Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

In my day, never was longer.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Who Is There?

Who Is There?

by | 267 Comments

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I saw a concern trolling piece earlier today (too lazy to dig for a link) about what happens if Hilary doesn’t run, and on top of Anne Laurie’s Nate Silver clip the other night, that’s kind of what has been banging around my head all night even though it makes me hate myself to start talking horse race right now.

But if not Hilary, who? Howard Dean? Robert Casey? John Edwards (Ha! I just can’t stop trolling. It’s an unsavory addiction.)? I really have no idea who.

Reader Interactions

267Comments

  1. 1.

    Xenos

    The article in question was in Politico, behind a paywall. We are supposed to pay for Politico, now?

  3. 3.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I’d put my money on Mark Warner and he’ll prolly run away with the thing since he’s a third way wanker.

  5. 5.

    Boots Day

    Brian Schweitzer. Martin O’Malley. Sherrod Brown. Patty Murray. We’ve got options.

  7. 7.

    Hunter Gathers

    Andrew Cuomo, Martin O’Malley, and a bunch of other charisma-challenged white dudes who could make POTUS Rick Santorum a possibility. And they would all get their asses handed to them by Chris Christie, seeing as he’s the GOPer that all Dems love to love, even when he’s screaming at them, being a homophobe, or vetoing the Medicaid expansion.

  8. 8.

    Bobby Thomson

    If it’s not Clinton, it will be Cuomo, barring his death or some unforeseen scandal. He already has the money and organization lined up and nobody else has enough charisma to make up the difference.

    ETA: Not suggesting that Cuomo has charisma.

  11. 11.

    Cacti

    Cuomo, Jay Nixon from Missouri, and Martin O’Malley from Maryland are a few that spring to mind

  15. 15.

    Woody

    Bah – the real question is whether or not Jeb is going to run in ’16 or in ’20.

    Every other GOP candidate has insurmountable problems, whether with the general public or with the activist “base.”

    However, no GOP candidate shall have any issues with TEH POLITICO.

  17. 17.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    I’m not advocating for him, or crapping on him, but, watch Cory Booker.

  19. 19.

    Jim C.

    I watch Cory Booker like a hawk ever since he cut Obama’s legs out from under him by declaring the Bain attacks unfair and off-limits. NOT a fan.

  22. 22.

    MikeJ

    @Woody:

    the real question is whether or not Jeb is going to run in ’16 or in ’20

    If Jeb runs, he wins the nom. He will be the most boring candidate, and that’s who republicans always pick.

  23. 23.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @Hunter Gathers: Glad to see I’m not the only Christie fan here. Christie will carry on the long tradition of sensible right wing policies started by Clinton and carried through by Bush and Obama.

  25. 25.

    khead

    O’Malley has been raising all kinds of taxes. Doesn’t bother me, but I’m not sure how well that will play nationally.

    I will say that the round trip cost of $24 in tolls just for a trip to Philly kinda blows.

  26. 26.

    jharp

    @Boots Day:

    All excellent candidates that would likely be favorites.

    And as near as I can figure they have Christie and Jeb.

    Yep Jeb. They are that weak.

  29. 29.

    mdblanche

    @MikeJ: He’s already booked for a double bill with the Libertarians and some obscure new left outfit.

    @Woody: If this Jeb fellow doesn’t have insurmountable problems, then how come he won’t tell us his last name?

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Bizono: I think there’s a ten percent chance she doesn’t, but until they say otherwise, she and Jebbie both are. She has a chance. I still think the ’16 Gooper will be someone we’re not talking about.

  33. 33.

    Soonergrunt

    I don’t know. I’m waiting for the Real Truly Pure Progressive Liberals ™ to tell me who I’m allowed to believe in.

  36. 36.

    Cacti

    @Soonergrunt:

    I don’t know. I’m waiting for the Real Truly Pure Progressive Liberals ™ to tell me who I’m allowed to believe in.

    Darcy Burner

  39. 39.

    Suffern ACE

    Seeing as Anthony Weiner might be bored with being mayor by that time, why not?

  41. 41.

    Hunter Gathers

    @Just Some Fuckhead:Gotta love big fat fucks who make their political hay by raising money for Bush, getting promoted by Rove and making white people everywhere orgasm in their pants by yelling at women. But he’s not Islamophobic, so his misogyny, homophobia, membership in the forced birthing brigade, and general assholishness gets glossed over because Whitey Wants A Daddy back in His White House.

  43. 43.

    JasonF

    The election is forty months away. It does not matter who Politico thinks is the front runner now. Nobody would have predicted Barack Obama at this point in 2005. Nobody would have predicted George W. Bush at this point in 1997. Nobody would have predicted Bill Clinton at this point in 1989.

    Give it time. It will work itself out. It may well be Hillary. I think she would be a great nominee and a great president. But if it’s not Hillary, it will be someone else. Maybe Biden, maybe Dean, maybe Cory Booker or Julian Castro or Andrew Cuomo or Martin O’Malley or Kirsten Gillebrand or someone else who isn’t a prominent voice today.

    And hopefully, whoever it is will be a strong candidate and kick the ass of whatever regressive troglodyte the Republicans nominate.

    But 2013 is not the time to panic or obsess about it.

  45. 45.

    Spaghetti Lee

    Edward Snowden, obviously.

    Really, I’d crawl over broken glass to vote for Sherrod Brown, but he doesn’t seem like he’s interested. I also like Schweitzer, seems like an old-fashioned populist type. I don’t like what I’ve heard about Cuomo, O’Malley doesn’t seem to have that commanding presence (dumb as it is, that stuff counts). And Clinton…is it OK to just be tired of Hillary Clinton? Nothing personal against her, but I just can’t get all excited about a prospective Clinton presidency, one way or the other.

  49. 49.

    KG

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: that’s not how the GOP works. The only time they didn’t pick the next in line was in 2000, and most of them, behind closed doors after a pat down to ensure that there’s no wire or cameras will Amit that was a disaster. No, it’ll be someone we know, probably someone we know really well. I’d bet on Huckabee, Gingrich, or Jeb

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    @SatanicPanic:

    I don’t think Newsom would stand the heat, but Harris might…eventually. Not in ’16.

    Gillibrand would be awesome on the national stage, from what I know and see of her. Jerry 2.0 ’16!

  52. 52.

    Suffern ACE

    @Bob In Portland: the democrats have made it clear that they do not wish to help buono campaign, will not promote her issues in the legislature and will not give her money. And yes, it appears from this outsider’s perspective that there are a few party bigwigs who have problems with democratic candidates who are of the female type.

  54. 54.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Bob In Portland: Christie’s a tantrum away from falling to earth, IMHO. I won’t say from losing in NJ, but he’s a Paul Ryan Republican on social and economic issues, with all the self-serving hypocrisy that implies, and there’s plenty of tape for the Daily Show interns to put together a montage that some Villagers may notice, if the next tantrum is obnoxious enough. I still can’t believe “somethin’s goin’ down tonight, sweetheart” hasn’t caught any eyes outside of the blogosphere.

