Bush got elected to his 2nd term by a majority.

[ginchinchili]

It was, in large part, a rejection of John Kerry because a majority of Americans didn't like him. Here's the rub. No matter who the Republicans select--I think it will be McCain--anyone will be a stronger candidate than Bush, and the type of people who didn't like Kerry, a majority, won't like Clinton or Obama. This is it in a nutshell and I can't for the life of me understand why the Democrats haven't figured that out. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, right now winning is a necessity, but Democrats fall into their same old self-defeating traps. They don't seem to be able to reevaluate their mistakes. They don't understand American presidential politics.

There are a lot of Democrats who are very excited about the prospect of electing an African American or a woman to the presidency, and I can appreciate that. But a majority of Americans don't care about that, not enough to decide the presidency. They want someone they're comfortable with, someone they trust, and preferably someone with enough experience to convince them that the candidate is competent. In partisan politics winning is everything. If we can just get a Democrat in office we've won and can move the country forward in the right way. We can always hammer out the details. But Democrats are too enamored with celebrity. They collectively become like a deer in the headlights and lose sight of the goal.

We had the perfect winning candidate in Joe Biden. I assumed that once Democrats started learning about him he would be the inevitable choice simply because he was holding all the marbles and was a shoe-in for the presidency. No, he's not a woman, nor is he a minority, but he could win. I'm totally beside myself because the Democrats barely gave him a second look. Everyone seemed to like him, but he wasn't celebrity enough. So onward we dance toward what will probably be another defeat. Folks, if we haven't figured it out this time, there's no reason to believe that we ever will.

One last point. If the Republicans win again there will be a lot of innocent lives lost unnecessarily, the environment will continue to die, and the rich will continue getting richer at the expense of the rest of us. By refusing to make winning the priority everyone supporting these candidates bear some responsibility. Perhaps our doe-eyed fixation on a wiz-kid and the spouse of a favorite son is not the best way of determining presidential criteria.

[laconicsax]

1. Really? A majority voted for *? When?

[Wapsie B]

3. Exactly what I was going to say. What Majority?

Where?

[laconicsax]

12. I think I figured it out.

Since more people voted for Kerry, then that means that a majority of people voted for Bush to not be president. Must be that majority.

[ginchinchili]

18. Wrong. A majority voted for Gore, but not Kerry.

You'll be making up the same kinds of excuses next fall.

[Wapsie B]

22. Oh yeah right.

* did such an outstanding job the first term that he drove away long-term goper's. However by some miracle he won them all back and more just in time to be re-elected. :eyes:

I think there's a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

[ginchinchili]

24. You'll be making the same kinds of excuses Nov 5th.

[Wapsie B]

30. Oh I'm not saying a goper can't win. Not at all.

In fact by electing * the gop showed they can pick one of the most unqualified candidates in recent history and get him in. That is of course you believe both elections were entirely on the up and up.

[Zynx]

2. There is a huge misperception that just because we all hated Bush that

he was a weak candidate. He was actually a pretty damn strong candidate in his tactics and strategy. Misspeaking and the like do not make one a weak candidate.

[ginchinchili]

9. Right. He was at least good enough to win.

And that's the bottom line. We should learn from that, but all we do is say, "How could anyone like so-and-so" or, "Everyone will like my candidate, so-and-so." It just blows the mind.

[thunder rising]

4. I'm just afraid of him going for his 3rd on the stroke of a pen

[ginchinchili]

10. He won't. If for no other reason, it would hurt the Repubs too much...

and they know it and wouldn't allow it...for their sakes.

[bonito]

5. Spot on!

I have to agree with you.:thumbsup:
on edit except with actually winning legally but public perception helped falsely validate the results.

[hayu_lol]

8. Truth is that Bush was never elected...

for a number of reasons. All proven beyond a shadow of doubt.

[bonito]

13. Your Right I edited my reply n/t

[Mister Ed]

6. So, If I understand you correctly...

The election's already over, and we've lost?

[ginchinchili]

16. I'm not clairvoyant. No one knows for sure the outcome of the election...

because anything can happen. But it's hard to imagine a realistic, a realistic, a realistic scenario where this country, in its current state of mind, would elect Clinton or Obama to the presidency.

