Blast from the Past: Now there is a buzz that Dick Gephardt is under consideration for VP

[Douglas Carpenter]

My source on this is Intrade Prediction Markets where financial derivatives are bought and sold on speculation of possible future events,

Of course the prediction value can only be viewed as a a measurement of buzz, rumor and insider gossip (reliable or unreliable).

Intrade is now, suddenly speculating at a 10% possibility of former House Speaker and former minority leader Dick Gephardt receiving the Democratic nomination for Vice President. Frankly this appeared suddenly out of nowhere. It doesn't prove that Mr. Gephardt is under any serious consideration. It only proves that there is some serious buzz, rumor and either reliable or unreliable insider gossip.

________________

There are now ONLY five perspective Democratic V.P. candidates who are scoring in the double-digits (10% or higher) on Intrade Prediction Markets. http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/contractSearch/

Which of these five would you favor the most, or at least view the least
unfavorably?

Gov. Tim Kaine now speculating at 40%

Sen. Evan Bayh now speculating at 25%

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius now speculating at 20%

Sen. Joseph Biden now speculating at 14.9%

Former House Majority and Minority Leader Richard Gephardt now speculating at 10%

All other potential candidates are now speculating in the single-digits - less than 10%

Please do not put other. For the purpose of this survey, if you do not favor any, please vote for the one you would view least unfavorably.

[Alexander]

1. Sebelius by a mile.

All of the others range from lukewarm to terrible.

[DarthDem]

2. Is the Gephardt Thing a Joke?

A nod to the missed headline of four years ago?

But guess what - - if he puts MO in play (I'm not convinced), then he actually makes sense, much more so than Kaine or Bayh.

[MagickMuffin]

3. Gephardt was never Speaker of the House

Gephardt served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri from January 3, 1977, until January 3, 2005, and Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. Previously, from 1989 to 1995 he was Majority Leader.

Gephardt was named House Majority Leader in 1989. He became the second-ranking Democrat in the House, behind then-Speaker Tom Foley. After Foley was unseated in the Republican landslide of 1994, Gephardt became the leader of the House Democrats as House Minority Leader (by tradition, the Speaker is usually reckoned as leader of his party in the House). He was the Democratic candidate for Speaker in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. you are absolutely right. I stand corrected. I forgot all about Tom Foley

I corrected it above.

What put it in my mind was the televised moment when Dick Gephardt handed over the speaker gavel to Newt Gingrich on that dark day in January of 1995

[MagickMuffin]

5. That was indeed a very Dark Day

Gephardt should have hit Newtie over the head with the gavel. It probably crossed his mind.


I wouldn't like to see him get the VP nod. There are better considerations to choose from IMHO.

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. one kick

[BeyondGeography]

7. I like this rumor, mostly because it suggests the choice is still wide open

which it should be, since Obama isn't going to select someone for another three or four weeks.

[yellowcanine]

8. I hope not. I prefer a VP with eyebrows.

Just kidding but I do think he is yesterday's news. Same with Sam Nunn.

[Douglas Carpenter]

9. I don't have a real strong opinion about Mr. Gephardt, but I do see how he could be considered

1. Having served in the U.S. Congress between 1977 and 2003 and the leader of the Democratic Party in the House from 1989 to 2003 certainly brings experience, gravitas and political skills to the ticket.

2. He has favorable geography. Missouri is a swing state. He could conceivably help swing Missouri and other border and midwestern swing states and be reasonably appealing in small town, rural areas and mid size cities.

3. He is truly beloved by labor

4. His record in support of domestic social programs would make him almost a genuine old school New Dealer. Yet, his personal manner makes him approachable to a lot of socially conservative people.

5. In that he is retired from elected office, there will be no problem with any possible forfeiture of any seat or Governor's mansion.

The one glaring negative is that he did back Bush on the Iraq War. However, that would be a problem for most of the other candidates under serious consideration.

[SteppingRazor]

10. Gotta go with Sebelius.

I appreciate the nuance of Kaine's positions -- he upholds the law despite personal opposition to abortion, and he opposes codifying marriage as being between a man and a woman despite personal opposition to same-sex marriage. But the fact remains that those personal oppositions are a bit of a problem.

Not a big Bayh fan, and Gephardt's ancient history. Might as well pick Sam Nunn. As for Biden, I'd like to see him in the Sec. State role. That leaves Sebelius, and I don't just come to her through process of elimination. With Obama focusing on ending the war in Iraq and concentrating on Afghanistan, having a domestic-policy-oriented VP would be a good thing, and I like that she's a Midwesterner. She won't bring in Kansas, but she could help in bordering states like Colorado.