VP Ideas... anyone from Ohio? I think that is a must win.

[CalebHayes]

Also I like Bill Richardson. But I really want to focus on a swing state like Ohio.

[Kathleen04]

1. I believe both of their Senators and the Gov. are Republicans..

so I don't know. There doesn't seem to be any options from Ohio besides Kucinich.

[Renew Deal]

2. Edwards seems to be popular.

He might be a good pick.

[Padraig18]

3. Richardson will NOT accept VP.

He has said so clearly and repeatedly.

[CalebHayes]

22. So has Clark and Edwards

[asthmaticeog]

4. The only Ohio Democrat

I can think of with a high enough national profile (other than DK, which forget about it) is Jerry Springer. Both of our Senators and our Governor are Republicans. Eric Fingerhut would be superb, he's a brilliant, principled man, but who's heard of him outside of Northeast Ohio? (Though it looks like he'll be taking on George Voinovich for his Senate seat - good luck, Eric!)

[AndyP]

5. That would go over real well

:) I can only imagine the fun the GOP would have with Jerry......Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! kinda catchy you know

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Kerry and Jerry, the Repubs would have a field day...

So would the dems, until election day that is.

[asthmaticeog]

9. It's kind of a shame

Not a lot of people know this, even in Ohio, but Springer is a genuine, serious, committed, pragmatic-yet-left-of-the-DLC Democrat - an extreme rarity in Cincinatti - with some good ideas about education and job retention. Unfortunately, the only reason anyone's ever heard of him is because of a TV show so utterly silly that he has no future in anything serious, so he's of zero use to the party as a candidate. Though I'll bet he could sway a good number of his lower-income viewers to stop voting against their own interests if he did decide to join the fray.

[spooky3]

16. My favorite non-serious Jerry Springer line

was when he appeared on a celebrity Weakest Link:

Anne: What is the point of your TV show, Jerry?
Jerry: There isn't one, really.

[asthmaticeog]

21. No, he was SERIOUS about that.

Last spring when he was considering a senate run, he was undergoing a LOT of dissonance about how he'd get his message across knowing full well his show was stupid and that's all anyone would ever think of him. He eventually declined to run, partly because he'd have to have broken a contract to do so.

[spooky3]

23. I just meant that it was a funny line; it got a big laugh.

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Already asked this, no luck with Ohio.

Clark might get us Arkansas, add NH to that and that's just enough to win.

[JI7]

8. Kucinich is from Ohio

[asthmaticeog]

11. Doesn't count

He doesn't have enough popularity in Ohio to get 10% of the vote in the primary! He's doing almost 30% in his home county, but Cuyahoga Dems don't fare well in statewide races. He wouldn't help the ticket in Ohio.

(The numbers above are from an hour and a half ago - I have to check again. In other words, they could be wrong.)

[Vas Liz]

32. That is not valid reason to discount him

by that logic you could (almost) make the same argument about Clark.

[incapsulated]

10. Well, nobody like's this answer

Gephardt. He's been all over Ohio like white on rice. But nobody want's him as veep.

 
 

[Hippo_Tron]

12. How about the man in that picture, saluting?

I'm told he's pretty popular in Ohio

[incapsulated]

13. Could be..

But I would still pick a native midwesterner if that's Kerry's target, as it should be.

Clark may bring in Arkansas, but other than your home State, I don't think the VP can guarantee much, unless you are going after a very particular group, like Lieberman did with the Jewish vote in Florida.

 
 

[MAlibdem]

14. I thought lieberman was more to moderate the ticket? (nt)

[incapsulated]

15. That too, but..

We were talking more about specific States or regions, rather than a type of voter. Because of the large Jewish population in south Florida, it was almost a regional vote.

This is also why I don't think Clark will be chosen for VP. He and Kerry were after the same voters. He doesn't bring many different voters other than the south, and I just don't think that will be enough to get Kerry more than Arkansas. He may bring in some independents, but I doubt many disgruntled repubs could bring themselves to vote for Kerry. I think that the influence of the VP on the ticket is a bit overstated. In the end, you vote for the President, not his running mate.

