April 4, 2004
PLAYING FOR NEXT TIME:
Quick and Quiet Search to Fill the Democratic Ticket (ADAM NAGOURNEY, 4/04/04, NY Times)
Senator John Kerry has told associates that he wants to select a running mate within eight weeks, an accelerated schedule intended to help him raise money and respond to a bombardment of attacks from President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that worries party leaders, Democratic officials say.Mr. Kerry has turned to an old friend and Washington hand, James A. Johnson, who has set up a shadow organization to help Mr. Kerry make what aides say will be his most important decision before the convention. Mr. Johnson has begun interviewing Democrats to see whether they would be interested in being the running mate, party officials say, and he has organized teams of lawyers to begin scrutinizing candidates' backgrounds as they move to make what would be one of the earliest vice-presidential selections in modern history.
Mr. Johnson has had conversations with at least four contenders for the nomination, Democratic officials said. They are Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack of Iowa.
Iowa, Missouri and New Mexico are all at the top of the list of states that both parties view as being in contention in the fall.
Dick Gephardt is just there as a courtesy--add his congressional votes to Kerry's and they'd spend the whole election just explaining themselves. Tom Vilsack can't have 2% name recognition in the country, so introducing him in the role of your hatchet man would start him off with huge negatives. John Edwards's entire appeal in his campaign was that he was the optimistic guy who wouldn't go negative. Having him come out wailing would strike a rather jarring note. Bill Richardson is conceivably well-known and well enough liked that he could get away with the role, but you're really just picking him because you're trying to win back Latinos anyway. He's the pick that might keep you at 45%--by holding CA, NM, & doing well in AZ--which is probably the most that can be hoped. It also positions him even more firmly as the one Democrat who could be elected president in 2008. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 4, 2004 5:02 PM
What? Not a sincle African American? Not a single female? Not a single African American female? (And forget about sexual orientation...) What happen to the party of diversity? Won't anyone of these picks (and the lack of consideration for their kin) do anything but "disappoint" Black voters and rabid feminists?
Posted by: MG at April 4, 2004 5:13 PMRichardson's "Hispanic", though you can't tell by looking.
Posted by: Twn at April 4, 2004 5:35 PMGary Locke is retiring.
Oh Yes. Bill Richardson is Hispanic; Miguel Estrada is not.
Posted by: MG at April 4, 2004 6:22 PMMore than California, Arizona or New Mexico, the Kerry campaign would judge Richardson on how much he would bring to the table in Florida, in terms of attracting Hispanic voters. The demographic there is Cuban, of course, while Richardson is Mexican-American, and Kerry would still have to enunciate his planned policy on Castro no matter who he selects.
Odds are, whatever his policy is on Fidel, it's not going to go over well in South Florida (though his position on the Janet Reno-Elian Gonzalez stand-off ought to be fun to listen to). But if they can get just enough people to ignore that and vote for JFK because of his VP pick, he might do it, otherwise, someone from Pennsylvania or the Midwest would be a more likely selection.
Posted by: John at April 4, 2004 7:11 PMWhat about McCain?
Posted by: at April 4, 2004 8:05 PMI don't believe that the VP pick makes that much difference.
That said, Kerry's problem is that he needs a VP candidate who, unlike Kerry, will have national appeal, is naturally likeable, and isn't as liberal. The pick must win Kerry some states that Gore didn't carry in 2000.
The problem is that someone doesn't exist, or that person would be the nominee instead of Kerry.
Well technically he's half-Hispanic, his father was a Boston banker. An interesting view into
his candidacy, lies in the fact he was the previous administration's go-between on the
Cuba rapprochemnt before the shootdowns, and
brokered prisoner exchanges in Iraq North Korea
& Sudan. and this was all when he was a congress
man, not UN Ambassador or Energy? Secretary(Sudan, the country that offered us Osama in 1996-7; and sold out Carlos to the French) what promises did he make to secure their
release
promises
Well technically he's half-Hispanic, his father was a Boston banker. An interesting view into
his candidacy, lies in the fact he was the previous administration's go-between on the
Cuba rapprochement before the shootdowns, and
brokered prisoner exchanges in Iraq North Korea
& Sudan. and this was all when he was a congress
man, not UN Ambassador or Energy? Secretary(Sudan, the country that offered us Osama in 1996-7; and sold out Carlos to the French) what promises did he make to secure their
release
promises
Kerry has no chance of appealing to any Hispanic whose past would have included fleeing communists or communist sympathizers. In Florida this does not just mean Cubans, but Nicaraguans, Salvadoreans, etc. It goes way beyond Elian. Like 20 years before.
Posted by: MG at April 5, 2004 7:54 AMEd Rendell looks more likely every day. Richardson's negatives will hurt him, and the Democrats cannot afford any re-visit of Chinese influence in American politics.
Posted by: jim hamlen at April 5, 2004 11:28 PMToo much risk:
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/columnists/8317508.htm
Posted by: oj at April 5, 2004 11:41 PM