  55. 55.

    Woody

    Have said it before, will say it again: do not underestimate the House of Bush. They have repeatedly proven their worth to the neofeudal conservative families and there has been eight years – an eternity these days – since W.

    The courtier media love the GOP in power – the Republicans know how to appeal to them. And a “comeback kid” narrative – misplaced as it would be – could be very effective for the huge majority of Americans who don’t follow politics closely. Look at how they fawn over Jeb because of his spouse and Spanish-language skills.

    They’ve had years to cement agreements and understandings. Do not underestimate them.

  56. 56.

    SatanicPanic

    @KG: I hope so, that would be awesome

    Trollhatten- Newsome might have had too many girlfriends to run for prez. Or maybe not, it didn’t hurt Bill.

  57. 57.

    Fezzik

    Gillibrand, O’Malley, Schweitzer are all both likely possibilities as well as totally acceptable ones, in my book. One fine day we might actually nominate a genuine progressive reformer, but that’s at least a half-generation away, methinks.

  58. 58.

    NotMax

    Names which first leap to mind already mentioned above, so going to add a couple from left field.

    Vilsack. Castro (but, oy vey, that unfortunate name).

    Veep? Florida’s Crist, now that he’s officially a D. Outside chance of Feingold.

  59. 59.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @JasonF:

    I was too young to remember the political climate of the time, but…no one was considering George Bush in 1997? Sitting governor of Texas and son of a president? Who were they considering?

    I think even ‘out of nowhere’ candidates generally have to be a sitting senator or governor by this point-even Obama had already been elected. Booker or Castro, wait until they get elected to statewide office and maybe look ahead to 2020 or 2024.

    I’d also put in that I’m not ‘scared’ of anyone the Republicans have to offer. If they aren’t hated by their own base, then they’re hated by the rest of the country. Yes, yes, ‘never underestimate the stupidity of the American electorate’ and all that. Wonderful snark. But the Republican self-seclusion and ignorance of changing demographics and voter attitudes isn’t going to go away in 2016. If anything it will accelerate. And Santorum/Cruz or whatever the fail parade is will make Romney look like the second coming of George Washington.

  63. 63.

    Percysowner

    Really, I’d crawl over broken glass to vote for Sherrod Brown, but he doesn’t seem like he’s interested.

    So would I. Joe Biden would be okay as well, although if they are already hitting the “too old” button with Hilary, they would hit it with him, or maybe not, he’s a man and they get better with age according to other men. It’s probably too soon for Elizabeth Warren to run, but I look forward to her as well.

  64. 64.

    SFAW

    @Soonergrunt:

    I don’t know. I’m waiting for the Real Truly Pure Progressive Liberals ™ to tell me who I’m allowed to believe in.

    Gus Hall
    Saint Ralph
    Eugene McCarthy
    Dennis Kucinich
    Eugene V Debs
    Saint Ralph
    The Fucking Nuuuge!
    Saint Ralph

    for starters

  65. 65.

    Boots Day

    The only time they didn’t pick the next in line was in 2000,

    Who would have been next in line in 2000? Jack Kemp? Steve Forbes? I’m not sure any of the losing GOP candidates from 1996 ran in 2000.

  67. 67.

    Poopyman

    Oh, and as a Marylander I have to say that O’Malley has all the charisma of what’s-his-name from Massachusetts. Dukakis.

  68. 68.

    DCLaw1

    @KG: As silly as it is to guess right now, I’m betting it’s Jeb. With Santorum nipping his heels the entire way.

    Come 2016, Republican nostalgia for anything Bush will have completely and utterly washed away their ritualistic disownership of W. when he was at his most politically radioactive. And the paeans to Jeb’s comparative smarts (“the Bush that should have run in 2000, so let’s give him a chance now”) will be overwhelming. And he speaks Messican so automatic Latino vote, right??

  71. 71.

    Tripod

    Christie is from fucking New Jersey. The GOP is now dixiecrat dominated. To win the presidency they need a slick southerner who can soft pedal the culture war bullshit. Texas and Florida governorships should be the launching spots, but Perry’s an idiot and Scott is a crook…. maybe that bozo in Virgina?

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    …is it OK to just be tired of Hillary Clinton?

    The Hillary Clinton who sat in front of the Benghazi hearing with a look of barely concealed contempt for, among others, Rand Paul, was someone I’d never seen before. The Hillary Clinton who ran for the Democratic nomination as John McCain’s favorite candidate, I would have a harder time getting excited about. But in the end, I’m a pragmatist, and I think she’s a tough candidate.

    @KG: I don’t say someone we’ve never heard of, just that we’re not talking about. Thune, Daniels… I’m open to other suggestions. Pawlenty-mentum, anyone? I still think if he’d toughed it out he could’ve been the non-Willard standing. There is no obvious heir apparent. Something about Jebbie suggests to me he doesn’t have the stomach for it.

  73. 73.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @NotMax:

    You know, I think Crist is a very good story of an actual moderate Republican realizing that the GOP’s gone plumb bonkers and leaving and I wish there were more people like that…but is it too much to ask that we actually nominate a lifelong Democrat for President of the United States? Yeah, yeah, crossover appeal and all that, but come on.

    That said, I’d be totally in favor of watching him kick Rick Scott’s ass next year, or Marco Rubio’s ass two years after that.

  78. 78.

    RareSanity

    @Boots Day:

    Who would have been next in line in 2000? Jack Kemp? Steve Forbes? I’m not sure any of the losing GOP candidates from 1996 ran in 2000.

    It was supposed to be Gramps McCain.

    That’s where a lot of his bitterness comes from.

  80. 80.

    Roger Moore

    @SatanicPanic:

    Or Kamala Harris.

    I think Harris is a few election cycles away. Her next logical step would be to run for Governor or US Senate. Damn, I would love to have her instead of Feinstein or Boxer.

  82. 82.

    Suffern ACE

    @Tripod: if being from Dixie mattered, Gingrich or perry would have won.

    The reason I think it could be bush is that his team would be the only group who would realize that to win, one needs to get on ballots. There were times in the last campaign that it appeared that none of the candidates understood that.

  83. 83.

    Tara the Antisocial Social Worker

    @SatanicPanic: I like Gavin Newsom (It’s partly thanks to him Packrat and I are legal now, after all). But it always cracked me up that his most notorious affair was with his campaign manager’s wife.

    “Hey, why do my new campaign ads say to vote for the other guy?”
    “Just trust me, Gavin.” (grrrrrr)

  85. 85.

    Violet

    @Woody: I agree about the House if Bush. But Barbara said Jeb shouldn’t run when she was asked during some special on the While House. If Babs is against it, that’s telling. She does not want tbe family name sullied any further and she doesn’t trust Jeb can keep from damaging the Bush legacy even more.

  91. 91.

