Burnt Orange Report

With the road to the White House increasingly looking as if it will pass through the West / Southwest, I wonder what the scoop is of picking a Richardson/Babbitt/Hart/Udall?

They're talking about the Kerry/Bayh possibility over at DailyKos right now and unsurprisingly not loving it. Personally, I think it could be attractive if Bayh comes off as down-to-earth enough and projects his gubernatorial experience some more (I say the former part not because of Kerry's perceived weakness, but because I met Bayh last fall and he seemed kinda smumg/smarmy).

Just one other point-- if Kerry gets the nod, he could resign like Dole in '96 to create a special election in the fall. In that case, we'd have a favored shot at taking the seat back from whomever Mitt Romney appoints unless he gets Bill Weld to move back from NY to take it. And the buzz I have been hearing for the presumed Dem candidate at this point involves the words "Senator Barney Frank"....

Sen. Barney Frank... be still my heart! Great Dem primary- Frank v. Reich. An openly gay liberal or a brilliant economist/liberal... *sigh* if only we could have something so cool in TX.

I'd agree that Kerry is most likely to select a southerner or someone from the southwest. He needs someone to balance the "Massachusetts liberal" tag. I don't know if Bayh could carry Indiana any more than Edwards could carry NC. The only problem is that ticket could come off as a little bit elitist (both Kerry and Bayh attended prestigious boarding schools, etc). I think Kerry, more than anything needs to select someone from a humble background to contrast his (and his wife's) elitist upbringings. Kerry, however, unlike Dean, has flexibility in that he doesn't necessarily have to pick someone with solid foreign policy credentials as Kerry's Vietnam credentials speak for themself. On a side note, I've also heard talk that Hillary Clinton is interested in running for VP. That would be an interesting choice.... she would bring $10s of millions to the ticket, unite Democrats and bring star power to the ticket. Of course it would be painted as a northeastern ticket, but I woulnd't be surprised if there's some lobbying for it behind the scenes.

Discussion: early, pointless, still need a nominee with a few thousand more delegates. Southwest sounds better to begin with. Need to move beyond southern mentality. End note.

I like Bayh. What I think he brings best to the theoretical ticket are his gubernatorial experience, and desaturation. That said, I doubt Kerry would go that route, preferring someone who can add insta-coffers.

"Need to move beyond southern mentality. End note."

I completely agree. That is why I am all about Kerry if Dean drops out. No offense, Southern fellow posters, but I feel it is ridiculous for the Democrats to have to court one region and concentrate on their values, while there is a lot more to the United States than the South. My concern is that the media will attck the candidate for "abandoning" the South--but we'll get attacked anyway, and that is just one more log on the fire. I think that a Southwestern VP candidate will balance out one of my Yankee brethren and make a great ticket.

I agree that we don't have to win the south to win the White House. Heck, every Republican between U.S. Grant and Herbert Hoover elected President (1872-1928) did so without winning a single state. So much is made about Democrats not winning without the south... sure, our last two presidents were from the south, but you know who was the last Southern Democratic President before Carter? James Polk in 1844. Still, looking at an electoral map, Democrats need to be able to win certain swing states to beat Bush. The largest concentrations of those states are in the midwest and the southwest (and the south to a lesser extent). I still think that a southerner would help the ticket to add balance (especially to Kerry), but someone from the southwest or midwest helps too. More importantly, for Kerry, he needs a populist-type, non-elitist, humble kinda guy that would offset his weakness as a somewhat aloof, elitist Mass. liberal. Just my thoughts...

I don't like the Bayh idea at all. I really doubt Kerry can win Indiana, Bayh isn't the most exciting guy around, and yeah, the ticket would look pretty elitist. I think if you want to go for someone who could help in that region (particularly OH and WV) Jay Rockefeller is the best bet. He's got a serious understanding of the economics of rural and industrial America, and his knowledge of intelligence issues could be very valuable this year. But there, again you have a problem with an elitist image that could turn off some voters.

But really I think that if the goal is regional balance looking to the Southwest makes more sense than looking to the South. So yeah, Richardson, Reid and Hart merit attention.

"you know who was the last Southern Democratic President before Carter? James Polk in 1844."

