Help me. Why do I never hear Jerry Brown for President?

[titaniumsalute]

Hasn't he done an amazing job cleaning up and fixing the economy in California? He's been a tough leader. He is popular. I'm in FL and don't knwo a lot about him though. Just curious.

[Stellar]

1. Good point.

Food for thought...

[Art_from_Ark]

2. He ran for President three times before

in 1976, 1980, and 1992, so it's kind of doubtful that he'd try it a 4th time.

[vi5]

3. He's got a weird history if I recall.

I'm in my 40's and I remember in the 70's and 80's he was known as/thought of as kind of a whackadoo California hippie. Sort of the precursor to a Dennis Kucinich type.

I like him and would maybe vote for him, but he hasn't always been taken very seriously at all, so that may come back to haunt him.

Sorry I don't have details or more specifics but I honestly don't remember a lot of them. Just speaking very generally.

[The_Commonist]

6. Governor Moonbeam?

The guy who did coke with Linda Ronstadt?
I don't think he'll be running for prez again.

[vi5]

7. That's it.

I remembered that nickname but I wasn't sure if I was thinking about someone else.

[cali]

4. He's 76 years old, for one thing.

[pinboy3niner]

5. It has been brought up here before

A couple of recent posts in GD:

Ahh What the hell, Jerry Brown for President.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025785502


Bill Maher: Jerry Brown Is A GREAT CHOICE For President, If Voters Didn’t Hate Older People
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025786274

[krawhitham]

8. Because he is too old and has cancer

He would be 79 after his 1st 90 days as president plus he has skin & prostate cancer

[Myrina]

9. I campaigned for him in the 1991/92 primaries

.... loved what he stood for then, and now, but he's got ALOT of 'skeletons' in his closet from his prior terms as "Governor Moonbeam" that the RW Nut-machine would have a field day with.

Granted, JB would tell them to go fuck themselves and it would be wonderful to have a candidate with no-holds-barred cojones, but I don't think he could make it out of the primary season.

[bklyncowgirl]

13. You know, George W. Bush got around the drug/booze issue by saying that was then this is now

If that's what you're talking about why couldn't Brown do the same.

He's a happily married man (no more rock stars) now and is in a perfect position to say "You want a saint or a statesman?"

Maybe Americans might just be grown up enough to say "A statesman". He sure wiped the floor with Meg Whitman when she pulled out the negative stuff.

[NV Whino]

10. We want to keep him in California

[bklyncowgirl]

11. He's probably our most accomplished Governor

I'd love to see him make a run for it but due to his age and health issues I could understand if he didn't.

What concerns me is that most of the Democrats likely candidates; Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and even Elizabeth Warner aren't a hell of a lot younger.

[onenote]

14. Actually Warren and HRC are significantly younger than Brown (or Sanders)

Here is how old each of these candidates would be (or was) on election day:

Brown: 78 (first term); 82 (second term)
Sanders: 75 (first term); 79 (second term)
McCain: 72 (first term); 76 (second term)
Clinton: 69 (first term); 73 (second term)
Reagan: 69 (first term); 73 (second term)
Warren: 67 (first term); 71 (second term)

Warren and Clinton would both be younger at the start of their second terms than Brown would be at the start of his first.

[TBF]

12. Maybe you're young -

he's run before. I thought Linda Ronstandt would be a kick ass first lady!

[BlueStater]

15. Well, if Sanders running for president at 75 is okay then Brown, at 78, shouldn't be disqualified.

I probably wouldn't support either one, though.