Clinton Speaks about Bush-

[wendybeth]

She won't be mine. I have zero respect for her, for a variety of reasons. Mostly because she sacrificed her self-respect in exchange for a turn at the Presidency, and has gone to extraordinary lengths to position herself for the nomination. How about earning it? She is just another politician, nothing more. We desperately need a leader.

[scaeagles]

So, WB, who would you like to see run in 08? The way I see it is that by default they are all politicians. I honestly can't think of anyone I'd be excited about voting for.

[sleepyjeff]

If the Dems were smart(he,heh) they would nominate someone like Bill Richardson and try to seize the middle back from the Republicans............but with Hillary I don't think the Reps have to worry about losing the middle.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm not so sure about that. They've been trying to middle for a while now. It may server them better to do what the Republicans have done, speak to their base and get them mobilized. The middle seems to move not towards the candidate that speaks to them, but to the stronger party.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

At this point, I'm more interested in seeing what will happen in '06. That should be interesting.

As far as '08, I don't think that running any senator is a smart move. Governors seem to do much better in presidential elections. As far as who I think would be a good choice, I really have no idea. I hope that someone will emerge in the next couple of years. The dems would be idiots to try Kerry again.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

So, WB, who would you like to see run in 08? The way I see it is that by default they are all politicians. I honestly can't think of anyone I'd be excited about voting for.

I think Goofy would do a good job. Well, he'd try, anyway.

[scaeagles]

What I think is interesting in the whole electoral process - Senate, House, Govs, President - is that everyone always talks about how they don't want politicians. Yet those that run that aren't politicians - or have no previous politicial experience but perhaps turn into politicians - get little support.

I voted for Steve Forbes in the 2000 AZ primary.

I'm not a Wesley Clark fan, but he didn't fare well on the dem side in the primaries.

What is the reason for this? Is it the political party structure keeping those who haven't "paid their dues" out of the running? Hmmmm.....

[wendybeth]

Oh, I think it is most definitely a 'paid their dues' sort of thing. The thing is, exactly what type of dues are they supposed to pay? I'd love to see a candidate with half a brain and a limited history with the pack of wolves running the government these days. Or someone like Truman, who was chosen because they thought they could control him, and wound up being a very strong leader.

[Ghoulish Delight]

It's all semantics. If they are running for office, they're politicians. And, to be honest, I prefer someone with political experience in higher office. Getting things done in that environment is a skill that must be learned. Someone with no experience may have great intentions, but if they don't know the system, they aren't going to accomplish squat.

The key for me is to find someone who knows the system, and is willing to use the system constructively rather than to advance personal interests and do favors for their cronies. Or at least, keep that to a minimum (I'm not holding my breath for perfection).

[Morrigoon]

Personally, I hope the dems DON'T run Billary. I'd like to see them produce a candidate I can actually vote for. I don't have much hope of my own party doing that (unless they wanna dust off Dole for another go).