I’m well aware that y’all just haven’t seen enough election threads as of late, so I’d like to do my part to quench that thirst. The idea here is to nominate candidates who make you say, “Damn! I like both/all of them! I’m really going to have to do a thorough analysis on their platforms, integrity, leadership, etc. before I can decide who would be a more ideal president” as opposed to “Damn! They both/all suck the big one! I’m really going to have to do a thorough analysis on their platforms, integrity, leadership, etc. before I can decide who’s going to do less damage while in office.” Nominate for as many parties as you’d like, although it’s preferable to nominate for at least two parties or else it will be kind of pointless. Straying from the incumbent is quite permissible.
My nominees:
Republican - John McCain (on a sidenote: If you Southeasterners had listened to me and voted for him in the primaries instead of Bush, we wouldn’t have had to deal with this mess over the last five weeks.)
Democrat - Zell Miller
Now that I think about it, my Republican nominee is a Senator from the state in which I currently reside. My Democrat nominee is a former governor of the state in which I grew up. Am I a little biased, perhaps? Naaaahhh.
Can’t we get this godawful election out of our systems before we talk about the next one? :D:D
I always thought Sen. John Warner (R-VA) would make a good candidate. As a Republican, he’s moderate, going so far as to vote with Democrats on issues that were otherwise completely partisan.
For a Democrat, perhaps Sen. Sam Nunn (D-??). He seems to be the mirror of Warner: a Democrat that is conservative.
Democrats:[ul][li]President- Zell Miller (Senator and former Governor from Georgia)[/li][li]Vice President- John Edwards (NC Senator)[/li][li]Alternate- Gray Davis (CA Governor)[/ul][/li]
Republicans:[ul][li]President- John McCain (AZ Senator)[/li][li]Vice President- (Surprise!)Jeb Bush (FL Governor, the smart Bush boy)[/ul][/li]
Reform and/or Green and/or Independent:[ul][li]President- Jesse Ventura (MN Governor)[/li]Vice President- Ukelele Ike (Straight Dope Smartass)[/ul]
I only have one nominee: McCain. Seriously, he’s just good. I don’t care which side he runs for. I’m a democrat, and I just see that he’s right for it.
Well, I’d say George W. Bush, Jr. has at least a leg up on the '04 nomination. When was the last time an incumbent one-term president wasn’t nominated? LBJ in ‘68, I believe. And if his popular majority is nonexistent, the man has at least proven that he can raise money like nobody’s business. Gore was considered the Democrats’ Grand Master at campaign fund-raising, and Bush still outspent him $170 million to $100 million.
If Bush stinks up the Oval Office so badly that he declines to run in ‘04, then the Republicans’ chances will be so grim that the leading lights of the party will avoid running. Forbes and (gulp!) Quayle will probably try again, along with Kasich and maybe Watts. Whitman and McCain will bide their time.
I really doubt the Democrats will put up Gore again. The perception will be that he failed to beat a very weak candidate. They may try Hillary Clinton (seems like a dumb idea to me, but I thought Bush, Jr. was a pretty dumb idea too). I wouldn’t be surprised if Gephardt tried one more time, and I think Tom Harkin will at least feel it out. I don’t think Nunn wants the office.