Thinking About 2008 Democratic Non-Hillary Edition)

However, there is also a school of thought that has some merit, that the lesson of 2004 is don't run a northeastern liberal. And nothing says "northeastern liberal" like Hillary.

So given the never ending campaign cycle, it's not too late to start thinking about the likely Democratic candidates for 2008. Being the geniuses we are we knew the President would win, and on October 18, 2004, looked at the potential GOP 2008 field. In the article below we give you some analysis on the field to try and wrest the White House after what will surely be a highly successful second term for our beloved President.

John Edwards (Unemployed Lawyer-NC). When John "Crushed" Kerry named him as his running mate it was almost a win-win situation for John Jr.. If they beat Bush, then obviously Edwards would be the heir apparent and major power broker in the Democratic party. Best of all for him a win would have put Hillary out of the picture in 2008. Even if the ticket lost, as it did, a showing by Edwards as a VP candidate similar to his performance running on his own in the primaries would give him the leg up for 2008.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the (thank God) Kerry defeat. John Edwards' was more invisible than Al Franken's Arbitron ratings. He brought absolutely nothing to the table, and we'd be hard pressed to find on way in which he helped John Kerry. The thought was the Breck Girl would help in the South. That turned out really well didn't it. Add to that the Vice Presidential Debate in which Dick Cheney exposed this ultra-lightweight for the empty suit that he is and the luster is off this one-time boy wonder who'd be best advised to picking the pockets of hard working doctors.

Edwards classless concession speech told us he was going for the big prize in 2008. Of course there will be some in the party that will back him because of his geographic location and loquaciousness. But we wonder if the stench of being the lead fly on the Kerry dog is going to cause people to open up their wallet for him, especially given that Hillary is likely to be keeping a list of whose been naughty and nice with their Benjamins.

Gov. Ed Rendell (PA) If the Democrats are smart they'll take a look at "Fast Eddie". Yes, he's a northeastern Democrat whose probably about as left wing as "Crushed" Kerry. But the big thing is he doesn't come off that way.

If you want someone who's going to connect with the "regular guy", then Eddie's your guy. Hell, for the last 5 years he's been a regular on the Eagles Post-Game cable show, and it's easy to picture him sitting in a bar w/ you. And a guy who tried to hit Jimmy Johnson with a snowball from the 500 level of the old Veterans Stadium because someone bet him $20 he wouldn't might even get my vote.

On policy he was of course, "America's Mayor" because he made Philadelphia a place where something besides roaches and rats wanted to live. In fairness, he was a damn fine Mayor whose management helped the city a great deal. He was not afraid to stand up to the labor unions which are basically the mafiosos of local politics. Finally, he's got a pragmatic streak in him that allows him to cut through some partisan BS and get things done.

His main problem is that when he became Governor he actually had to deal with Republicans. His first term has been average at best, with his main accomplishment being getting a slot machines bill through the GOP controlled legislature, with the hope being that property taxes will be reduced. Other than that there's not much else.

Despite that he's got a high approval rating, mainly because he really is a likeable guy. But his recent hesitancy to give extra time for military ballots could hurt him later on. Also, despite being married to a federal judge, he has been dogged by whispers that he's rather fond of the ladies, or at the very least is crass as hell (ask then Philadelphia Magazine writer Lisa DePaulo), which puts him at the top of the Democratic heap. But sad as it is to say, what may hurt him nationwide is the fact that he's Jewish.

Gov. Bill Richardson (NM) In a perfect world this guy wouldn't even be seriously considered for the job. His status as the lead negotiator of the failed Clinton North Korea policy should automatically disqualify him from consideration. The man for some reason thought we could trust the most brutal Communist dictator on the planet at his word. Further, as Secretary of Energy he presided over the Los Alamos nuclear technology scandal.

Yet, there is no question he will receive serious consideration in 2008 because of he's Hispanic and from the Southwest. Automatically you would think he could "turn" New Mexico back to blue, as well as make the Democrats competitive in states like Colorado, Arizona and Florida that have large Hispanic populations. Further, with the President receiving 45% of the Hispanic vote, expect to hear Richardson's name as the only one who can bring them over to the "D" column.

Also in his favor is that as Governor he signed a concealed carry law, which could show he's not an out of touch elite. He was also smart enough politically to take himself out of the running for Kerry VP mighty early, showing that he knew a train wreck when he saw one. However, he is a big friend to the Clinton's and could easily be persuaded by Bill not to run, but with a promise of being Hillary's VP. Let's say this about Richardson, the Dems could do worse

Sen. Evan Bayh (IN) - If the Democrats come to their senses, they'll focus in on Bayh early. The lesson of 2004 was that the Democratic party has to get away from nominating lefties who are 1. Strong on defense, and 2. Play in middle America.

Bayh would seem to fit the bill. He got over 60% of the vote in this deeply "red" state and is viewed by friend and foe alike as a fairly reasonable person who does not toe the party line. Hell, he'd be a better Republican than some in the party (i.e. Specter, Chafee, etc.). Further, Indianans are a fairly smart and common sense bunch, and his approval ratings are sky high, so he must be doing something right.

On defense issues, Bayh has shown himself to be one of a dying breed- the "Scoop Jackson" Democrat. He has been a advocate of the "preemption doctrine" of President Bush, and has for years been warning of the danger of Kim Jong Il shipping weapons to terrorists. In short, he "gets it", meaning the lessons of 9/11.

