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Democrats: Who will you select for the 2008 nomination?

Skip

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Fellow Democrats: Which candidate do you support for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008?

As of now, the following candidates have announced their intention to run:

*John Edwards (North Carolina)
*Tom Vilsack (Iowa)
*Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)
*Mike Gravel (Alaska)
*Joe Biden (Delaware)

Possible candidates who have not announced as of now include:

*Rev. Al Sharpton (New York)
*John Kerry (Massachusetts)
*Barack Obama (Illinois)
*Bill Richardson (New Mexico)
*Al Gore (Tennessee)
*Christopher Dodd (Connecticut)
*Wesley Clark (Arkansas)
*Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

Let the intra-party debate begin!

A preemptive warning to all possible trolls, not belonging to the party: You're not welcome here.
 

Bill Richardson is my favorite. With Mark Warner or Evan Bayh as VP.

Who in the world is Mike Gravel?
 
Kandahar said:
Bill Richardson is my favorite. With Mark Warner or Evan Bayh as VP.

Who in the world is Mike Gravel?
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I'll work backwards:

1. Mike Gravel (I had to look this up too) served in the Senate from Alaska from 1969 until 1981. Yes, 1981. He's pretty populist - some of his ideas include a guaranteed annual income of $5,000 to every U.S. citizen, public financing of elections, a progressive tax with no deductions or exemptions, a national law to do away with voter registration and other barriers to voting, abolition of the death penalty, universal health care, & school vouchers. If elected, he'd be 77 years old at inauguration.

2. I like Bill too, and I would love to see Warner in some capacity working with the next administration as he was my man for the nomination before he took his name out. Personally, though, my man's Obama. The guy is so captivating and, simply, real. It's a breath of fresh air coming after the politics, politics, politics of GWB, and the threat of Hillary looming on the horizon.
 

Ah, OK. Sounds like a Dennis Kucinich type candidate who knows he won't win. :smile:


Ya I like Obama. The more I think about it, the more I question whether or not he can actually win though. I really don't know where he stands on most issues. If the only views he holds are liberal orthodoxy, I'm not sure I could vote for him. I'd like to see him break with the party on at least one major issue.
 
Obama, but I can't vote yet.
 
Skip said:
*John Edwards (North Carolina)
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I like Edwards. Not too socially liberal, and I'm a little more willing to trust Southern Democrats about guns.

Skip said:
*Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)
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Voted to nominate Kucinich as the Democrats' candidate, back in 2004. Kerry was already a foregone conclusion, but I was asked to make a protest vote to suggest that the party was moving in the wrong direction.

Don't really want it to move in that direction, either... but our party needs to present a clear vision of its own, instead of trying to imitate the few Republican moderates who haven't been tarred-and-feathered out of their own party yet.

Skip said:
*Rev. Al Sharpton (New York)
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America does not need an African-American President that badly-- and there is no other reason to vote for this man. I would vote for Dick Cheney to keep him out of office.

Skip said:
*John Kerry (Massachusetts)
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Really hope we ain't that stupid. Ought to at least make the GOP pay for an all-new Swift Boat campaign, instead of letting them re-run the same old ads.

Skip said:
*Barack Obama (Illinois)
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2008 is too soon. Let's let him develop some history first, and see how we like him for 2012 or 2016.

Skip said:
*Al Gore (Tennessee)
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Dead in the water. And he's doing more good now that he's out of the game-- last I've heard, he has absolutely no interest in trying again.

Skip said:
*Wesley Clark (Arkansas)
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2008 will be a good year to run a military man. Especially one that doesn't have a track record of accusing American troops of war crimes.

Skip said:
*Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)
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I do not trust her. She is a Smiler.
 
Korimyr the Rat said:
I do not trust her. She is a Smiler.
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Well, her mouth smiles, but her eyes sure don't.

You will never catch that woman with her hands in the cookie jar. She is waaaaay too shrewd for that. That's why, to date, all anyone can really come up with against her is funny pictures of her in mid-speech. I have no idea any longer what she stands for, exactly.
 
Adrian said:
I have no idea any longer what she stands for, exactly.
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Sounds kinda like Obama.

See I'm in an awkward position being in Iowa... I can't wait and see if the candidate I want is dead by the time I have to choose. Iowa, judging by the polls, is a dead heat with Edwards and Obama, so I'll probably have to caucus for Barack. (Of course, it's very early - still another year.) But my #2 choice would probably be Clark - just like what you said Korimyr, someone with military experience would be great to have for the Dems.

Right now my top five are:

1. Obama
2. Clark
3. Vilsack
4. Richardson
5. Edwards
 

" Right On " Skip, I fully support every one you listed, and those who is againsted the list KNOWS that they better come right or don't come at all.
 
I like Barack first and Hilary second... but I don't really believe either of them has a chance.
Probably I'm just being overly pessimistic, though.
 
I'm confused. Most people who responded to this thread are listed as Independents. Maybe I'm wrong, but unless you are affiliated with the party, then you can't vote in the primaries anway.

Am I missing something, or are the people who claim to be Independent admitting they are democrats?
 

