NationStates Jolt Archive

Which Democrat would you like to see running for office next year? (If you're a republican, please vote "I don't care".)

I'd like to see Reverend Al Sharpton in office. First of all, he's black. He should win the black vote, although he didn't in the 2004 primaries. Secondly, he openly lashes out at George W. Bush. Did you see him at the DNC?
Read my lips, Mr. President: Our vote is not for sale.
Overall, I think he is a great man.

If you voted in the poll, please post why you voted for that person, especially if you voted other. Ahem!

Sharpton . . . AL SHARPTON?! :eek:

I'd like Wesley Clark, even tho I'm Libertarian

Nah, we need someone new who can take on Bill Frist. Hillary and Dean...they're great, but can't win. We've already seen the extent of Kerry's appeal...and it's not enough. We need an up-and-comer.

I've heard Obama

but I dont think America is ready for an ethnic president

Which Democrat would you like to see running for office next year? (If you're a republican, please vote "I don't care".)Tough I put down other, although I could do with Clinto retaining her seat. Are you refering to a senate or Representative seat, or do you plan on starting the 2008 presidential campaign early? If you're talking about the presidency in 2008, I can think of several democrats I'd like to see run for that one, but none on your list. Why ignore Pelosi for instance?

I've heard Obama

but I dont think America is ready for an ethnic president
Hah. In any case, the Dem party is grooming him for a 2016 run. He isn't running anytime soon (he's publicly ruled out 2008). But he's definately an up-and-comer.

And I'm tired of everyone saying America "isn't ready" for whatever. Are you ready? I have yet to find one person who would not vote for someone because of his race (with exception of United White Front, but I don't think he is representative of America as a whole :p).

Seriously. Everyone keeps saying "America isn't ready". I'd vote for him, white, black, Chinese, or Mexican. Would you?

Clinton and Kerry are the only two on that list who have said they will start to run for re-election next year. I chose Kerry since a retirement for Hillary Clinton will feed the Republican conspiracy theories about her running for president

Hillary Clinton 2008

Nah, we need someone new who can take on Bill Frist. Hillary and Dean...they're great, but can't win. We've already seen the extent of Kerry's appeal...and it's not enough. We need an up-and-comer.

Kerry scares small children. I'm glad he didn't win. He makes the entire party look cold, icy, and hollow. The only reason why I gave any inkling of support to him was so that the rest of the party could run, as we know the President really doesn't have that much power anymore.

Seriously. Everyone keeps saying "America isn't ready". I'd vote for him, white, black, Chinese, or Mexican. Would you?

That's because the ones who wouldn't are Republican anyways.

I would like to see Wesley Clark run. I'm a Republican and I would like to see a Democrat who actually could do a better job.

That's because the ones who wouldn't are Republican anyways.
Good point. :p

I don't think anyone who voted for Kerry is so close-minded that they wouldn't vote for a black man.

In any case, add John Edwards to the list, he looks like he's running again. Although not running for Senate again was a bad move. He's gonna be forgotten by 2007.

And just to get this guy's name out....Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana for president!

none of my favorites are here...

I don't know. Hillary Clinton will garner tremendous Democratic and some third party support, but the Republicans hate her too much to get any crossover votes. Howard Dean is excellent, but I wonder if I should believe my dad when he says he was too liberal to win. Kerry lost this time against an awful incumbent that didn't even win the popular vote last time, how is he ever going to win against a decent candidate? Al Sharpton may be a good candidate, but everyone is going to focus on how he's black. Doesn't mean people won't vote for him, but you know the Republicans will just bash him saying "The Democrats are only running a black candidate to distract from the incompetence of their party. They want you to feel guilty for not supporting the minority candidate." ...or something like that. So I really don't know.

I'm a fan of the old-school JFK style dems. Far too few of those anymore.

none of my favorites are here...
Lieberman?

Probably Hilllary or Obama.

And I'm tired of everyone saying America "isn't ready" for whatever. Are you ready? I have yet to find one person who would not vote for someone because of his race (with exception of United White Front, but I don't think he is representative of America as a whole :p).

