MSNBC: Iowa governor to make White House bid

[LTR]

DES MOINES, Iowa - Fresh off midterm elections, the race for the White House has already begun.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is expected to officially launch his presidential campaign Thursday by filing documents with the Federal Election Commission. His decision comes after months of speculation he would run and two days after his fellow Democrats scored overwhelming victories in state and national elections.

Vilsack is the first Democrat to make a formal declaration for the presidency although a number of better known candidates are presumed to be running.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15635323/

Meanwhile, CNN has a banner at top of their page:

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will run for the White House in 2008, a source close to the governor tells CNN. He is the first prominent Democrat to announce his candidacy.

http://www.cnn.com/

(Edit for article)

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Why announce so soon?

:shrug:

[Renew Deal]

2. Nope.... Next

:shrug:

[jackbourassa]

3. He won't win!

He won't even win his home state in the primaries!

[sugapablo]

4. They said the same thing about Clinton. ;) n/t

[Benhurst]

6. And James ( Jimmy who?) Earl Carter.

[MessiahRp]

7. Yeah but Clinton is not the most boring speaker on the planet

and Vilsack ranks right up there. I have been to two events where he had what would be campaign sized speeches and the entire audience was bored to tears. He doesn't energize anybody.

Nice guy but not Presidential material.

Rp

[sugapablo]

16. GWB has proven that...

Public speaking is no longer a requirement for public service. :)

[w4rma]

17. That may be the case for Rethugs, but it is still a requirement for Democrats. (nt)

[Benhurst]

26. You must be kidding. Clinton's speech , over - long and boring as

hell, was blamed by many for pushing McGovern back too late for prime time accepting the nomination.

[9119495]

8. Hey! I live in Iowa

And we have caucuses here damn it!

And no...he won't win the caucuses either.

Not a bad guy--I think he is running for a cabinent post.

[bigdarryl]

20. I wouldn't bet on it he's a Governor and they win the Presidency

[humbled_opinion]

5. I don't know enough about him yet. n/t

[wisteria]

9. No surprise here. Well, good luck to him and may the BEST MAN WIN

THIS TIME in the general election.

[leQ]

10. Vilsack will launch bid for presidency

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is preparing to jump into the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and will formally announce his candidacy at month’s end, according to the governor’s close advisers.

“He’s made up his mind,” said Jeff Link, who will serve as senior communications strategist for Tom Vilsack for President, the presidential campaign committee Vilsack will officially form today.

“This is not an exploratory committee. This is a campaign committee, Vilsack for President,” Link said. “The time is right to get in and start building for 2008.”

Vilsack is scheduled to announce his candidacy on Nov. 30 in Mount Pleasant, the adopted hometown he represented as both a mayor and state senator. Vilsack will then travel to New Hampshire, his boyhood hometown of Pittsburgh, Nevada and South Carolina. A rally is also scheduled in Des Moines on Dec. 2.

http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2006/11/09/local/doc4552b01555b35732481782.txt

well, there ya have it folks. our own governor signing up to be slaughtered.

[MemphisTiger]

11. What will be his platform ?

does he have a website yet?

[flaminbats]

24. no platform..but Vilsack does have a website

even his position on stemcell research is probably an improvement.

http://www.tomvilsack08.com/webhp

[democraticinsurgent]

12. ugh. n/t

[liberal N proud]

13. I told my parents who live in Iowa to watch for this

I was talking to them late Tuesday night after the election and they asked if Hillary was going to run. I told them to look right in their own back yard. That Vilsack was going to be one of the front runners.

Here are my predictions for the Democratic field: Vilsack, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Gore or Feingold.


Edit for Feingold spelling

[IA_Seth]

14. Vilsack won't take Iowa...

And you can take that to the bank.

He may place 2nd or even 3rd..but the only way he places first is if other candidates are scared off by his candidacy.

Look, Vilsack is no Harkin. He might be a nice guy, I haven't met him personally, but I've heard him speak and to me it's just not Presidential material. I live and work in Eastern Iowa, the heart of the Democratic Party here, and while there may be a lot of Vilsack fans, there don't seem to be too many Vilsack for President fans.

How are you basing your predicitions?

[liberal N proud]

15. Just watching what these people say and the appearance they are making

They all are appearing where they need to be to get the exposure.
What Vilsack has going for him is being a Governor with a fair record and not much national exposure. Similar to other Governors who ran for the White House, they came out of nowhere and were sudden sensations.

All I really know of Vilsack's is that he has turned Iowa around financially, tell me if I am wrong on that one. My parents like him but that is just personal, they are elderly and that plays big with them.

[President Jesus]

25. He's basing his "predicitions" the exact same way you are.

Which is to say, out of his ass.

Iowa is 14 months away. Only a total fool would make a predcition and say "take it to the bank."

In 2004, one week before the Iowa vote, the lock bet was Dean.

He placed a wildly distant 3rd.

[IA_Seth]

27. Freak out much?

Let me put it like this Mr-Name-Caller, I live in Iowa, I live in the part of Iowa where Vilsack would (if he were able) to pull votes from...and there is no one (Labor leaders, Party leaders, etc) that think Vilsack is going to take Iowa.

Iowa is all around me, the election may be 14 months out, but we IN IOWA know our governor and know that we won't vote for him for Pres.

Go check out the Iowa forum if you know so much. Sheesh.

[Shakespeare]

18. His name sounds too much like a slang word for "scrotum"

But hey, let's see what he can do.

[President Jesus]

23. Good point. Now if his name were a slang word for "bush"...

...he'd be a shoe-in.

:eyes:

[noonwitch]

19. I saw a Barak Obama 2008 sticker on a car at lunchtime!

The same car had stickers that said "John Kerry is my President" and "Relax, You'll Die Soon Enough".

[fujiyama]

21. That's a lot of time

to start raising money. Gotta keep up with Hillary. Obama would be able to raise money VERY quickly if he decides to run.

Vilsack seems decent, but he's quite dull.

My guess is this won't go far, but hey ya never know.

[flaminbats]

22. didn't Mike Gravel announce?

I know Gravel isn't well known..but is Vilsack? :shrug:

http://www.politics1.com/p2008.htm

[Debi]

28. From another Iowan

I will not be standing for Vilsack on Caucus night.

Maybe he'll be attractive to people from outside of Iowa, but his political and personal behind the scenes maneuvering since prior to his reelection in 2002 have sickened me.

I'd rather have an honest presidential nominee who runs on their own merits. One who, as Governor, didn't sap funding from their own State Party to create their presidential PAC, one who didn't load the state party with their friends and supporters rather than people who would work for the gubernatorial nominee. One who didn't use isolation and intimidation to get what they wanted politically. People outside of Iowa have NO IDEA what Culver was up against during the primary and what he had to fight during the general election...and that was from his own party leadership.

Vilsack is too self centered and selfish to ever get my support.

But I'm just one Iowan. :shrug: