Gephardt the best choice for Kerry VP

[ringmastery]

Gore lost Missouri by 3 points. Gephardt brings Missouri home to the democrats with Kerry. And you know what? Missouri is all we need. If we hold all the Gore states (and Gephardt will probably help in Iowa and Minnoesota, and Wisconsin too), we win. We don't need to win a single southern state. We don't need Ohio, or West Virginia, or Arizona, or Florida.

We hold the Gore states and add Missouri and we win. Slim margin for error, but doable, in my opinion.

[jsw_81]

1. Gephardt flopped as a candidate

I doubt that he would even carry Missouri against Bush. We need a senator like Graham or Bayh (maybe Gen Clark) for our veep slot.

[bbmykel]

2. Oh please no!

It might make sense if you assume Gephardt could deliver Missouri. I don't know that that's a slamdunk.

Really, Kerry does not need another face that's been around too long. I hope he considers other, more dynamic options. Of course, Edwards would be an obvious choice, but it's still not clear what states he could deliver.

It will be interesting to see who he comes up with should he end up as the nominee.

[Adjoran]

3. Maybe

Gephardt is popular in the urban areas of St. Louis and Kansas City, less so elsewhere. If he could guarantee the state, of course it would be a big boost to the ticket.

I still think the best choice is Bill Richardson. He would appeal to the fastest-growing group in the country, Hispanics, and could therefore help in several states. He would lock up NM (won by only 500 votes in 2000) and CA, and give us a fighting chance in Florida and Colorado, and perhaps elsewhere, too.

[Capn Sunshine]

4. Yes, THAT's the sort of dynamic ticket that will beat Bush!

not.

[killbotfactory]

5. Oh, please Jesus, No...

No...

No...

No...

[rucky]

6. Consider voter turnout:

you need a percieved "outsider"
and/or a southerner

Gephardt is neither.

Clark, Dean, Graham, Edwards & Kucinich (we DO need Ohio) would all make a better Kerry ticket than Gep.

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. Yeah, the perfect choice....

...for a Bush Jr landlside in 49 states :eyes:

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[wildmanj]

10. Gephardt

I will have one hell of a time supporting Kerry with Gephardt on the ticket, I will definitely go searching for some other party to put my X by. Never again will I cast straight Democratic votes as I have done since 1984.

[Metrix]

11. I'm taking a second look at Gephardt as VP

Early on I thought Gephardt would be the best choice. Then thought Edwards. Though I like him I think he is selling image too much. I like Wes Clark but would like to see him in another capacity in the Kerry administration.

Kerry has said, and I believe him, that he would choose someone fully ready to take over as President. Back to Gephardt and trying to figure out what he would bring to the ticket versus the others.

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gephardt is a proven loser. I don't want him anywhere NEAR the Kerry campaign.

He just reeks of foulness.

[isbister]

13. Would they be able to overcome Iraq War issue?

Since they held such different positions in many regards?

[dolstein]

14. Gepardt would be a good VP choice for Edwards

But it doesn't make much sense for Kerry. Kerry has spend the past 20 years in Washington. Do we really want a ticket comprised entirely of Washington insiders?

Also, there's no way that adding Gephardt to the ticket would help Kerry carry Missouri. For one thing, Gepardt is just a representative. He's never been elected statewide, so the vast majority of voteres in Missouri would never have voted for him before. And the fact is, the best a VP choice could do is push the ticket over the top. But Kerry wouldn't be competitive in Missouri in his own right, so adding Gephardt won't make a different. Just see the example of 1988, where Dukakis failed to carry Texas despite selecting Bensten, the most popular Democrat in Texas, as his running mate.

Edwards, on the other hand, could benefit from having an "old hand" as his running mate. And since Edwards would already be competitive in Missouri, picking Gephardt could add a small boost.

[chyjo]

15. I like Gephardt fine for VP

but Kerry/Edwards is my dream ticket.

[genius]

16. Kerry needs either someone who opposed the war (such as Dennis)

or someone from the South (such as Edwards).

[Auntie Bush]

18. No, he needs Clark and

more Southern votes and confidence in national security. Kerry has experience and doesn't need Gephardt and he can use Clark's international experience.

[StlMo]

17. Yes. Gephardt on the ticket would ensure victory.

Dick Gephardt has spent his life fighting for progressive Democratic values and the patently false allegations of "milquetoast-ness" and "selling out to Bush" should not and will not dissuade a majority of Americans from supporting Gephardt.

[StlMo]

25. For the record, Gephardt has been a powerful leader against NeoCon\Bushies

Gephardt has a long, patriotic history of fighting the NeoCons.