Seriously. Everyone keeps saying "America isn't ready". I'd vote for him, white, black, Chinese, or Mexican. Would you?

lol, im not american, doesnt matter to me

way too many americans have a paternalistic idea of the president. For a democrat to win he is going to have to appeal to the republicans and convince them to vote their way. A minority isnt going to do that, not necessarily because of racism but because of the way that people who support the modern republican administration view the president.

Very fatherly, strong, steadfast, ect... And of course a representation of who they are, which is white men ;)

lol, i hate stats, but there are enough out there that say that the americans who vote based on issues vote democratic, and the vast majority of the inteligencia are in support of the democratic candidates.

Republicans need the image. Someone kind, yet strong, smart, but not smart enough to be tricky. Regan, both Bush's. Clinton was only a success because of his charisma.

I'd definitely like to see Obama in office. If the Republicans get Guiliani to run for them...Obama's the only one I see that could put up any sort of a campaign. Or heck, Guiliani and Obama for Prez and VP. That would be my choice. I'm an independent, if that makes difference to anyone.

Very fatherly, strong, steadfast, ect... And of course a representation of who they are, which is white men ;)
I can't wait for the combined black/Mexican/Asian population to drop white america below 50%.

Any poll you look at, white people (white men in particular) are the most anti-progressives in America.

I can't wait for the combined black/Mexican/Asian population to drop white america below 50%.

Any poll you look at, white people (white men in particular) are the most anti-progressives in America.Huh? Every poll I've seen places either Black women or Hispanic males as the most anti-progressive. Where do you get these polls and can you link me to them?

I'd definitely like to see Obama in office. If the Republicans get Guiliani to run for them...Obama's the only one I see that could put up any sort of a campaign. Or heck, Guiliani and Obama for Prez and VP. That would be my choice. I'm an independent, if that makes difference to anyone.
The Republicans won't nominate Guiliani. He's pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and he had a messy divorce. He has zero chance of getting the GOP nomination over a tried-and-true conservative like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist...(although if Guiliani ran he would probably win in a landslide. :p)

Same goes for John McCain, poor guy.

Huh? Every poll I've seen places either Black women or Hispanic males as the most anti-progressive. Where do you get these polls and can you link me to them?
I have the immediate presidential exit polls (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html) where white men chose Bush over Kerry by 62-37%. White women chose Bush over Kerry by 55-44%. Non-white men chose Kerry over Bush 67-30%. Non-white women chose Kerry over Bush 75-24%.

I know the candidate you voted for doesn't necessarily indicate your social views, but I'll have to look around for a bit for the polls I remember seeing a while back about specific issues that various races feel about.

I'd definitely like to see Obama in office. If the Republicans get Guiliani to run for them...Obama's the only one I see that could put up any sort of a campaign. Or heck, Guiliani and Obama for Prez and VP. That would be my choice. I'm an independent, if that makes difference to anyone.

Hey! If Guiliani and Obama are on the same ticket(which will probably never happen), they would have my vote.

Since this is jsut wishful thinking, I'm going with Sharpton. That guy's awesome :p

I have the immediate presidential exit polls (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html) where white men chose Bush over Kerry by 62-37%. White women chose Bush over Kerry by 55-44%. Non-white men chose Kerry over Bush 67-30%. Non-white women chose Kerry over Bush 75-24%.

I know the candidate you voted for doesn't necessarily indicate your social views, but I'll have to look around for a bit for the polls I remember seeing a while back about specific issues that various races feel about.I suppose if we equate Bush with anti-progressive and Kerry with progressive this might be so, but that's quite a stretch. I suspect some Bush voters may have voted for him based on his progressive views, school vouchers or social security reform for examples.

I put down Clinton, as I'd like to see America's first female leader being a Liberal-type, rather than our first female leader- Miss Neocon 1979. However, a Kucinich presidency would be as almost as refreshing as it is impossible.

Mikorlias of Imardeavia

Sharpton has entirely too much baggage to ever run sucessfully.

If he ever managed the nomination the campaign would be over in the first few weeks.

