Anyone have any dark horse possibilities for Obama's V.P.?

[mvd]

After all, Obama has hinted there could be a surprise.

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Throw it out there: Warren Buffett.

Not tied to Washington, strong on the economy and very well known. I doubt it'll happen, especially since he's 77, but an Obama-Buffett ticket would crush McCain.

[Blondiegrrl]

95. Warren Buffett is one of the few billionaires that I respect.

Any rich guy who steps up to the plate and says, "The rich should be paying more taxes" is an OK dude in my book.

[tokenlib]

2. Schweitzer gets little respect from the media....

But at this point Obama has kept the secret well...however it goes could be a surprise...

[mvd]

5. Despite what someone said about his early Romney support

I still see him being a potentially good pick.

[Hippo_Tron]

54. He said about Romney "If he got the nomination I might support him"

I certainly didn't see him pulling any stops to help Mittens get to the nomination though or even mention it after that. I think he was just being polite at a joint appearance that they made.

[MercutioATC]

64. He also said that the Mitt he knew then is not the Mitt we see today.

I don't see his statement as a big deal.

[Captain Angry]

3. I didn't want to bring it up, but, well, me.

He's going to ask me to sit in the Senate chambers with a Nerf bat and whack people that are being stupid.

I won't have any power, other than the ability to chase Republicans around the Senate chamber with a rolled up towel.

[livvy]

14. :) Can I help?

Thank you for the giggle of the day. I have a perfect visual going of the Nerf bat in action. You might want to be sure to have a good stock on hand. I'm not sure how sturdy they are, and yours will get a lot of use!

[Captain Angry]

15. I'll buy several.

And I'll have an air-horn for good measure.

Every so often, on "casual Friday" I'll wear a 10-gallon foam cowboy hat, and chase them around honking the air-horn.

And sure you can help. Republicans screw up so frequently that I'll need multiple spotters in the gallery.

"Hey! Captain Angry! Look! Go git' em!"

*HONK*

[Radical Activist]

74. heh

i'm all for it

[Barack_America]

4. Big Brown?

:evilgrin:

[jefferson_dem]

6. Schweitzer, Bloomberg, McCaskill, Powell come to mind.

Not sure if they qualify as dark horses but they might.

[newmajority]

12. Powell would be a horse that needs to go to the glue factory

No offense to horse lovers, but I can't forgive that warmongering bastard for lying to the UN, and his part in creating the Iraq clusterfuck.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

16. ROFL, no doubt. I'd take an endorsement though, if it was combined with an act of contrition.

[XemaSab]

50. Also, I'm gonna say it: Two black guys on the same ticket?

Not gonna happen.

[CK_John]

7. Melinda Gates, C Kennedy, H Dean, and M Bloomberg come to mind. n/t

[MonkeyFunk]

21. I'm just so curious

you've been pushing this absurdity for months: WHAT exactly gives Melinda Gates even the slightest qualifications to be a good choice?

[ruggerson]

24. Or Caroline Kennedy for that matter

[MonkeyFunk]

28. shh... that was the next question

[newmajority]

31. More money than God?

And her husband made the software that Diebold runs on.

[MonkeyFunk]

37. Obama needs money?

And somehow Bill Gates is going to create an OS to steal votes? Absurd.

[newmajority]

47. No, Bill Gates didn't create an OS to steal votes

But he did create a database (MS Access) with pathetic security flaws, which happens to be the one used by DIEBOLD.

As for Melinda, I was joking. I don't see why the Hell she would be considered a VP candidate either. Though I wouldn't complain if we did have a VP from Washington state.

[yourout]

8. Russ Feingold?

[Alexander]

51. Yes! He's the perfect dark horse VP choice.

[polichick]

9. Gen. Anthony Zinni

I've heard the idea floated, though he wouldn't be my choice.

[Skink]

10. Dennis Kucinich.

[MercutioATC]

65. That'd get us the Alpha Centauri vote...

...but I'm not sure how he'd help with human voters.

[crankychatter]

72. I'm in missouri.... I tried to squish that bug on my screen

dennis rocks... the media sucks... people that don't like dennis are usually mean, ickid and weevil

[MercutioATC]

80. I vote for him every election.

He's like the ACLU...way too far to one end for my tastes, but he performs a necessary function. He's an anchor on the far left.

That said, I don't see how he'd lend anything to the ticket.

[Bobbie Jo]

11. Call me crazy...but there's something about Jon Tester I just like.

Whether he's VP material, I don't know. I just like the guy. :shrug:

[tokenlib]

13. Tester has been advocating Schweitzer...

C'mon, admit it, you like the buzz cut... :)

[Graybeard]

18. That's how I feel about Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

These are both great new senators but to pick another first-termer would not be a good idea.

[librechik]

17. If he chose Nader, he'd instantly gain 6 points.

just sayin...

