How will you feel after Kerry selects Gephardt to be his veep?

[TheStateChief]

I've been saying that Gephardt would get the reins on the veep slot ever since Kerry got the nomination locked up. It sounds like Gephardt is still Kerry's top choice while others in his selection team are looking at others (Vilsack, Nunn, etc.) for various strategic reasons.

If Kerry does end up selecting Gephardt how will you feel about the ticket? More enthusiastic? Less enthusiastic? No change?

[alexwcovington]

1. What?

No. Way.

Picking Gephardt would turn the ticket into a literal BLACK HOLE OF BOREDOM. If it fails to suck you in (and god damnit if you aren't trying to fly FAR AWAY from it), you're slingshoted around it... Where to? Bush and Nader.

[JI7]

2. i think the gay rights issue with Gep's daughter being lesbian

and also cheney's daughter being lesbian will be interesting to watch. gep's daughter is active in his campaign and he has a great relationship with her. he is very accepting of her and proud of her. it's a huge contrast to the cheney's and the way they are with their daughter. remember that th eright wing plans on using the gay marriage issue in the campaign. i would like to see gep's daughter attend some forum with cheney's daughter and discuss gay rights issues.

it would also be a chance to show the issue of gay rights is not a democratic republican, liberal conservative issue.but of civil rights for people in your family.

[Corkey Mineola]

31. Only upside to Gephardt

Is his gay daughter and the issues you raise here, J17. Otherwise, he's a terminal snooze.

[montanacowboy]

3. I am not enthusiastic about Kerry at all

and if he picks Geb, that does it for me -

what I see happening in the GOP is Cheney stepping aside for health reasons, and McCain being tapped for VP (he is campaigning on Air Force One with King Idiot) this is pumping up his profile for the party to be able to slip him in

and then the coup de etat, they appoint the scummy exmayor of NYC, Rudy (I am a family values man) to head the CIA

and guess what????????????? the sheeple will have multiple orgasms

and Kerry/Gebhart? another lost election for the Dems.

If he pick Gebhart, I truly have no use for him.

[JI7]

8. why? Gephardt voted against welfare reform, against NAFTA

he has a great record on issues concerning workers rights. he comes from a family that didn't have much and made it up where he is himself unlike bush. and he spent the entire time working for people who came from the type of family he came from.

[vi5]

14. It's got nothing to do with his voting record....

Basic voting record issues are low hanging fruit (to use a horrible business term). People that care enough about any one of those issues are going to vote for the dem candidate anyway. What Kerry needs to do is pick someone who is going to get either moderates or liberals excited. I don't care which way he goes with it, but at this point it's got to generate excitement.

[Ridley Park 704]

23. if Smirk gets McCain on the ticket, it's really over. but will cheney go

without a fight?

This has been my biggest fear so far.

check out this weblog, she isn't thrilled with our chances.

http://www.snunes.blogspot.com

[Fovea]

25. By November Kerry could choose Marilyn Manson

as veep and get elected.

Take a fresh look at the news about Iraq, Enron, Torturegate.
Go see F911 and 'the hunting of the president' (as a few million other Americans will) and let's see what happens.

The 911 commission just kicked Cheney-Bush in the crotch with steel toed boots.

The only ticket the Pubs could run that stands a snowballs chance in hell would be McCain - Giuliani.

As to Gep, being dull. Yeah. But I think that the DLC should be working to make the way straight and easy for MoveOn, AirAmerica, and any other forum for our message. If the strategy is to play up the gravitas (and we haven't seen much of that lately), he could do far worse than Gep.

But don't knock Gep on his creds, he does have them, and he has them for a reason. He is the best friend American Labor has had for a long time. Yeah, if we have Gep on the Veep spot, we need him to take the additional BSE risk and load up on the red meat.

[I thought so.]

32. Got the powerball numbers?

Clairvoyance is too good to waste on politics.

[RafterMan]

4. Foolish

nt

[WI_DEM]

5. I also think Gep will get the nod

from the beginning Kerry has said it has to be someone with lots of experience and say what you will but Gep's almost 30 years encompasses all of this. He also wanted someone who had paid his dues to the party--Gep again--no one has raised more money for congressional candidates, ect. It doesn't hurt that Gep is also from a key swing state.

Now having said all of that I hope it isn't Gep.

[wjsander]

6. I will feel as dead as the campaign

Then I'll move to Canada when everyone wonders how we lost and prepares for the next 4 years with Cheney/Bush.

[vi5]

7. It will be another Gore/Leiberman moment....

He'll still keep my vote but will lose any enthusiasm I have had for him.