Kerry scares small children. I'm glad he didn't win. He makes the entire party look cold, icy, and hollow.

So true. ;)

If he ever managed the nomination the campaign would be over in the first few weeks.

What, exactly, do you mean by that? If I interpret this seemingly mindless statement correctly, I'd like to point out that Al Sharpton was the last one to drop out of the Democratic primary race, even when it was clear that Kerry had won. If I'm not correct in my thinking, I wholeheartedly apologize.

i'd go with al sharpton, and so would many, because he's been lashing out and being so quick witted. But from what i can tell the only reason he's been like this is because he knows he cant win,(despite what this many on this thread say). But still he's awesome, and did anyone see him on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, that was hilarious...

Garrett the wise

That's because the ones who wouldn't are Republican anyways.
Are you suggesting that Republicans are racists?

The Republicans won't nominate Guiliani. He's pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and he had a messy divorce. He has zero chance of getting the GOP nomination over a tried-and-true conservative like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist...(although if Guiliani ran he would probably win in a landslide. :p)

Same goes for John McCain, poor guy.
I think if McCain ran, he would be nearly unbeatable. Of course, the Christian fundamentalists would go crazy!

I'd like to see Reverend Al Sharpton in office. First of all, he's black. He should win the black vote, although he didn't in the 2004 primaries. Secondly, he openly lashes out at George W. Bush. Did you see him at the DNC?
He would also win some of the religious Christian vote that Democrats have been bad at getting lately.

I suppose if we equate Bush with anti-progressive and Kerry with progressive this might be so, but that's quite a stretch. I suspect some Bush voters may have voted for him based on his progressive views, school vouchers or social security reform for examples.
You're correct. My statement was a stretch. In fact, southern black baptists can be some of the most vile gay-bashers around, but they still line up behind the Democrat. As well, New Hampshire, Maine, and New Jersey have always been fairly moderate socially, but when it comes to taxes, they were the most hardcore libertarian/conservatives around. Thus they almost exclusively voted Republican until fairly recently, when the neo-cons and religious right took over the GOP. Now they are dependable Democrat.

The opposite has happened across Appalachia and River states. West Virginia used to be the most Democratic state in the country. In fact, 50% of the voters are registered Democrats. It's similar in Kentucky (more registered Democrats than Republicans) and in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. Unions were a big thing in these states, and the unions delivered for Democrats throughout the years. But lately, union membership has slipped, and now theses states vote more on social concerns like gay marriage and abortion, in which they have always been conservative. The absense of a strong Southern Democrat candidate like Carter or Clinton has also furthered the region's movement towards the GOP. However, the GOP's pandering to social conservatives has cost them the West Coast and the entire Northeast.

I think Dean and Sharpton have good personalities, so I'd like to see one of them get in.

Why do so many people think Obama can do it? Because he's about the only Democrat to win a senate election? Give him time to do something in national politics before writing him on the 2008 ticket.

Other - Dennis Kucinich

Other - Dennis Kucinich

$#%^%#! Why didn't I put him in the poll?
Sorry.

Other - Dennis Kucinich

You beat me to it. So far Kucinich has been the only major party candidate that I have actually LIKED instead of thought was okay or tolerable.

Well, I'm a Republican, but in 08, I'd like to see either mcCain on the Reps side, or Dean on the Dems. The whole yelling and such that seems to have put some people off of Dean, I rather liked. I want a president that has some passion.

Just cuz I'm Rep doesn't mean I'd never vote anyone else.
(Although, I would love to see Powell run.)

I want a president that has some passion.

Al Sharpton.

