2008 Hopefuls

I mentioned on another thread that in the 2008 presidential race I'd like to see former Senator Fred Thompson run. He's got the resume' for the job, wisely served only one full term in the US Senate to avoid legistlative baggage, and he's on two of the Law and Order tv show franchises so his profile is HIGH. Of course, he didn't go to Yale, but what are you gonna do? Another republican who has indicated that he'd like to run is Governer Mit Romney from Mass.

On the left, Hillary C. will certainly run. Likely John Edwards as well (another smart 1 term senator).

Anyway, I wanted to hear from the board any other ideas about who intends to run next presidential election, or who you'd like to see run.

I would ask that the responses be limited to likely candidates, but who'd listen?

 

Looks like Governor Pataki of NY will run. He is opting out of running for reelection to the statehouse.

Romney is my first choice followed by Rice.

Thompson is smart and savvy. But he has baggage. Several year's ago there were reports of some very filthy conversations he had with Senator John McCain regarding sex, especially regarding Thompson's then-girlfriend, country singer Lorrie Morgan.

The Dems would be wise to nominate Joe Lieberman.

 

By 2008, Hillary might not be on the left any longer. She's smart and is apparently using her husband's playbook, moving to the middle as rapidly as she can.

Besides, Dean will probably run (his ego won't leave him any other choice) and he will probably position himself well to her left and start screaming, making Hillary look like a thoughtful moderate in comparison and helping her a lot.

She could be very strong if the Republicans can't produce somebody with equivalent star-power or even worse, if they produce a strident candidate associated with the religious-right.

It'll be an interesting race. Imagine Hillary vs Condoleeza!

 

Well, let's see here. The 2006 race for Governor of Ohio is shaping up. Republican Governor Bob Taft is out and it looks like a face-off between the Republican Secretary of State and a former Democratic Mayor of Cincinnati. Said former Mayor of Cincinnati takes the Ohio Executive Mansion in 2006 and the White House in 2008.

 

I have a wild idea for the next election. Whether Republican or Democrat, let's elect someone who represents the people and not the corporations. How much more asbestos, class action, and personal bankruptcy legislation can we take? We may as well just make the US a brand name.

 

I think if that is your goal, that leaves pretty much one party in the mix - the Democrats.

You'll never find a Republican who cares more about the fools that vote for them than the corporations that fund their campaigns.

 

Re: Insert "trial lawyers" comment here

All political parties are "beholden to the special interests that fund their campaigns" - I'm not disputing that. The issue is whether those special interests are primarily fueled/funded by predatory corporations, which I sincerely believe is the sole domain of the REPUBLICAN party, not the Democrats....

I'd rather have a party in power whose special interest debts are owed to unions, poor people, and minorities/women/disadvantaged than one who is in debt to Haliburton and big oil/big finance.

 

Always liked Bob Taft. I think he is getting a raw deal. Ken Blackwell may win that race. I hope so. If so, he would be Ohio's first black governor and another real plus for the GOP.

As much as I like John Kasich I hope he doesn't enter the GOP primary. He might.

I think the race to watch might be the U.S. Senate GOP primary. Mike DeWine might be in a little trouble but I doubt it. We'll see.

 

Re: Re: Insert "trial lawyers" comment here

At this rate, the unions wont be able to keep anyone beholden to them. Even before the Teamster/AFL-CIO split labor couldn't deliver votes.

 

Carl,

I think it would really behoove you to look at the corporate contribution lists and see that the Democrats equally take huge sums of contributions from some of America's major companies and corporations.

I know you are not that naive to think corporations don't play and fund both sides in order to have a listening ear in the White House no matter which party wins.

As far as Republicans not caring for those who vote for them, you are very much off base. And to call people "fools" who vote for the GOP is another insulting and offensive post by you.

You should never play professional baseball, Carl, you'd strike out more than Babe Ruth!

 

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The asbestos and similar class action cases are attempts by attorneys to shake down corporations perceived as having deep pockets, win multi-billion dollar awards and then skim off a hefty percentage of that for the law firm. The answer would seem to lie in tort reform.

 

Re: Re: 2008 Hopefuls

I love Joe! But you know what? He has the charimsa of a rock. No, waint a minute -- a rock that smells bad. As much as I would love to see him in the White House, I will hit the lottery before he is elected.

