# Robert Reich for Pres. in '08?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [April 22, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636 "2005-04-22T17:19:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/1 "2005-04-22T17:19:48Z")
Anyone see [Robert Reich](http://www.robertreich.org/reich/biography.asp) on _The Daily Show_ recently? A well-spoken, Centrist Democrat who seems equally appealing to lefty Republicans and righty Democrats . . . _Main_ problem is, he’s, like 5’2", and “short” is pretty much unelectable.
Anyone know much about this schmoe? Admittedly, I’m pretty uninformed about him, but I really like what he had to say and how he said it (with humor, charm and personality, unlike most of the people the Dems have put up recently).
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### Author:  [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/2 "2005-04-22T17:33:34Z")
I don’t know much about him, but I’d say his name will work against him.
There seems to be some sort of subtle phenomenon in American politics where Americans do not want a President with an “ethnic” or foreign-sounding last name.
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### Author:  [@Jon\_the\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jon_the_Geek)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/3 "2005-04-22T18:20:31Z")
I like him from what little I know of him, but I doubt he’s electable. It’d be interesting to at least see how he did in a primary, though… but he lost the Democratic primary for MA Governor according to his [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich). Then again, it says “his campaign had hardly any money,” so who knows.
He seems to be a Democrat who is for sticking with liberalism, rather than becoming a Republican in order to win, so that’s a plus in my book…
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/4 "2005-04-22T18:26:51Z")
Crap. He’s only 4’10". He could be the reincarnation of Lincoln _and_ Washington, and he couldn’t get elected.
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/5 "2005-04-22T18:27:13Z")
I haven’t been following his career lately, but I loved his book, [Locked in the Cabinet](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375700617/qid=1114194439/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-2901272-8739157?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). He’s a witty writer and a compassionate man. Very smart.
You should give his book a read; while you may not agree with every view he espouses in it, he does come across as earnest and not at all slimey like a lot of other politicians.
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### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/6 "2005-04-22T18:30:51Z")
I’d like to see Condi as Republican candidate, Hillary as Democratic, and Powell as Independent. Man would that drive conservatives crazy.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/7 "2005-04-22T19:22:14Z")
> [@Eve](#):
>
> Crap. He’s only 4’10". He could be the reincarnation of Lincoln _and_ Washington, and he couldn’t get elected.
Only if the Republicans put up Vern Troyer.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/8 "2005-04-22T19:32:51Z")
I’ve followed his career for quite some time. He’s actually pretty left on the economic scale. And he has a smarmy, academic-lecturer way of speaking that would turn a lot of Americans off. He’s never been elected to any office, so going from nada to prez is just not the way things are done-- unless you are a General, then you get a pass on the “ethnic” name thing, too, I guess…
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/9 "2005-04-22T19:34:32Z")
> [@DanBlather](#):
>
> I’d like to see Condi as Republican candidate, Hillary as Democratic, and Powell as Independent. Man would that drive conservatives crazy.
So Condi gets all the conservative vote (you think conservatives won’t like her because she’s a black woman? Hint: it’s the 21st century. Get with the program.), and Hillary and Powell split the moderate to liberal vote. Condi wins, 40-30-30.
It might not turn out that way, but I wouldn’t want to bet against it.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/10 "2005-04-22T19:50:12Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#):
>
> So Condi gets all the conservative vote (you think conservatives won’t like her because she’s a black woman? Hint: it’s the 21st century. Get with the program.), and Hillary and Powell split the moderate to liberal vote. Condi wins, 40-30-30.
>
> It might not turn out that way, but I wouldn’t want to bet against it.
Condi’s problem is not that she’s a black woman but that she’s pro-choice. Unless she’s willing to sell out that position (and it wouldn’t surprise me if she did. Poppy Bush went from pro-choice to being nominally pro-life in order to run as Ronny’s Veep) she can’t get the nomination.
And don’t underestimate the sexism that still exists in the religious right — There’s that whole Promise Keepers movement to force women to “submit” to men, for instance.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/11 "2005-04-22T19:52:52Z")
> [@Eve](#):
>
> Crap. He’s only 4’10". He could be the reincarnation of Lincoln and Washington, and he couldn’t get elected.
