Does Any Part Of You Ever Hope Your Candidate Doesn't Get The Nomination, And Becomes Idolized?

[malik flavors]

Does anybody else sometimes feel like you'd prefer that your candidate doesn't get the nomination so that they don't have to go through all of this B.S. anymore, and so that they can just go back to the senate and be idolized within the democratic party?

Whoever doesn't get this nomination will most likely be loved widely and respected for their efforts and will be a leader within the party. They also won't be blamed for losing it in Novemeber, if that should happen, and if they win they won't be blamed for screwing up Iraq (or anything else) if pulling out the troops doesn't workout the way they had hoped.

Let's face it, none of us knows for sure how succesful either of these candidates would be as president. We feel confident about it, but no one knows for sure. The two times Hillary has held a significant leadership role (health care and this campaign) she didn't quite perform as well as many might have hoped, and Obama is still a fresh face that could either over or under perform. Both candidates to some extent are a question mark.

Obviously I'm hoping my candidate wins this thing and then becomes president, but I can also see the upside of not winning. And I can see the pressure, ridicule, and pains that will follow the winner throughout this election process and throughout their first 4 years in the white house.

[ljm2002]

1. Good point...

...reminds me of someone on Talk of the Nation the other day, discussion Spitzer, and he said he has a term for people like that who succeed beyond their wildest dreams and then fall from grace. He calls it "catastrophic success", and says that it can result in bad behavior because suddenly they are in a world where the restraints are removed to a large degree.

Not sure I buy it but it is an interesting take. So that's another reason that we might say to any Presidential candidate, "Be careful what you wish for". Certainly whoever is elected, we will know more than we ever wanted to know about them, and more than they wanted us to know as well.

[malik flavors]

4. Yea, that's another unfortunate possibility. Along with the good will certainly come the bad.

[hisownpetard]

2. Wouldn't that be like Hillary saying she voted for something but hoped it wouldn't pass?

[Fresh_Start]

3. I'm thinking that we need a better Congress

more than we need either Clinton or Obama.
Because from what we've seen of the GOP, they will bring the legislative progress to a standstill if there are more than 10 of them to watch each others backs (ok, its an exaggeration)

[frazzled]

5. Yup, been saying that for a few weeks.

I think both candidates are so bloodied up at this point, I don't have confidence that either one of them can win against Saint McCain in November (I never thought I would say such a thing). I'd just as soon it were my second choice who lost this thing as my first choice.

[malik flavors]

10. Yep, it's gonna take one hell of a general election performanc to make up for the mess...

that's been made in these primaries. The democrat that wins this might be the underdog going into the general. And if they lose they'll be looked at like John Kerry.

[Why Syzygy]

6. No. The implications are too horrifying. nt

[Umbram]

7. Very good point. Whomever wins this election is the loser in the history books. (nt)

[Occam Bandage]

8. No. I'd rather see my candidate be a real-life Jimmy Carter than an imaginary FDR,

as we deal with a real-life Bush III.

[Window]

9. What you said is right on. It is such a thankless job, and the mess they will inherit

is unimaginable. God only knows how long/if anyone can undo the damage that cretin now occupying the White House has foisted upon us and the world.

[Yurovsky]

11. My candidate already didn't get the nomination ...

still waiting for the Dennis Kucinich fan club merchandise to start moving. I've got 5,000 t-shirts and 3,000 coffee mugs that the printer won't take back, and the mini-storage rent is killing me.