« Rushing Towards Disaster? | Main | Another Moment of Hypocrisy from Dean »
Captain's Quarters has moved! Be sure to bookmark or blogroll the new site!
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Your Lips Say No ...
Senator John Edwards of South Carolina insists that he is not interested in the lower half of the Democratic ticket in 2004:
Asked if he would agree to run in the second slot with one of eight candidates to be the Democrats' presidential nominee, Edwards said: "I'm absolutely not interested in being vice president. No, the answer to that question is no."
Uh-huh. Let me explain two things to you that make this statement an absolute farce:
1. John Edwards won't be in elective office after 2004, only having served one term in the Senate.
2. John Edwards is from the South.
It's hardly a secret that Democrats are stumbling badly in the South as the electorate there seems to have finally recognized that the socialist, isolationist leftists have grabbed control of the party. A Northerner will take the top spot, and it's likely to be Howard Dean or possibly John Kerry, a Northeasterner, culturally opposite of the South anyway. In order for the Democrats to have a prayer of capturing an Electoral College win south of the Mason-Dixon line next year, there has to be a credible Southerner on the ticket, and so far Edwards is the one who most fits the bill.
John Edwards wants to remain a player in the party, and since he's not running for electoral office this year, he'll be sitting out politics for the next two years if he loses the nomination. Any other Southerner would have to risk their office in order to run on the bottom half of a doomed ticket, and the Democrats can't afford to drop further back in either the House or the Senate (with one possible exception: Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, who has a new Democratic governor to name her replacement, but who also barely won her last election). If he wants chits from the party that he can call in later, he'll need to suck it up and pay some dues in 2004. Expect the ticket to read "Dean-Edwards" in 2004.
Now that you have read this post, read the most recent entries at the new Captain's Quarters at http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/!
08:31 PM in Presidential Election | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83455934069e200e550829fa48834
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Your Lips Say No ...:
Comments
you are most likely correct regarding Edwards. one other southerner who might be in line is retiring Senator Graham of Florida.
Posted by: Chris at Dec 29, 2003 1:00:39 AM
What are the possibilities of Sen. Graham causing a problem with voters in Florida? With a Republican governor, brother to the incumbent, does that make a difference?
The Dems won't put Mary Landrieu in the running. They won't risk the female stigma and added likely loss. They will play it close to center/normal I imagine. Even if Dean is the candidate, I bet we see him change his views even more to be more centrist and less vitriolic.
Posted by: Alicia at Dec 29, 2003 7:27:53 AM
Actually, I think Landrieu wouldn't be a bad choice because she is female, but seeing as how she barely won her last election, she won't help Dean in the South next year at all. Edwards is a better bet than Graham, mostly because Edwards hasn't embarrassed himself on the campaign trail the way Graham did. Graham managed to be more incoherent than Clark and I doubt the Democrats want that sort of performance next fall.
Posted by: Captain Ed at Dec 29, 2003 9:06:40 AM
[forgot one thing]
Besides, Edwards is the (potential) future of the party; Graham's the past.
Posted by: Captain Ed at Dec 29, 2003 9:08:30 AM
The Dems will run Graham if they think it will get them Florida. Even if they lose every other state in the next election they WANT Florida.
Posted by: rabidfox at Dec 29, 2003 11:09:55 AM
