Kerry / Vilsack '04 ??

[Stevendsmith]

Vilsack?

Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it.

BushCo might as well call it quits.

Oh and Kerry / Gephardt?

Way to inject some vitality into the ticket.

God help us.

From Talking Points Memo:

Speculation is rife about whom John Kerry will choose as his running mate. Newsweek reports that Kerry "is engrossed in the final shortlist of veep picks. Kerry sources say the choice is narrowing to Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt, and that the candidate remains personally uncomfortable with Sen. John Edwards."

http://tinyurl.com/37as7

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Go Gep!!!

[phillybri]

2. I hope it's not Vilsack...

That whole "English as the official language of Iowa" thing would bite Kerry in the ass as far as the Hispanic vote goes...

[venus]

6. If this Vilsack wants English language then

I'm all for him. I don't think I should have to learn Spanish just to work in some parts of this country. There are some McDonalds where I live where only Spanish is spoken and the employees can't understand English (or atleast they act like they can't understand it). I think that's a shame. There should be one official language and I'm glad a Democrat somewhere has the courage to say so.

[phillybri]

7. Right or wrong, it sends a shitty signal...

Besides, measures like that are more ceremonial than anything.

Do you want troops sent to take out anyone not speaking English?

[lancdem]

3. My theory is

Vilsack and Gephardt's names are being floated by the Kerry people as payback for their early support - NOT because they have any chance of actually being chosen.

I hope I'm right. :)

[Doosh]

4. Vilsack would be a disaster

if it's not Edwards, then let it be Gephardt.

[Kahuna]

5. Agreed. Vilsack looks like the Pillbury Doughboy.... That is not..

presidential at all.

[flaminbats]

8. great article

There is another reason to hope that Kerry puts aside his "comfort level" and picks Edwards. In 2004, 19 Democratic Senate seats are being contested, compared to only 15 Republican ones; and five of the nineteen are in Southern states where Democrats are retiring. Republicans could conceivably win all these seats. If they won even three of them, Democrats would have an almost impossible task of winning back the Senate in 2004, and would face an uphill challenge in 2006 when more Democratic than Republican seats are again up for grabs. Democrats have an interest in fielding a presidential ticket that has credibility, if not popularity, in the South. With Edwards as the vice presidential candidate, the Democrats could put forward a Southern face. If Kerry picks another Northern liberal like himself, Democratic candidates in the Carolinas, Florida, Louisiana and Georgia will be put on the defensive and forced to dissociate themselves from the national ticket. My advice to Kerry: forget chumminess, choose Edwards.


The best point was that Kennedy didn't pick Johnson because he liked him, neither did Reagan have any love for Bush. Reagan considered Bush despite the fact that he first fashioned the name voodoo economics, and knew that picking Bush would probably help him win both moderate Republicans and southern Democrats. I also remember when Reagan considered picking Ford as a running mate, one final slap in Jerry Ford's face before winning the nomination!

Lieberman didn't win Gore a single electoral vote, and Vilsack wouldn't win anything for Kerry. Vilsack would be a safe choice, but playing it safe will not defeat the incumbent. The worst two electoral showings by Democrats occurred when both the nominee and the running mate came from northern states. Republicans even experienced a brief surge in the forties after Henry Wallace was nominated as FDR's running-mate.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. If anyone even remotely connected with Iowa is picked for VP

...it proves this shit was rigged from day one. It also proves the DLC is playing to lose, just like they did in 1994, 2000, and 2002.