The Pantheon is almost complete

[Scriptor Ignotus]

Stevenson
Humphrey
McGovern
Mondale
Dukakis
Gore
Kerry
???

Better make up your mind soon folks. We didn't think there was anyway we would have lost in 2004, and wouldn't you know it, we did. Al Gore isn't going to ride in at dawn from the East, on top of a white mustang to save the day. It's up to the candidates that are out there now to win it all. I'm pretty sure if any of the Republicans win we'll be in WWIII before 2010. We're probably heading into a recession soon. Iraq is fucked if we stay or if we leave.

It's going to take someone really special to bring this country together.

[ruggerson]

1. What a shining ray of optimism

you are.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

2. The only Democrats to win since 1960 were from the South

That should tell us something...

[Gregorian]

5. Huh. Interesting.

And it makes sense. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Thanks.


Edit- But in ref to the original post, Gore and Kerry did win. I know it's moot. But...

And point taken. I brought up 2004 loss in 2003 amidst choruses of boos. I absolutely cannot believe we could lose 08, but this country never ceases to amaze me in it's ever increasing lows.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

6. No problem

:hi:

[jobycom]

9. Gore, certainly.

It's less clear to me that Kerry would have won without the cheating. Gore certainly did win. And he's from the South.

Which means Clinton, Edwards, or Obama, I guess. (Hawaii is pretty far south). :)

[MonkeyFunk]

12. What should it tell us?

That the Democrats should only ever nominate southerners, or all eternity?

It's a meaningless statistic, like the kind sportscasters like to use. "He's 0 or 3 against left-handed pitchers in the 9th inning in post-season play in domed stadiums".

[jobycom]

15. It's not meaningless, but we shouldn't be constrained by it.

The reason only southern Democrats have won in the last 4 decades is because they can win a couple of southern states from the Republicans, which breaks their electoral edge (as I'm sure we're all aware). It's not an insignificant coincidence, like a lot of sports stats.

But I agree, we can find other strategies to win.

[MonkeyFunk]

16. The question is

is that factoid predictive? I don't think so.

[jobycom]

17. I don't agree that that's the question.

It can be predictive if it's ignored, but it doesn't have to be. No historical fact is predictive, but they are all useful in avoiding repetitive mistakes whose outcomes are predictable.

Not sure what we're doing here, other than playing word games. :) I doubt we really disagree on this.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

18. We should bear in mind the GOP nominee will likely be from the northeast

I have whoever made post #12 on ignore so I can't address that. We should also take into account that of the three people most likely to become the GOP nominee two are from the northeast. Think about it. Imagine if we run a southern Democrat against a former New York City mayor or a former Massachusetts governor...

I agree with you. We should not vote for someone solely because of their region but it is also a big mistake to not factor in regional appeal when assessing electability. Who will sell more in Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee? A Chicagoan, New Yorker, or North Carolinian?

[More Than A Feeling]

3. Off-the-cuff, non-serious idea: change the constitution to create a "ruling council"

which, ideally, everyone you named who is still alive would get elected to. How amazing would that be? Such a body would have wisdom and leadership coming out of every pore.

[Colobo]

4. With Obama, America wins.

[jobycom]

7. Someone with experience, good judgement, and no skeletons in the closet, eh?

[ruggerson]

8. Or

[jobycom]

11. Certainly

He'd be a logical consideration to get the Riff Raff out of the White House.

[Capn Sunshine]

10. no skeletons? What's with the mask, then?

hmmmm? Silver Bullets? Isn't that what the DLC uses?
White horse? Isn't that a huge carbon footprint?
:)

[jobycom]

13. Oh, C'mon!

His transportation uses biofuels and is 100% recyclable. He would have a Native American running mate. And when someone asks about the mask, we answer "The mask is part of an ongoing investigation."

He's a cinch!

[saltpoint]

14. No one thought Lincoln would amount to much, but in the toughest of

circumstances, he pulled through pretty good.

The issues have turned against the Republicans since the second World War. They've had to buoy their recent election victories with cheating and right-wing kooks.

You can't sustain that across discourse on issues that drive voting patterns. And there's no evidence to suggest that one of our candidates will not in fact rise to greatness -- swiftly and persuasively.

We're part of that ascent, and each of us volunteers and votes as we can, and we have faith in the process to right itself and move on down the road.

"... with my maps and my faith in the distance, moving father on" -- sings Jackson Browne.

I say he's on a good journey and I say we go with him.