 
 

[arewethereyet]

18. Clark's from Chicago, thats midwest

of course he has no constituants to draw upon.

[incapsulated]

24. Well, not really

You're "from" where you were raised, not where you were born and spent a few years as a toddler. That ain't no midwest accent, heh.

 
 

[spooky3]

17. I don't think RG would be as appealing as Edwards or Clark to Ohioans.

Having spent the first 40 years of my life in the midwest, my opinion is that they don't really care where the candidate is from, as long as s/he seems "real", likable, down-to-earth--and s/he must support the issues of basically moderate voters.

[incapsulated]

19. Actually, I thought it would be Edwards

But Kerry doesn't seem too keen on him. So I honestly don't know what he will do.

 
 

[spooky3]

20. I don't think JE would accept the VP role.

I think he'd rather go back home and enjoy his children.

[Leilani]

25. If Kerry becomes President

he should give Edwards a job where he could get foreign policy, int'l experience.

Make him an Ambassador for a few years.

[katieforeman]

27. If he wants to be President someday. He needs to be VP now.

How else is he going to get the "experience" everyone else seems to think he needs to be President?

I hope Kerry is smart and picks Edwards. Our party needs him.

[katieforeman]

26. Edwards plays well in OH.

I grew up in Dayton and all of my family and friends there really like Edwards.

I have not talked to a single person in OH who didn't either vote for Edwards or want him to be the VP so they could vote for him in 2012.

Moderate Republicans and Independents like him too and Rush-listening, Fox-watching extreme Republicans don't hate him.

In fact, one of the reasons I supported Edwards was that I had talked to some disillusioned Bush voters who actually told me out of the blue, "you know who I kind of like? Edwards."

My Dad told me that one the people he teaches with was voting for Edwards because Edwards relates to "real people."

Edwards would also be an unbeatable candidate for President in 2012 with 8 years of vp experience under his belt.

Furthermore, one of the cheif duties of the vice-president is to campaign on behalf of the President. Kerry could not find a better campaigner in the Democratic party than John Edwards.

[ShaneGR]

28. The 2 most well-known Dems in Ohio are.....

Kerry and Edwards.

[Bombtrack]

29. We can compete in Ohio without a midwesterner on the ticket

Bob Graham making not only the GOP work as hard for Florida as they do for the midwest, but make it fact a tossup for us to win helps us everywhere.

[CalebHayes]

31. He just does not do it for me... He does not have the "____"...

fill in the blank... crizma... the "it"... I would rather see Edwards.

[TruthWins]

34. No Viable Ohioans Left, But Clark Was Popular

Unfortunately all the great Democrats from Ohio are old men like John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum. I live in a Republican hell although the Cleveland area and other parts of northern Ohio have enough population and are heavily Democratic, which is why Ohio's even in play this year.

I am a Kerry delegate & I can tell you that when we had the delegate caucus there were a ton of people going for Wes Clark. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I think he would play very well in Ohio.

[Bombtrack]

30. We can compete in Ohio without a midwesterner on the ticket

Bob Graham making not only the GOP work as hard for Florida as they do for the midwest, but make it fact a tossup for us to win helps us everywhere.

[earthsea wizard]

33. Tom Harkin

What do you think?

Not Ohio, but midwestern. Excellent progressive credentials, looks good next to Kerry, Navy Vet, might help bring in some Dean supporters.

????

[CalebHayes]

35. How many electoral votes is Iowa? I want a real state.

[earthsea wizard]

36. 7 electoral votes

Iowa isn't a real state?

Hmmm, must be an imaginary state.

Regardless, Harkin would definitely be a "Real" candidate.

[CalebHayes]

37. The more I read on DU the more I seem to like Edwards... Harkin...

does not have the "it" that Edwards does.

[tedoll78]

38. Harkin would be excellent.

First, Governor Vilsak would be able to appoint a Dem replacement.

Second, Harkin on the ticket would all but guarantee Iowa and next-door Minnesota, both of which were too close for comfort in 2000. Those are 17 more electoral votes nailed-down. He might even help in neighboring Missouri; that'd be 11 more EVs.

Third, Harkin has a strong workers' rights record.