Gephardt led the fight against the critically flawed NAFTA.
NeoConservatives delighted in the lack of worker rights and the absence of environmental protections. Even though many Democrats (including Dean) caved to the right wing agenda, Gephardt stood firmly opposed to the so-called "free trade" attack on America.

Gephardt led the fight against permanent normalized trade with China.
America could have bargained for safe labor conditions and protection against conservation catastrophes, but instead centrists and NeoConservatives used the opportunity to strike a blow against jobs and lives. Dick Gephardt valiantly opposed their plot, but the right wing interlopers prevailed. If only more Congressmen had lived up to Gephardt's example - the world would be a much better place.

Gephardt led the fight that banned discrimination because of gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, age, and religion. Amazingly, NeoConservatives want to drag America back to Medieval social restrictions. Gephardt led the campaign that kept sexual orientation from being an exception in America's effort against discrimination. Gephardt and his allies ended the ban on gay and lesbian Americans serving in the armed forces. NeoCons knew that Americans were becoming more tolerant of different sexual orientations so the NeoCons attempted to institutionalize hate in the form of legalized discrimination. Yet, the NeoCons failed and will continue fail to impose their bigotry on America - because of the brave opposition of leaders like Dick Gephardt.

Gephardt led the fight against the NeoConservative plan to rape Alaska for a miniscule amount of oil. Thanks to leaders like Gephardt, progressives saved that unique piece of America.

Gephardt led the opposition that kept Bush from putting large doses of the poison arsenic into drinking water.

Gephardt led the successful protection of the Department of Education by NeoConservatives that fear an educated populace. Gephardt struck a further blow with the expansion of access to federal student loans to all students instead of a select few - allowing more Americans to build a better life.

Gephardt leads the fight to solve America's horrific HealthCare crisis. It is a high priority for NeoConservatives to protect the gluttony of gigantic pharmacological corporations. NeoCons bribed just enough members of Congress to block Universal HealthCare in the past. A Gephardt Administration would realize what NeoConservatives dread - all Americans receiving medical attention.

Gephardt leads the fight to save Social Security while NeoConservatives attempt to destroy it by transferring its funds to the Robber Barons that lead the NeoCons.

Gephardt leads the fight to save Medicare while NeoConservatives try to wipeout Medicare and all other programs that help the American people (because their masters want the money - and NeoCons just hate people who aren't rich).

Gephardt leads the fight to discover the truth about September 11. The NeoCons are scrambling to hide Bush's failure to take any measures against a terrorist attack that Bush knew was coming. Gephardt had the guts to ask what Bush knew and when he knew it. The truth was blocked in the Senate, but not in the House of Representatives - thanks to Gephardt.

Gephardt leads the fight to establish an International Minimum Wage - a living wage for all people everywhere. Gephardt leads the fight to abolish sweatshops and child labor. It is hard to imagine a concept that strikes more fear into the dark hearts of NeoConservatives than the global agenda of Dick Gephardt.

Contrary to popular opinion, Dick Gephardt did not give Bush what Bush wanted in Iraq. When one goes past the right wing mainstream Media spin, one discovers that Bush entered office (thanks to five idiotic and immoral Supreme Court judges) with the authority to invade Iraq - and to order the U.S. military to remove Saddam Hussein. The constitution also specifies that the authority to conduct more than limited action in Iraq or elsewhere requires an official war declaration. The alleged war resolution signed by George Bush jr. had only symbolic conditional approval for Iraq and the conditions where things NeoCons despise - International support and a requirement for a real threat. It also blocked NeoCon plans to invade Syria, Iran, Lebanon, etc. Gephardt forced Bush to sign a document that Bush did not want.

Dick Gephardt is a progress populist and the NeoCons correctly fear that Gephardt will lead the people against the evil NeoCon agenda.

[Fleshdancer]

19. oh just kill me now

put me out of my misery

[Eurobabe]

20. not!

bad enough that we have to endure Kerry, add another boring uninspiring person on the ticket, and we might as well just give Bu$h $200 for passing GO!!

[ProfessorPlum]

21. The bland leading the bland n/t

.

[creativelcro]

22. This thread is a dupe

And so is my reply: Kerry/Gephardt = major leak of Dem votes to someone else.

[Cocoa]

23. that would antagonize the Dean supporters too much

I think Gep would be the perfect V.P., but if Kerry gets the nomination he's going to reach out to Dean supporters, picking someone Dean-friendly, or even Dean himself.

[ibegurpard]

26. The ONLY thing that Dean could do to cause me to lose all respect

for him would be to veep for Kerry.

[mndemocrat_29]

24. No

Nothing against either candidate (like them both), but I think we should have at least one relative newcomer to politics (someone like Edwards, Landrieu, Bayh, or Lincoln) on the ticket.