Ed Koch once said that the word “feisty” (often applied to him), has only one meaning in politics: “short”.
Robert Reich is _extremely_ feisty.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/12 "2005-04-22T19:54:06Z")
Condi is going to make an excellent VP choice the Pubs. I’m thinking McCain/Rice is the ticket. McCain is bit long in the tooth, but I think he can pull it off.
As to who Hillary’s VP choice will be, that remains to be seen. 🙂
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/13 "2005-04-22T19:56:10Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#):
>
> And don’t underestimate the sexism that still exists in the religious right — There’s that whole Promise Keepers movement to force women to “submit” to men, for instance.
And never underestimate the power of Republicans to hold their nose and vote for anyone who’s got a little “®” next to their name on the ballot.
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/14 "2005-04-22T20:04:41Z")
> [@Eve](#):
>
> A well-spoken, Centrist Democrat who seems equally appealing to lefty Republicans and righty Democrats . . . Main problem is, he’s, like 5’2", and “short” is pretty much unelectable.
Well, though I’m not intimately familiar with the man I’ve seen him around a few times. I wouldn’t describe him as a ‘centrist democrat’ though…unless the Dems have moved further to the left than I thought when I wasn’t looking at them. He is pretty short though. 🙂
> [@John Mace](#):
>
> As to who Hillary’s VP choice will be, that remains to be seen.
I think Hillary would make a better VP choice, as would Condi. I think you are spot on with your McCain/Rice ticket, but how about a Richardson/Clinton ticket? THAT could be interesting if it works out that way.
> [@rjung](#):
>
> And never underestimate the power of Republicans to hold their nose and vote for anyone who’s got a little “(R)” next to their name on the ballot.
Don’t underestimate the power of Dems to hold their collective noses either and vote for the little (D) on the ballot. After all, recall the ‘anyone but Bush’ mantra that catapulted Kerry to the top slot for no better reason than folks thought he stacked up well against Bush…incorrectly as it turned out.
Lets also not forget that there were plenty of dissatisfied Republicans who DIDN’T hold their collective noses and vote Bush…several on this board in fact.
-XT
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/15 "2005-04-22T20:11:27Z")
Hillary is not going to run. That’s nothing but a Republican fantasy.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/16 "2005-04-22T20:16:16Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#):
>
> Hillary is not going to run. That’s nothing but a Republican fantasy.
Well, at least that idea has been upgraded from “porn” to “fantasy”. 🙂 But given her popularity among Dems, I guess it must be a Democratic fantasy, too.
Honestly, though, why do you think she won’t run? How many Senators would turn down the prez nomination if it was handed to them, as it would be to her?
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### Author:  [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/17 "2005-04-22T20:18:13Z")
I don’t know, Dio. Why would she be trying to sneak to the middle this early if she wasn’t at least thinking about it?
I do think that she is unelectable because she is a very polarizing candidate.
For what it’s worth, I think that McCain/Rice is a very good choice for the Republicans.
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### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/18 "2005-04-22T20:20:08Z")
> [@DtC](#):
>
> Hillary is not going to run. That’s nothing but a Republican fantasy.
What do you base this on? Just because some Republicans have said it it must be untrue? Do you have anything solid for why you can make this categoric statement? I’ve heard this Republican porn/fantasy line before but never actually seen WHY the folks dismissing Hillary so casually think that. Fill me in here DtC.
Also, if she runs or not, couldn’t she still be nominated as a VP? Seems like that would be a boost for whoever the Dems DO decide to run. If its another Kerry he could use all the help he can get…
-XT
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### Author:  [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/19 "2005-04-22T20:20:48Z")
Two points that need to be made:
1. The only Cabinet secretary without electoral experience to win a presidential election was Herbert Hoover, in 1928.
2. In his one bid for electoral office (the 2002 Massachusetts Governor’s race), he won 24.8% of the primary vote- almost 8% behind the winner, and less than a point above the third-place finisher.
Need I say anything more?
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-reich-for-pres-in-08/300636/20 "2005-04-22T20:27:14Z")
Hillary would make an excellent VP choice for the Dems. Not sure if she’d be willing to play second fiddle, though.
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