In Ohio, you can vote in whichever primary you want.
 
personally, i like al gore as president. he would be a real good prez. if he ran for president and barack ran for vice, that would be a hell of a ticket.

but i think the the republicans will win w/ mcCain.
 
Regardless to if a person is Independent,GrassRoot,Centrist. They can vote either way that that's their choice. AGAIN.....as a Centrist I would vote for Hillary or Obama.
 
nort_12345 said:
personally, i like al gore as president. he would be a real good prez. if he ran for president and barack ran for vice, that would be a hell of a ticket.
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I read somewhere (and part of me agrees) that if the Dem ticket was Gore-Obama, the White House would be blue through 2024. Gore's allright, but the fact is that he's a has-been. IF he could get in, he'd be great. Problem is, McCain would blow him out.

Part of me wants McCain to win the GOP nomination and part of me doesn't. If he does win, he'll probably go on to win the general election. I like McCain, but I'd rather see any of those 5 Dems on my list. See the dilemna? I guess I still have another year to decide.
 
Adrian said:
Well, her mouth smiles, but her eyes sure don't.
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Obscure comic reference. The Smiler is a character from Transmetropolitan.

Adrian said:
I have no idea any longer what she stands for, exactly.
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She stands for being the President.

SixStringHero said:
Am I missing something, or are the people who claim to be Independent admitting they are democrats?
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I've never denied being a registered Democrat; it is, for the time being, convenient. Wyoming Democrats are not particularly liberal, and nationally they are far less dangerous to leave in control of the Executive branch.

If the GOP finally cuts ties with the American Taliban and begins behaving as proper conservatives again, I might consider them a palatable option-- especially considering some of the candidates on the OP's list.
 
Hey, dont blame me for the list - I found it on Wikipedia.
 
Blame? You posted it for discussion, and my problem is that some of them are taken seriously enough to be included on it.

Al Sharpton's America ain't no kind of place for a man to live.
 
 


my first choice since neither of my first choice candidates have not announced that they are running or are not running, Evan Bayh and Mark Warner respectively, I would choose Tom Vilsack over any of them. Perhaps Barak Obama if he can prove to me that he is not just the standard carrier for the left wing of the party. John Edwards would not be too bad of a choice. In reality it comes down to a choice of the lesser of several evils.
 
As an outsider I have to say that people are a tad unrealistic.

Hillary Clinton has on huge handicap for American politics.. she is a woman. Now I am not saying that all Americans are sexist pigs, but I am saying that some are (and so are some in Europe), and the question is how many of those do vote and how many would vote just to stop Hillary Clinton being elected. She also comes with a history that can turn out the right wing conservative vote and that can be a problem if she cant motivate her own people, and the independants to vote and vote for her. And considering again the history behind the woman, I am not too sure the independants will support her as they did her husband.. but then again they might just support her because of this. But in the end, it really will come down to who the republicans put up against her and if they are able to swift boat her in some way. But one thing is for sure America is getting closer and closer to be ready for a female head of state.. just dont know if its now or if its Hillary Clinton.

Now Obama. His handicap is he is black. Like it or not race does matter in many areas of the US, even though many will deny this of course. But its under 20 years ago the last segregation laws were kicked off the books in the US, so unless there has been a mass death in the South and change of the gaurd, those old ways are still in place.. although most likely getting weaker and weaker. Question is if they have gotten so weak that it dont matter anymore.. I dont think so. To win he would have to basicly write off large parts of the south before hand, unless the guy he is running against is a total idiot. Now he could win parts of the south, but he should not expect to. Now comes the question is if he can win the midwest and all the rest. I think Obama should wait another decade, then the US might be ready for a black president. But he is the only person since Clinton that has that charisma that I see as a huge plus in an American president. Reagan had it, Clinton had it.. Bush 1 and 2 do not.

John Kerry is out. He has been totaly squashed by himself and even more by the right wing poltical machine. He cant get the flip flopper tag of himself, even though it was falsely put on him (not to mention that Bush flip flops all the time). He cant win the military vote because of Swift boat and he is also taged as an elitist Ivy league person. He also lacks charisma. He had his chance.

John Edwards. Maybe, if he can get the Kerry stigmata of him and if he does not screw too much up. What he has to overcome also is the "loser of 2004" badge and his relatively inexperience. He has charisma, and looks. However his lack of experience and his "boyish young" looks, might just be a handicap for him. He should run for more office and get more experience if you ask me.

Al Gore. Hell no. I liked the man and I like his policies for the most part, however it aint "america" policies. He would win hands down in Europe and many parts of the world thats for sure. To much bagage for the right to exploit in an election. Although he has gotten better at holding speeches..

Wesley Clark. Now this is an interesting one. One to watch, thats for sure, although his inexperience in poltics might be a problem as it was last time. But would be fun to see if the right would want to swift boat him :2razz: .

Bill Richardson. I liked his adds thats for sure. What I have seen of him I like, but frankly dont know much about him.

The rest are unrealistic or I dont know anything about them..

In the end, it wil come down to what person the Democratic candidate will run against.
 
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