    NickT

    @Tripod:

    There’s a lot of Republican bozos in Virginia. Do you mean McDonnell? He’s just got himself in a bit of trouble over misuse of taxpayer monies. Plus he has Cuccinelli hanging around his neck like a misogynist albatross.

  92. 92.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Tripod:

    They already have the South. What they need is someone who can bring the suburbs back into GOP territory. A lot of suburban voters are stupid in a lot of ways, but I think enough of them (OK, us) see themselves as educated and civilized, and have an instinctive negative reaction to neo-confederate bumfuckery. The GOP needs people like that to win-the suburbs went for huge (I’m talking 80-20 in some cases) margins for Nixon and Reagan, now in the Midwest and Northeast it’s basically 50-50. I think the majority of suburban Chicago is represented by Democrats-unthinkable even 10 years ago.

    Maybe Chris Christie is that guy. When I think of asshole white-collar relatives who think the city they live near is a giant hole in the ground even though they take the train to work there every day, Christie seems like their sort of guy. More than Jeb, Santorum, or Rand, anyway.

  96. 96.

    Anne Laurie

    @Hunter Gathers:

    And they would all get their asses handed to them by Chris Christie, seeing as he’s the GOPer that all Dems love to love, even when he’s screaming at them, being a homophobe, or vetoing the Medicaid expansion.

    If HIllary doesn’t declare, I see an 85% chance that Christie will switch parties and immediately start collecting accolades from the totebaggers and ‘centrists’.

    Christie’s a four-bit Joisy thug, but he tickles the authoritarian streak in all the fair-weather Democrats currently mouthing pap about the NSA.

  97. 97.

    Boots Day

    It was supposed to be Gramps McCain.

    McCain didn’t even contest the nomination in 1996. I’m not saying you’re incorrect, because it seems like something McCain would expect, but that would have been really stupid on his part.

  98. 98.

    trollhattan

    @Roger Moore:

    Methinks you’re on the right track. I’ll predict she goes for DiFi’s seat. I don’t foresee another term and as we’ve discovered, the governorship here ain’t a good presidential launchpad.

  99. 99.

    askew

    Martin O’Malley is who we run. He’s a progressive who has a laundry list of accomplishments to run on, has charisma, appeals to the Democratic base and working class whites and has an interesting life story. He’d be a significant step up from Hillary that is for sure.

    Other options include Amy Klobuchar, Kristin Gillibrand and Deval Patrick. All who would be lightyears ahead of Hillary. Hell, even Claire McCaskill would be an improvement above Hillary.

  101. 101.

    NotMax

    @Spaghetti Lee

    Well said, but scant relation to my comment, which posited Crist as a possibility for the V.P. slot, not for top of the ticket.

    Oh, and one other left fielder for running for prez unmentioned is one of the Udalls (though that may just be the glow of nostalgia as I initially supported Mo Udall when he ran way back when).

  102. 102.

    jamick6000

    But if not Hilary, who?

    the best the democratic party has to offer is an ex Wal-Mart board member who voted to invade Iraq. oof that’s depressing.

  103. 103.

    MikeJ

    @trollhattan:

    the governorship here ain’t a good presidential launchpad.

    Worked for Reagan. Who was the last Senator from CA to go to the show?

  104. 104.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Percysowner:

    Well, Warren’s the same age as Clinton. Honestly, and I’ve said this before, I’d love to see her chair the banking committee for the next decade or so. She could do a hell of a lot of good there.

  105. 105.

    KG

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ah, yeah, gotcha, sorry I misunderstood. The former republican in me would still love to see Huntsman, but I doubt the base would swallow two Mormons in a row, especially one who worked for Obama.

  106. 106.

    Suffern ACE

    @MTiffany: it’s being discussed because until 2016 there is nothing that can be done but watch the republicans at the state level destroy everything.

  108. 108.

    mdblanche

    @gorram: I doubt Patrick would be interested.

    @DCLaw1: I still haven’t seen any Republican nostalgia for Bush, and it’s been twenty years. I’m sure it will be even longer before we see any for his son.

    And if eight years is a long time in politics, recall it has been more than a decade since his other son last ran a race. The last time Jeb won an election the Iraq War hadn’t even started yet. He wouldn’t even be mentioned if not for his cursed last name.

  109. 109.

    Anne Laurie

    @SatanicPanic:

    Or Kamala Harris.

    Ms. Harris has already been suggested as a VP for HIllary. “If you absolutely, positively want to make Rush Limpbaugh bleed from every orifice… “

  110. 110.

    Woody

    @Violet:

    I appreciate your comment, but I believe Barbara Bush to be an exceptionally gifted politician in her own right. I could easily see her being “persuaded against her wishes” if “the country were in dire peril” forcing Jeb to run.

    Let’s be a touch bloodless here: should H.W. (or Barbara) pass before ’16, there would be another appealing narrative for the David Gregorys and Mike Allens to extol without end, yes?

  112. 112.

    amk

    This is all stupid speculation. The kenyan muslin is gonna jail all your 24×7 oppressed white asses in fema camps (especially cole’s), bring in a boat load of africans (what did you think this gazillion dollar trip was all about?) to vote for him and then declare himself as prezinent for life.

  113. 113.

    Violet

    @askew: He sucked af the convention. He made some gaffe that the Dens had to walk back for days and then his speech was a snoozer. I was underwhelmed.

  114. 114.

    RareSanity

    @Boots Day:

    You obviously don’t remember the South Carolina primary.

    Read about it here.

    McCain was the “next in line” in 2000, Bush and Rove crashed the party. But it was a case of “all is fair in love and politics” to the GOP, because after all, he was a Bush.

  115. 115.

    khead

    @Poopyman:

    He’s not exactly Mr. Excitement. Still, I suspect a guitar is a lot better than a tank and oversized helmet. That said, I don’t see it for 2016. I doubt most folks even know who the hell he is outside of MD.

  116. 116.

    eemom

    I just can’t stop trolling. It’s an unsavory addiction.

    Yes, but in this case the addict is drugging the co-dependents.

    Yer a sick fuck John Cole. Sick sick sick. :(

  117. 117.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Woody:

    The electorate’s going to be swayed based on what Barbara Bush says? Really. What percentage actually remembers her as a public figure? Half? Less?

  119. 119.

    Boots Day

    Jeb Bush seems like he could be what Romney was in 2012: Nobody really gets excited by him or even likes him, but he’s sane and halfway intelligent and not completely embarrassing, which puts him far ahead of 90 percent of Republicans.

  123. 123.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Redshirt:

    Run him with Bender and you’ve got my vote. Intimidating leadership on the top of the ticket, appeal to the common man on the bottom.

  124. 124.

    ChrisNYC

    @Anne Laurie: bull. Christie is part of the bush machine. That’s how he got the ausa job. No way he stomps jeb. The only people I’ve seen stroking Christie are former gopers like Cole and the morning Joe crew. Really not dems fair weather or otherwise. Hill will run but she’ll also lose.