At this point Hillary is the only potential that has any star power and I will be listening carefully to her as the next couple of years roll by. I also like John Edwards, but its really, really early.

 

Personally, I don't think he would get a chance to swing at a pitch.

 

Re: Re: Re: 2008 Hopefuls

Unfortunately you are right. Senator Lieberman is not charismatic at all. It's too bad many vote on that rather than on substance.

I will go a w a y out on a limb now and say Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will not be nominated. The nomination will go to a moderate this time, like Senator Evan Bayh.

Howard Dean's ego will propel him into another try and he will try to paint Hillary (They can't stand each other.) as a foe of the left. She has been trying to moderate her views but she has an ego too and she will eventually try to "out left" Dean.

The closest she will come is perhaps a second spot on the ticket but I doubt it. She probably got as close to the White House as she will come when she was First Lady.

You heard it first--Hillary: no way!

 

What is this? The Clifton/Peeler "let's give Carl crap" club? LOL

Best wishes at FSU..... I know the institution well. ALL too well.

Sorry if my use of the word "fools" for Republican voters (meaning those who have absolutely nothing to gain from the party except some weird sense of sharing of common values - like anti-gay, anti-liberal, pro-gun, anti-abortion) offends. I'm not sure what else you call people though who vote so decidedly against their own pocketbooks.

Note - not all Republican voters are "fools". Those who already have made their fortunes and are trying to hang on to them, or are in the multi-six-figure camp and above are voting Republican for very, very good reasons. As for the rest of you? Duh!

 

The Democrats would be crazy to nominate anyone who is not a southern or western governer. Second choice is a single term senator. It will also help if the nominee is white, male, and Christian.

In fact, take what I just said about the Dems and include the Repbulicans as well.

This is the presidency. It's not about principle, it's about getting in power and staying there. (Ask Bill Clinton or George W.)

 

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: 2008 Hopefuls

I like Joe. If anybody could make me switch from my recent Republican idiocy (just ask Carl) it would be old Joe. He kind of radiates a thoughtful pragmatic moderation that appeals to me.

But yeah, it would be tough for him if he had to go up against Hillary.

It's television. I mean, could Abraham Lincoln be elected today? He looked like Lurch or Frankenstein's monster or something. (I think that some doctors think that he had a metabolic disease.)

One thing that I truly hate are televised debates. What if a candidate is asked a question and he/she proposes a counter-intuitive answer? It might be brilliant, but it would require explanation. But could you fit an involved technical explanation into a sound-byte? If Lieberman responded to a question by launching into a critical discussion of the question's presuppositions, the whole country would glaze over and reach for the remote.

In debates nobody really thinks about the questions, instead they deliver memorized rhetorical performances as smoothly as possible. If there's any substance at all, it's more a tribute to the candidates' staff of writers than to themselves.

I live in California and we have never heard of Evan Bayh out here. That could easily change by election time, but he's a non-entity right now.

I agree that Dean will try to attack her rom her left, but I think that will help her, not hurt her.

Hillary hopes to build up her moderate credentials in the next three years, settling in the center, and then forcing a Republican to attack her from her right, making himself look like a scary right-wing fanatic while doing it.

Getting trashed by Dean would add needed credibility to her moderate's credentials. It might win over a lot of moderate centrist swing-voters.

Her real problem would be getting through the party primaries with that kind of strategy. But the novelty of a female candidate will create a lot of excitement among Democratic feminists. Many Dems remember her husband's administration fondly. Party power centers (the unions, big contributers, state and local officials, media figures) want to nominate somebody who can actually win in November and not just cast another summer protest vote. And finally there's her undeniable star-power, her celebrity. Voters love that sense of excitement that makes every appearance into an event.

It's way too soon to say anything for sure, but I'd say that she certainly seems to be the front-runner right now.

 

Right. The poor innocent corporations being "shaken down" by the evil attorneys. Problem is, they are not innocent. It's virtually impossible for a person of normal means to go after a big corp. So they ban together. The rewards have to be high to pay everyone something plus the admittedly high attorney's fees. But it works. People don't get rich but they get some justice. I've seen it in action. The "reform" only helped the corps.
(wish I had time to flesh this out better).