[MonkeyFunk]

23. No

He'd gain 6% from some quarters and probably lose 15% from others.

[stray cat]

34. Gain 5 and lose 30

[librechik]

43. no doubt-- That horse is just unacceptable, whatever color he is.

Unfortunately I agree with most of his policy positions. He is a total asshole, though.

[pnwmom]

59. You're right. His positions are good, for the most part,

but his personality is not cut out to lead the country. He'd just be another narcissist-in-chief.

[27inCali]

38. and I'm justin sayin'

Nader is a fucking asshole.

fuck him.

[librechik]

42. totally agree==we are discussing dark horses here

I don't want him to choose Hagel either--but what a dark horse he would be!

BTW, welcome to DU!

[pnwmom]

56. No way. Whatever he gained from Nader supporters,

he'd lose from moderates.

[ruggerson]

19. Bill Ritter

Yep, he's a first term governor, but he fits with Obama's message. And he's relatively young and is a Colorado native.

He doesn't help with the experience factor at all, but you asked for dark horses.

on edit:

He's also Catholic and personally "anti choice", but he has said he would not pursue an anti choice agenda in government, he just personally is opposed to abortion. On most other issues, he is fairly progressive and forward looking.

[Faygo Kid]

68. Somebody else posted that here. It's an intriguing choice.

I think it will be someone with foreign policy credentials, but Ritter has a lot going for him.

He would definitely attract the Hillary voters.

[salonghorn70]

20. Gephardt

I've always thought that he was a very dark horse possibility. Midwest. Missouri. Older. Good with Labor.Would offer good experience on getting things through Congress. No scandals.Downside is that he has become a lobbyist and would not add much foreign policy experience.

[mvd]

22. Interesting choice, though

:hi:

[dansolo]

79. Absolutely not

Gephardt was a big proponent of the Iraq war. There is no way that he would be picked.

[Radical Activist]

81. I was thinking the same thing.

He did enough foreign trips and dealt with enough foreign policy as House Dem leader that he can win the experience argument. And I'm all for a Midwestern ticket.

[JI7]

91. Gephardt would be a great choice for many reasons

he covers geography and experience. he is also seen as "boring" but the type that most people would be comfortable with. he is non controversial. and Obama doesn't need anyone "exciting".

[AlinPA]

25. Schweitzer.

[mikekohr]

32. Schweitzer has my vote nt

mike kohr

[Imagine My Surprise]

26. Betty White n/t

[ruggerson]

27. Would that heart shaped, vibrating bed fit in Blair house?

[shraby]

29. Richard Clarke, Joe Wilson

[mvd]

30. Wouldn't Joe be great?

Though not running against Bush himself, I bed he'd get some satisfaction.

[newmajority]

35. No more CIA presidents!!

Funny how the USSR was the "Evil Empire" because they allowed KGB agents to become their leaders, and less than two decades after the "fall" of communism, some are promoting the CIA as heroes, even within the Democratic party.

The CIA has been tied to the Bush Crime Family from day one. Poppy Bush considered Joe Wilson a "hero" and his friend. I'll concede that the Wilsons are nowhere near the level of detestable scumbag that someone like Larry Johnson is, but they do not belong in political office, and most definitely not one heartbeat away from the White House.

[mvd]

40. I see what you mean

It is kind of tempting, though.

[shraby]

46. Joe Wilson is not

a CIA..he worked for the State Department as an ambassador.

[newmajority]

53. Give me a break

He met his wife at work, and was a Poppy Bush appointee. Poppy Bush was CIA from the day he graduated from Yale. He surrounded himself with fellow CIA types his entire career, and it was most definitely his guideline for any foreign service appointments.

Also, do you think "just anybody" would have been chosen by the Bush Crime Family to take that little field trip to Niger back in 2002? Joe Wilson was chosen because he was a "company man" whom they assumed would deliver exactly the results they were looking for. A manufactured CIA propaganda case against Saddam Hussein, in other words.

But as I said, the Wilsons are at least better human beings than the likes of Larry Johnson, and that's a line he wouldn't cross. Good for him and Valerie that they at least have those standards.

But a heartbeat away from the Presidency? Sorry. The CIA has already killed one President, and probably kept his brother from being President. And then tried to get their own guy into the top spot in 1981. Not a good idea. Not saying Wilson would even be in on such a plot. But he might well be into whatever agenda the "company" came up with after the fact.

No CIA agents in the line of succession. No exceptions.

[shraby]

61. I think you'd better google Joe Wilson and

learn what you're talking about. You're off the reservation with this one.