  125. 125.

    trollhattan

    @MikeJ:

    Lemme think…Cranston, who else? My takeaway is being a senator from California is far better than being governor, if one desires national office. Jerry and Pete Wilson were the two post-Ronny governors who tried and tried and tried for president and never got anywhere. Pete McCloskey ran from his house seat, did SI Hayakawa ever run? (I don’t think so.)

  126. 126.

    Roger Moore

    @khead:

    I doubt most folks even know who the hell he is outside of MD.

    He has a few years to do something about that. If he suddenly decides that it’s very important to go all over the country and get his face on the news outside his state, you’ll know he’s thinking of a Presidential run.

  127. 127.

    Violet

    @Woody: I agree that Barbara is the power behind fhe throne. If you watch the video when she was asked the question, she snapped her answer out sharply. She said there were plenty of other families out there that should have a shot. I think it was a dig at the Clintons but by her mentioning the word family I think she was protecting her own.

  128. 128.

    askew

    @Violet:

    @askew: He sucked af the convention. He made some gaffe that the Dens had to walk back for days and then his speech was a snoozer. I was underwhelmed.

    Clinton’s first convention speech was one of the worst speeches ever given at a convention. It bored people to tears. Yet, he had no problems coming back and winning the nomination. And O’Malley made 1 gaffe in an entire year of vigorously defending Obama and the Dems in the 2012 election. Neither of those are enough to disqualify him. Hell, Obama himself was pretty bad at being a presidential candidate until the JJ dinner in Iowa. O’Malley politics and priorities are right for a 2016 run and he has the right connections within the party to pull it off. Hillary just needs to take a pass so we can have a great president instead of her mediocre self.

  129. 129.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Violet: Yeah, O’Malley needs a lot of work with media management if he’s gonna rise any higher. I like him on issues, but he was a lousy surrogate in the last cycle.

  130. 130.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @MikeJ:

    Nixon. Of course he had another job in-between. Worked for some weird old bald guy as I recall.

  132. 132.

    askew

    @Wag:

    Another possibility. My Senator Mark Udal has been out in front on the NSA thing.

    Great. He’s leading on an issue no one gives a shit about outside of a small % of Dems and libertarians. That will fire people up.

  134. 134.

    hilzoy

    Hilary will not run. There is no possible Presidential candidate for 2016 named Hilary. She has two Ls.

    Signed, Hilary

  135. 135.

    Boots Day

    You obviously don’t remember the South Carolina primary.

    I remember the 2000 Republican primaries. What I don’t understand is how McCain could have thought he was “next in line” if he’d never even run for president prior to that.

  136. 136.

    Suzanne

    Can I get a shout-out for Janet Napolitano? She really wants to be president. She’d be a three-fer…..woman, lesbian, of Italian descent. Plus she’s rad.

  138. 138.

    M31

    After a tight three-way with Newt and JEB, Santorum squeezes out a come-from-behind shocker.

    OK, I’m really sorry I just wrote that.

  140. 140.

    Anne Laurie

    @gorram:

    Deval Patrick? I forget, his term’s up in 2014 right?

    Patrick could run, but he’s gone on the record saying he promised his wife he’d get out of politics. Which, of course, means very little to a committed politician who sees an opening, but there it is.

    More importantly, I suspect, is that Patrick is perceived as having gotten his toehold in Massachusetts by campaigning as “as close as you’ll get to another Obama”. The more scuffed up President Obama’s administration gets after eight years of hard use, the less attractive that will seem to low-information voters.

    Also, the last three presidential candidates out of Boston — Romney, Kerry, and Dukakis — are going to get cited by every pundit and horserace bloviator as a disincentive.

  142. 142.

    Woody

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    Erm, I was writing in reply to another commenter. I don’t think the majority of the electorate remembers Barbara Bush terribly well, though my guess is that many seniors do.

    I have a strong belief that the courtier media is extremely susceptible to appealing narratives, in that these narratives can convey a story rife with emotion (ok, Hallmark-level emotion, but then, they sell an awful lot of cards, no?) that doesn’t bore their audience with dull policy or facts.

    I believe a Jeb Bush candidacy has narrative potential. The Bushes have been proven to win elections and implement policy that favor very wealthy and influential families. I’m simply pointing out that a successful Jeb candidacy is not out of the question.

  144. 144.

    Poopyman

    @Roger Moore: The War of 1812/Fort McHenry Bicentennial next year will be the perfect platform for that. We’ll see whether it becomes the Martin O’Malley Show. That should tell us something about his future plans.

  145. 145.

    eemom

    @Anne Laurie:

    the authoritarian streak in all the fair-weather Democrats currently mouthing pap about the NSA.

    Well, you may not have a creative bone in your body, but I’ll give ya this: your capacity for self-caricature is absolutely unparalleled.

  146. 146.

    Chris

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    The GOP needs people like that to win-the suburbs went for huge (I’m talking 80-20 in some cases) margins for Nixon and Reagan, now in the Midwest and Northeast it’s basically 50-50.

    Well, the Nixon/Reagan GOP was also in a honeymoon period where they were now drawing conservative ex-Dixiecrats in huge numbers, but could still count on a number of their old liberal base, who hadn’t yet woken up to the new reality of their party as Neo Confederates R Us. Kind of like the grace period the Democratic Party had when they started appealing to liberals and minorities but hadn’t yet lost the Solid South. I would guess a lot of those suburban voters are gone forever.

  147. 147.

    trollhattan

    @Anne Laurie:

    Clearly, time to dump the wife.

    WTF do I know, from three timezones distant he might as well be Danica Patrick.

    ’14 has my attention. We need to get the assholes out of House control, how does that happen?

  148. 148.

    Richard W. Crews

    long ago I suggested Rahm/Crist. I still sorta’ like it, but that combo will require a very good set of years economically between now and then. That makes room for a new Democrat, a brutal, truthful Dem, a take-no-prisoners Dem that takes on our economic divide.
    Howard Dean did that, but we weren’t ready for him.
    Dean/Davis 2016

  149. 149.

    mdblanche

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    The electorate’s going to be swayed based on what Barbara Bush says?

    But she’ll persuade David Gregory and Mike Allen and they’ll persuade the electorate just like they always do, right? Right?

  150. 150.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Anne Laurie:

    Also, the last three presidential candidates out of Boston — Romney, Kerry, and Dukakis — are going to get cited by every pundit and horserace bloviator as a disincentive.

    Well, you know, that’s not nothing. Those defeats aren’t remembered as particularly glorious ones either, even by the people who voted for them.

    I am interested, from an observers’ perspective, what happens to the Dems’ share of the white vote if the next candidate is white. Either result would be somewhat disheartening, though: either they’re stone-cold racists who put skin color above all and will only come crawling back if that desire’s met, or decades of Foxbaugh have left them out of our reach for good.*

    *-Some people would say they’re glad those creeps are gone, and I can see the idea behind that. But let me submit, because I’m so pragmatic, that it would be nice to not have to write off every state in the old Confederacy except Virginia and Florida as a double digit loss. Even narrowing the margins and getting a few house seats would be a good start.