Okay, here's how it goes...
All senators can be counted out, due to voting record. The last time a senator was elected president while a senator was jfk in 1960. Bush sr., lbj, and nixon were senators, but not when they ran for office. We can count clinton out because she's a liberal, feminist, ex-peacenik, northeastener named clinton. Neocons would have a field day. Clark doesn't have the credentials to be president, and i know people who worked on his campaign, and they all said that he doesn't know the first thing about politics, some have gone as far to say that he is an idiot. Who else is there, Sharpton? Please, America really isn't ready for a minority president. Believe me, I live in Virginia (not the liberal democrat northern virginia, the military, redneck, bible-thumping area around pat robertson) and they couldn't stomach it, and they're the liberal region in the solid south. the confederacy would seceed again if barrak obama or sharpton got the nomination. dean? after 2004, he doesn't have too much of a chance. the problem with kucinich is lack of name recognition. no one knew who the hell he was (senator from minnesota, right?) so even if he did have great ideas, no onw would vote for him. if you ask me, the best guy to groom for 2008 is my state's govenor, mark warner. he's a democrat, and he's done a lot of good for virginia since he kicked the previous govenor (i can't remember his name) out for doing such a shitty job. he's pretty young, a moderate by many standards, and has a great track record. he would be tough to beat in 2008. and by the way, rudi guiliani is the biggest dick in politics since nixon. my dad's company was hired to work there by the city, and he kept on pushing the deadline forward and cutting the budget, and then publicly denounced them for not getting the job done. to this day, my dad can't stomach him, and i can't blame him. so, long story short, mark warner 2008.

Lieberman?
Not so much Lieberman, he's too much of an video-game censor type. I like Gephardt and Daschale. John Glenn (even though he's old) is also high on my list.

The thing you guys forget, and that has already been brought up, is that most of the people who would refuse to vote for a black man would refuse to vote for a democrat ANYWAYS. I'm not saying "republicans are racist." I'm saying "look at the bigoted southern states. They all bright red."

I voted for Kucinich in the primaries, though I wouldn't have minded seeing Dean or Clark win either... but we got stuck with the most conservative, richest, most spineless one of the pack. sigh.

I voted for Kucinich in the primaries, though I wouldn't have minded seeing Dean or Clark win either... but we got stuck with the most conservative, richest, most spineless one of the pack. sigh.

Kerry, Conservative? AHAHAHAHAHA. That's like saying 2 + 2 = George Washington.

I'm republican, and there's actually quite a few democrats that I like. Not that I'd necesarily vote for them over a republican, but they'd do fairly well. Lieberman, if he ran, I think could win much more of the moderate vote than Kerry did. Zell Miller likely won't run, because there'd be no way in hell enough dems would support him. He's right, though, and most of you don't realize it. The democrats have to move more moderate than they are now to succeed. Al Gore was okay, besides the fact that he's a complete retard. Clinton was a decent president up until the whole Lewinsky deal. His wife, on the other hand, doesn't get the job done. She's way, way too liberal to win any majority of the votes. As for Sharpton, America really isn't ready for a black president. I'm not saying America is racist, I'm saying that most Americans would vote for a white man over him. Dean sucks, Kerry sucks, Clark is a moron, so democrats are pretty much down the tube. Also, I like the senator from nevada, Harry Reid, not likely he'll run, but he'd be decent.

As for Republicans, I'd like to see McCain run, I think he'd be a fairly excellent president. The same goes for Powell, although I doubt he'll run. He'd win the black vote, and likely win the vote with republicans, but still, America isn't ready for a black to be president. Same goes for condy, but no one really likes her enough. I'd love to see Guliani in there, but it's doubtful.

All in all, I'm predicting McCain vs. Hilary (simply because she'd easily get the democratic nomination) and McCain wins by a fairly large amount.

*hands out McCain '08 pins*

Kerry, Conservative? AHAHAHAHAHA. That's like saying 2 + 2 = George Washington.

I'm republican, and there's actually quite a few democrats that I like. Not that I'd necesarily vote for them over a republican, but they'd do fairly well. Lieberman, if he ran, I think could win much more of the moderate vote than Kerry did. Zell Miller likely won't run, because there'd be no way in hell enough dems would support him. He's right, though, and most of you don't realize it. The democrats have to move more moderate than they are now to succeed. Al Gore was okay, besides the fact that he's a complete retard. Clinton was a decent president up until the whole Lewinsky deal. His wife, on the other hand, doesn't get the job done. She's way, way too liberal to win any majority of the votes. As for Sharpton, America really isn't ready for a black president. I'm not saying America is racist, I'm saying that most Americans would vote for a white man over him. Dean sucks, Kerry sucks, Clark is a moron, so democrats are pretty much down the tube. Also, I like the senator from nevada, Harry Reid, not likely he'll run, but he'd be decent.

