So what's your ideal 2008 ticket at this minute?

[Bossy Monkey]

Let's make this a demilitarized zone, can we? No attacks on anybody else's candidates, please. Just reply to this post; it might be better not to reply to replies unless you're going to ditto.

A poll may result if I can come up with some way to get it down to 10 (or 9 + Other) slots.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I'll answer in 2007.

Not one second sooner. We have a Congress to take back first. Eyes on the prize, people.

[adarling]

12. your damn right!!

haha people need to stop worrying about that crap and focus just on 2006 right now. We have an opportunity to make these next couple of years tolerable and try and clean up the mess of the past 5 yrs.

[Dawgs]

15. Speculating about 2008 does not take our eye of off 2006.

Geez, we can't have a little fun every once in awhile? :shrug:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. No, we can't.

I find no fun in living under Republican rule.

[IA_Seth]

45. Oh jeez...

No one here thinks having the kids in charge is a good thing and I am pretty dang positive most people here are doing whatever they can do for 2006...

That being said, there is nothing wrong with looking forward to the next Presidential election. This is a freakin message board, not my life. If my life were consumed with thoughts of 08 great, but as I sit here at work and feel like talking to dems on a message board, I'd appreciate it if you'd let a 2008 discussion go without holier-than-thou 2006 posts.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

48. The problem is with people taking for granted that we're going to win 06.

We cannot for one minute look beyond 2006. We might lead all the polls, but gerrymandering is going to make it awfully difficult to take back the House. Our status in the House and Senate is going to drastically impact our ability to elect ANY candidate in 2008. So take it as holier than thou if you want, but it's a fucking fact that we NEED to be fully and totally focused on winning THIS year. Period.

[IA_Seth]

49. But what my point is..

Is that the majority of us here ARE "fully and totally focused on winning THIS year."

Believe me, I see your point, and 2008 talk is all pie-in-the-sky and wishful thinking at this point.

But that doesn't make it any less interesting a conversation, and after all, that's what DU is used for the majority of the time.

[Jigarotta]

2. an airline ticket to get out? nt

[Downtown Hound]

3. Gore/Clark

I think this ticket would win hands down.

[acmavm]

9. ME TOO!

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

38. I'm with you on this.

[ourbluenation]

39. ME THREE

[Guaranteed]

44. Four nt

[BlooInBloo]

46. I'm not the biggest Clark supporter, but I gotta admit....

... that's a helluva ticket....

I love Gore tho...

[Downtown Hound]

51. I'm not really either

But I think he would be a tremendous boon for the ticket. I love Feingold but I think too many Americans would see him as some sort of "establishment Dem," whatever the hell that means. He's the type of Dem that the media loves to tear apart, and unfortunately, our population is very stupid.

Bush administration officials have said that Clark was the one they feared the most in 2004, because he would have the most pull with swing voters in the red states. They knew they could swift boat Kerry, and they did. Liberal, wealthy, New England senator, he's prime cut attack material for the assholes in the media, and everything that the prejudices of those voters love to despise. It doesn't matter that Kerry is a real hero and Bush is a bloody deserting coward, it's all about image. But Clark? He's different. They would have a much harder time swift boating a five star general and former supreme commander of NATO than they would Kerry. And with Gore really in the helm we know we'd get some serious progressive action going on in the White House.

Also, I think Clark is decent enough to be open minded and willing to learn, and I think Gore would be an excellent teacher for him.

[renate]

59. Gore/Clark is my dream ticket too

Well, really it's Clark/Gore, Clark/Boxer, Clark/Conyers, Clark/Feingold... but to be realistic, I do see that Gore/Clark would be a stronger ticket than the other way around, since Gore already won once before.

And one of the many, many reasons I admire and respect Wesley Clark is that he would be absolutely fine with the #2 spot. His entire adult life has been all about service to his country, and he would put the electability of a Democratic ticket light-years ahead of any question of ego, unlike so many politicians (I'm not thinking of the ones I named above). He didn't come up with the idea of running for President by himself--he was drafted, and he ran because he couldn't stand what was happening to the country, not for any reasons of fame or power.

So yeah, IMHO Gore/Clark is our best chance for 2008 (and beyond!).

:patriot:

[kmla]

67. Me, too.

'twould be nice...

[sweetheart]

68. bingo

Its a win

[cmd]

70. That's the one.

[politicasista]

4. Kanye West/Alicia Keys

The plattform: George Bush doesn't care about people. :applause:

[Dr.Phool]

5. Me and you

But if we find someone better, I reserve the right to switch.:toast:

[Bossy Monkey]

60. Hey, I'll have to second that one! n/t

[WestHoustonDem]

6. Gore/Feingold n/t

[Virginia Dare]

7. Anybody who can beat the Republican challenger....

another unknown.

[Sugarcoated]

8. Feingold/Clark

is my dream ticket

[Samurai_Writer]

10. Gore/Edwards

Yes, wishful thinking about Gore. But did you say my 'ideal' ticket.

