of the right, and has a realistic chance to win???

[mattclearing]

1. It's pretty much Clark.

Feingold, Edwards, maybe Warner. But mainly it's Clark.

[blogbear]

4. What About Barbara Boxer?

[mattclearing]

11. Barbara Boxer is great.

I'd be willing to listen.

[blogbear]

12. You and me too! Thanks!

[electropop]

21. She's smart, tough, and high-profile...

and she knows right from wrong. This is a very rare combination of qualities. She's my candidate if she runs. I propose Conyers for VP

[nickshepDEM]

26. deleted...

self delete.

[mandyky]

2. We cannot choose Senators or Congress folks

We need to pick Governors or former governors.

[Hippo_Tron]

14. Only 2 senators have contested for an open white house in the 20th century

Warren Harding and John F Kennedy, both won.

[UT troll]

20. voting records

senators and house members have voting records.

voting records = very, very bad thing

[Dickie Flatt]

25. Yes, let's choose candidates based on formulas

instead of ideas, personality, and goals. That's the ticket!

[Hippo_Tron]

33. Actually Senators and Governors tie in the formula area as well

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1702195#1702219

Plus I don't see any real up and coming talent from our current Dem Governors. And the few that I do see, Brian Schweitzer for example, aren't really viable for 2008 because they were elected to four year terms that started in 2005. Unless your state already loves you, you can't run for POTUS two years after being elected Governor.

[qazplm]

3. you think?

I think this is the weakest field we have seen in a long time coming out of the Republicans in 2008.

They dont have anyone of ANY stature other than McCain and the ones they have that are nationally known cant get nominated because they are too liberal (Guiliani, Rice) on social issues.

The only guy they have is McCain but he also isnt a big fav of the conservatives so that one is still iffy.

bottomline, they have one strong guy, McCain...go up against him, we will have a hard roe to how...anyone else, and I think we have a better than even shot of winning with even "also rans" like Gore or Kerry or Hillary or one of the several governors we have out there.

McCain? Well, among independents he seems to have gained almost divine status so its going to be hard to beat him unfortunately.

[electropop]

22. The fascist religionist extremists will never permit McCain to run.

They'll shoot him down with dirty tricks like last time, and they'll run ever-farther to the right. That's our opening in the door.

[mikehiggins]

5. Good. Maybe this time THEY'LL have to chop each other up

As for me, I maintain that Clark is the strongest potential candidate IF the national/geopolitical situation is anywhere near close to what I'm afraid it will be. The way things are going, however, we're going to need someone with major league defense credentials, and once again, there is NO WAY we are going to elect a Beltway denizen to the WHite House.

ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!

If there is anything to be learned from Gore and Kerry, that's got to be it. We need a democrat who can't put Senator or Congressperson on their election posters. The people at large just don't trust them, and for very good reason.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

6. Clark of bust!

[PATRICK]

31. Bushes and the others

I think they want to encourage the co-opted GOP small fry with big egos to come out and get annihilated so Jeb, yes Jeb, assumes the throne. It is one of those easy appalling things we think absurd but are NEVER faced down in the media. They are building up the pretext since there will never be a popular outcry for yet another jerk.

If the GOP themselves and nervous corporate bosses do manage to shake off these successful leeches they will have succeeded where all others have dismally failed. It is very hard to believe the GOP is even capable in a fictional setting of accomplishing this. They would manage to bungle Bush's own self destruction and bump them up higher.

Pitiful, but aren't we all?

[wildflower]

7. Think about Schweitzer of Montana...

See this article.

Top Billings

How a Montana Democrat bagged the hunting and fishing vote, and won the governor's mansion.

By David Sirota

There aren't too many states in the union redder than Montana. George Bush won the state by more than 20 points in November. The state legislature and governorship in the capital, Helena, have been in GOP hands for 16 years. Sparsely-populated Montana is represented by only one congressman, the far-right Rep. Denny Rehberg, and by two senators, an ultra-conservative Republican (Conrad Burns) and a conservative Democrat (Max Baucus) who often votes with the Republicans. The state's electoral votes are conceded so automatically to the GOP that neither party's candidate campaigns there. Culturally, with the exception of a few rich Hollywood types who weekend in places like Big Sky, the state could hardly be further from the metro-cosmopolitan culture of the coasts. To give but one example, Montana has the highest percentage of hunters of any state in the union.

But in November, a Democrat, Brian Schweitzer, won the state's race for governor. Schweitzer not only won, but he also won decisively, beating his opponent Bob Brown, the Republican secretary of state and a two-decade fixture in Montana politics, by a solid four points. His victory was so resounding and provided down-ballot party members such strong coattails that Montana Democrats took the state senate and four of five statewide offices.

How did Schweitzer pull off such a dramatic victory in an election year when Democrats seemed to have lost their capacity to win red states? The answer should give Democrats everywhere some hope and Republicans reason to worry.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0412.sirota.html

[Redneck Socialist]

16. That's a great article

Other Dems would do well to take notes.

[ellenfl]

8. mccain used to be the crossover candidate.

i think he's lost a lot of his lustre for those of us who used to admire him. however, i think his line toe-ing is in exchange for a promise by the repugs to back his run for president. it's the only excuse i can think of for him. he sure has changed his stripes.

ellen fl

[marcologico]

9. McCain would be popular, but who else? Frist? Jebster? Newt? Condi?

Tom DeLay? Not exactly inspiring.

