Graham would consider bid as running mate

[DaisyUCSB]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/news_0453092db57752f20086.html

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It is a decision that is totally in the hands of whoever the presidential nominee is," Graham said, essentially repeating the answer he has given since ending his own presidential bid in October. "I am prepared to do whatever -- within reason; I'm not going to sacrifice any of my grandchildren."

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Graham spent much of 2003 on the presidential campaign trail but dropped out in October after failing to raise enough money to continue. Even before he ended his campaign, he was mentioned as a possible running mate for whoever ends up as the Democratic nominee. He was on 2000 nominee Al Gore's short list of running mates, and was also considered by Bill Clinton in 1992 and Michael Dukakis in 1988.

Detractors point out that Graham never escaped the single digits in national polling in his own campaign, and they say he would not help a national ticket. Supporters counter that over five statewide elections in Florida, two for governor and three for the U.S. Senate, Graham's average margin of victory was 22 percentage points, and that winning Florida could be all that the Democrats need to retake the White House

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I don't buy the argument that because he didn't fair well in his own presidential bid that he wouldn't make a strong candidate. He got in after almost everyone else, and thus was hurt in the moneyraising. Edwards wasn't doing much better back then than Graham in the polls, and now he's one of the last 2 candidates left.

Florida IS the most important swingstate, I don't see how one could argue otherwise. 27 votes, the next biggest are Pennsylvania and Ohio(21 and 20 respectively). We "lost" Florida by less than 600 votes, and we all know all the factors that would have given it to us handily. The minority community in Florida is still bitter about 2000, the greens aren't going to vote for Nader again, at least not in any close percentage to how they did before 4 years of Bush, etc. etc. etc..

Several months ago, but after Bob Graham dropped out it was reported in some major newspaper that republican strategists/pollsters were worried that they didn't think they could hold Florida if Graham was the vp with a relatively strong democrat at the top of the ticket(they named Kerry/Edwards/ and I think Lieberman.) This was before Clark entered the race.

Edwards ISN'T going to carry NC's 15 EV's for Kerry in any reasonable probability. Clark probably won't carry Arkansas for him

I'm ready for a Kerry/Graham or a Edwards/Graham

[Racenut20]

1. Missouri with 11 electorial is winnable by Democrats

If they have Clinton campaign in St.Louis and Kansas City. By my calculations...cipher cipher gazenda gazenda....If Democrats hold all of Gore's states they can win with Missouri.

[DaisyUCSB]

4. So you think Gephardt should be the vp? He's more bland than Graham

Graham atleast has that warm/grandpa quality to him that would contrast with Cheney in the debates.

Gephardt is just a typical career politician, who's sort of a union hack who got 4th in Iowa because the unions abandoned him.

Graham doesn't need to serve 2 terms. He can step aside after 1 and retire.

But anyway Missouri is 11 to Floridas 27. It's not like a Kerry/Graham or Edwards/Graham ticket can't try for Missouri

[charlie]

2. Glad to hear it

It's certainly good to know that he can be tapped. It does seem that Floridians hold him in high regard.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Of course he'd consider!!

That was the entire point of him running at all. He dropped when he realized he might embaress himself by running and not get what he wanted.

[sadiesworld]

5. I think Clark should be VP.

It seems counter-intuitive, but destroy the "democrats-are-weak-on-foreign-policy" argument, and what in the hell does * talk about?

[DaisyUCSB]

6. Maybe if Edwards is the nominee, but Kerry doesn't need that

Kerry needs a bigger margin of error in the electoral college, not another war-hero foriegn policy expert to make it look we're trying to hard to overcome something, and letting them frame the debate.

It would be like an Alan Keyes/JC Watts republican ticket

[Stuckinthebush]

7. I don't think Graham is the best choice

He is not dynamic enough. A Kerry/Edwards ticket is the ticket that would do the most damage.

[DaisyUCSB]

8. Why? What swingstates does that do more damage in? and why

I have given plenty of reasons why Kerry is worse in pretty much all the swingstates than Edwards, and if Kerry is the nominee, that Edwards does nothing for him in the swingstates Kerry could possibly get compared to other possible runningmates

[Orangepeel]

9. I love Senator Graham, BUT

A Kerry/Graham ticket would put everybody to sleep. Kerry needs someone exciting as a running mate.