# Democrats 2012 absent Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 29, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502 "2011-08-29T15:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/1 "2011-08-29T15:51:26Z")
Imagine that for whatever reason, Obama does not stand for re-election in 2012. He’ll serve out his term, but that’s it. He’s leaving with integrity, too: there are no shenanigans. (Scenarios as to why this should happen belong in another thread.) So, which Democrats would stand, and which of them would have decent chances of being elected? Hilary Clinton seems an obvious front-runner. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/2 "2011-08-29T15:55:47Z")
Hillary would be far and away the frontrunner. After that, I would start looking at some current Dem Governors, like Andrew Cuomo (New York) or Deval Patrick (Mass). Maybe we could even dust off Jerry Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/3 "2011-08-29T17:04:24Z")
IMO, Brown wouldn’t stand a chance. Cuomo is a good pick that I wouldn’t have immediately thought of and I agree Hillary would be the obvious frontrunner. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/4 "2011-08-29T17:16:10Z")
I’ve heard some talk of Cuomo in 2016. I don’t know, Huntsman? (jk) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/5 "2011-08-29T17:24:10Z")
Elizabeth Warren in '12! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/6 "2011-08-29T18:56:32Z")
Isn’t this basically the same question as who’s going to run in 2016? In either case, I’ve said it before, but my governor (Brian Schweitzer, MT) would be a good choice. He’s expressed distaste for Washington before, but I’m sure he could be talked out of that. I can’t see it being Brown, though. California is in the bag anyway for the Democrat, and most of the country tends to see California as being somewhat nutty. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/7 "2011-08-29T20:26:54Z")
Brown is too old. He could have won in 1992 if he’d been nominated IMO, or possibly in '88 if he’d run that year. Hillary wouldn’t run. She’s stated pretty clearly that her position as Secretary of State will be her last, and she won’t be running for office again. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/8 "2011-08-29T21:05:48Z")
I’d say Clinton would be the most likely. Maybe Biden. I agree that Cuomo will probably be the front runner in 2016. At that point, Clinton and Biden will probably look too old and Cuomo will have a few more years of experience. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/9 "2011-08-29T21:11:27Z")
Andrew Cuomo. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/10 "2011-08-29T21:15:46Z")
Probably a stupid thing for me to say, but why not Dean? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/11 "2011-08-29T21:20:42Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Probably a stupid thing for me to say, but why not Dean? A shame it couldn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/12 "2011-08-29T21:33:52Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > Hillary wouldn’t run. She’s stated pretty clearly that her position as Secretary of State will be her last, and she won’t be running for office again. I think she would probably make an exception in this scenario. In the real world, most Secretaries of State serve one term and there’s no possibility of promotion for her. Cuomo is an interesting choice. He’s doing well and he does have a varied resume, but he only become governor of NY in January. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/13 "2011-08-29T21:51:37Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > Hillary wouldn’t run. She’s stated pretty clearly that her position as Secretary of State will be her last, and she won’t be running for office again. Presumably she said that assuming there won’t be an opening for a non-Obama Dem Prez candidacy until 2016. I imagine she’d at least reconsider if there was a sudden opening next year. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/14 "2011-08-29T23:56:28Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Probably a stupid thing for me to say, but why not Dean? Why not Zoidberg? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/15 "2011-08-30T00:05:23Z")
Hard to envision the catastrophe such he doesn’t run. Health problems? Dunno, I see him as a guy that if you told him he would drop dead on the last day of his next term, he’d still run. But any of them. Hillary, sure, Dean, Hugh Bethca, who cares, the other side is offering a slate of flesh-eating zombies. I’m gonna try to be bit farther north if Perry is on the ticket, if he’s elected President the Canadians will be closing the border in a matter of hours. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/16 "2011-08-30T02:03:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Why not Zoidberg? Good news everybody! I actually read that in Zoidberg’s voice. What does that say about me? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/17 "2011-08-30T02:25:43Z")
Your mom is about to call you upstairs for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/18 "2011-08-30T02:32:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Your mom is about to call you upstairs for dinner. Damn. That means it’s almost my bedtime. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/19 "2011-08-30T04:24:36Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Maybe we could even dust off Jerry Brown. How’s he doing as governor so far? ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502/20 "2011-08-31T01:04:18Z")
Al Gore could always try again. Maybe third time’s the charm. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-2012-absent-obama/594502.md?page=2)