Why can't it be John Kerry?

This guy has been PHENOMENAL on Race to the White House,  Meet the Press, and even Barack Obama's birthday party.

He knows his shit, and he lost by a hair to GWB.  Why can't it be him as VP?



Display:


He took himself out of the running (2.00 / 1)

along with Warner, Strickland, Webb, and Reed.  I wouldn't ask a guy or gal who had to change his mind about whether he would have accepted your veep offer.


by Blazers Edge on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:40:42 PM EST

This is NOT a diary! (none / 0)

It's barely a comment!

I even like this diarist's stuff, too!

But, come on folks!


by bobswern on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:41:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 2)

Because he doesn't appeal to any of the groups Obama needs. Because he is extraordinarily unpopular. Because voters rejected him once, and if Edwards did poorly, Lord only knows how Kerry would have done.


"Hey, check it out. You just had yourself a glue OD. So you're learning another lesson. Don't do too much glue, or your night sucks."
by vcalzone on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:42:09 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

He did? I didn't realize that.  Damn.

On Huffington Post there's a headline about Obama's camp saying the pick could come from "left field."  Haven't read the article.

But Kerry would be pretty surprising.


by AlexScott on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:42:24 PM EST

I read that too (2.00 / 2)

My theory is that the train has left Bayh, Kaine, and Biden at the station.

I'm expecting anything at this point for better or worse; as the article noted, the lady in the pantsuit would be out of left field.


by Blazers Edge on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:44:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I read that too (none / 0)

 not really taking issue with anything you said, but I don't agree with that notion that HRC would be out of left field, I think that term should be reserved for someone who hasn't had a spotlight on them for the past year and a half.  I mean if he comes out and say, taa-daa, it is Hillary!  I don't think the political world would be stunned or bewildered, but I guess that is my personal definition of left-field, as in , "what, where did that come from?"  Someone like Kerry would be left-field, even more so would be Gephardt.


by KLRinLA on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:42:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 2)

On Huffington Post there's a headline about Obama's camp saying the pick could come from "left field."

Ken Griffey Jr.?

I mean, I know he plays mostly right and center, but he could switch to left, as it's the easiest one to play.

Immensely popular, great smile, born in PA (a swing state) and spent a lot of his career in OH (another swing state), not controversial, and perhaps the sweetest swing in all of baseball.  What more could you ask for in a VP pick?


Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.
by mistersite on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:58:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

And, what is more interesting, Grif NEVER hit the juice.  

Even though, it clearly would have brought him back from injury sooner.

Even though, he certainly could have challenged for the HR records.

Ah, the Mariners. Yes, we had Grif, Alex AND Randy Johnson, all in their primes (OK, Alex was a little young...)

So much talent, and nothing to show for it.

Sorry, a little Seattle inferiority complex there.


On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....
by WashStateBlue on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:06:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

As a White Sox fan, I have to say that John McCain would play a better CF than Griffey.  Ugh.  Awful.


by ProgressiveDL on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 08:29:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

Yeah, but Griffey could probably beat him in a national election, so all's fair.


Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.
by mistersite on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 08:32:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

Ha, and Griffey would DEFINITELY be a better president.  Grif probably respects women a hell of a lot more too.


by ProgressiveDL on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 08:34:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

Kerry is a long shot I predicted in a comment on Dkos a couple weeks ago.  He has the experience.  It's still unlikely, but it would not surprise me.  The other names are so bland.  


by TomP on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:02:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 1)

She definitely would be.  That would be a nice surprise.  I would love to watch her in full on ass-kicking mode.  


by AlexScott on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:49:20 PM EST

Please, god, no! (2.00 / 1)

Obama's already at grave risk of being successfully swiftboated, especially now that McCain's turned negative.  Kerry may know his shit, and I personally think he's not a bad guy, but he's considered boring as hell and has already proven himself not a great candidate.  What worse way is there to reinforce the 'change' message than a former presidential candidate?


by semiquaver on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:53:55 PM EST

