# Think the Dems have the 2008 election locked up? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 1, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152 "2007-03-01T13:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/21 "2007-03-01T15:46:44Z")
[QUOTE=Hogwash] You’re all overlooking the most important issue - who, of those likely to run in 2008, is the most huggable? [/QUOTE] That’s easy – You can always put “tdn” as your write-in vote. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/22 "2007-03-01T15:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=Hogwash] You’re all overlooking the most important issue - who, of those likely to run in 2008, is the most huggable? [/QUOTE] Bill Richardson. “Halfrican-American?” What the shit? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/23 "2007-03-01T15:48:09Z")
[QUOTE=Wolfian] “Halfrican-American?” What the shit? [/QUOTE] I think someone puts too much stock into Limbaugh. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/24 "2007-03-01T15:49:33Z")
It’s not racist. It’s **_satire_.** ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/25 "2007-03-01T15:51:59Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] I think someone puts too much stock into Limbaugh. [/QUOTE] I know. Seeing stuff like that in the more loosely moded area of the internet, sadly, doesn’t surprise me, but here? Well, I reported the post and hopefully something will come of it. I generally think the mods should reserve their modding to major infactions. Hate speech, no matter how ignorant the speaker is, is one of them. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/26 "2007-03-01T15:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] So if the 2008 election is Rudy vs. Hillary. I think Dems should at least be nervous. [/QUOTE] Actually, that scenario makes me the least nervous of any I can think of. Which is probably why it won’t happen, you understand. The Republican primary system was designed, specifically, to make me nervous. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/27 "2007-03-01T15:57:01Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] “Halfrican-Hamerican”? Come now, you’re a better person than that. [/QUOTE] No. He really isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/28 "2007-03-01T16:01:05Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Actually, that scenario makes me the least nervous of any I can think of. Which is probably why it won’t happen, you understand. The Republican primary system was designed, specifically, to make me nervous. [/QUOTE] Sorry, I am a little thick and I am not sure what you mean. Are you not worried as you do not think Rudy can beat Hillary or are you not nervous as you can live with either candidate or is it a third option I am not seeing? Jim ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/29 "2007-03-01T16:13:36Z")
Shodan: for fuck’s sake. You’re better than that. Or my irony detection is broken, but I don’t think that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/30 "2007-03-01T16:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=capybara] Shodan: for fuck’s sake. You’re better than that. Or my irony detection is broken, but I don’t think that’s the case. [/QUOTE] I think your irony meter is broken. I’m guessing **Shodan** meant that enough people listen to Rush that a stupid comment like “halfrican-american” would be enough to dissuade them for voting for him. Not that a Rush listener would ever vote for a Democrat anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/31 "2007-03-01T16:15:22Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] Personally, i’ve never understood the whole McCain bandwagon thing, especially among liberals. More than five minutes examining his actual policies (rather than his persona) would quickly make clear that this is one pretty damn conservative guy. [/quote] Five years ago, a _Washington Monthly_ writer did in fact spend a bit more than five minutes looking at his actual policies, and [made a pretty good case for why the Dems should draft him as their 2004 nominee](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.green.html). The logic of that article, assuming one finds it convincing in 2002 terms, has been completely overtaken by events: the Iraq War (which drastically elevated the relevance of McCain’s uber-hawkishness), McCain’s 2004 decision to graft his lips firmly to Bush’s posterior, and of course his willingness to suck up to Falwell (not just a major fundie leader, but totally nuts even by their standards) and the young-earth creationist set, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/32 "2007-03-01T16:15:55Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] No. He really isn’t. [/QUOTE] I like to think the best of people. I’m sure he’ll be along any time to retract it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/33 "2007-03-01T16:17:07Z")
