If Kerry is the nominee (VP question)

[HFishbine]

If Kerry is the nominee, should he choose as his VP candidate someone more liberal/progressive or more centrist/conservative?

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. well, it's kinda hard to get more liberal than Kerry

Unless Kucinich was his VP.

So if it's Edwards or Clark, then...yeah, he'd be going with a guy slightly more conservative than him.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. No kidding, lol n/t

2. Guess it depends

on whether you think Kerry is a centrist or a liberal.

I'm not touching that one!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

4. He doesn't have much choice.

Who could he pick as VP that is more liberal than him?

He has already stated that he has two criteria for picking a veep:

1. Must be ready to be President.
2. Must help the ticket get elected.


Who, among those few national politicians that are more liberal than Kerry, fits those criteria?

[Quixote1818]

7. How about Bill Bradley? I like Clark but He should be Sec. of State

[MarianJack]

5. We have to face some realities.

The bush junta will try to do to Kerry what they did to Dukakis, Gore & Cleland. I don't think it will work as JK is one tough dude who is very good at concealing his knockout punch until his opponent is looking up at him from the floor.

He will need a centrist, probably a southerner who knows how to fight and how to debate. This person should also be somebody who will bring a level of excitement to the ticket. I like Max Cleland, but I have a real fascination with Mary Landrieu. She proved in '02 that she is very good at p*ss*ng in the rethuglicans soup.

[Padraig18]

8. John Breaux would also be a good choice, as would Bob Graham.

Both are good speakers, and neither is noticeably afraid of Repubs. Graham has the added advantage of being strong on intelligence and is well-liked in FL.

[MarianJack]

10. Also excellent choices!

It's nice to have a wealth of potential candidates!

[lastknowngood]

6. George Bush it's his only

chance

[HFishbine]

9. The reason I asked

Is that there have been arguments put forth here that there are some progressive ideals that we shouldn't be striving for right now; that the time isn't right; that we need to win back the White House before we do anything.

Some, like me, hear that and wonder, "Well, when then?" A liberal VP would send a message to the left that our agenda has a foothold in the future. There is plenty of room to the left of Kerry, on things from single payer health care to gay marriage, and while this isn't a clear left/right issue in the strictest sense, an anti-Iraq war VP candidate would go a long way toward putting an arm around the left as a way of saying "You are part of this."

On the flip side, I wonder how conservative Kerry could go with a VP nominee before he alienates voters who are already reticent to support him.

[HFishbine]

11. Kick

:kick: