# Who would you pick as the Democrat nominee in '08? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 3, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643 "2005-10-03T21:21:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/1 "2005-10-03T21:21:39Z")
Inspired by this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337829](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337829) Who would you pick as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008? Dean? Hillary Clinton? Barack Obama? Kerry (again)? Some currently relatively obscure Dem governor? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/2 "2005-10-03T21:23:22Z")
I think Hillary’s going to get it. If the question is who would I, personally, most like to vote for, then I don’t know the answer. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/3 "2005-10-03T21:41:30Z")
From the little I know of the four candidates you suggest, I’d go with Obama. Man has got a Clintonian charisma that just knocks you off your feet. The other four you name have too much baggage to be viable, I think, and I don’t know which unknown governor would do a good job. But Obama seems brilliant, charismatic, quick-witted, and (I believe) principled; that’s the kind of person I want in front of our party. Daniel ---
**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:** [October 3, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/4 "2005-10-03T21:44:29Z")
[Read Obama’s blog](http://obama.senate.gov/blog/050930-tone_truth_and_the_democratic_party/index.html#more) for a good picture of why the man’s worth paying attention to. > [@](#): > > According to the storyline that drives many advocacy groups and Democratic activists - a storyline often reflected in comments on this blog - we are up against a sharply partisan, radically conservative, take-no-prisoners Republican party. They have beaten us twice by energizing their base with red meat rhetoric and single-minded devotion and discipline to their agenda. In order to beat them, it is necessary for Democrats to get some backbone, give as good as they get, brook no compromise, drive out Democrats who are interested in “appeasing” the right wing, and enforce a more clearly progressive agenda. The country, finally knowing what we stand for and seeing a sharp contrast, will rally to our side and thereby usher in a new progressive era. > > I think this perspective misreads the American people. From traveling throughout Illinois and more recently around the country, I can tell you that Americans are suspicious of labels and suspicious of jargon. They don’t think George Bush is mean-spirited or prejudiced, but have become aware that his administration is irresponsible and often incompetent. They don’t think that corporations are inherently evil (a lot of them work in corporations), but they recognize that big business, unchecked, can fix the game to the detriment of working people and small entrepreneurs. They don’t think America is an imperialist brute, but are angry that the case to invade Iraq was exaggerated, are worried that we have unnecessarily alienated existing and potential allies around the world, and are ashamed by events like those at Abu Ghraib which violate our ideals as a country. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/5 "2005-10-03T21:44:55Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > From the little I know of the four candidates you suggest, I’d go with Obama. Man has got a Clintonian charisma that just knocks you off your feet. The other four you name have too much baggage to be viable, I think, and I don’t know which unknown governor would do a good job. > > But Obama seems brilliant, charismatic, quick-witted, and (I believe) principled; that’s the kind of person I want in front of our party. > > Daniel He is all of that, but he’s only a freshman senator, and still will be a freshman senator in 2008. I think we need somebody with a little more heft. (Which could be a governor – for some reason, governors have a better track record than senators when it comes to winning the presidency.) And by all means, don’t limit yourselves to those I named in the OP! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/6 "2005-10-03T21:47:48Z")
Barring an Hillarian announcement that he would collectivize industry or something, I would vote for All Gore in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/7 "2005-10-03T21:47:58Z")
I’m not sure of a particular person, but it needs to be someone who’s been a governor of a southern or midwestern state. I personally wouldn’t mind HRC except that I think she’d be competely ineffective given that Congress will still be run by the GOP most likely. Then again, an ineffective President sounds kinda nice… Gridlock is our friend. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/8 "2005-10-03T21:50:50Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > [Read Obama’s blog](http://obama.senate.gov/blog/050930-tone_truth_and_the_democratic_party/index.html#more) for a good picture of why the man’s worth paying attention to. Yikes. That sort of sensibility might translate into a strong candidate, with cross-party appeal. Therefore, the Democrats won’t pick him. They are too beholden to the **elucidator** s and **rjung** s of the party. Which I regard as a good thing, tactically. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/9 "2005-10-03T21:51:47Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Barring an **Hillarian** announcement that he would collectivize industry or something, I would vote for All Gore in a heartbeat. 😕 :rolleyes: Hillary is for a more progressive income tax. There’s a long, long distance between that and collectivizing industry. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/10 "2005-10-03T21:52:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > He is all of that, but he’s only a freshman senator, and still will be a freshman senator in 2008. I think we need somebody with a little more heft. (Which could be a governor – for some reason, governors have a better track record than senators when it comes to winning the presidency.) This may be a fair point; certainly politicians would try to use his freshness against him. I really wonder, though, how well they could make it stick: is there any research showing that people won’t vote for a less experienced Presidential candidate, everything else being equal? And everything else **isn’t** equal. If there’s someone else on the scene who’s almost as quickwitted, thoughtful, charming, and eloquent as Obama, then I’m more than happy to consider them. But currently, he seems to me to outshine other Democrats to a very large degree. I"ll risk his inexperience if nobody else can come close to his other qualities. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/11 "2005-10-03T21:56:40Z")
I am one of the disgruntled Republicans who is unhappy with the direction of the party. If the DEMS nominated Evan Bayh or Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, they may get my vote. I voted for “ABSTAIN” in 2004, so I’d actually like a candidate. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/12 "2005-10-03T21:56:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Therefore, the Democrats won’t pick him. They are too beholden to the **elucidator** s and **rjung** s of the party. > > Which I regard as a good thing, tactically. Obviously, I hope you’re wrong :). It’s still early, and the party has time to change from its directionless current path–and I’m for damn sure not the only one speculating on Obama’s chances, now. Reading that quote, think about this: do you think the Clintons are likelier to support Hillary or Obama in 2008? That’s not a trick question. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/13 "2005-10-03T22:00:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 :rolleyes: Hillary is for a more progressive income tax. There’s a long, long distance between that and collectivizing industry. I meant Hillarian in the sense of bold advocacy on behalf of Marxist philosophy tenets, with zingers like “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/06/28/politics2039EDT0165.DTL](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/06/28/politics2039EDT0165.DTL) I really like Gore, and didn’t even realize it until I read one of the best speeches of modern times: [Democracy Itself is in Grave Danger](http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0624-15.htm). For that alone, he gets my vote. He just needs a Democratic Karl Rove. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/14 "2005-10-03T22:04:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Inspired by this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337829](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337829) Who would you pick as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008? Dean? Hillary Clinton? Barack Obama? Kerry (again)? Some currently relatively obscure Dem governor? Dean? No way he’s going to win the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/15 "2005-10-03T22:05:03Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > I am one of the disgruntled Republicans who is unhappy with the direction of the party. If the DEMS nominated Evan Bayh or Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, they may get my vote. Would you vote for Obama? From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan\_Bayh:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Bayh:) > [@](#): > > Bayh is also considered to be a possible 2008 Presidential nominee due to his appeal to “red state” voters and his perceived electability. In the 2004 election he received more votes in Indiana than President Bush, a feat unheard of by a Democrat in a state as conservative as Indiana. Some believe that Bayh’s moderate appeal would be a driving force in his electability, with many critics portraying a candidate like Hillary Clinton as too liberal and polarizing. Bayh is often mentioned as leading or complementing a ticket of other possible moderates such as Governor Mark Warner and Governor Bill Richardson. > > As of late, Bayh has engaged in activities that many characterize as the framework for a Presidential run in 2008. On June 9, Bayh addressed Iowa business and civic leaders and told reporters he would travel to the state in August. On July 15, Bayh spent the weekend in New Hampshire. He has spoken to groups of Democrats in the potential swing states of Wisconsin, Ohio and Colorado. In addition, Senator Bayh has conducted fundraisers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis. Back in 2000, even before Bayh was planning to run, President Bill Clinton said that “I tell you that I hope and expect some day I’ll be voting for Evan Bayh for President of the United States [2].” > > Beginning in 2005, Bayh’s voting record began to shift more towards the left. He voted against confirming Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Chief Justice John Roberts. Some viewed Bayh’s shift as being an attempt to woo liberal Democrats who make up a large part of Presidential primaries. