What is your definition of "electability" for the presidential race?

[eileen_d]

Is "electable" synonymous with "able to beat Bush* in the general election"? That's generally how I interpret it, although I think that in itself is a fairly intangible/subjective quality.

I have also thought of "electability" as something determined after the fact, i.e. "Kerry won the Tennessee primary; therefore he is electable in Tennessee." I don't know if that makes sense either.

What is your definition of "electable"?

[LWolf]

1. breathing

and able to stand upright--ought to be able to take Bush.

[incapsulated]

5. I wish that were so

But, it's not. This isn't going to be easy and I don't care how bad his numbers are eight months before the GE.

To me, it simply means: someone who has the resume, the stature, the "intangibles" (ie, superficial things like appearance), and the lack of negatives (ie, baggage) to be not only able to run against Bush, but to take all the shit that will be thrown at him by the rethugs in the process.

[mzmolly]

2. Good question.

;)

[SadEagle]

3. The person I am -guessing- would be able to beat Bush*

Where it's important to point out that it's just a guess, nothing certain --- you never know how history will twist and turn. May be something will happen that would have made Al Sharpton the strongest candidate? This stuff is weird.

As to for the after the fact... Well, I like the way Dennis Kucinich put it: "If you vote for me, I am electable". It's just that I think people winning primaries makes them get positive press, which helps their chances. (So does overcoming adversity, of course). I don't think that winning a state's primary says all that much about GE directly --- after all, primary voters are heavily Democratic --- and most Democrats would vote for any one of the candidates.

[eileen_d]

4. Those are all good points

And I do think media coverage of the primaries has a snowball effect - winner gets coverage, coverage gives winner attention, attention is good for winner...

[meti57b]

6. electable would mean .. able to appeal to ...

enough of the electorate that they would vote for the particular candidate. This would include appealing to the moderate and swing vote.

[incapsulated]

7. Right

I left that out, and that is MAJOR. No swing votes, no White House, period.

*edit* I like your kitty! :)

[MurikanDemocrat]

8. electability

To me electability starts with someone who has the qualifications necessary for the position. What makes a candidate "qualified" is subjective and varies from person to person, and I won't dwell on that.

Not all candidates who are qualified are electable. I think a lot of it has to do with the environment at the time as well. For example, Gore was hurt by the anti-Clinton environment - Bush I was helped by it.

Now, to blow holes in my own criteria for expecting an electable candidate to be qualified, how does one explain George W Bush?? That asshole wasn't qualified to carry bedpans.