As for Republicans, I'd like to see McCain run, I think he'd be a fairly excellent president. The same goes for Powell, although I doubt he'll run. He'd win the black vote, and likely win the vote with republicans, but still, America isn't ready for a black to be president. Same goes for condy, but no one really likes her enough. I'd love to see Guliani in there, but it's doubtful.

All in all, I'm predicting McCain vs. Hilary (simply because she'd easily get the democratic nomination) and McCain wins by a fairly large amount.

*hands out McCain '08 pins*

Moving towards the center is the exact opposite of what the democrats need to do. Face it: whoever the democrats send out, republicans are gonna go "OMG SO liberal!" Fuck, we could send out Jesus Christ and he'd be attac ked for being liberal.

Miller is a democrat just like the Buddha was a jew.

It won't be McCain. You're awfully ignorant of your own party. He's far too moderate for the party the way it is now-the fundamentalist christians would never vote for him/

Moving towards the center is the exact opposite of what the democrats need to do. Face it: whoever the democrats send out, republicans are gonna go "OMG SO liberal!" Fuck, we could send out Jesus Christ and he'd be attac ked for being liberal.

Miller is a democrat just like the Buddha was a jew.

It won't be McCain. You're awfully ignorant of your own party. He's far too moderate for the party the way it is now-the fundamentalist christians would never vote for him/

I'm a fundamentalist chirstian. I'd vote for him. Most everyone republican I know has a high opinion of him. And, obviously, moving towards the center is what the dems need to do, have the polls not told you anything? 51% of Americans are moderate to conservative...does that tell you nothing? Id the democrats keep moving to the left, the moderate and right wings will never vote for a democrat...it's pretty obvious. Yes, Miller's a democrat. Who says a conservative can't be a democrat? Who says a liberal can't be a republican? Republicans will say OMG SO Liberal! if the de4ms throw out Hillary or Sharpton, because, they are liberal. And, obviously, if they send out another liberal, they'll go down just like Kerry. However, a moderate candidate would have bipartisan support.

I'd like to have Howard Dean run. Does he gain supporters? Only on the far left. Otherwise, he alienates the center everytime he opens his mouth :).

I'm a fundamentalist chirstian. I'd vote for him. Most everyone republican I know has a high opinion of him.
I hang around conservative blogs a lot to get perspective, and there seems to be a kind of resentment towards McCain that Democrats felt towards Zell Miller. McCain will be 72 years old in 2008. He was tarneshed badly in the 2000 GOP primaries, I was living in South Carolina during the whole "black baby" smear. His wife was attacked as a drug addict and Bushies inferred McCain was mentally unstable from his days as a POW. In fact, his Vietnam service in general was attacked (hah!)

McCain would lose in a primary with Bill Frist, and Bill Frist is running. Frist passes the conservative test. McCain doesn't, which is why so many Democrats like him. Of course, if McCain miraculously got the nomination, he WOULD win in a landslide. LOL.

And, obviously, moving towards the center is what the dems need to do, have the polls not told you anything?
Uh uh. What's needed is better candidates. Simply fielding a Republican-lite will do nothing but give the real Republican the initiative. With a candidate as "liberal" as John Kerry, it's telling that we held Bush 50.9% to 48.1%. The Democratic Party has come back from far greater losses without sacrificing it's message. They just need to run better campaigns.

51% of Americans are moderate to conservative...does that tell you nothing?
Key word: "moderate". Did you know Kerry won the moderate vote this year 54-45? Bush won the conservative vote 84-15, and Kerry won the liberal vote 85-13. Bush alienates far more moderates than Kerry.

Id the democrats keep moving to the left, the moderate and right wings will never vote for a democrat
The Democrats haven't moved noticably to the left as far as I can see. The Republicans however have moved quite far to the right. The Republicans should be worried about giving the Democrats an even greater percent of moderates, which are more numerous than conservatives or liberals.

