Time Warp: If this were '84 instead of '04, what the Nine Dwarves might look like

Nov. 29, 2003 | rightcoast

[rightcoast]

This is a silly little exercise, but I was thinking about the current crop of Democratic nominees for the 2004 presidential election... And I thought to myself, what if it was 20 years ago? What would the 1984 election have looked like on the Democrat side, with comparable candidates that are vying for that same position 20 years later?

So, here it is:

Position: Junior Senator from Massachusetts
2004 -- John Kerry
1984 -- Paul Tsongas

Position: Former Governor of Vermont
2004 -- Howard Dean
1984 -- Thomas P. Salmon

Position: Senator / failed Vice Presidential candidate
2004 -- Joe Lieberman
1984 -- Walter Mondale

Position: Freshman Senator from the South
2004 -- John Edwards (D-NC)
1984 -- David Pryor (D-AR)

Position: Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe
2004 -- Wesley Clark
1984 -- Alexander Haig

Position: Civil rights activist
2004 -- Al Sharpton
1984 -- Jesse Jackson

Position: Former Ambassador to New Zealand
2004 -- Carol Moseley Braun
1984 -- Anne Clark Martindell

Position: Three-term Congressman from Ohio
2004 -- Dennis Kucinich
1984 -- Douglas Applegate

[Tacis]

But, some things NEVER change. Kleagle Byrd would still be wearing his white hood and robes and getting away with it.

[rightcoast]

More about the '84 "candidates" and a "Where are they now?"

Paul Tsongas -- Massachusetts Senator, 1979-1985. Lost Democratic presidential primary contest to Bill Clinton in 1992. Died 1997.

Thomas P. Salmon -- Governor of Vermont, 1973-77. Challenged and lost 1976 Senate race to incumbent Robert T. Stafford (R-VT).

Walter Mondale -- Minnesota Senator, 1964-76. Vice President, 1977-1981. Challenged and lost 1984 Presidential race to incumbent Ronald Reagan. Lost 2002 Senate race to Norm Coleman (R-MN).

David Pryor -- Arkansas Senator, 1979-97 (retired). Previously served as Governor of Arkansas, 1975-79. Succeeded in governorship by Bill Clinton. Father of current Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor.

Alexander Haig -- White House Chief of Staff, 1973-74. NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, 1974-79. Secretary of State, 1981-82. Lost Republican presidential primary contest to George H. W. Bush in 1988.

Jesse Jackson -- Lost Democratic presidential primary contest to Walter Mondale in 1984. Lost Democratic presidential primary contest to Michael Dukakis in 1988. Father of U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL).

Anne Clark Martindell -- U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, 1979-81.

Douglas Applegate -- U.S. Representative from Ohio, 1977-95 (retired).

[ILBBACH]

Haig wouldn't be on the Democrat ticket as he served as Reagan's Sec o' State before 1984.

Who else could be Clark in 1984?

[rightcoast]

Haig wouldn't be on the Democrat ticket as he served as Reagan's Sec o' State before 1984.

Who else could be Clark in 1984?

I realize that Haig was and is a Republican.

Another NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe in that time period was:

Andrew J. Goodpaster (1969-74), who also -- in 1980 for President Carter -- acted as a special U.S. government representative in talks with foreign governments, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

[ILBBACH]

Another NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe in that time period was: Andrew J. Goodpaster (1969-74)

That name doesn't seem like it should belong to a demonrat! ;-)

[Bubba_Leroy]

I just keep remembering all of the dwarves that ran in 1992 and how a complete loser Clinton ended up getting the democRAT nomination, because none of the first string democRATs wanted to run against the unbeatable Bush.

Be afraid. be very afraid.