Re: Please, god, no! (none / 0)

Not sure I agree about the 'grave risk.'  There's still a great deal of time.  And McCain and his folks are bush league compared to the bushies.  Though I do not support the Kerry option could inoculate Obama.  Most independents now understand 'swiftboating' as the successful deployment of smear tactics by republicans.  I'm speaking anecdotally here, as I don't actually have polling on this.  But I think outside of right wing circles that 'swiftboating' is not seen in a positive light.  Thus having the person who was actually 'swiftboated' on the ticket could lessen the effectiveness of the more extravagant dirty tricks.  And some folks who voted for W might take this as a double opportunity to redeem themselves.

But as I don't actually think that Kerry is a good choice, this is just for the sake of argument.


The future is unwritten
by Strummerson on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:44:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 1)

Sit tight folks it will all be over in 24 hrs. The we'll all know who the real pick is and the criticism can begin on who he picked.


Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 04:57:12 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 2)

Criticism?

Hell, if it's NOT Hillary, it's going to look like outakes from Halloween VIII!

I expect certain parties to be going through her with an axe AND a chainsaw, looking for Obama folks to annihilate....


On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....
by WashStateBlue on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:08:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 2)

Well I was trying to avoid the obvious :)


Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:12:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (1.00 / 2)

Are you ok? John Kerry is the definition of the word loser. There is a reason that most people still cant remember that he ran against Bush. He is just as lame as Chris Dodd, someone from the NE who has no charisma and cant connect with voters.


by bsavage on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:21:37 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 1)

Great idea, seriously.


by Jerome Armstrong on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 05:29:27 PM EST

Is this snark? (2.00 / 1)

Serious question.


by Reaper0Bot0 on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 09:45:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

If he's going out to Left Field, I'd want him to pick Gary Hart, except for one thing.  Hart is both experienced and an outsider, a reformer, someone with a religious background, a PhD from Oxford, would help in CO and other western states, has great chemistry with Obama (they are both authors who write their own books), a foreign policy heavy-weight...unfortunately he's 72, which might be a decade too old and I don't know how he'd hold up on the trail.  It would seem to lend legitimacy to McCain who is trying to become CinC at 71.  Otherwise, he'd be perfect.


The future is unwritten
by Strummerson on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:09:08 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

Tim Wirth or Ken Salazar could be from "left field" and help in CO, too.  Gary Hart is an interesting idea - I remember spending a weekend in sub-zero Cedar Rapids, Iowa canvassing for him in 1988.  I still think HRC will be the last one standing - now Biden's family has hedge fund issues...


by alamedadem on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 07:28:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (2.00 / 1)

I'd be thrilled with HRC if they could work their 'issues' out and get Bill effectively on board.


The future is unwritten
by Strummerson on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 07:32:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Two Words (none / 0)

Monkey.  Business.


by ProgressiveDL on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 08:33:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Two more words (none / 0)

How droll.


The future is unwritten
by Strummerson on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 10:20:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Two more words (none / 0)

Noticed your email in your profile.  As a Penn State grad student, I am legally obligated to say "Michigan sucks!"   As a not-so-secret Michigan fan, I would like to say "Go Blue!"


by ProgressiveDL on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 10:30:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Two more words (none / 0)

Actually, I'm a NY baseball guy stuck in the middle of a dissertation at a football school.  And the freaking Big House just keeps getting bigger...


The future is unwritten
by Strummerson on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 12:16:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Three words... (none / 0)

Nobody.  Cares.  Anymore.


by Dumbo on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 02:03:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Three words... (2.00 / 1)

Wow...so Bill Clinton was not impeached for a bullshit trumped up charge of how having sex with someone he wasn't married to somehow affected his ability to do his job?  Really?  Wow...I guess I must have imagined it.  Whew, then bring on VP Gary Hart!


by ProgressiveDL on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 11:12:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

What about Kerry evokes CHANGE? (2.00 / 2)


by Glaurung on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:14:19 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

 Kerry sticker still bright and shiny on the bumper of my jalopy, but I don't think he fits with Obama. Too stiff.