[LibDemAlways]

11. Gore/Clark......because

Gore should reclaim what was stolen from him in 2000, and he's got the experience and smarts to begin undoing the damage on all fronts wrought by the Bush Crime Family; and Clark because of his military background and expertise in foreign affairs.

I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think for now those two would make a damn fine ticket

[adarling]

13. Gore/Feingold nt.

[Initech]

14. Second!

Only two Dems who seem to have any real balls at this point.

[Dawgs]

16. Fiengold/Clark/Gore

:-)

[IronLionZion]

17. Gore/Clark only because I want Feingold and Kerry to stay in the Senate

I would find cabinet positions for Edwards, Bob Graham, and several other good Dems who are not currently in Congress. You know, I may even pull someone like McCain in just to make him lose his senate seat.

Dean is an excellent DNC chairman so I'd gladly keep him there with his 50-state grass roots strategy.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Nelson Mandela and Noam Chomsky.

[saltpoint]

20. Mario Cuomo and Bill Moyers.

1 Mario Cuomo and Bill Moyers.

2 Bill Moyers and Alexis Herman.

3 Kerry-Edwards again -- no problem at ALL.

4 Al Gore and Barbara Boxer.

5 Gary Hart and Dale Bumpers.

6 Barbara Boxer and Kathleen Sebelius.

But by god I like a hell of a lot of Democrats and our nominee and veep nominee will have my fierce support in 08.

The 06 elections are properly ranked high by many of us, but we are multi-taskers, and I support threads like this.

[ladjf]

21. Gore/Feingold, Gore/Clark or Gore plus anyone of several

strong Democrats.

[Radical Activist]

22. Edwards/Feingold

A populist ticket that will make progressivism appeal to the majority in the South and Midwest. They can win, and when they succeed they will actually do something meaningful.

[Radical Activist]

23. Dick Durbin / RFK Jr.

Just imagine.

[derby378]

24. Feingold/Gore

Feingold for President because he's a streetfighter and because he's made a bunch of great calls in the Senate. Also, he initiated the censure movement against Nero.

Gore for Vice President because he's proven in action and a dedicated environmentalist. But he still needs to learn how to fight for his principles. He can get more training as a VP once again.

[SCDem]

25. Clark/? or Gore/Clark or Warner/Richardson or

Warner/Clark or Warner/Obama or Clark/Obama

[BlueStater]

26. Edwards for president, Feingold for VP

The other way around works just as well but I think it sounds better, considering Edwards already ran for the number 2 spot, that he gets top billing this time.

[madokie]

27. Al Gore President, Russ Feingold as Vice-president

bring in Wes Clark as Secretary of State, John Conyers as Attorney General. Hell, there are so many good Dem's to pick from that it could be a real Dream Team, big time. Straighten this bushco* mess right out, pdq

[emulatorloo]

28. Frist/Rice - because it would be so much fun beating them EOM

[Aiptasia]

29. Biden/Feingold

Two Dems with spines....

[Tactical Progressive]

30. Hillary and somebody

It's time for a woman, and Hillary is the perfect woman candidate.

She's way more progressive than almost everyone here realizes.

And she's so very good at it.

[prairie populist]

54. Hillary and Barack

[shadowknows69]

31. Let's not forget Barbara Boxer.

or Feingold/Boxer

[Orsino]

32. Gore/Kucinich...

...in either order. While Gore would play the President more easily, I'd be tickled to have these folks representing us.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

33. Gore/Feingold!!!! eom

[Nye Bevan]

34. Warner/Clark

A moderate Southern governor with a proven record of electoral success--- does this ring any bells?

And Clark adds credentials and credibility in the areas where Warner is weakest.

[leesa]

35. Gore/Feingold

[noonwitch]

36. Clinton/Clark

It would be right for a female candidate to pick a military guy as her running mate. They would balance each other out well, and he could bring Arkansas back into blue state status.

[Cosmocat]

37. Flip it ...

Clark president with Hillary as VP ... An absolute killer ticket ... Clark brings a commander in chief, a reasoned voice that the repukes have a hard time finding a way to slime, who could pull some repuke votes ... It puts hillary in a position where the slander attacks are softened, it puts a kick butt woman on the ticket, and puts her money behind Clark ...

This is THE ticket ...

[Clark2008]

40. Clark/Feingold

Have to turn some red states. A liberal military man everyone thinks is moderate can do that.
Once in, Clark has the economic and national security background to get us out of Iraq and help the working class, while Sen. Feingold can shape up the Senate as its president.

[IA_Seth]

47. I'd love that ticket! Clark/Feingold

I don't see it happening at this juncture...as I don't know that Feingold would go for the VP spot, but I'd love to see Clark as our President (what a contrast from the idiot we have now!).

Not to mention the look on Specter's face when Feingold took over as President of the Senate. Priceless.

[DiverDave]

41. Edwards/Richardson

This is the team that would wipe the floor with the repukes.
Southern states and Southwest, AND the Hispanic vote?....it's time for it.