  151. 151.

    Anybodybuther2016

    Top 10 reasons hills should be the Dem nominee according to the Internets

    1. Name recognition (like McDonald’s)

    2. Willingness to be a lying sack of crap
    (snipers, he’s not a Muslim as far as I know)

    3. She’s a fighter (great, what did she accomplish as a result of those fights ?and no getting elected doesn’t count unless you can name something she did for the people who elected her besides wait to be crowned potus while collecting a check.

    4. She’s shameless (hard working whites folks, I’m staying in the race because Obama might be ass*****ed etc)

    5.?????

  154. 154.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Woody:

    The power of narrative is potent, but it only works if people care about the characters. Yes, older voters remember Barbara Bush, but they go majority Republican anyway. I just can’t think of many voter demographics who would be swayed out of a possible vote for a Democrat by a media-spun tale of a kindly old matriarch who wants to see the family name brought back to glory before she passes on. Most people will say “who cares?”

    I think Jeb could win-out of all the prospective GOPers I think he’s the most dangerous, although he has many vulnerabilities of his own-but if he does, I think Barbara Bush will be a relatively minor reason why.

  157. 157.

    Susan S

    Not Hillary..please guys. Spoken as a female contemporary of her…the Republs would destroy her..all the old crud would resurface…they float her name whenever possible. I still wish we had a system that elected a visionary President and corporate/management style vice president…don’t scream..they might be able to beat back the bankers and investment types [and I am one of the latter] The nominee must be elegant, if she is a woman…and we probably will do better with a Biden/Pelosi/or Warren…not Patty Murray…again, just doesn’t have the correct level of style and grace. That sounds really petty…but look at Pelosi and some of the other most effective women in politics…never out of line, always sharp. Mrs. Clinton is doing better…but …ah, I have it…this would really be cool. Lani Guineer. Heh, heh. Seriously, I suspect the lst woman president will be grandmotherly, married for ever, with happy children and a delightful, if tough, sense of humor. Just saying..

  158. 158.

    Roger Moore

    @Anybodybuther2016:
    5) She has an outstanding record of service as Senator and Secretary of State
    6) Lots of people will vote for her because they have good memories of Bill’s terms
    7) She has made the right enemies
    8) She has a proven ability to survive the DC meat grinder and the massive right wing conspiracy

    Honestly, she’s not my favorite candidate, but she does have a lot going for her.

  160. 160.

    Anne Laurie

    @DCLaw1:

    As silly as it is to guess right now, I’m betting it’s Jeb. With Santorum nipping his heels the entire way.

    I fervently hope the GOP race swiftly comes down to Jeb! (the Money Party’s choice) versus Sanctorum (“It’s his turn”, and the shriveled dark soul of the Repub-primary voters resonates on his level). The more those two warring armies bleed each other, the better for us Democrats!

    My least favorite option is another overstuffed klown kar kavalcade, leading to an early agreement between the two “leaders” (assuming they don’t physically assault each other the first time they’re trapped in a small room together) who then send all the flying monkeys after the Democratic candidate as a full-time endeavor. I don’t think Rick could stand looking like he “approved” of Jeb’s worldly, globalist ways — but while I don’t think Jeb would like taking the undercard to Pastor Frothy, I don’ think his principles extend to turning down that slot, either. I’d rather the Repub primaries go on long enough, and ugly enough, that we never get the chance to find out.

  161. 161.

    mdblanche

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    I just can’t think of many voter demographics who would be swayed out of a possible vote for a Democrat by a media-spun tale of a kindly old matriarch who wants to see the family name brought back to glory before she passes on.

    I’ve got it! Arrested Development fans.

  162. 162.

    KG

    @Boots Day: 4 years in the House, 14 years in the Senate, was allegedly on Dole’s short list in ’96. And apparently he was a POW in Vietnam, though not many people have heard of that. Compared to everyone else in 2000, he would have been next in line

  163. 163.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @eemom:

    You know, I don’t really get the ‘self-caricature’ argument. It seems like the difference between that and ‘consistently standing up for your beliefs’ is just whether you agree with the beliefs in question. I mean, I could say that you’re parodying yourself by openly moaning to Cole about all the trolling that goes on here, then contributing to it by baiting an FPer on a dead horse topic, and I’d be accurate, because damn, you sure end up doing that a lot.

  164. 164.

    Joel (Macho Man Randy Savage)

    non-Hillary frontrunner: Biden (might have to make a one-term promise, though)
    dark horse: Castro

  165. 165.

    Suzanne

    @eemom: You know, you complain a lot, yet you spend so much time here that it’s almost like you’re desperate for negative attention, yet completely full of shit.

    In fact, it’s JUST like that.

  166. 166.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @mdblanche:

    I tell ya, with all the obsessive media proctology that goes on here, seems like some folks have convinced themselves that the Beltway media is as important as they themselves think they are. The amount of people who could put a name to a picture of any Politico, or Washington Post writer or Meet the Press contributor has got to be in the low millions at most, and the amount of people who base their decisions on what those guys think is much lower than that.

  170. 170.

    Woody

    @Anne Laurie:

    Be careful what you wish for – Jeb will have the activist base predisposed to believe him – and he certainly won’t need to placate them with a VP slot, particularly if he chooses to use speechwriters familiar enough with Biblical allusions, as his brother did.

    No, I’m thinking he could even nominate a heretic like Christie and suffer little blowback. And talk about appealing to the courtiers!

    You might wish to keep in mind the phrase “Supreme Court nomination” as it will be whispered in every fundamentalist church throughout Jeb’s campaign. And you can be well assured he’ll signal his preference early on – it will solidify his support even as he “pivots” (words, not deeds) ever-so-slightly toward center.

  173. 173.

    RareSanity

    @Boots Day:

    I’m not telling you that this was a figment of his imagination, nor was he the only one thinking it.

    He was better known nationally, and had more national support going into the 2000 election than Bush, and was a presumptive favorite entering the primaries.

    As you pointed out, obviously the previous Republican presidential candidates were weak. McCain was a military veteran, a former POW, and long serving Senator. He was the next in line until GWB’s campaign started gaining momentum, then he wasn’t anymore.

  174. 174.

    mdblanche

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    the amount of people who base their decisions on what those guys think is much lower than that

    Do people who do the opposite of what they want count?

  175. 175.

    Mary G

    @gorram: Deval Patrick would be great, seeing as the Republicans are doubling down on the white people thing. My long shot? Wendy Davis.

  176. 176.

    ruemara

    You know, I’d like to use some excess energy fretting over this, but I’m working on the 2014 elections now. 2016 can take care of itself.

  177. 177.

    Anne Laurie

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    Honestly, and I’ve said this before, I’d love to see her chair the banking committee for the next decade or so. She could do a hell of a lot of good there.

