My mother got a call from a pollster asking questions about Jerry Brown

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

She was called on a landline in Orange County.

The questions she recalled were along the lines of.

Would you vote for Jerry Brown in the June primary if he ran for President?
Would you donate to a hypothetical Jerry Brown presidential campaign?
Have you donated to a presidential campaign this election cycle?
If not, why not? If so, who?
Is Jerry Brown Presidential?
Is Jerry Brown a moderate or centrist?
How would you describe Jerry Brown's current governorship?

Then a bunch of demographic questions and was she a registered Democrat and what not. The caller said she was calling on behalf of "an independent market research company"

[Cleita]

1. Weird. Is Jerry Brown thinking of running for Prez if the

nomination of a candidate goes to the convention or is he thinking of running for another elected office when his gig as Governor is up?

[Nictuku]

2. Wow....

It really makes me wonder.... Is there an indictment coming down the pipe?

[nashville_brook]

3. sounds like a House of Cards storyline.

[SheilaT]

4. Not that it should matter, but he's even older than Bernie.

If the Democratic convention becomes a total clusterfuck, and someone other than Bernie or Hillary winds up at the top of the ticket, that person will be so tainted by however that happens as to be totally unelectable.

Those who are old enough, cast your thoughts back to 1972 when Thomas Eagleton was the Democratic nominee for Vice President until stuff about his struggle with depression hit the fan. McGovern abandoned him, Sargent Shriver took that slot, and they went on to lose big time. Now, I recognize that McGovern stood essentially zero chance of being elected. In 1972 Nixon was still relatively popular, and Watergate was still just a blip on the radar screen. Still, I suspect that those two lost far, far bigger than they should have.

So let's return to 2016. Hypothesize the scenario any way you choose, and with your personal biases for or against the candidates fully intact. Here are two possibilities:

1. Sanders continues to gain ground throughout the primary season and goes to the convention with a slim majority of pledged delegates, and a lot of the Super delegates remain uncommitted. After several ballots, no one has budged, and someone nominates a third person "compromise".

2. Hillary comes out of the primaries with enough delegates to win the nomination, but sometime in July is indicted on the email server thing. At the convention, she graciously bows out and encourages her delegates to instead vote for a third person, not Bernie.

It's hard for me to imagine any Democrat suddenly being a viable alternative.

Just my take on things.

[NV Whino]

5. Can't imagine why they would be polling about Jerry Brown

His time has come and gone, unfortunately.

I'm sure there are plans in place for many scenarios, but I can't imagine they would include Jerry Brown.

[Samantha]

6. Maybe the market research group reads the DemocraticUnderground

There was a thread a couple of days ago asking for thoughts on the subject of Jerry Brown. I thought perhaps the DNC would try to slip Brown in (if there is no clear winner on the first vote at the convention) if they felt they could not keep Sanders from prevailing. If something like that happens, my support for Bernie Sanders will stay intact so I merely posted that I have always admired Jerry Brown, which is true.

Sam

Postscript: http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511409400 (link to that Brown thread, fyi)

[NV Whino]

10. I think it's too late for Jerry.

I wish we had him earlier in his career.

[speaktruthtopower]

8. It would make him a player in a brokered convention..

and draw votes from one or the other if the delegate race was tight at that point. Would probably hurt Bernie more.

[NV Whino]

9. I get that

But as I said, I think his time has come and gone. Jerry stepped into the governorship somewhat reluctantly. I can't imagine he would want to step up to the presidency at this time in his life. I sincerely regret that he did get the bid earlier.

[senz]

7. Wish he'd have done better in the early 90's.

Who knows? He might have captured the Dem nomination, beaten out Bush, resisted Al From and the DLC, and our great nation would never have been infected with the living, breathing, ongoing corruption that we've dealt with ever since.

[Attorney in Texas]

11. I think Jerry Brown would be an interesting VP choice (not for Hillary because focus groups probably

say he's too old).

[Samantha]

12. I see Jerry Brown as a person who is ageless

Some say age is but a frame of mind, and I believe to a certain extent that is certainly true. Brown has remained involved and dedicated to his work. Here is a recent picture of him:




from: http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/us/attorney-general-jerry-brown.htm?mediatype=Image

The man also has a way with words:

Jerry Brown says Rick Perry?s attempt to woo California businesses to Texas registers as "barely a fart."

A very accomplished person, I have admired him for a very long time. I don't think he is the type to jump in and serve as an alternative choice to Bernie Sanders (or Hillary Clinton) in the event of a brokered Democratic primary.

Sam