[shraby]

63. This is from Wikipedia

A United States Foreign Service diplomat before retiring in 1998, Wilson was posted to African nations and Iraq during the George H. W. Bush administration and later served as Special Assistant to U.S. President Bill Clinton and as Senior Director for African Affairs on the United States National Security Council. Wilson became known to the general public as a result of his op-ed "What I Didn't Find in Africa", published in the New York Times four months after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wilson's op-ed documented his 2002 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) investigation into whether Iraq had purchased or attempted to purchase uranium yellowcake from Niger. He concluded that the George W. Bush administration twisted intelligence to "exaggerate the Iraqi threat."<4>

[newmajority]

78. And Wikipedia entries are every bit as valid

as the person who typed them in wants them to be. Until they get changed by the next person who wants them to be something else.

[Faygo Kid]

67. Joe Wilson ripped the sh*t out of Obama during the primary. Forget it.

I met and respected Joe Wilson, but he was over the top in his attacks on Obama during the primary season.

He has as much chance of being named to the ticket as Dick Cheney.

[shraby]

83. My point was to point out alternatives to

governors, senators, etc for running mates..not to advocate anyone. Obama will do his own choosing but people may be surprised at his choice. I doubt that it will be a traditional pick and was thinking of non-traditional choices he could make.

[stray cat]

33. I've heard Salazars name from CO

[27inCali]

36. Richardson would be logical on multiple levels

1) Strong diplomacy background. Well respected in the Middle East.

2) Has executive experience as Gov.

3) Tapping him would not lose Dems a seat in either House or Senate.

4) The very clear possibility that putting him on the ticket would lock in the Latino vote almost as drastically as the AA vote is locked in.

5) Would almost garantee wins in NM, CO and NV and could positively effect MT, ND, SD even AZ.

my heart is with Biden, but when looking at these facts, one wonders if Richardson is the guy.

[pnwmom]

60. Which is why he isn't a dark house.

He's a real possibility.

[seasat]

39. Robert Wexler

He's been a fire breather lately on the talk shows and in impeachment hearings. He'd be great here in Florida. He'd also be a strong candidate in eight years after an Obama presidency. The caveats are that he did vote for the IWR and is not very nationally known.

[AngryAmish]

41. I would say Bob Stinson would be considered a darkhorse by many

[newmajority]

58. Yeah, but he's ineligible

being dead and all that :evilfrown:

How about Tommy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0p7mhu4w0

[NV Whino]

44. I think they are all dark horses.

Just flip a coin.

[u2spirit]

45. Schweitzer

and Bill bradley are dark horses

[NV Whino]

48. Or...

how about a horse of a different color?

[tannybogus]

49. Rahm Emannuel

He would go after the Rethugs in a heartbeat.

They wouldn't know what hit them.

[nerddem]

57. unconstitutional

can't be from the same state

[tannybogus]

71. It can be done...

It is unlikely that two people from the same state would ever be nominated by a major political party. It is constitutionally possible however. If it ever came to pass, the party that won the ticket's state would likely suggest to the electors that their votes for the President go to the presidential nominee and that the votes for the Vice President be given in honor of a party official. Electors in all other states, as mentioned above, would be free to vote for both of the party's nominees."

There is, however, one last constitutional wrinkle. The 12th Amendment declares that the members of the electoral college "shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves." This effectively prevents the president and vice president from having the same state residency, because if running mates shared a home state, the electors from that state would be unable to vote for both of them. Thus, unless the former president returns to Arkansas, "Hill-Bill" or Clinton2 is out.

[book_worm]

52. Tom Daschle

[Radical Activist]

76. I could see that.

[Duder]

55. Pelosi suggested this guy...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Edwards">Chet Edwards

[newmajority]

62. Yeah, Chet seems like a Pelosi type of "Democrat" alright.

About as worthless as she is.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/e000063/votes/against-party/

[Faygo Kid]

70. OK, he's out. Thanks.

That convinced me.

Pelosi sure as hell is no prize, either.

[MercutioATC]

82. ...which is enough reason for me to not like him.

Pelosi has become a nightmare. I question her judgment and integrity.

[Vinca]

66. Caroline Kennedy.

Now that would be a surprise!

[Faygo Kid]

69. That would be ridiculous. The head of the search committee selecting herself? Who would do that?

Oh, I forgot. . .

[Radical Activist]

73. Tom Vilsack

I was writing the other day. He would ensure we get Iowa plus help in the states that border IA and IL, Wisconsin and Missouri. A ticket of two Midwestern candidates will help in the entire region.
Plus, as Hillary's co-chair it will encourage party unity and bring along her top donors and supporters.

[MH1]

75. Bob Edgar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Edgar

Ok that's a pretty dark horse, but it would be a very cool pick. No military cred though, and probably not enough name recognition outside eastern PA. :( But he'd sure win Southeast PA, and might swing the state.

[Radical Activist]

77. Scott Ritter.

Military experience and he knew what he was talking about with Iraq.
Although I don't know what happened with those underage girl accusations.