[JayS]

9. I think the "black box" recordings from airline disasters would...

...convey best how I would feel about the state of the Kerry campaign by the mechanical voice often heard at the very end of the tape: PULL UP, PULL UP, PULL UP.......

[k in IA]

10. I would be disappointed and depressed.

Sorry to those who disapprove but that is how I would feel.

I will still vote for Kerry and maybe start to like Gep more over time (I don't dislike him, I just don't want him in this position).

[TexasSissy]

11. Disappointed. But I'll hope it helps to win.

I don't claim to know which VP will actually help where it counts, so I can only trust that the Kerry camp, which has been doing okay so far, will make the right choice that helps us win.

[Hoosier Democrat]

12. I've never been enthusiastic about Kerry...

and putting Gephardt on the ticket will just about seal it for me.

As I have said before, Gephardt brings NOTHING to a ticket except the rank smell of impending defeat.


Still holding out hope that Kerry actually makes a smart decision and picks Edwards, Warner, or Breaux.

[punpirate]

13. You say it... but I hope you're wrong.

Gephardt is a loser. Binding him to the ticket won't help a bit.

You keep pushing this meme and there's nothing to support it. I wonder why.

Your questions, more enthusiastic, less enthusiastic, no change, suggest to me that you're polling for Gephardt.

Here's my take--the harder Kerry pushes to the right (and Gephardt has a bad reputation here for butt-kissing Bush one too many times in the name of bipartisanship), the more likely he is to lose. Gephardt won't help him win. That's my take.

Go back to the primaries. Gephardt was the first to drop out--because his showing was atrocious. That ought to say something about the degree to which he's going to help Kerry.

But, in fact, it's up to Kerry to name his VP, and he hasn't done so. Frankly, I don't care who he picks. He's not the best pick for president, but if he gets Bush out, that's okay by me. If he does something stupid which compromises his chances of beating Bush (such as picking Gephardt), it's our loss, too, not just Kerry's.

Keep pushing Gephardt and see how far you get with it.

[larco]

15. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

eom

[Nicholas_J]

43. If you remember

There were lots of posts about Kerry getting ending up winning the nomination that had the same long string of letters in the subject line. And Kerry took the lead.

[liskddksil]

16. Kerry's not getting a dime of money

[emulatorloo]

17. I wasn't thrilled with Al Gore, but I grew to love him

Vp is picked strategically, I am not going to waste my time crying if Kerry doesn't pick Clark.

(PS I was *never* thrilled w lieberman, but DG is no lieberman)

[still_one]

18. I will still vote for Kerry, but

if Gephardt is selected Kerry will lose some Democrats, and probably the election. Doesn't anyone remember how Gephardt jumped to the administration's side to defend him going into Iraq?

Because of Kerry's position on the support of the Iraq war, I think a lot of people would go bonkers if he selected Gephardt.

In addition, Gephardt does not represent new ideas, but the old one.

Bad idea...

[rock]

19. Ask me after it happens

If in fact it does.

[TheStateChief]

20. I think the Gephardt choice has to do with personality, believe it or not

I think Kerry's reasons for considering Gephardt have more to do with him simply liking the guy, getting along with the guy and feeling comfortable that he has the creditentials to be an acceptable president if need be. I think Kerry and Gephardt were coordinating their message and their activities when Dean was running away with the race and I think Kerry may also feel indebted to Gephardt in some manner.

Personally, the name I'd like to see (though rarely do) is Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell. Great labor guy who would guarantee Pennsylvania for the Democratic column. He's got a great attitude and a great personality and although his governing credentials may not run as deep as Gephardt, he does have a keen understanding of the party and what you need to do to win elections.

[JI7]

24. Gep was attacking Kerry for NAFTA , WTO

and many other trade issues. but interestingly kerry ended up winning the union votes.

gep and kerry also had a huge disagreement over tax cuts.gep wanted to get rid of all of it, kerry wanted to keep the middle class tax cuts in place.

but you are right that kerry likes gephardt personally. they have both been good friends for a long time and kerry gets along with gephardt and his wife. so there is a comfortableness there . he knows the man and he knows he will do as good a job as he can . so i'm sure personal relationship has a lot to do with it.

[Crachet2004]

21. Gep is hardly anyone's first choice...but I will understand.

He would bring Missouri...which might win this thing for us, all by itself. He would help in other battleground states, with labor and seniors. He could definitely bring the country through to the next election, should something happen to the President-and this is extremely important in a VP pick. He knows Washington. He had a few bad votes, but no one can say he is not a REAL Democrat.

We have watched Gep for 30 years; and what do we really know of Vilsack, Clark, and especially Edwards? Who REALLY is behind these guys...especially Clark and Edwards, who essentially appeared out of the blue about 6 months ago? Who do they really represent?

