# Kerry picks Edwards as VP. That's it, I'm not voting. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 6, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781 "2004-07-06T13:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/21 "2004-07-06T14:13:16Z")
Ignorance-fighting time already, I see: > [@Knowed Out](#): > > The only reason I can see that Kerry picked Edwards is because he thinks having a Southern Democrat alongside him will get him votes. It sure can’t be because of his political record. > > What political record you ask? NONE!!! Six years as a United States Senator. > [@](#): > > Edwards is nothing but a coattail-riding professional office runner. Edwards was first elected to the Senate in 1998, a non-presidential election year in which there were no coattails to be ridden. Moreover, he’s hardly a “professional office runner,” since he’s only ever held one office (Senate, one term) and run for one other (President, of course). > [@](#): > > Barely 2 days into his Senate reign, he announces he’s running for president. Edwards was sworn in as a senator in January 1999. He didn’t form a presidential exploratory committee until [January 2003](http://www.4president.org/speeches/johnedwards2004pressrelease.htm). He did not announce he was actually running until an appearance on _The Daily Show with John Stewart_ on September 15, 2003. > [@](#): > > Since then he hasn’t done DICK as a senator. Quite the contrary. Edwards immediately assumed a leading role on the Democratic side during the Clinton impeachment, taking the depositions of both Monica Lewinsky and Vernon Jordan. He serves on several Senate committees, including the very important Intelligence and Judiciary committees. According to his Senate bio, he was a principal sponsor of the Birpartisan Patient Protection Act in 2001 (it passed the Senate, but I believe it died in the House). > [@](#): > > He just used the Senate office as leverage for the presidential campaign. “Just”? He didn’t do _anything_ else for the last six years? And how does this make him different from every other political office holder who has run for president in the last couple centuries? Feh. > [@](#): > > According to [this site,](http://www.wral.com/news/2782949/detail.html) his voting attendance was a whopping 28 percent. As somebody pointed out above, that refers to his voting attendance from October 2003 through January 2004, a time of heavy campaigning in the presidential primaries. It’s also nothing unusual for legislators running for president–pretty much all of them miss a lot of votes. If you have anything that shows Edwards was unusually truant in this respect, please provide it. > [@](#): > > His answer to a question of whether he thinks he’s representing North Carolina interests? “Yes. In fact,” he said, “I’m representing North Carolina very well because the values I learned growing up in North Carolina are the very values propelling this campaign.” BAARRRFFF!!! He’s 100% plastic from his aw-shucks smile and Opie haircut down to his wingtips. So some people think he’s a nice guy, and you don’t. Whatever. > [@](#): > > He has done NOTHING to demonstrate ANY sort of qualifications as presidential material Apart from serving as a United States Senator and running a widely-praised campaign that placed second to Kerry in the Democratic primaries? > [@](#): > > except whore himself out for votes. Really? I assume you have copncrete examples of this alleged vote-selling? > [@](#): > > And before any of you derail with “Well, George W. Buth only therved one term ath governor of Texthath…” Thows what you know. Buth wath elected governor twith, and therved hath of hith thecond term before becoming Prethident. > [@](#): > > I’M TALKING ABOUT EDWARDS!!! If you say so. > [@](#): > > I was fully planning on voting AGAINST Bush this November, but now I’ve decided I’m not going to fucking vote at all! Either choice is just as crappy. If only all the rest of the stupid people declined to exercise their right to cast ignorant votes. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/22 "2004-07-06T14:13:38Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > To those who called me asshole…I notice you didn’t have anything to say about Edwards. The most ringing endorsement so far is **Kalhoun** ’s “It’s not like a VP does all that much in the way of big decisions anyway.” Tell that to Dick Cheney. > > So go ahead, sell me…why should I support Edwards as VP? You’ve put your finger on it. Two words: Dick Cheney. Your choice is between Edwards and Cheney. Edwards won’t be whispering in the President’s ear, telling him to launch preemptive invasions of countries that don’t represent any threat to the U.S. Edwards won’t be sucking the cock of every big corporate moneybag in the country. Edwards won’t be collecting paychecks from Halliburton while Halliburton is raiding the Treasury. Edwards won’t be plotting to make “good use” of all that wasted land out there - you know, things like parks and wildlife refuges. The list goes on and on. What else do you need?! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/23 "2004-07-06T14:17:43Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > So go ahead, sell me…why should I support Edwards as VP? Because he’s John Kerry’s running mate. If you want Bush out of office, and you want a policy coming out of the White House that doesn’t unfairly favor the rich and priviledged in this country, and you would like to see everyone have a chance to afford college, and everyone to have more affordable healthcare, and you don’t want John Ashcroft peeking in your window at night, you’ll support John Kerry’s decision. Or you could check your state’s voting protocol and see if there are two categories for both President and Vice-President, and not vote for Edwards if you hate him so much. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/24 "2004-07-06T14:20:00Z")
The winning candidate will be the one whose opponant pissed off the most people. Kerry/Edwards have yet to build up a burning hate, merely a scournful dislike. A scournful dislike isn’t enough to drive people to the polls when there’s another Eight is Enough reunion show on. I think the deciding factor in this year’s election won’t be who voted for whom, it will be who didn’t vote at all. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/25 "2004-07-06T14:23:26Z")
**A third party vote is a wasted one. Ralph Nadar kept Al Gore from winning the White House.** Yeah. Al’s home state had nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/26 "2004-07-06T14:23:45Z")
[b]Minty\*\*, your ability to calmy respond with topical, factual information while injecting the perfect touch of snark with the last sentence awes me. Superb post. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/27 "2004-07-06T14:26:58Z")
> [@Abbie Carmichael](#): > > **A third party vote is a wasted one. Ralph Nadar kept Al Gore from winning the White House.** > > Yeah. Al’s home state had nothing to do with it. The purpose of voting is to shift the political spectrum to match your own. Voting for Nader did the exact opposite of that. If Nader hadn’t have run, Gore would have won - simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/28 "2004-07-06T14:28:10Z")