[Radical Activist]

84. Louis Caldera

West Point. Harvard. Clinton Sec. of the Army.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Caldera

[Cha]

85. You mean a "Dark Horse" like

Obama was?:)

[saltpoint]

86. Rachel Maddow listed Warren Buffet.

Maybe Bill Bradley?

Patty Murray?

Tom Harkin?

[Motown_Johnny]

87. Big Brown? Hey, he almost won the triple crown.. and he is a dark horse

[bklyncowgirl]

94. Too much scandal potential there--steroid use and there's a rumor he threw the Belmont...

for a bag of carrots.

Besides, the last politician to name a horse as his running mate was Caligula.

[Radical Activist]

88. Hugh Shelton

Clinton's chairman of the joint chiefs.
Would help with the military vote and NC.

[Pisces]

89. Bloomburg

[boomerbust]

90. Russ Feingold D. Wisconsin

<<<<<<<

[blogslut]

92. I was gonna keep this to myself, but what the heck

Chris Bell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Bell_%28politician%29

[Virginia Dare]

93. Eleanor Holmes Norton...n/t

[Clear Blue Sky]

96. George Mitchell

Elder party leader with experience and gravitas. (Like Cheney was for Bush).

Also he's a "boring white guy" as Cokie Roberts or some other talking head suggested this morning on one of the talk shows.

[wisteria]

97. Mickey Mouse n/t

[Patsy Stone]

98. Bob Graham n/t

[csziggy]

105. Sorry, but Sen. Graham retired from the Senate due to ill health I believe

Otherwise, he'd still be my Senator. :cry:

Besides, he's been floated as a VP possibility a whole lot of times in the past:
"Graham was consider as a potential democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000<4><5>. In 2000 he was reportedly on Al Gore's shortlist of potential running-mates<6>, as well as was a confirmed finalist on 1992 Bill Clinton's list." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Graham#Presidential_and_Vice_Presidential_politics

[Rowdyboy]

106. I've yet to hear of any health problems that would stop Bob Graham if he was asked....

Doubt he'd have a problem saying yes....

[csziggy]

110. I think he had heart surgery shortly after dropping out of politics.

Now he is running a foundation so if his health is better, he might be interested. He'd be good as a VP but I am not sure if he is the best candidate right now.

Wikipedia says, "Early in 2003, Graham underwent heart surgery and received an artificial replacement heart valve made from the tissue from the heart of a Holstein cow." That was before he dropped out of the Presidential race, so I was wrong on the timing.

[candice]

99. Big Brown?

[Awsi Dooger]

108. Age requirement

He's only 3

[kurtboss]

100. Gore

I don't care that he's said no. He's still the superstar. I'm a little doubtful, it will happen, but he's just what Obama needs. It's not a hard job Al... pays well too.

[mopinko]

103. still my fave.

i know, i know. but hey- i know i could not say no to obama.

[mzmolly]

101. Is Clark a dark horse?

I still like Clark.

[salguine]

102. Oh, for God's sake, can we all please stop the conjecture festival? The truth is

nobody knows who it's going to be. Obama might not even know yet who it's going to be. Everybody's only becoming more and more annoying with every spin of the VP Roulette wheel. How about we just wait until Obama picks a running mate, and announces it publicly, and then we'll all know who it is? How about that?

[Bobbie Jo]

104. Umm, ..No. Actually, I'm quite enjoying the fest!

That you find it more and more annoying somehow adds to the appeal. :smoke: If you haven't noticed, we exercise conjecture all over the place!! So with all due respect, if anyone wants to spin the VP Wheel....let er rip! :party:


How about that! :hi:

[salguine]

114. Okay, fair enough. I was just one of those kids who didn't mind waiting till Christmas morning.

[njdemocrat106]

107. Bill Bradley, Tom Harkin, John Breaux

Breaux's more conservative than I would care for, but I think it's possible he could shore up some Southern support for Obama.

If Ann Richards were still around, I think she would have been an excellent running mate for Obama.

[AtomicKitten]

109. Don't know but I hope it's sooner than later.

The incessant pressure from certain quarters needs to be tamped down right quick and in a hurry.

[grillo7]

111. William Cohen or Eric Shinseki

Clinton's old Secretary of Defense and the four star general who disagreed with Rumsfeld about Iraq, respectively.

[ellisonz]

112. Spiro Agnew.

[grillo7]

113. Jeff Immelt, Steve Jobs, Paul Farmer

[Stinky The Clown]

115. I can't think of any .......

[SoxFan]

116. Bill Bradley, Jack Reed

Bradley: Scrupulously honest, thoroughly vetted, knows what he's getting himself into, meets the "day two" test, good background in international economic policy, great jump shot and moves well without the ball.

Reed: Military credibility, blue collar appeal, smart as hell.

[slick8790]

117. I was just coming in here to post Bradley.

I think he'd be a stellar pick.