With Dick Gephardt, dull and boring though he be, we have no such questions...at least I do not. He will represent US.

Gep, unlike the others, will bring concrete electoral aid to the ticket-FOR SURE. He is one of us-FOR SURE. He is also for sure qualified and capable. No one can say he is not. There is no excitement or flash to this man, but maybe, just maybe, the country is looking for something a little different this time. Steadiness. Proven leadership. Loyalty. Honesty. A return to traditional democratic values and goals. Gep.

Not my first choice, but I will understand.

[Larkspur]

22. My enthusiasm for Kerry is low now and will drop further if Geppy is VP

but I wouldn't be surprised by Gep being Kerry's VP choice, after all 1) Gep and his minions helped Kerry win Iowa and defeat Dean, 2) Gep makes Kerry look like a live human being, and 3) it will be a choice that completely disses the anti-Iraq war advocates, so Kerry can brag about being tough on terrorism.

My chuck of spit will be twice as large in November if Gep is the VP.

[StopThief]

26. I don't think the American people would ever. . . .

put someone with no eyebrows that close to the Presidency.

:evilgrin:

[Lefty Pragmatist]

27. It would be better than Daschle, I guess

but like most people they'd have to put me on suicide watch for a couple days. Gephardt has a terrible personality, he's in disagreement with Kerry on key issues (he's the poster child of old, dead protectionism), and Rove would necklace him with his own 4 million year voting record. Bleech.

[JI7]

28. that's why unions are pushing gephardt

because he is anti nafta and much less for trade than kerry is.

[goodhue]

29. somewhat disappointed but not particularly surprised

I'm hoping for Edwards. But I've long thought that Gephardt is the likely pick.

[bushwakker]

30. the antipathy on DU to Gephardt is absurd

he is solid, pro-union progressive. has been for years. gephardt makes a lot of sense as vp. i'm leaning to edwards but would be happy with geppy.

[zulchzulu]

33. I'd still be voting and working hard for Kerry no matter who he chooses

If it's Gephardt, I'd be somewhat disappointed to a degree. But Gephardt isn't a bad guy and he would shore up the labor vote as well as chisel away at the Midwest.

A Cheney-Gephardt debate would still be pretty interesting.

Not my first choice, but...

[slinkerwink]

34. definitely less enthusiastic.....Gep is the kiss of DEATH on a ticket...

[Pastiche423]

35. This gep?

DLC elitest + repug ass licker = death of the Democratic Party.

[BrewCrew]

36. I'll say Thanks, John!

With Gephardt on the ticket, we won't have to worry about any more ridiculous trade deals that hurt American workers, exploit foreign labor, and devastate the middle class. Dick understands this issue. He's understood it for 20 years!

[JohnKleeb]

40. I agree brew

I also feel that Gep may help us with older votes, however I think Edwards should be the VP but its nothing against Gephardt who has been fighting for workers rights for nearly his whole life. Funny how a lot of people want Kerry to have a more trade policy like theres, but yet they'll flip if Gep is the one. I'd like Gep as VP though I wuold prefer Edwards.

[mzmolly]

37. Considering he is looking for a tough on national security running mate...

I am doubting it will happen.

[ibegurpard]

38. Like he's doing everything he possibly can to lose.

eom

[JohnKleeb]

39. not disappointed at all

I actually like Gephardt. Though I dont want him as VP, I want him heading up the labor department.

[Crunchy Frog]

41. I will feel saddened,

angry, more alienated than ever from a party that I have already been feeling extremely alienated from. It would tell me that Kerry and the party establishment just don't "get it", and think we're still living in the same political world that we were in the past. Like they really don't understand what the stakes are, and are still playing the same old political games.

It would feel like an embrace of the past over the future, and would seal in my mind that the Democrats are intent on becoming irrelevant and obsolete in the modern world.

It would tell me that they care more about political cronyism than about winning the election. I would very seriously re-consider my membership in the party once the election was over with.

That said, I would still support and vote for the ticket, albeit, without enthusiasm.

[bigwillq]

42. Selecting GEP wouldn't sit too well with me

I personally don't care too much for him but I am still voting for Kerry no matter who he chooses. Hey, Gep has a good record in the House and he's been around a long time but I think Kerry needs to pick someone more fiery and upbeat. Someone that has the potential to be the next Prez and one that can relate to all age groups and races like Clark or Edwards.

[Crowdance]

44. I'd feel like an independent, cast adrift n/t

[JHBowden]

45. About the same.

I'd understand the choice, but I am not a big fan of Gephardt, given what he did to us in the Rose Garden.