And let’s not forget that John Edwards can talk to dead people. Can Cheney do that? I don’t think so! What? ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/29 "2004-07-06T14:30:02Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > And let’s not forget that John Edwards can talk to dead people. Can Cheney do that? I don’t think so! > > What? I’m getting a message from someone whose name starts with J … anybody’s … oh okay he says his granddaughter is in the audience … anyone’s grandfather’s name start with a J? No J? Ok he’s clarified. It’s K … easy to confuse with J … any K’s??? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/30 "2004-07-06T14:34:19Z")
Two years ago I took my grandfather to a doctors appointment and on the way out of town we stopped at the Benton County Historical Society just to look around. We were hoping to run into a relative who volunteers there, but Ed had that particular day off so we browsed on our own. Back in the museum part they had shelves and shelves of old township records (Navy people will know what I’m talking about when I say they were just like log books.), and I pulled one for my township from the 1910s. I opened to a random page and stared in shock at the signature: John Sandi, Recorder. My great-grandfather. The father of the man next to me. “Grampa?” And I pointed at the name. “Heh!” He was quiet for a minute. “He was on the town board for, I don’t know, eight, maybe ten years. I remember one winter when I was a kid there was a snowstorm on election day and he made me come with him, shoveling all the way. ‘In Poland I couldn’t vote! Now I’m in America…I vote!’ That’s what he told me, and I’ve never forgotten it.” Neither have I. **Knowed Out** , if you like the way the country is going, vote for the incumbent. If you don’t like the way the country is going, vote for someone else. If you don’t vote, though… **then** you’re an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/31 "2004-07-06T14:35:11Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The purpose of voting is to shift the political spectrum to match your own. Voting for Nader did the exact opposite of that. If Nader hadn’t have run, Gore would have won - simple as that. I disagree. In 2004, Kerry is running in opposition to the Republican party; in 2000, Gore was running alongside the Republican party. I think the Democratic party got the message loud and clear in 2000 and 2002, that it can no longer take the votes of progressives for granted, and now they’re working to incorporate progressive issues into a winning platform. Voting for Nader in 2000 sent a strong message, and while plenty of Democrats refuse to hear it, enough Democrats in leadership positions understood. Was it worth it? Ask the thousands of people dead in Bush’s war. Would I do it again? Unlikely. Do I regret it? No. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/32 "2004-07-06T14:45:12Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I disagree. In 2004, Kerry is running in opposition to the Republican party Where? No, seriously. Every time I look at Kerry’s position on issues, it seems he’s trying to out-Republican Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/33 "2004-07-06T14:46:44Z")
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the further the Democratic Party moves to the left, the less success it has. There are parts of the country where more liberal ideas are in the narrow majority, but if you take the country as a whole, it doesn’t work. If it did, Republicans would not have the majority in both houses of congress. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/34 "2004-07-06T14:47:11Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > Every time I look at Kerry’s position on issues, it seems he’s trying to out-Republican Bush. Where? No, seriously. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/35 "2004-07-06T14:47:54Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > Where? No, seriously. Every time I look at Kerry’s position on issues, it seems he’s trying to out-Republican Bush. That’s what Clinton had to do to get elected. The further Kerry moves to the left, the closer he gets to electoral death. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/36 "2004-07-06T14:51:40Z")
> [@Evil One](#): > > I hate to be the bearer of bad news I’m sure you do > [@](#): > > the further the Democratic Party moves to the left, the less success it has. There are parts of the country where more liberal ideas are in the narrow majority, but if you take the country as a whole, it doesn’t work. If it did, Republicans would not have the majority in both houses of congress. Wrong. The fewer people vote, the less success the Democratic party has. The Republicans have been very good at mobilizing their voters, whereas the Democrats have kinda sucked at it. Get a visionary progressive as a candidate, and you’ll see great things happen. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/37 "2004-07-06T14:52:08Z")
> [@Evil One](#): > > A third party vote is a wasted one. Ralph Nadar kept Al Gore from winning the White House. How is a third party vote a wasted one? I mean moreso than voting for a guy who wins by 1000 votes or loses by 1000 votes? Further, I won’t disagree that Nader kept Gore from winning the White House – of course that directly contradicts your assertion that a third party vote is a wasted one. ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/38 "2004-07-06T14:52:24Z")
> [@Evil One](#): > > I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the further the Democratic Party moves to the left, the less success it has. There are parts of the country where more liberal ideas are in the narrow majority, but if you take the country as a whole, it doesn’t work. If it did, Republicans would not have the majority in both houses of congress. What newspapers are you reading? Everything I’ve read about the last few weeks of Kerry’s campaign is that he is modeling a more centrist message. He spent the last week campaigning in small rural areas and has been focusing on a “values” theme. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/39 "2004-07-06T14:52:33Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > Big improvement over Joe Lieberman. Hear! Hear!Or is that Here! Here! I can never remember. Inre the OP: Vote or don’t. But I guarantee you that the first time you start to bitch about the government, you will be called on it. I will even lead the charge, if need be. I don’t hate Edwards, and he’ll grow on me. I remember feeling the same way about Gore in '92. But I never cared for Lieberman at all. Too sanctimonious. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781/40 "2004-07-06T14:53:59Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Where? No, seriously. Take the war in Iraq, for example. Kerry wants to send more troops, and his plan is to keep them there until 2008. I don’t believe Bush is calling for more troops or for them to stay there that long. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerry-picks-edwards-as-vp-thats-it-im-not-voting/253781.md?page=3)