Is there any history of a Democratic candidate being an obvious sham like Cain or Gingrich?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

I'm not talking about candidates who had no real chance of winning, both parties have had plenty of those.

I mean candidates who clearly were not serious about either trying to win or drive narrative on any issue or set of issues, but were clearly trying only to boost their public profile and fame in order to cash in.

The lack of any clear cut means of translating popularity into votes, ground game etc. makes this clear in Cain's case. In the case of Gingrich, anniversary trips to Hawaii or Greece during critical campaign times make it clear enough.

I'm not aware of any Dem examples of this.

I believe Huckabee was sincerely trying to win the GOP nomination and presidency, his ability to cash in with a lucrative Fox News gig set a nice precedent for Palin and now Cain.

I suppose there is no Democratic equivalent of the cushy Fox News gig for failed or sham candidates, so there's that.

[PassingFair]

1. Reverend Al Sharpton.

Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but...

definitely a self-promoter.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Fair enough.

[demosincebirth]

3. Did he ever run for office?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. 2004, Presidency.

[Enrique]

5. does President of the United States count? n/t

[dionysus]

8. classy

[demosincebirth]

17. Yes it does, and I can do without the sarcasm nt

[a simple pattern]

28. +1

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. I'd like to think he was running just to have certain issues addressed, like Kucinich

When Sharpton ran, we'd never even come close to having an African American candidate with a serious shot at the nomination. Cain, however, doesn't even know what issues he stands for. He is the issue as far as I can tell. I do agree however that Sharpton is a great self-promoter.

[karynnj]

21. He was less a serious candidate than Jesse Jackson was in 1988 nt

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

22. He was an extraordinary candidate

who gave some of the most rousing speeches I've ever heard. But Jackson didn't have a serious shot. He received no favorable press; the media decided he wasn't going to get positive coverage.

[Recursion]

11. Hard for me as a resident of DC to say that: he essentially ran on DC voting rights

And he does take that issue very seriously.

[PassingFair]

15. He essentially ran on being Al Sharpton. Eleanor Holmes Norton does more to promote...

D C voting rights in any give DAY than Al Sharpton did in that campaign.

[MFrohike]

6. Estes Kefauver

I had to go way back, but he comes to mind.

[WI_DEM]

12. Actually he won several primaries in 1956 & when he ran in '52 defeated Truman in New Hampshire

His showing in '56 got him enough delegates to be nominated (in an open vote at the convention) for VP against such people as Hubert Humphrey, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

[MFrohike]

19. True

I mentioned him because most of his contemporaries thought of him as a sub-par senator and essentially out for himself. He never seemed to be a really serious candidate until 1956, if only due to Adlai Stevenson dragging his heels.

[Enrique]

7. Hillary Clinton

i keed, i keed. :-)

[On the Road]

9. You Really Think Cain is a Sham Candidate?

At this point, it looks like he has a pretty good shot of winning the nomination.

I don't why a lot of these minor candidates run even when everyone knows they don't have a shot. Some of them, like Ron Paul, may be trying to drive the debate in a certain direction. Some of them may be fooling themselves. It's really hard to read motivation into others, especially if they have a completely different belief system.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

16. Yes I think Cain is a sham candidate. I didn't include Paul. He is a candidate who

has no chance of winning but is sincere in pushing his issues, crazy though they be.

Apparently Cain has no significant campaign people for GOTV operations etc. If he were serious about winning, he would be hard at work translating his current bump of popularity into something that could win Iowa or SC for him by raising more money and translating it into ground operations, and focusing ad buys on critical states instead of national ones.

I also don't include Bachmann. She has no chance, but is sincere in her moonbat lunacy.

[JoePhilly]

18. Selling books, and auditioning for Fox air time ... ala Sarah and Newt.

[Recursion]

13. Lyndon LaRouche (nt)

[TheWraith]

14. You're assuming that being a sham candidate is something unusual for Republicans.

When was the last time that they ran someone who wasn't either a sacrificial monkey (Perot, McCain) or a media creation (Bush)?

[former9thward]

20. Jesse Jackson.

He had no chance when he ran and just was trying to promote himself.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. Pat Paulsen had more gravitas than either.

On running for President: "Why not? I can't dance — besides, the job has a good pension plan and I'll get a lot of money when I retire."

[geek tragedy]

24. John Reid Edwards. nt

[Hart2008]

25. DLCer Bruce Babbitt in 1988. NT

[themaguffin]

26. Edwards. His his 2 Americas was right, but his actions were fake

[Cigar11]

27. Whenever Repubs bring up Sharpton

... 1988 Tawana Brawley follows .... NEXT

[Ter]

29. I think Newt was serious when he entered the race

Cain must be serious now, he's in the lead.