Bayh's biggest problem could be the same one faced by Joe Lieberman. That is, he's not left wing enough for the base Democrats, and couldn't get either the money or support to get out of the primaries. Word is that when being considered by Kerry for VP, the pro-abortionists at NARAL let it be known that he was unacceptable because of his vote for the partial birth abortion ban. If you see Bayh on the Democratic ticket in 2008, you'll see that the "civil war" was won by the people with some modicum of decency and common sense. But if that's true, the leftys will likely stay home or form their own party with Michael Moore as the head.

Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.(TN) Here's your longshot. In our estimation Ford would be a good choice for the Democrats to run either as a President, but more likely as a VP candidate. His strengths are numerous.

First, he is from Tennessee. Second, he is black. Third, he is not the raving lunatic liberal one usually sees among the Democratic Black Caucus. Is he a lefty? Yup. But no more than most, and more importantly, he doesn't sound like a whack job.

And let's be realistic here, if you're going to get a majority of white people to vote for a black Democrat, that black Democrat can't sound like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, both of whom have only one stock in trade - hate.

Ford has shown some remarkable political instinct. The first was putting his name out there in a short-lived challenge to Nancy Pelosi for Minority Leader in the House. It was a brilliant move because it immediately put him in contrast with Pelosi, the quintessential "San Francisco liberal". Thus, when he goes on the national stage, he can sell himself as someone who knows the party will never succeed with the far left running it. That allows him to reach out to swing voters, all the while knowing that blacks and the rest of the Democratic base will still turn out for him. Also, don't discount the "guilty white person" vote here, who will vote for Ford because he's black even if they don't agree with him on every issue, just to show how "progressive" they are.

Given his age and experience however, Ford can afford to wait for future years. Another problem is that he likely won't be able to run statewide for Governor, which he may have to do to breakout of being "just a Congressman."

Al Gore Don't laugh. Just this past week Richard Cohen of the Washington Post was begging for him to return. But it's a case of too little, too late, too insane. His window was open in 2004 and he didn't take it, and his whining about 2000 will not resonate after this recent election. Add that to the fact that he has quite literally gone off the deep end and into the realm of the moveon.org's of the world make him unelectable anywhere but in Berkeley, Madison, WI, and Massachusetts. We were thinking about naming Howard Dean, but his implosion in the primaries shows he can never be a candidate for national office again. But if he heads the DNC, as is rumored he wants to do, don't be surprised if he turns to the former VP, current unhinged lunatic, to run as a left wing candidate from "the Democratic wing of the Democratic party", especially after Gore gave Dean a huge endorsement, disastrous as it turned out to be. Please do, it would make such great copy.

Of course it's very early and there will be many twists and turns along the way including unforeseen events that could change the entire political landscape that would make all of these people an afterthought.. But we here at anklebitingpundits com pride ourselves on being ahead of the curve, and we want you to be as well.

It will be Hillary. The MSM is now going out of their way to call her a "centrist."

Every single time you refer to her away from FR, make sure you add the phrase "Left-wing extremist" to her name.

We are facing an unusual situation: an incumbent, two-term president whose VP is widely acknowledged as being unsuitable for the 2008 nomination.

Bah. Cheney said from the outset that he never wanted to run from President. That goes back to when he was tapped in 2000.

You are, of course, correct -- but politicians often claim they are not interested in being president when they really are. I happen to think Cheney is sincere in this -- but he would have been a fool to admit to presidential ambitions, especially in 2000. We already had more than enough people believing (and some still do) that he is really pulling GWB's strings.

But Cheney really isn't a good choice for 2008. First, he has high negatives. That could change, but it wouldn't be easy. Second, he will be in his late 60s, and has already had four or five heart attacks. I say this with all the compassion and good will in the world, but he is not a good risk to live until 2016, especially in a pressure-cooker job like the presidency.

But however you arrive at it, Cheney will almost certainly not be on the ballot in 2008 -- which brings us back to the question of whether GWB will endorse, and if so, who.

Cheney will almost certainly not be on the ballot in 2008 -- which brings us back to the question of whether GWB will endorse, and if so, who.

I'd say we have until 2006 to sort that out. In the interim, our obligation is to watch the Republican governors as they'll be the primary pool from which a successor will arise. We've pretty much established that picking a Senator is kind of a lost cause these days. Way too much baggage no matter which side you're on.

I'm right with you on the governors. There are far too many senators on the "prospects" list.

"I just don't see a real Republican stand out candidate. The obvious one, Rudy, would have to change parties. He will never get enough of the conservative vote."

Your response to the article is spot on. In response to the above statement, I'd also have to disagree with the author. In addition to Rudy and McCain (who I agree would have a tough time getting the nomination due to their liberal social positions) we have Mit Romney, Condi Rice, Jeb Bush, and Rick Santorum to name a few. There is plenty of time to expand this group (and I'm sure that there are several other obvious choices that I'm overlooking.) Any of these names though have as much chance to win the Presidency as the "moderate" Dems listed above.

You forgot Daleyland's boygovernor, Blagoyevich. The Daley machine makes it's reach for national control. This could be a real fun democritter civil war to watch...the Daley machine vs. the Clinton machine

There were many discussions of Ford here over the weekend. I've always liked him, but many Tennessee Freepers said that the whole family is corrupt..and that the stench would come out in a national campaign..he couldn't stand the scrutiny....I believe he's going to challenge Pelosi for dem leader..if he loses that..he's finished..

I have been impressed with Indiana Senator Bigh...
but voting records can kill you as Kerry knows and
Hillary will find out....Governor from Arizona may
be a sleeper....with Obama? Anyway..it'll'' be Jeb
in 12. Jake

it's not too late to start thinking about the likely Democratic candidates for 2008.

Too late? Too LATE?!? *sigh* I thought it was a merciful act of Providence that this one didn't go past Thanksgiving, and now it's time for the 2008 run-up? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

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