Mary Landrieu for Kerry's VP?

[ringmastery]

She's certainly a lot better than Evan Bayh if Kerry is looking for a centrist democrat to soften his liberal northeastern reputation for moderates and swing voters.

She's smart, a good speaker, easy on the eyes and telegnic, would create a lot of buzz being a woman, and most importantly would put Louisana's and Arkansas's electoral votes in play.

[mmonk]

1. maybe

I would prefer her to Bayh.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Times-Picayune article on Mary and moderates and Kerry

John Kerry wasn't U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's first choice for her party's presidential nomination, or even her second. Although she never made an endorsement, she admits she would have been more comfortable with another Senate colleague, Joe Lieberman, whose centrist philosophy is more in line with her own, or with retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

But now that Kerry has the nomination all but locked up, Louisiana's soon-to-be-senior senator is preparing to help with what she concedes could be a tough sell in her state -- and trying to get a little something in return.

Asked about the Massachusetts senator's prospects last week, Landrieu said Kerry's service in Vietnam, his commitment to the military and to funding the No Child Left Behind education measure and his "balanced approach on energy policy" are all positives....

Landrieu could offer Kerry moderate heft

[bobbieinok]

3. no woman - no woman - no woman

(I say this as a woman.)

A woman on the ticket is a sure loss in Nov.

[Skwmom]

5. I agree.

I would love to see a woman VP but this election is TOO important to lose. Americans are not ready to envision a woman as Commander-in-chief (a role the VP would have to step into if something happens to the president).

[nonconformist]

7. Sadly, I agree

As a woman I agree with that statement. I like Landrieu, but I think it would be a mistake to put any woman on the ticket. It's too important an election, and unfortunately I don't think America is ready yet.

[StClone]

9. Gee I can't call it sexist

But I wonder how widely this anti-female for VP by women runs...I am surprised.

[bobbieinok]

21. I just don't believe a woman on either ticket at this time has

any chance of winning.

Unfortunately I have to agree with my son: the first minority or woman to become president or vice-president will be an extremely conservative republican.

Why???? It will work like Nixon's opening to China; only a conservative republican could do this.

[SW FL Dem]

13. I agree

and I am also a woman. I wish the country was ready, but I don't think it is.

[oldcoot]

23. We should not underestimate the American voter

Yes, there is sexist people in the Unites States who probably would not vote for a female candidate no matter how qualified she is. These same people probably oppose equal rights for women and abortion rights. In other words, they would not support the Democratic candidate under any circumstances. It would be a waste of time to try to win this voter. Fortunately, this voter is neither a typical voter or typical American.

During the Cold War, many Americans may have hesitated to vote for a female candidate because of the fear that a woman would not be as strong as a man on defense issues. Since then, we have had a female secretary of state (Madeleine Albright). While many may strongly disagree with some aspects of Clinton's foreign policy and Albright's statements, no rational person can argue that she was too timid for the position.

Indeed, the right female candidate might attract new voters to the Democratic Party. Americans who do not normally pay attention to politics might start paying attention if we had a female candidate. We should definitely should not be afraid to support quality female or minority candidates.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Not so sure about Louisiana

She didn't exactly win her state convincingly, and not exactly against primo candidates. I wouldn't be convinced that she could win Louisiana for us.

However, it could sway female votes across the country, which would be nice....

I think Richardson would be a better VP candidate, personally, being a Governor in the very vulnerable Southwest that really, REALLY despises Bush's new immigration policy. Richardson could possibly provide New Mexico and Arizona (15 EVs). I realize we won NM in 2000, but not by very much. Richardson also could help sway Hispanic voters, whom currently do not tend to vote as a bloc. This could also help in the key state of Florida (though Bush will likely rig this again anyway).

[robsul82]

6. You don't know Louisiana.

The Landrieu name is getting Kennedy-ish down here. If Landrieu were on the ticket, she'd deliver Louisiana. Bank.

Later.

RJS

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. Please explain

I would sincerely like to understand why you say this. The latest election results don't bear that evidence, but perhaps there are other factors involved.

[King of New Orleans]

17. There is an internal dynamic in Louisiana

In that candidates from New Orleans never win statewide elections. The country folk always gang up on them. It is quite a credit that she's risen to the point she has. If she was on the ticket, I'd have no doubt she'd help win Louisiana.

Having said that, while she will probably be mention on some short list, I'd think it unlikely to she'd be chosen as a running mate. Plus she's not quite experienced enough on the national scene to be particularly effective yet.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. Thank you

I appreciate you explaining that to me. I, as well as everyone else here on DU, are better for it.

