So who do we have who looks Folksy and Dumb for Prez in 2008?

[Nikki Stone 1]

There have been a number of threads in recent weeks on how to win 2008. There has been advice from "PR insiders" or "my friend the Washington insider" and today there is a thread on David Broder's mea culpa as he admits he "just hated Gore" because Gore came off as intelligent and better than the common man. (And God forbid we should have one of THOSE for President!)

So my question is this: are most Democrats too smart or smart looking to carry off the "aw shucks" image, which we know is crucial for winning the vote? And if so, how can we possibly win? Or, I could ask myself another question (with apologies to Donald Rumsfeld for borrowing his schtick): do we have anybody waiting in the wings who is secretly smart but looks as dumb as a rock?


Hey. we've done it before. Bill Clinton was really successful at hiding his Rhodes scholar background under a Bubba facade. Even Jimmy Carter looked the part of the peanut farmer next door, and people forgot his engineering degree. So, think, who do we have who looks like a guy with a limited number of brain cells that you'd like to have a beer with?

And don't tell me Al Gore--no matter how much weight he puts on, he still looks like he buys designer beer from Trader Joe's. (I love the guy, but he doesn't have a chance in hell).

Maybe we could get Jeff Foxworthy to register Dem and run?

[rodeodance]

1. this imaginary peerson would have ACT folksy and dumb also.

[Nikki Stone 1]

2. Can Mark Warner act folksy and dumb?

I can't see Barak Obama doing that. :(

[Poiuyt]

11. But Obama has that rock star charisma

[Nikki Stone 1]

18. Yeah, but can you hear Rush talking about the Democratic candidate, Osama?

Just a little slip of the tongue, but you know how oxycotin slurs your speech. :)

[sweetheart]

3. its those unknown unknowns that are the killer

Now that the stupids have gone and trashed the empire, we can't afford another folksy idiot and
his criminal pals, maybe 'well dressed' or 'funny', or 'classy', but i'm done with folksy.

[Nikki Stone 1]

4. Hey, you're too smart for this country. Go to Canada!

:)

[skipos]

5. It isn't about acting folksy and dumb, it is about getting yout message to

connect with intelligent and thoughtful voters as well as people who vote for the guy they want to have beer with. That comes naturally to Clinton. Any 08 candidate who doesn't have that ability is going to have a tougher time getting votes.

[Nikki Stone 1]

8. But Clinton never threw his intelligence in the face of the voters

The foreign press knew how smart he was, as did his immediate staff as well as some important others. Certainly the Democratic base was aware that Clinton was a smart guy. But the general electorate was pandered to.

[skipos]

12. You may call it "pandering" I call it

"connecting with voters." Do Democratic politicians "pander" when they go on MTV or the Daily show? I don't think so.

Keep in mind that MOST voters spend about 5 seconds thinking about their vote before they pull the lever. Most voters are not like DUers, who are up on current events and reality in general. You need dumb voters to win elections, and I don't think it involves pandering at all. You just need to make sure that thoughtful voters and unthoughtful voters connect with you message and your plan.

[skipos]

13. oops

oops

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. oops?

?

[skipos]

17. I responded to the wrong post (myself). nt

[Nikki Stone 1]

19. Ah. Glad it was nothing serious.

:)

[Nikki Stone 1]

Without "unthoughtful" voters we'd have no battle of the Jay Leno allstars

so I guess they're good for something.

[Radical Activist]

25. Relating complex issues in a simple way that anyone can understand

is not easy. It takes a smart person with a certain talent to do it. Clinton is excellent at doing that. A lot of liberal academics who turn up their noses at rednecks are completely incompetent at this skill.

[Union Thug]

6. Joe Dirt should win easily! n/t

[Armstead]

7. I think we need sharp Northeast blue-collar tough as an image

Democrats as the party of working people who are pissed off at the oligarchy. Fed up with the elitiest corporate lies that have been masquerading as the "center" for too long.

Positions aside, John Murtha would be a good choice in terms of that image.

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. But Murtha has already been tagged as a "leftie peacenik"

even though he actually went to war. Amazing.

I worry that a Murtha would be perceived as an elitist, even with his working class aura.

[Armstead]

20. It'd be hard to paint him as an elitist

I'm not necessarily saying that Murtha should be the nominee.

I was responding to the original hypothetical question with a hypothetical representation of the image I believe we need. The image he projects is what I believe is one way to reflect the roots of the Democratic Party as the party of average people.

Someone with Murtha's "old shoe" qualities and gutsiness combioned with obvious progressive/liberal populist instincts and brains and passion would be the ideal, IMO. Like a combinaiton of Murtha and Bernie Sanders, with Paul Wellstone-style idealistic and good-natured charisma.

[Nikki Stone 1]

26. Hey, I like Murtha. The man has guts.

But who would have thought that the Pugs could turn triple amputee Max Cleland into a wimp in the war on terror?

[nemo137]

23. Feingold, Durbin.

Durbin's from East St. Louis, and worked in a meat packing plant as a young man.

Feingold's not from as much of a blue-collar background, but he's a Rust-Belt Dem, which is what I think we need for 08.

[Dr.Phool]

9. We have Bill Nelson, who acts kinda dumb

And acts real folksy.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[skipos]

14. And gets 70% approval from Democrats in Nebraska!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Nikki Stone 1]

15. Hey, that's twice Junior's rating. You guys may be onto something.

:)

[UTUSN]

21. Off-topic: Does your handle regard THIS lovely couple? Roger/Nikki STONE?

On edit: A note of explanation. Alex CASTELLANOS is grouped in this graphic with Roger and Nikki only because of his also being a nefarious dirty trickster, although not so deep and so far back (back to Roy COHN days) of Roger STONE. The grouping was to save space in my graphics, but it don't hurt that Roger and Nikki were busted as swinging couples, so a threesome might not be beyond them.

[FrenchieCat]

22. What about Folksy, Awe Shucks, low key and smart?

What about that?

[Radical Activist]

24. How about folksy and not so dumb?

I don't think being dumb is the important part. Being folksy and someone that others can relate to is the point. John Edwards pulls it off. Over a decade of DLC corporate pandering has left the party almost baren of populists and a populist is what we need.

Gore already won once and he can probably win again if he runs.