[TheFarseer]

42. Edwards + Clark n/t

[Quixote1818]

43. Clark / Katrina vanden Heuvel nt

[Bluebear]

50. Gore/Feingold nt

[Perky]

52. WARNER/RICHARDSON is an electoral lock right now.

Warner brings Vrginia with him.

He need someone to balance the ticket with International expertise: Richardson
SOmeone who knows DC and is reepected Richardson

Best credentialed VP Nominee ever.

Finally. While the Hispaic Vote should not be taken for greanted. Rightnow. They would be very enthusiatic about Richardson. That could swing Florida, AZ, Colorado and Nevada to the Dem columun There is no way I can see for the Republicans to win on the math against such a ticket.

[Radical Activist]

65. I can see how that ticket would inspire the nation

to fall asleep over their lack of vision and purpose to do anything but straddle the line to get elected. Conviction and vision matter to voters. Its something the play-it-safe Democrats like Richardson and Warner don't bring to the table.

[dpbrown]

53. Gore/Feingold

Since this is "right now."

[AmericanDream]

55. Edwards/Feingold - the return of progressive American ideals! nt

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

56. gore/feingold

upon thinking it over, feingold, who I like better would work better with a v-p run first. gore's learned from 2000 and is the man for the job

[Cleita]

57. I'm focused on 2006 right now, so 2008 isn't even on my radar.

eom

[blm]

58. A Senator with an entire career of ACTUALLY fighting against BushInc.

But the ones who did the LEAST actual fighting will win the poll.

[Skip Intro]

61. Leaning toward Gore/Feingold

[NoodleyAppendage]

62. Gore / Feingold = The Restoration of Democracy Ticket

I would go on the campaign trail and volunteer hundreds of hours for those two.

J

[ThomWV]

63. Al Gore and Whoever He Wants nt

[NJ Democrats]

64. I want Feingold as President

but I'm not sure of a VP for him. Maybe Edwards or Warner? My second choice and the one that is more likely to happen is Gore/Feingold. 3rd is Clark/Feingold

[ChairmanAgnostic]

66. I'll suggest who its not: Gov. Bloggo (Ill) except in his own mind.

The choice of the governorship of Illinois is pretty poor this year. Yet Bloggo still has a group investigating his chances to run for president.

yuck.

Gore, Clark, Feingold - in either office - would be great.

[OnionPatch]

69. I have two I like equally

Gore/Feingold or Gore/Clark

The second half I can change. The first half.....well, all I can say is: AL GORE IS MY PRESIDENT!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

71. Sanders/Waxman

[PublicRadioVet]

72. There is no ideal Democratic ticket in 2008!

Which is why I am so frustrated. The Republicans are already ramping up their guys (McCain, Romney, etc) and who are the Democrats looking at fielding? Kerry? HRC? Dean? Where is the fresh face with the centrist appeal? No Democrat is going to unseat the Republican hold on the White House without a Bill Clinton-style centrist appeal. HRC does not count because nobody from the middle believes she is a centrist anymore. It doesn't matter if many liberals think HRC is a sellout. Abd Dean will never pull the centrists. Kerry is old news too, and is too close to the 2004 loss.

Gore? Had Gore pulled a Nixon and just quietly let himself slip into obscurity, I think he'd be ripe for a comeback in 2008. The nation, having tired of Bush, and wondering what might have been if Gore had won, would be quite open to a centrist-speaking Gore, using his cred from the days when Clinton the centrist was a popular President. But since Gore has been out there crusading, his profile is still too high, and he's become too associated with this or that leftist movement for many centrists to again pull the lever for him.

The Democrats need a new front man, someone who can talk fiscal responsibility, and back it up with a record of same. He should also be able to talk gradual troop withdrawal in Iraq without using any reference to Vietnam; it will be a victory drawdown, not a defeat pullout. America does not want a President who is going to talk about how much America sucks and how wrong America is; whether it's true or not. America will vote for a Democrat who promises debt reduction and sensible taxes (not huge hikes; just mild increases over time) along with energy policy for the working man and a successful conclusion to the Iraq adventure.

Does anyone know if such a creature exists? If so, can he please stand up and step forward? Because it looks to me like our leadership is angling for another sound defeat (or a very close race, which Republicans are adept at winning) using some very familiar stable nags.

[Sugarcoated]

74. Why can't people think out of the box?

Just because Clinton was southern and a centrist doesn't mean it's the only way to win. This isn't the early nineties - people can see corporate America has gotten enough. I think most Americans may be ready for a real liberal, an independent one with authenticity and likability, a la Feingold. It's not about moderation anymore. It's about honesty and taking strong stands.

[JNelson6563]

73. Gore/Feingold

:toast:

[Bossy Monkey]

75. By the way, 2008 Presidential /VP polls are up

though I imagine this thread revived due to people coming from one or another of them.
Prez: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1288819
VP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1288832