Trying to think of a non-racist reason to use “Halfrican”. Not coming up with anything… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/34 "2007-03-01T16:18:02Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] A while back there was speculation of a Romney/Bush ticket. What ever became of that? It seems the perfect combination of charisma and Pure Evil. [/QUOTE] Which Bush? I think a Romney/Jeb Bush ticket is plausible, but that might be too many Bushes in a row. I’ve always liked Jeb Bush, though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/35 "2007-03-01T16:31:15Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] Yeah, but there’s a rather enormous difference between overlooking ‘mistakes’ like fucking up the world, and overlooking ‘mistakes’ like extramarital sex. [/QUOTE] Obviously. My only point is that that brand of lameness is not restricted to the GOP. I think that Obama may have some problems. My mom has a good friend who I believe to be a credible source who worked closely with him when he was in local politics. I’m not going to repeat the details of third hand information but she claims that he was involved in a lot of corruption as is not uncommon in Illinois politics. If it’s true, he could get torpedoed by it. It’s something to watch anyway. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/36 "2007-03-01T16:36:25Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Sorry, I am a little thick and I am not sure what you mean. Are you not worried as you do not think Rudy can beat Hillary or are you not nervous as you can live with either candidate or is it a third option I am not seeing? Jim [/QUOTE] I don’t think I’d vote for him, but I wouldn’t be too upset if he won. I’m not a member of The Cult of Rudy, and I know what an attention-whoring dick he can be, but he was also a very effective and intelligent politician. Also, he’s pro-choice and may be the most moderate Republican in the field, which is why they won’t nominate him. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/37 "2007-03-01T16:37:47Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Which Bush? [/QUOTE] Jeb. I don’t know enough about him, but I fear that the apple doesn’t fall far from the – other apple. I suspect that he’s just more of the same. I didn’t vote for Romney, but I had hopes that he’d be OK. So far the state hasn’t collapsed under him, but his anti-gay politics are extremely offensive to me. He should be taking pride in the fact that his state is first in civil rights, and we’re doing quite well with it. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/38 "2007-03-01T16:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > I think that Obama may have some problems. If there are local corruption skeletons in Obama’s closet, I wonder why they did not come to light during the Jack Ryan/Obama contest, which went to such desperate lengths that Ryan had a staff member following Obama around with a video camera, in hopes that he would do something untoward. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/39 "2007-03-01T16:42:08Z")
The point is that there is never an election that’s a ‘gimme’. You can’t just rely on the ‘anyone but Bush’ vote to win. You’ve gotta put up a good candidate, and that candidate will have to weather a public storm, some debates, investigations into his/her private life, and have his or her character tested repeatedly before the election. One of the problems with Democrats is that they keep wanting to find ‘rock stars’ - candidates with huge charisma. Barack Obama and John Edwards are two front-runners right now, and both of them on paper are terrible candidates. They are lightweights. Almost no experience in government or business. No executive experience. No foreign policy experience. But both are smooth, glib, and attractive. That works early in the campaign when you’re trying to get ‘buzz’ and capture the hearts of the base. It doesn’t work so well when the race gets serious and people really start to pay attention to who the people behind the suits are. In the meantime, you’ve got heavyweights in the Democratic party like Joe Biden and Carl Levin who can’t seem to get the time of day from Democratic voters. Hell, Bill Richardson’s resume makes Barack and Edwards look like fresh college grads. Richardson’s a governor, and the other two are senators. Have a look at the track record for Senators seeking the white house. It’s dismal. And yet, Richardson’s way, way back in the opinion polls. 'Cause he doesn’t have the white teeth and ‘it’ factor… If the Democrats nominate Bill Richardson or someone else with thoughtful, sensible policies and a good track record, they’ll win. If they put up a salesman, they’ll lose. If they put up a thoughtful, serious centrist, they’ll win. If they put up an angry lefty who makes the netroots base cheer, they’ll lose. Just offhand, who do you think would win a debate between John Edwards and John McCain or Rudy Guliani? Who would the American people look at and say, “Yeah, that’s the guy I want protecting me?” I would seriously like to see a Democrat win this time, just as I was rooting for them to slap the Republicans in 2006. The Republican party has gotten fat and lazy, and needs a wakeup call. So please, put up someone who can win. Right now, I think the most electable candidate of the bunch is Bill Richardson. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152/40 "2007-03-01T16:47:48Z")
[QUOTE=stolichnaya] If there are local corruption skeletons in Obama’s closet, I wonder why they did not come to light during the Jack Ryan/Obama contest, which went to such desperate lengths that Ryan had a staff member following Obama around with a video camera, in hopes that he would do something untoward. [/QUOTE] Don’t get me wrong, I hope that it’s not true. This corruption was described to me as so pervasive that anyone in local politics is tainted and so it’s a subject that’s avoided. Remember, Obama only won that election because he was fortunate enough to have nasty scandals hit his rivals at just the right time in his primary and general election campaigns. Maybe in a closer election it would have come out or maybe Mom’s friend is bitter over something unrelated and full of crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-the-dems-have-the-2008-election-locked-up/394152.md?page=3)