    Co-signed. I’m a big Warren fan, but she wants to do the banking/FIRE stuff, it’s very much her area of expertise. There are plenty of Dems who could be great presidents, but not so many who can replace Warren in the job she has right now!

  178. 178.

    Anne Laurie

    @Dem Jayhawks:

    Sam Brownback will run in 2016.

    Not if Rick Santorum’s God — and more importantly, the Talibangelical moneybags — have anything to say about it. They don’t want to split the Christianist vote in the primaries, and have Jeb! stroll to the nomination as a result.

  179. 179.

    ponce

    Hillary running in the middle of the Republicans’ War on Women is too much of a lock for her to pass up.

  180. 180.

    Cacti

    @Suzanne:

    Can I get a shout-out for Janet Napolitano? She really wants to be president. She’d be a three-fer…..woman, lesbian, of Italian descent. Plus she’s rad.

    I’ll shout out a full-throated FU for Janet Napolitano, after the way she left AZ to the tender mercies of Jan Brewer and Russell Pearce.

  182. 182.

    Ruckus

    Can someone please tell me what makes Hillary such a good candidate? I don’t see it. I didn’t see it when she ran last time and I don’t see what has changed for the better.
    1. She hires or allows(even worse) crappy people to run her campaign.
    2. She will be too old. I’m less than 2 years younger than her and I feel that I’m too old.
    3. Yes she was SoS but I’m not sure what she learned from the job.
    4. I’m not sure Bill would be seen as an asset by many. I think she is obviously strong enough to be her own person but I’m not sure enough people would see it that way.
    Would she win? Possibly, maybe even probably. Winning isn’t everything, she still would have to govern and I’m not sure I see her in that role. So, would she be terrible? I don’t think so but I’d like to set the bar just a little higher than not terrible.

  183. 183.

    Punchy

    I think the Dems ought nommy a Chinese Buffet as chaff on the good odds the Goops throw Fat Fuck Joyzee out there and he kicks via MI after one too many pot stickers.

  184. 184.

    Anne Laurie

    @ChrisNYC:

    Christie is part of the bush machine. That’s how he got the ausa job. No way he stomps jeb.

    Nope, in my nightmares, he takes just enough Democratic votes away from Hillary to win the (D) nom — and then lose to Jeb. Do they make false flags in size XXXXL?

  185. 185.

    eemom

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    contributing to it by baiting an FPer on a dead horse topic

    Which dead horse topic would that be? The one that’s the topic of this thread, or the one that the FPer herself alluded to in her own comment that I quoted?

  186. 186.

    mai naem

    @Suzanne: I think being in support for gay marriage is one thing, I can’t see this country voting for a bisexual candidate for prez.

    The guy I would like to see but it won’t happen for any number of reasons is Jerry Brown. Alas, the Governor Moonbeam label will kill him just in the primary.

    Anyhoo, surprised nobody’s mentioned Tim Kaine. He’s got a good personal story. He’s from a middle class/working class background which I think is essential for Dems. Obama likes him. Former governor of VA. Former DNC chair. I also like Patrick, Schweitzer, Hickenlooper and Kitzhaber. I would have liked Sebelius but the rollout for Obamacare can be graded from bad to shitty so far. Also too how bad was Christine Gregoire that she’s never mentioned for anything?

  188. 188.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @mai naem:

    Also too how bad was Christine Gregoire that she’s never mentioned for anything?

    Honestly, I think that might just be the old east coast bias, so to speak. Also, Gregoire herself seems not to be a spotlight-seeker.

  190. 190.

    Face

    @Punchy: Yeah, but then the Buffet wins by default and we’re all under the oppressive autocratic rule of General Tso.

  191. 191.

    burnspbesq

    Right now I’m much more concerned about figuring out a way to flip the Congressional district I live in (CA-45). It’s an open seat in 2014.

    Yo, Martin, I wonder if we could get Erwin to run. Obama’s not going to put him on the Ninth Circuit, so it’s worth a try.

  192. 192.

    eemom

    @Anne Laurie:

    You know, this was kind of a good question, so I think I’ll repeat it:

    Tell us about how Non-Authoritarian Hillary is gonna rein in the NSA.

    And if you don’t want to answer it here, go ahead with one of those dreaded FP “eviscerations” you’re so famous for. I can take it.

  193. 193.

    Cacti

    @mai naem:

    I think being in support for gay marriage is one thing, I can’t see this country voting for a bisexual candidate for prez.

    Probably not at this point, but if we’re talking strictly about low information voters…Rep. Sinema isn’t too tough on the eyes, and I could see many dudebros liking the idea of candidate girl-on-girl.

  196. 196.

    mai naem

    @Cacti: The FU should really go to Obama who nominated her. And, no I don’t want Janet. It’s one thing to have her running a reddish state like AZ but I don’t want a moderate running the country in 2016.

    Also, for the GOP, I highly recommend running Bob McDonnell for prez. He’s a good looking white conservative guy with an awesome governing record. I am really worried that the GOP is going to nominate him because he would give Hillary or any Dem a run for their money.

  198. 198.

    burnspbesq

    @mai naem:

    McDonnel’s got bigger worries than a possible 2016 Presidential run. He’s got work to do in order to avoid wearing an orange jumpsuit for the next few years.

  199. 199.

    MattR

    @Anne Laurie:

    Nope, in my nightmares, he takes just enough Democratic votes away from Hillary to win the (D) nom — and then lose to Jeb. Do they make false flags in size XXXXL?

    2/3 of Jersey Democrats think Christie would not be a good president. Could he win the Democratic nomination without winning his home state? (EDIT: FWIW, Jersey Dems are split pretty much evenly on whether or not he is doing a good job as governor)

  200. 200.

    FlipYrWhig

    The civil libertarians ought to be pushing very, very hard for either Wyden or a Udall to be named later. Without their presence, no one is going to make a fuss about surveillance stuff–except Rand Paul, who is a charlatan and hateful. If you care about it a lot, you need a candidate to keep the issue aloft.

  201. 201.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @Anne Laurie:

    I can’t tell if you’re joking here. Christie switching sides and winning the Dem nomination? He’d crash like a zeppelin.

  202. 202.

    Punchy

    @Face: He’d have his Inauguration Ball at a big NY arena….say….MSG. As spring rolls….around…he’d announce Condi Rice into his Cabby.

  203. 203.

    burnspbesq

    @eemom:

    Hillary will rein in the NSA by … ummm … giving each member of Congress his or her very own personal unicorn that pees pinot grigio and poops New York Super Fudge Chunk in exchange for their vote to repeal all the icky parts of the PATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act.

    Yeah, that’s it. That’s exactly how it will happen.

  204. 204.

    FlipYrWhig

    Re: others… Kaine is a decent enough guy, but he’s not interesting or charismatic. Mark Warner is more charismatic, but he’s ideologically underwhelming. Schweitzer is a compelling figure, but I get a scent of bullshit artist about him — a bit like Ed Schultz. B00ker is definitely a bullshit artist. I like the dossier on O’Malley and Kitzhaber, but I don’t know what they’re like in terms of image and packaging. Which, sadly, matters.