[Mister Ed]

35. Clairvoyant, no. Defeatist, yes.

Sigh...guess it's time for us Dems to throw in the towel. Give it up. No sense flogging a dead donkey. How'll we ever beat the GOP, following on the heels of this administration with its perpetual 70-point disapproval rating?

[ginchinchili]

36. A 70 point disapproval rating does not = a 70 point disapproval rating of the Republican Party.

Edwards has the best chance of winning, and I don't say that because I necessarily like him more. I like all 3 candidates ok, but the Democrats have better candidates for the general election and better candidates to serve as president. Democrats, in general, just aren't politically savvy enough to recognize that. I'm afraid Democrats have once again painted themselves into a corner. The chances of Hillary or Obama winning a general election are very, very slim.

[AX10]

7. Only McCain will give us a real fight.

All the others can be hacked at.

[ginchinchili]

17. I agree that McCain poses the greatest threat.

[jzodda]

11. I disagree because for reasons we have all heard 1000 times

The republican party does not like its own candidates. You mentioned McCain but he is hated by the base of his party. They will just stay home on election night. The others all have divisive issues that alienates their own party or independents. I don't feel we have that problem on our side this time and Bush was an incumbent, with all the powers that gave him. Now they all run from the same place.

[ginchinchili]

19. There are a lot of Republicans who aren't crazy about McCain...

but they like him a hell of a lot more than they will Obama or Clinton come election day, enough to energize them to where they get out and vote. This could have been avoided, but the Democrats wanted to throw the dice, and that's my point. This is no time to be playing with dice.

[Catherine Vincent]

14. So in other words, as long as the repiglicans select a strong candidate

to run, they will always win. Is that what you're saying?

[ginchinchili]

20. No. Please reread my post carefully.

If Democrats decide that they really want to win, they can. In fact, this election should be a cakewalk for the Democratic Party. We just have to get realistic about where our entire nation is politically. We have to be able to read the political landscape, but we haven't been able to do that. I'm not even sure if Democrats try. They just focus on who they like.

[stravu9]

15. What About Ohio Voting Irregularities???

VERY FISHY if you ask me!
Joe Biden dropped the ball LONG ago as I recall, and I mean DECADES! And how about the bankruptcy bill he supported because all the credit card companies are in his State! That has ruined COUNTLESS Americans!

No, EDWARDS IS THE MAN!

[ginchinchili]

21. The bankruptcy bill excuse is a red herring.

You're demonstrating my point about the Democrats. You've got to think broader. He voted for a bill you didn't like so you don't support a guy who could win the election. Here's how easy that is to remedy and why it's a red herring. You elect the guy and the Democratically controlled House and Senate pass a new bankruptcy bill and a President Biden would certainly sign it into law. Problem solved! Now, how far will we get in changing bankruptcy law with another Republican president?

[stravu9]

23. he didn't stand up for the littleguy

and not for the 1st time.

[ginchinchili]

26. He's stood up for the little guy more than Obama and Hillary combined.

He was the only candidate who isn't a millionaire. Hello? He obviously didn't get much money from those banks you think he did such a big favor for, not that his vote made any difference anyway. And you're doing what Democrats do best, you're getting off message. We need a winner. Period.

[stravu9]

28. EDWARDS is the poor kid made GOOD!

By beating the moneyed classes and their Prep School, Skull and Bones lawyers ala John Grisham heroes!
He EARNED his millions! and uses them for good deeds!

[ginchinchili]

33. Yeah, and now he's a wealthy trial lawyer.

But I do think he'd have the best chance of winning in the general election.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Majority of Idiots

[ginchinchili]

27. Yep.

But that's what we're dealing with.

[Imagevision]

29. Bush got elected because of election fraud in Ohio, geeesh! do you live under a rock?!?

[ginchinchili]

34. What will be your excuse for Obama?

[Fabio]

31. So we should go for?

[ginchinchili]

37. Of the 3 remaining candidates, Edwards stands the best chance of winning.

But he's a white male and doesn't do enough for Democrat's fixation with political correctness.

[agincourt]

32. It's not so much who we run,

But how well the Democratic party fights the media shit boats after their convention time. When John McCain stuck up for Kerry better than most democrats, I knew we were screwed. They need to run attack ads on every GOP media fellatio in the critical 4 months before the election. That's when the corporate media really earn their checks from their GOPig backers. They also need to bust the "ghost voters" as well. When there are more votes for Bush than there are registered voters in the precinct, duh, something might be wrong.