Draft Bill Bradley! Hey why not! Wellstone endorsed him in 2000!

[zulchzulu]

Paul Wellstone endorsed him in 2000!
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000207/wellstone





I supported him in 2000 and actually met the man, who is not only a Rhodes Scholar who could speak on a myriad of issues very intelligently without notes, but could do it with a charming sense of modest style.

It would be great to see him in the mix in 2008.

[CTD]

1. I'm there. Bill is the man.

Bill is the reason I am a registered Dem today. I switched party affiliations back in 2000 in order to be able to vote for Bill in the 2000 primary (I'm solidly liberal now - and Bill Bradley is a big part of the reason why). No offense to Al Gore, but Bill was the better choice. Bill is brilliant and, unlike Gore, isn't tarnished with the multiple unfortunate images/labels Gore has with much of the public and media ("sore loser", "wooden", "invented the internets", "lock... box...", etc).

And, as Bill appealed to me back in 2000 when I wasn't yet particularly liberal, his appeal would be broad in a general election and he would be strong with independents. But he's still solidly liberal on every issue of importance.

Hell, I almost made this post myself but figured with my relatively meager post count, it would get ignored. I truly believe he would be the best candidate to run in 2008.

[zulchzulu]

3. Damn...as a Kerry man, you bring tears to my eyes

I stand firmly with Kerry as the ultimately possibly best President this country would ever have, but my heart still rings true for Bill from the times I saw him speak calmly yet firmly (and with a sense of amusing self-deprecation) when I met him in the 2000 primary period. Like John, the man is a stud on many levels.

He's a solid American that anyone would be proud of...screw the party labels...he's just seen it all and has a lot to offer in this time of American crisis.

[elfin]

2. Still have my Bradley buttons

I was sick when he didn't make it.

[Tatiana]

4. Voted for him in the primary.

Would do so again. Clark/Bradley sounds nice a nice combination to me.

[zulchzulu]

5. What made me think of this...

I remember the evening where I and another person were to pick up Bill at the airport and take him to an event in San Francisco near the Mission district.

We waited for him to arrive with he and a couple people from his staff. It was early March and the common thoughts among most were that Gore was not the right candidate for 2000. We needed a change. Bill Bradley offered a pragmatic, progressive platform with all the major issues.

We picked him up and he was barely able to fit in our car...he crunched his 6'7"+- frame clumsily into the front seat. We all laughed at his banter and made it to the destination with an illuminating discussion about healthcare reform, poverty and even some jokes about the crazy world in DC.

Of course, he was/is an intellect, so his answers to complicated issues like healthcare reform were considered "wonkish" for the lazy scum media yearning for quickie bumper-sticker blasts that make great 30-second packages between their 4-minute packages about Michael Jackson rumors or some dark-skinned babysitter that maimed a white family's pet hamster.

I remember later booing at Al Gore in an Irish bar in downtown San Francisco when he was debating BIll Bradley... something about calling Bill too liberal and unrealistic about healthcare reform... Bill would just grimace in shock that he was being accused of being a "liberal".

Sure, I like Al. I saw his movie. I also remember how Frank Zappa thought his wife was a tad dangerous for something called freedom of expression.

Anyway, Bill...come out from that place where you are and pitch in to the dialog. You'd be surprised how you would be music to our ears.

[CTD]

6. I still have a hard time forgiving Gore for the way he distorted Bradley's positions bask in 2000

I know I'm supposed to like Gore. But the brazenness with which he outright misrepresented (lied about?) Bradley's positions completely outraged me. Sure, in subsequent years we all got used to having our candidate's positions completely distorted. But Gore's distortion of Bradley's were the first I was paying close attention to.

I remember a pro-Bradley liberal website at the time was tracking all of Gore's lies. And by the time Bradley dropped out of the race, the page was getting pretty long. I looked for the page for some reason a couple of years ago and found it was still up, exactly as it was after the last update just following Bradley's dropping out. I'll post a link if I can find it.

[Liberal In Texas]

7. I really liked Bradley. Very intelligent and I agreed with everything

that I ever heard him say. I believe I voted for him in the primary even though by the time we had ours in Texas he had already dropped out.

Maybe the time is right again for him to test the political waters.

K&R

[blondeatlast]

8. If not as aPrez, how about as our media power forward?

O'Reilly likes to use his height to intimidate opponents, I'd like to see him up against one of my all-time favorite politicos--who played pro basketball!

[fhqwhgads]

9. wish he were still my senator...

...and wish he'd consider running for office again, but i don't think he will. but he could be an interesting addition to a future democratic president's administration. he's an intelligent, highly detail-oriented man who could be very valuable in an appointed role. i think maybe he wasn't quite charismatic enough to win a presidential election - though he'd make a great president.

[WI_DEM]

10. Well, we could do a lot worse--and probably will.

[VelmaD]

11. I'd vote for him on one condition

He has to get Congress to pass a law requiring NBA players to go back to wearing the short shorts. ;)

[zulchzulu]

12. LOL

You'd have to propose that to him.