  205. 205.

    MattR

    @Spaghetti Lee: I have seen it come from the right quite a bit. I think Ann Althouse is on the record predicting it.

    I am not even sure he would win the Republican primary in the state. Only 2/3 of Republicans currently say they think he would be a good president despite 90% thinking he is doing a good job as governor. Sandy will no longer be able to shield him in 2 and a half years if the Jersey economy continues to lag behind the nation.

  206. 206.

    JCT

    @Dem Jayhawks: Going to be tough after he completely craters Kansas with his experimental budget games. By the time he’s done Kansas will make look Wisconsin look like the engine of the economy.

    Plus he’s a raving fuckstick.

  207. 207.

    Socoolsofresh

    Surprised no one here has mentioned a true liberal, James R. Clapper Jr., for the nomination. We really need someone who has no qualms protecting us in what will be increasingly perilous times. The definition of a patriot, Clapper Jr. is not afraid to lie to the people if it means we can sleep well at night. Also, with all of the surveillance dirt he has on members of congress, you know he will be able to wield a big stick to get the tough things done. Clapper 2016!

  208. 208.

    Yatsuno

    @Cacti: I would kill for her to take Grandpa Walnuts’ seat. Especially if the old fuck runs again.

    @mai naem:

    Also, for the GOP, I highly recommend running Bob McDonnell for prez. He’s a good looking white conservative guy with an awesome governing record

    And a possible impending jail term. Oopsie.

  209. 209.

    SatanicPanic

    @burnspbesq: Can CA get rid of Rohrbacher somehow? That guy’s got to be the dumbest fucking rep CA has. Even Issa looks smart next to him. But I think about all the people I know from Huntington Beach and I’m not hopeful.

  212. 212.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @MattR:

    I have seen it come from the right quite a bit. I think Ann Althouse is on the record predicting it.

    Well, I’ve heard all I need to hear on that. Sounds like a cocktail of wishful thinking, trolling, and bullshit.

  214. 214.

    Irony Abounds

    Ron Wyden – he has actually tried to accomplish something while in office, his health care plan was better than the convoluted plan actually adopted, he had a good tax plan, and he on the right side of the privacy. I know, he pissed on the holy grail of social security for a brief moment, but overall he’s a smart guy who is generally on the right side of the issues. Perhaps a charisma deficit.

  216. 216.

    Socoolsofresh

    @burnspbesq: Oh hey! I totally agree with you that journalists have it too good these days and should have some of their freedoms stripped. Everyone was having a mature conversation and then that damn felon GG had to mess up everything! It’s really hurting the country!

  218. 218.

    mai naem

    @Yatsuno: I have the jail thing covered. Obama pardons McDonnell in 2014 so that he can run for prez. I forgot to mention that his wife has great taste clothes, jewelry, alcohol, cooking utensils and nutritional supplements. These are all great attributes in a future FLOTUS.

    I think/hope Carmona runs against McCain. He came awfully close in 2012. I would like to see Carmona as a possible VP down the road. Napolitano would beat McCain but I’m not sure it wouldn’t be a demotion for her.

  220. 220.

    Suzanne

    @Cacti: I don’t think Sinema has a chance, nor any interest, for a few election cycles. But she’s definitely career-minded and savvy.

    I miss Janet. She was the bluest Governor I think we’ll ever have here. And I think she’s smart and tough as nails. She’d be a great AG.

  221. 221.

    Herbal Infusion Bagger

    He has no chance, but Gavin Newsom would be awesome. Or Kamala Harris.

    Gavin for VP maybe after he takes the Governorship. The CW that Governor of CA is poison for only applied when the Repubs were using the Prop 13 two-thirds rule to trash the state. Now the GOP are an irrelevant rump, that’s not the case. And NorCal (and SoCal, to a lesser extent) is a huge ATM for Democrats. Heck, that’s the only reason Obama ever visits.

  223. 223.

    mai naem

    As far as candidates there’s also Danel Malloy who will attract every gun nut to come out and vote against him, and Ken Salazar who I don’t like but is the only Dem Hispanic who’s got the qualifications and experience on paper(ok, there’s Bob Menendez but he’s got the fake hooker story.) My bet would be that the GOP will have Sandoval or Martinez on the 2016 ticket so the Dems are going to probably need a Hispanic on the ticket.

  224. 224.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @mai naem:

    No offense, but that’s the kind of thinking that led the Republicans to seek out the services of Alan Keyes and Michael Steele. Hispanic voters aren’t dumb-they know that a big chunk of the GOP base wants them either deported or dead. A guy named Sandoval in the veep slot isn’t going to change that. Remember when Sarah Palin drew masses of female Democrats because they all only wanted to vote for a fellow woman? Me neither.

  225. 225.

    joel hanes

    @NotMax:

    Vilsack.

    Christie ? I hope she’s not the nominee, though I supported her Iowa candidacy with $$.

    Her intentions are good, her policy ideas kinda centrist for my taste — but she completely lacks the fire in the belly,
    has no charisma. No one will ever be passionate about voting for her.

  227. 227.

    cckids

    @Anne Laurie:

    “If you absolutely, positively want to make Rush Limpbaugh bleed from every orifice… “

    Its one of my fondest wishes that we’ve lived through the last Presidential campaign where RL’s opinions are heard. Whether he’s off the air or off the face of the earth, I really don’t care. Either way the country’s better off.

  229. 229.

    fuckwit

    Please, people. We have a Congress to get elected in just a year! What the hell?

    Presidents don’t make laws. Congress does (or is supposed to, if it were functioning).

    The most important thing right now is to get a Democratic House and a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate.

    But when 2016 rolls around, I would knock myself out campaigning for Elizabeth Warren, if she ran.

  233. 233.

    Comrade Dread

    It doesn’t matter who it is, I’m sure that we’ll be hearing how their really ‘illegitimate’ from the right and ‘worse that Bush’ from the left about 20 minutes after their inauguration.

  235. 235.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Anne Laurie: That’s precisely why he or some other doG botherer will run, with secret backing from the money wing. Do you think it’s an accident Rmoney faced such splintered opposition?

  236. 236.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Anne Laurie:

    My least favorite option is another overstuffed klown kar kavalcade, leading to an early agreement between the two “leaders” (assuming they don’t physically assault each other the first time they’re trapped in a small room together) who then send all the flying monkeys after the Democratic candidate as a full-time endeavor.

    Zero plus zero equals zero. Zero times zero equals zero. There’s no reason to think the clowns will be any more effective as surrogates this time, or that the front runners will be any less driven by their own personal interests.

    Stop worrying and learn to love the clown car.

  239. 239.

    Nina

    I thought Castro would be a force in the 2016 race after hearing him speak at the convention. For people who think his last name will get him in trouble, remember Obama-Osama? He’d be a shoo-in for the veep spot if he wants it; I can see him sparking a surge in registration for Hispanics across the country, especially if the Republican vote suppression efforts continue as they’ve been going.