"But not me personally were those cheers for"
by QTG on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 06:18:13 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

I was going to go into a little detail, but the thought is too boring, so I'll just say it won't be Kerry.


The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations. -- David Friedman
by pollbuster on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 07:51:50 PM EST

snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (none / 0)

is now a phrase exclusively associated with John Kerry. John Kerry should have beaten Bush either easily or soundly. Instead, he lost. And no, nothing Ohio wasn't "stolen", as 100k votes is very hard to steal. But even if Ohio was stolen, he still lost the popular vote to Bush. Now, if us who were angry about Gore in 2000 got our wish on the electoral college, and it went into effect in 2004, Bush would be an undisputed winner. Kerry had a war going bad, a President hated all aroud the world, a mediocre economy, corporate scandals in which Bush was in cohoots with people like Kenny Boy Lay, and he managed to lose. Even after Bush's horrendous performance in the debates, Kerry still couldn't win. Kerry never gave a clear and consistent messsage. Yes, the Swift Boats hurt, but Kerry didn't attack back. He thought it would "go away."

I'd be open to even giving him a second chance, except the same reason he lost 2004 is why he'd suck in 2008 as P or VP: he is a horrendous speaker. He doesn't think enough when he does it, just like his joke gone awry about Bush, which people thought he meant the troops. "Because he's a black man" is an example of how John Kerry continues not to think when he speaks. The "I voted for the 87 billion before I voted against it" sunk Kerry and was a similar example. If John Kerry hadn't made that troop remark, I'd have been open to a 2008 run. But he then proved he doesn't think when he speaks. He "reports for duty" instead, which is possibly the worst one-liner I've heard in recent history.


by Lakrosse on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 09:27:25 PM EST

I disagree with the premise (none / 0)

that he should have beaten Bush soundly.  There were some big strategic mistakes made during the Kerry campaign (most notably, going "dark" in August), but other than the sad and irrefutable fact that he lost, he did a pretty good job of coming close to George W. Bush and Rove when they were at the peak of their evil power.  Let's remember he had to contend with the Swift Boat thing, fundraising difficulties, an energized Evangelical base for Bush that seriously thought the End of Days was at hand, and the terrible handicap of having Bob Shrum as his campaign manager.  So give the man credit for performing well under the circumstances.

And I think he would have made one hell of a good president.  I'd rather have him as our president than Obama or Hillary, although Obama has been a pleasant surprise so far.


by Dumbo on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 02:09:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

He has been fairly good lately but he is not an effective campaigner over the long haul, primarily because he doesn't really know who he is, IMO.  I've been a constituent for over twenty years and he has been a weak senator given his safe seat in Massachusetts.

He is also not as intelligent as several other possibilities, including Clinton, Clark and Schweitzer (I'm not sufficiently familiar with Kaine).


by Thaddeus on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 09:28:15 PM EST

Re: Why can't it be John Kerry? (none / 0)

1. If Ohio hadn't been stolen in 2004, we'd be discussing the Kerry/Edwards re-election campaign right now. So, please, anyone who refers to Kerry as a "loser" needs to rethink that premise.

2. He's a great debater, he passes the "ready from day one argument," and he gives the appearance of being a bold choice while also being a very familiar one.

3. Obama/Kerry would no doubt be the tallest ticket in U.S. history, forcing McCain to tap Manute Bol as his running mate to even things up a bit.

4. Someone mentioned Gary Hart. He'd be a great pick, but yeah, his age might be a liability. Hart would have been an awesome president.


by BenderRodriguez on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 05:37:29 AM EST

Are you out of your mind? (none / 0)

If Hillary is washington insider, how is Kerry washington outsider? Is it because he has spent only 23years in washington? IMHO It would completely kill Obama's message of change!


You may not agree with What I say but don't forget I am a Democrat
by indydem99 on Thu Aug 07, 2008 at 09:09:43 AM EST


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