Calls for Edwards in 2008, advanced here by Saletan and echoed here by Oliver, besides being just a touch premature, are just idiotic.
John Edwards was an empty suit with pretty teeth, and the voters saw through his haircut. He didn’t help this ticket in one way, he was virtually invisible the past month, and he didn’t even carry his own state.
If the Democrats had listend to me to begin with, they would have won this election. The most electable Democrat in the party right now is Evan Bayh. As a Veep candidate, his moderation would have balanced the ticket, and he would have put you over the top in the rust belt. You probably would have won Ohio. You might have made in roads in Indiana. You might have carried Iowa.
Evan Bayh, Harold Ford, and Barack Obama are the future of the Democratic party.
Russ
Edwards was *very* visible here in NC. Didn’t do the ticket any good, but he was on this state like a cheap suit.
A cheap, empty suit.
Harry in Atlanta
Actually John Bayh would have been better at the top of the ticket.
Right now the Democratic party has very few prospects for appealing to a broad spectrum of the American electorate. In the next presidential election they will not have Bush hatred to incite their insane base and with the power of unions waning coupled with the black middle and upper classes becoming less swayed by the Democrat’s mantra of black victimization special interest pandering will take them only so far. Oh and because of the intense scrutiny of the internet vote fraud will be one other avenue of opportunity for the Democrats that will soon be gone, because with the net on you it ain’t easy to be invisible or singularly authoritative anymore.
Jim
Sshhhh! Don’t tell them.
M. Scott Eiland
Let’s not be *too* cocky here: can anyone name three Republicans who are as plausible as presidential candidates for 2008 as Bayh, Ford, and Obama?
The Republican bench isn’t exactly deep right now–which is why I would have been happy to see Cheney step aside as VP in favor of giving another Republican who could plausibly run in ’08 some exposure.
Harry in Atlanta
Scott more than likely John McCain will be the GOP star in 2008 but more than likely as usual most Republican candidates will be governors. Bill Owens of Colorado strikes me as a particularly attractive candidate as does Pawlenty of Minnesota. So to respond to your musing no I do not believe there is a lack of GOP talent it’s just that they are loyally waiting in the background for their chance.
SDN
I’m picking Giuliani, myself… and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Condi Rice somewhere.
StuckInOregon
I honestly think that John Kerry was picked to lose. They picked a vice that was as interesting as dry paint to run with him.It wasn’t until almost the end of the election cycle that Bill Clinton finally starting back him, prior to his heart attack. So I am serious when I say look for a Hilary ticket in “08”. I not that I am not a college educated person. I just look at the facts and try to figure out what the actual meaning was. Anybody in their right mind knew that Howard Dean would have been a better candidate than Kerry. So they went with the most unineresting person they could.
CadillaqJaq
Replacing Dick Cheney on the 2004 ticket would have cooked GWB’s goose. We’d have a Democrat president-elect today.
HOWEVER, that doesn’t stop Cheney from retiring early in order to put a younger VP in his place well before 2008, hopefully, someone who can stand up to any of the “glamour” figures named above as potential presidential candidates.
(Now, who the hell would it be? How old is Rudy?)
shark
Let’s not be *too* cocky here: can anyone name three Republicans who are as plausible as presidential candidates for 2008 as Bayh, Ford, and Obama
McCain, Rudy Giuliani and….well someone :)
Seriously though, anyone else think 2008 the Dems throw a superticket out there with Hillary/Obama on the slate? That would be a damn tough ticket to take on.
gumbydammit
Please stop giving advice to the democrats, please!
timekeeper
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Rudolph Giuliani will ever be elected president in the US, and it is highly unlikely that Giuliani could make it through the primaries. He is a great fit for New York (and California), but his social views are way too liberal for the party activists who dominate the primaries, and his ugly divorce (while sharing a home with another woman) will turn off social conservatives and provide ammo for the left.
Hillary could very well be the Dem nominee for president, but her negatives will prevent her from being elected. She is even more polarizing that Fat Teddy, and is probably as radioactive as Pat Buchanan.
M. Scott Eiland
“Replacing Dick Cheney on the 2004 ticket would have cooked GWB’s goose. We’d have a Democrat president-elect today.”
Not if Cheney himself–who is on record as having no intention of running for President in 2008– did a good job of orchestrating it–he could have been perfectly honest and said, “My health hasn’t been great, and I believe it would be best for my party if the President chose someone else as a running mate who is seriously considering running for the Presidency in 2008. I will continue to serve this Administration in a second term in whatever other capacity the President requests of me.”
Who could object to that? The only issue at that point would have been who to pick as running mate.
Mel McDowell
I appreciate Giuliani’s support for President Bush in this election but I would not support Giuliani for president because of his pro-abortion position. The results from this election should prove that a pro-abort Republican will not win. We evangelicals will not vote for a pro-abort Demonrat but will stay home rather than vote for a pro-abort RINO.
Ricky
Scott,
To paraphrase Dennis Miller: Rudy, Arnold (if applicable), Mccain, Condi….and….um…oh, yeah, Jeb Bush. Remember, he’s the smart one.
capt joe
Hey, if they want Edwards, lets not dissuade them. 8 more years
Justin
A couple of the earlier posters were right on. In fact, earlier this year I emailed David Wade, Kerry’s aide, making a case for Bayh. He responded that my analysis was very interesting and good. Evan Bayh is the most electable Democrat, no doubt. The strongest ticket would be Bayh/Ford. That would absolutely kill it. You’re talking an electoral vote approaching 400.