  240. 240.

    HelloRochester

    Ya know who? Russ Feingold. You know what the centerpiece of his platform (in my fantasy) would be? Constitutional amendment requiring legal “personhood” to require a heartbeat. And to get GOP support, a special carve-out would be made for Dick Cheney.

  241. 241.

    Ramalama

    @Yatsuno:

    …porcine aviators…

    Ha, Nice one!

    I hear what everyone’s saying about Hillary but she’s a goddamned fighter. I liked that quality, and voted for her after W was slated to be forgotten in history, but everyone was falling over the new kind of Democrat that Obama represented.

    OK, he’s done some great things. And some really shitty things.

    I’d love for some Elizabeth Warren to be next up on the docket, but you know what? Warren’s too liberal. She’d never make it. This coming from someone who’s (I think) way more radical than most of youse. I’d love for someone representing more of my views to be in higher politicial positions. I guess that that won’t happen any time soon, because there are way too many elected officials on lower rungs who are assholes.

    There. Have I used up all of my swear words?

  242. 242.

    Ed in NJ

    @Anne Laurie:

    Christie is such an interesting character. Every move is politically calculated, and everyone in Jersey knows he’s a complete phony, but there is no one to challenge him.

    Currently, he is teaming up with the Dem State Senate President Sweeney to try to fast track a bill to dissolve the Rutgers Board of Trustees (private overseers) and give complete control to the Board of Governors (political appointees). It’s a complete money grab with the new merger with UMDNJ, the medical school, and the Big Ten money coming next year. It’s got alot of Republicans in the state furious with him.

  245. 245.

    Jack the Second

    Sherrod Brown is nice because he’d presumably deliver Ohio. If we run a decent candidate from a swing state, don’t we basically have 2016 in the bag?

  247. 247.

    mai naem

    @Spaghetti Lee: I get what you’re saying but Salazar is qualified, I just don’t like what he did in the Senate. And, Sandoval and Martinez, from the little I’ve seen, are not Palin-like. Martinez has a nice story. Sandoval was a judge and AG. I do think Hispanics will be motivated by the first Hispanic being part of a legitimate presidential ticket which has a shot of winning.
    @Nina: I was talking to somebody whose last name was Castro and I asked them jokingly if they were related to Fidel. They had no freaking idea what I was talking about. I get the feeling there’s a lot of other people like that out there .

  250. 250.

    JR

    The question isn’t “who else is there?” That implies there are potential candidates within the party of equivalent stature to Hillary. I don’t think that’s a safe assumption.

    She’s continuously been a world figure for the past twenty years (I mean like “in newspapers around the globe every week or so”-level world figure). I’m only 30, but I can’t think of a candidate in my lifetime with a background of that depth.

    The question is “who in the party is capable of mounting a serious, credible campaign for President, and is also capable of doing the job thereafter?”

    The good news is that the list is long. That’s also the bad news.

    Hillary prevents a free-for-all that pits seven or eight data-driven, post-Citizens United candidates against each other. It means an orderly transfer of power within the Democratic Party, and plenty of time and money to build the most efficient campaign operation in history (assuming, as I think we all now do, that she will run a campaign in the mold of Obama 2012).

    Without that, we’ll have splits within Labor, splits within donor communities, and a shortened window of time to build a nationally dominant operation. Cry havoc, etc.

    But we’ll also have plenty of viable options to pummel the crap out of the GOP’s sacrificial ham.

  251. 251.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Deval Patrick from Massachusetts would be awesome. You want to see wingnut heads a’splode, imagine two black POTUS’s in a row!

  252. 252.

    Ramalama

    @master c: Quibble: Dynasty is for Bushes but I don’t think applies for Hillary.

    There was no Pappy Clinton friends with deep pockets deciding that Bill’s turn was first and Hillary’s turn was to come next. Both of them slugged it out in their various public positions. No one handed them a baseball team and said, “Go get it.” They did not receive Gentleman’s Cs.

    Apple meet orange.

  253. 253.

    Ruckus

    @mai naem:
    There are too many shallow old farts left who still think that the commie menace was real and that Castro was one of the worst humans on the planet. I think they will equate the name with the idea and that’s that. A shame because the man may be great. I just don’t think the US is ready yet. Been wrong before.

  257. 257.

    Southern Beale

    I asked that same question on this thread in comments and got some really hilarious responses. One commenter wrote:

    “… somebody outside of the Beltway because inside is to toxic right now. A short list, Maggie Hassen, Lincoln Chafee, John Hickenlooper, Brian Schweitzer, or Wendy Davis (She would be much stronger if she won TX Gov first). I do agree with you that Elizabeth Warren is just being so useful in the Senate we probably do want her to stay and stay for decades.”

    That just makes no sense this side of reality. Plus, Chaffee an outsider? Guffaw. Someone who didn’t know Chaffee used to be a Republican senator, I guess.

  259. 259.

    gelfling545

    @Spaghetti Lee: My own feeling about Cuomo is that he had great good luck in getting Paladino as an opponent (whom even the Republicans didn’t seem to be that into). I would hope to see the Democrats do better than that.

  260. 260.

    lojasmo

    @JasonF:

    Nobody would have predicted Barak Obama at this point in 2005

    During Obama’s 2004 DNC speech, I turned to my wife and said “He’s going to be the next president”.

  262. 262.

    Joe Buck

    Call me a firebagger if you like, but I’d love to see Elizabeth Warren run. I’m disgusted with most Democrats at this point; Warren is one of the few who clearly isn’t taking dictation from Wall Street, and she’ll have as much national experience as Barack Obama had.

  264. 264.

    Mike Jones

    I still have my Dean for President yard sign, and I’d be the first one to bring it back out. O’Malley seems like a good guy, as does Schweitzer. I love Gillibrand (she’s my Senator, and I did a lot of legwork on her first House campaign), but I think the reality of the politics is that she’d need a term as VP before running at the top of the ticket. One term of Biden/Gillibrand followed by her running? I’d be all over that.

  265. 265.

    JR in WV

    @Suffern ACE:

    I would vote for her. Well educated, grew up watching the family business, attractive, what’s not to like?

    Beats GWB all hollow!

  266. 266.

    priscianusjr

    This is one of the dumbest threads i’ve seen on Balloon Juice in a long, long time.

  267. 267.

    Carl Nyberg

    Brad Henry, former Governor of Oklahoma probably deserves to be on the list of people who are reasonable choices.

    I like Howard Dean, but consider him a bit old. I consider Hillary Rodham Clinton old, but unacceptable based on the her history, her ideology and me being a progressive activist during the 90s.

    Brian Schweitzer, Janet Napolitano, Kathleen Sebelius, Ken Salazar, Joe Biden (old), Martin O’Malley, Russ Feingold, Mark Warner, Tim Ryan, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, John Kitzhaber

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