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark\_Warner:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Warner:) > [@](#): > > Warner is considered to be a potential Presidential candidate in 2008, as Virginia limits its governors to a single term in office. After John Kerry’s 2004 presidential election defeat, he has been regarded by some Democrats as a Bill Clinton-like figure around whom the party could rally in the 2008 presidential election. His business experience, Southern base, fundraising connections within high-tech and venture capital circles, and record of working with black leaders add up to what some see as an attractive political résumé. > > However, having served only one term as an elected official, Warner may be considered by others as too inexperienced to move to the Presidency; the same point was raised about John Edwards’ one Senate term. If he did run for president in 2008, his first test might be a comparison with several others, possibly including Evan Bayh, John Edwards, John Kerry, and/or Tom Vilsack, who would vie for support from moderate Democratic voters seeking a fresh voice. > > \ > > On June 10, 2005, Warner hired Monica Dixon, a former top-political aide to 2000 Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore, and also formed a political action committee which has been dubbed “Forward Together.” Both of these actions could be indicative of a run for the presidency in the election of 2008. On August 29, 2005, Warner announced that he would not challenge George Allen for his senate seat in 2006.[1] ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/16 "2005-10-03T22:06:15Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I meant Hillarian in the sense of bold advocacy on behalf of Marxist philosophy tenets, with zingers like “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I repeat . . . ---
**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:** [October 3, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/17 "2005-10-03T22:12:23Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I meant Hillarian in the sense of bold advocacy on behalf of Marxist philosophy tenets, with zingers like “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” > > [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/06/28/politics2039EDT0165.DTL](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/06/28/politics2039EDT0165.DTL) That’s Marxist? Huh. I could’ve sworn that, all through the Cold War, our country taxed individual citizens (“Took things away from you”) in order to fund public projects (“For the common good.”) Heck, I coulda sworn that our country has been taxing people from the beginning. Before Marx was born, even! That Hillary doesn’t sugarcoat it is a sign in her favor, not a sign of Marxism. Of course, maybe she was just referring to that famous Marxist [Adam Smith](http://www.progress.org/banneker/adam.html). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/18 "2005-10-03T22:19:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Would you vote for Obama? No. Not to say I never would, but I am not as overwhelmed with him as everyone else. I’ve seen a lot of people give good (not great) convention speeches. The only thing I know about him is that he seems like a personable guy. I have a positive opinion of him, but let’s not annoint him the next Clinton or Reagan just yet. He needs to do something other than exhibit charisma before he is put on a pedestal. (Not trying to be critical. He may turn out to be the next Lincoln or Roosevelt. He just hasn’t done anything yet.) As for Warner, if he wins re-election (I think his term is up in 2006), he will be at exactly the same level of service as Bush. Six years as governor of a large Southern State. And even though Edwards served six years as a Senator, I think gubernatorial experience is more valuable as training for President. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/19 "2005-10-03T23:29:16Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > As for Warner, if he wins re-election (I think his term is up in 2006), he will be at exactly the same level of service as Bush. Six years as governor of a large Southern State. Virginia law bars governors from running for re-election. I do think Warner has some very appealing characteristics and I hope he runs. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643/20 "2005-10-04T00:31:19Z")
I’m betting on Richardson of New Mexico. International experience, Hispanic with a common Anglo name, dynamic speaker. Is a governor (like most of the recent Presidents). Bush the first was only president in last five who was not previously a governor. May I also point out that every elected president since Kennedy was either from the South or the West and Richardson is from Southwest (a little of both). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-pick-as-the-democrat-nominee-in-08/324643.md?page=2)