Yes, Miller's a democrat. Who says a conservative can't be a democrat? Who says a liberal can't be a republican?
Modern politics. The two parties are increasingly the Parties of liberals and conservatives respectively. Moderate senators like McCain, Specter, Byrd, Miller, Chafee, and Reid are under attack for not being liberal/conservative enough for their party. Both party leaderships need to understand that the South is conservative, and the North liberal. The only Republicans that can get elected in the north are moderates, as are the only Democrats that can get elected in the South. Instead of attacking them as "centrists" and "compromisers" they should be glad for the greater national appeal. Divisive politics led Jim Jeffords of Vermont to switch from a Republican to an Independant who works with the Dems. Chafee of Rhode Island publicly announced he would not vote for Bush, although he stuck with the GOP. Miller spoke at the RNC. Longtime moderate Republican Senator Specter of Pennsylvania just barely survived an attack from his own party.

I voted other for Zell Miller

P.S. in 2008, my money is on Codaleeza Rice vs. Hillary Clinton, call me crazy, I don't care. Just watch.

Would the conservative Christian Republican base really vote for a pro-choice black woman?

Democrats would vote for a woman, or an African-American. Republicans...not so sure.

Zell Miller!!!!

Would the conservative Christian Republican base really vote for a pro-choice black woman?

Democrats would vote for a woman, or an African-American. Republicans...not so sure.

That's what I was saying with Obama and Sharpton; most-if not all-if the people who wouldn't vote for an african american wouldn't vote for a democrat to begin with. No loss there.

Dean/Sharpton
Sec of State Kucinich
The rest of the cabinet and advisory staff would all be Dean/Kucinich/Sharpton clones.

Not that I'd necesarily vote for them over a republican, but they'd do fairly well. Lieberman, if he ran, I think could win much more of the moderate vote than Kerry did.


Lieberman is more Republican than Bush. No way we Dems would support his bid. Too conservative.

Zell Miller likely won't run, because there'd be no way in hell enough dems would support him. He's right, though, and most of you don't realize it. The democrats have to move more moderate than they are now to succeed.


Zell Miller?! Right?!?! Look ... we don't need to appeal to the Republicans any more than they need to appeal to us. Republicans didn't try very hard to get our votes this last election, why should we have to cow on our beliefs just to try to get yours? We proved, already, that we *can* win.

Al Gore was okay, besides the fact that he's a complete retard.


That sentence makes absolutely zero sense. You're saying a complete retard would be an okay President? Oh wait ... we have one now ... and he's not okay.

Clinton was a decent president up until the whole Lewinsky deal.


I absolutely guarantee you that he wasn't the first, nor will he be the last, President to get his knob polished in the Oval Office. Other than that, he was acquitted of all charges.

His wife, on the other hand, doesn't get the job done. She's way, way too liberal to win any majority of the votes.


Shows what you know about Hillary. She's a damn fine Senator and her record speaks for itself. She's the most powerful junior Senator in the history of the United States and she, believe it or not, is more centrist than her husband.

As for Republicans, I'd like to see McCain run, I think he'd be a fairly excellent president.


So would I. We have on hand all the ammunition used against him by the Republicans in the 2000 primaries which pretty much destroyed any chance of him being President. We will use it. Even though it will be the Republican Party's own words, advertisements, and documents, the Republicans will still make it out to be our crusade.

Same goes for condy, but no one really likes her enough.

Huh? Condy Rice is the whitest person on the cabinet! Ya'll should use her.

Would the conservative Christian Republican base really vote for a pro-choice black woman?

Democrats would vote for a woman, or an African-American. Republicans...not so sure.

If it was her or Hillary, hell yeah they'd take her.

I'm a fan of the old-school JFK style dems. Far too few of those anymore.


Big Arnie - middle ground crossover appeal and a liberal charismatic catholic in the JFK mold.

Sigh... here I go, jumping on the Dean bandwagon.

President- Al Sharpton
Vice- Howard Dean
Sec. of Defense- Wesley Clark
Sec. of State- Hillary Clinton

I don't really know, put Kucinich in somewhere.