Thanks again! :toast:

[StClone]

8. I picked her as a possible V.P. early in '03

Why not?

[Warren Stuart]

10. If you have to ask....

I get the feeling you won't accept the answer.

We live in a racist, sexist nation that is not ready for a woman, a person of color or a jew as president. It sucks, but that is the reality we face.

We fought the good fight, now it's time we won the good fight. The time for making statements is over, we need to win!

[StClone]

11. I heed your warning

But my shock is that women are against a woman on the ticket.

I for one would think 50+ of the population being women might help our side with Landrieu on the ticket. Yet, the independence of those women, their own uneasy feelings for a women VP and the increased voting against, or non-voting for, by men is a real problem.

But the thought that this would be a time too dangerous to "experiment" does not hold water. I feel there is going to be a rout of Bush regardless the Dem VP and it would be as good a time as any to have a woman in there.

[lcordero]

12. the answer is NO

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/239nd3.htm

Voting to end the delays were 11 Democrats and two Republicans who were on the other side Tuesday, plus two other Democrats who missed Tuesday's vote. Two Republicans who voted Tuesday to end debate were absent Thursday.

One lawmaker who switched, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), said she backed halting the delays because the bill has money for veterans and "a lot of projects for Louisiana that mean jobs."

As for overtime and other policies she opposes, "We can take care of that in the next election" by voting in Democrats, Landrieu said.

You'll lose the working class vote really quick

[LWolf]

14. Absolutely not.

This one lets her off of any ticket I will ever vote for:

She worked across party lines in 2001 to craft the No Child Left Behind Act, the most sweeping reform ever of our nation’s public schools.

http://landrieu.senate.gov/newsite/biography.cfm

[aldian159]

16. So did Ted Kennedy

you gonna vote against him too? No sarcasm

[LWolf]

18. Yes.

If you mean Ted Kennedy helped write it.

No sarcasm back. I don't buy Kerry's "George didn't do what I voted for" rhetoric on IWR, either. I believe that, in the case of NCLB, most democrats were fooled by all of the goodies included. Which, of course, were not funded. I'll forgive the vote. But not the actual writing of this weapon of public education distruction.

I'm on the front lines under this legislation. I'm seeing it destroy public education. I'm seeing a generation of kids heading for adulthood whose futures have been damaged. I'm seeing a career I sacrificed years of my life for, and have yet to finish paying for, turn into a job I can't live with myself for performing.
At the least, a candidate who wanted my vote wouldn't be proud of having helped author this piece of toxic waste.

[Nashyra]

20. No No no no

As a woman I do not support a woman on the ticket. It is too crucial an election and the electorate is not going to vote for a woman to take over in an emergency. It is wrong I know, I would trust a woman more but I am in the slim majority. ABB will not happen with a woman candidate on the ticket. The RW would subliminally destroy her, and they would make Kerry's medical history a factor, large factor in the race.

[liberalpragmatist]

22. No

In theory, it'd be great to put a woman on the ticket. But we have to be objective; don't put a woman on the ticket just b/c she's a woman. Think abt it this way: should we (er...Kerry) pick a guy with the same record? I don't think so. The sad truth is that there is a dearth of credible women on a national scale who could run for President or VP. The only ones I can think of on our side are Nancy Pelosi, Hillary, and Dianne Feinstein. DiFi, is actually too old, at over 70, and we need Pelosi in the House. Hillary, of course, is waiting for her turn in 4 years. Elsewhere, there are no credible female governors of medium or large states w/ enough experience, although Ariz. gov. Napolitano may be credible in later years. Of course, sadly, Granholm is Canadian-born (damn her parents - couldn't they have moved from Canada four or five years earlier?).

Landrieu's a fine senator, and I'm glad we have her. But she's WAY too centrist, even center-right, for the national ticket (at least this yr). Kerry and Edwards have got a good thing going for them in that they both are in the center of the Democratic Party, not the absolute political center.

Landrieu is very centrist, to the point where she'd be a bad ideological fit with Kerry or Edwards. She supported the partial-birth abortion ban, Bush's tax cuts, and she had to tout in her last election that she had voted with the Bush administration 70% of the time. What's more, she's against therapeutic cloning, and is the lead sponsor in the Senate of a bill which would ban ALL forms of cloning. And there's no guarantee she'd put Louisiana into play. I do not think she's a good prospect as Veep.

[genius]

24. Didn't she say she voted with Bush 70 plus percent in her last campaign?

We don't need Kerry and a Bush supporter.