L.B.J. was a southern Democrat. Truman was from Missouri, which is nominally a southern state(after all, it has a star representing it on the Confederate flag). Wilson was President of Princeton in N.J. when he was nominated but he was born and raised a southerner from Virginia, and he has a very southern dominated administration. Andrew Johnson was a southern Democrat from Tennessee.

I said pretty much the same thing as Wilkins earlier but for some reason it didn't get posted. Also, Tennessee went for Calvin Coolidge in 1924.

I'm not really into two Senators on the same ticket so Kerry/Bredesen or Kerry/Mark Warner would be great but if we have to have a Senator, Blanche Lincoln or Mary Landrieu add a certain moderate, Southern, woman flair. Also, if we want to ignore the South I'll go for Kerry/Richardson but I think that putting Gary Hart on the ticket would be magnificently stupid. The guy hasn't run for office in almost 20 years and he ended his career in disgrace. I'll support him for a cabinet position- he's a brilliant expert on national security issues- but he'd make a dismal running mate. My preferences (assuming Kerry wins the nomination):

Kerry/Bredesen
Kerry/Warner
Kerry/Richardson
Kerry/Edwards
Kerry/Landrieu
Kerry/Lincoln

Kerry is viewed as sort of a cold fish. Evan Bayh may have various good point, but he isn't exactly "Mr. Warmth". Do we really want a ticket consisting of an aloof Yankee and a stolid Midwesterner?
There may be geographic and ideological considerations, but you can't overlook personality. I still think that Richardson scores best on all counts.

There's no one politician that really stands out for the V.P. slot, all have their ups and downs.
i agree that Bayh is not a good idea, he may be everything that is mentioned above, but one thing is true he is really boring. And one thing i know for sure is that indiana will not be in Dems column come november no matter who is one the ticket. I wish there was someone from Arizona that could help that state over the repug hill but i don't see anyone there. Maybe just go for that safe choice, maybe john Breaux or Sam Nunn, southerners beyond reproach.

Bredesen with his role in Tennessee v Lane, fighting the rights of people with disabilities to enforce their constitutional rights to access Tennessee's courthouses under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Tennessee's state law is unenforceable), would undercut Democratic support in the key emerging Democratic constituency of people with disabilities.

People with disabilities are organizing voting projects across the country and a Bredesen endorsement would quash disabled community support for a Democratic ticket, which would otherwise be quite vigorous and helpful to the Democratic cause in swing states (e.g. Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Arizona, and YES, Tennessee).

Warner, with his pro-ADA record, would be far more palatable to people with disabilities.

So if you are thinking Bredesen, please think again!!! And if you are thinking Tennessee, for a running mate, perhaps you might consider Harold Ford Jr.

Problems w/ Ford

1. No statewide organization
2. Unconstitutional- he'll only be 34 when the oath is taken, making him just a few months shy of the legal requirement of 35.

Other than that he'd be great. I didn't know all that about Bredesen so maybe he's not as good but I think that his leadership on other issues would probably eclipse that one lapse. Warner would be good as would Richardson.

I think that it would be wonderful to have Bayh on the ticket. Some doubt whether Bayh could carry Indiana, however I would be HIGHLY surprised if he did not. Being a native Indianan, I've seen what Bayh did. Indiana loves him because of the wonders he did for our state.

why is everyone so immersed in talking about who's exciting and who's not, as if there is really that many exciting pols out there, or that's kerry's biggest problem...? it's not a problem at all. bayh would make indiana a tossup, but he would'nt secure that state. however, he does give you a midwestern prescence among other things, which will help elsewhere. edwards makes little sense, given that he likely gives you no southern delegates, and neither, arguably, does anyone else. richardson helps with hispanics, the southwest, and could modertae kerry's image, which IS his biggest problem. hilliary would be a disastorous choice. graham makes a great deal of sense, in that he likely puts florida in the kerry column. gephardt has problems sure, but he gives you missouri. there isn't that one, obvious choice out there, and very few in fact, that really make a lot of sense, gephardt, graham, and richardson being the most obvious.

i wanted to expand on my earlier comments...one of the really good things gore did in 2000, was, at the convention, start to define the race in terms of knowledgeable versus likeable. gore wasn't the most likable guy in the world, but he knew things bush didn't...and that's the answer for kerry's "stiff" problem. his biggest issue, as i said before, is moderating his image. he does that by finding four issues, like bush did, that appeal to swing voters and then, don't stray off message. picking a vp that moderates his image is crucial, and in fact, is even more important than picking someone who delivers delegates. richardson and graham aren't perfect selections, but they give you more of what kerry needs than anyone else. richardson has the drawback of being a clinton cabinet member, and graham said some stupid things in his failed presidential run, but they each have signifigantly more advantages than anyone else that might be selected.