If they do settle on McCain, Kerry will be able to walk all over him because a) they're both vets, and b) McCain isn't exactly, well, bright, if you get my drift. He'd wind up channeling RNC talking points and looking like a robot just like Junior.

p.s. remember that RNC speech McCain gave? He looked like a fool because he had no idea what he was saying.

[BamaLefty]

10. Jeb Could Win

He is a helluva lot more "Presidential" than Dubya. :(

[marcologico]

13. LOL, that's not saying much!

But I don't know much about him to tell you the truth.

[Hippo_Tron]

15. The problem is that they have the swing state governors/senators

Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and New Hampshire all have GOP governors and Pennsylvania has two GOP senators.

[ZombieNixon]

17. I though NH had a Dem Gov.

John Lynch? :shrug:

[Hippo_Tron]

18. You are correct, I don't think that he's viable for '08, though

I could be wrong.

[UT troll]

19. Spitzer '08

Sure, there's the minor hurdle of his gubernatorial race in '06 against some guy named Giuliani, but after that it's on to The White House!

http://www.spitzer2006.com

[Hippo_Tron]

35. Trouble is that he'd have to start running the day after his inauguration

If you run for Governor you actually have to serve as Governor. Spitzer will be a good candidate for 2016 or 2012 (god forbid we don't win this time)

[JohnnyBoots]

23. Ed Rendell

Has Rendell ever given any thought to running? Former DNC head and he would lock up PA as blue in 2008. Any thoughts?

[safi0]

24. Immediately after the 04 Election

I heard Rendell's name mentioned, although in the recent months I haven't heard his name mentioned so I don't know what his chances are. But we do have some Gov.'s in swing states. There are Dem. Guv's in Iowa, NH, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Michigan, Arizona and obviously Pennsylvania.

As far as Senators go I think if were gonna go that route which I'm not completely writing off but I think if were gonna pick Senators we have to pick someone who has a consistent voting record. Looking at the 88 election is a reason why I'm not necessarily willing to write off Senators because I think Al Gore and especially Gary Hart would have done much better than Dukakis against H.W. But I think if you pick a Senator it has to be one who doesnt dound like a Senator which takes Bayh, Biden and Kerry off the table. Edwards is a guy who doesnt sound like a Senator and has an incredible way of connecting with an audience. Feingold and Dick Durbin are two other guys who are plain spoken and especially Feingold will defend any vote he made.

[nickshepDEM]

27. Warner, Bayh, Rendell, Henry, Edwards, Feingold... Thats about it. n/t

[Corey_Baker08]

28. No They Just Have a Bigger Media backing Than Us

Liberal media my ass when you have Open Conservatives like Scarborough and Abrams and Matthews flooding MSNBC and fox is just as corrupt as jeff Gannon or whoever the hell he is.

I stopped watching CNN but I know Lou Dobbs is criticzing Bushs Social Security.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ElectricIron Sweeney]

30. All their real estate is larger

But our units are still bigger!

[safi0]

32. There are quite a few potentil candidates

Let me classify candidates into 3 categories: Will run, likely to run, Might run

Will Run: Kerry, Edwards, Wesley Clark, Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, Hillary Clinton
Likely to run: Bill Richardson, Tom Vilsack
Might run: Russ Feingold, Dick Durbin, Mark Warner, Chris Dodd, Al Gore and Ed Rendell

Feel free to add names to that list but thats a list of 14 people and those are all people who could conceivably get the nomination because there will of course be 2-3 people who no one takes seriously like Kucinich and Sharpton.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. I don't think that Biden will run

He already got in trouble for plagarism in his first bid and if he didn't think that was a problem he would've run in 2004 when foreign policy experience was a huge deal.

Also I'd place Wesley Clark in the likely to run column. I think that he is giving a 2008 bid some serious thought but I don't think that he's 100% decided on it yet.

[safi0]

36. I saw Biden on Imus

Like a week after the election, and after seeing that I'm almost sure hes gonna run.

As to Clark I guess we'll have to disagree on that as I definetely think the General's gonna give it another go around especially this time because he won't be a complete unknown.

[safi0]

37. Hippo tron

I got a question I want to ask you, what do you think of the rumors that women's groups forced Langevin out of the RI Senate race because of his abortion views. I was extremely unhappy with this. With the way the polls were, Langevin was gonna kick Chaffee's ass. I think even the abortion issue isn't even that valid. The way I see it the likelihood of abortion rights being reduced goes down with Langevin in the Senate vs Chafee irregardless of there own personal view on this issue, because except for a few exception we are the Pro-Choice party and there the Pro-Life party and the likelihood of abortion rights being reduced under a Democratic Senate are slim to none

[Patch64]

38. Here are a few

Boxer, Dean, Stabenow, feingold for starters. Debbie Stabenow actually sent me a personal and long email after I emailed her. She IS doing all she can!

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GOPBasher]

39. You really think so? Who do they have?

I think they have a lot of sure losers too. The Republican party has gone so far to the right in recent years that all their top names are right wing fanatics that will most likely lose. Bush is a right wing fanatic, too, but he knows how to come off as a reasonable person. I think we have a large field, especially among governors. Plus, Clark or Edwards would be good. I'm a huge Clark fan.

[More Than A Feeling]

40. Clark, Feingold, Schweitzer

keep in mind that the Rep field has people who are much more to the left than the base of the party would prefer. So applying your constraints to them in reverse would narrow their field to basically Frist and Jeb