I think Kerry needs a southerner or someone from the southwest on the ticket. He needs someone more moderate, someone that seems more personable. A woman would be great, a southern woman even better. Landrieu or Lincoln would be great choices. Richardson would bring in some of the southwest, but I live in Arizona, and hardly anyone knows Richardson here. AZ Gov Janet Napolitano was elected in 2002, but barely, I'm not sure she could help Kerry take Arizona. But Arizona is becoming much more moderate now, moving away from its traditional conservative base. Clinton won here in 96, and Bush took the state with only 6 percent more than Gore. AZ will be very competitive, maybe Gov. Napolitano could help win the state, but again thats not a sure thing. I really think that Landrieu or Lincoln are Kerry's best choices. Better than Bayh, or Richardson. Edwards wouldnt be a smart choice because the Repbublicans have spent months studying him, and could come out swinging at him immediatley, plus he probably cant get North Carolina. Landrieu has a lot of experience, which puts here ahead of Lincoln in my book. She's also socially moderate and fiscally conservative. Gov Jennifer Granholm of Michigan is also appealing. I think Kerry should steer clear of any of his Nomination rivals. He definately should pick a woman or a minority.

I live in Washington, D.C. and volunteered on the 2001 Gubenatorial Campaign of Mark Warner in Virginia. I would like to make a case for a Kerry/Warner 2004 ticket. Governor Warner is impressive. He is self-made, the first in his family to go to college. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He founded his own telecommunications firm. He was elected governor in a state that has voted for a republican presidential candidate since 1968. Geography and balance are also fitting i.e. a southern governor with a New England Senator. Governor Warner is orginally from Indianapolis, IN but grew up in Connecticut. He is 49 years old, just the right age to be a VP nominee. He may be a bit on the staid side, but he presents himself well. Mark Warner for Vice-President 2004!!!

Wow. You sure were ahead of the curve. Bayh is my number one pick for VP too, followed closely in 2nd by John Edwards. I had to laugh - I use to be one of those "Dean/Graham" people, only I never emailed you. I also altered that later in favor of a Dean/Clark ticket. After Dean floundered, I turned to Edwards. I ended up giving both of those losing pricks a thousand dollars each. Now I have to accept Kerry as the nominee. Anyways, I really can't see it being anyone other than Bayh or Edwards.

I have Kerry/Bayh '04 campaign buttons for sale at $5 a piece or 3 for $12. E-mail kerrybayh2004@yahoo.com for more information.

I have Kerry/Bayh '04 campaign buttons for sale at $5 a piece or 3 for $12. E-mail kerrybayh2004@yahoo.com for more information.

I have Kerry/Bayh '04 campaign buttons for sale at $5 a piece or 3 for $12. E-mail kerrybayh2004@yahoo.com for more information.

Kerry needs to pick John Edwards. Edwards is still riding his primary wave and is popular amongst Democrats. He can help in Florida and possibly west virginia and might even be able to turn some states in the south Blue. And Edwards can help all elsewhere.

also, kerry and edwards compliment each other and can help each other everywhere.

i can see why people believe Evan Bayh, but no. He is boring. He has got to look at the polls and see who the Democratic voters want. JOHN EDWARDS! Edwards's has got all you want in a vice president(loyalty, honesty, promise and can do the dirty work).

KERRY-EDWARDS, KERRY-EDWARDS, KERRY-EDWARDS

Kerry needs to pick John Edwards. Edwards is still riding his primary wave and is popular amongst Democrats. He can help in Florida and possibly west virginia and might even be able to turn some states in the south Blue. And Edwards can help all elsewhere.

also, kerry and edwards compliment each other and can help each other everywhere.

i can see why people believe Evan Bayh, but no. He is boring. He has got to look at the polls and see who the Democratic voters want. JOHN EDWARDS! Edwards's has got all you want in a vice president(loyalty, honesty, promise and can do the dirty work).

KERRY-EDWARDS, KERRY-EDWARDS, KERRY-EDWARDS