Al Gore to announce he will NOT run in 2004!

[Andrew1999]

Arkansas had two-year terms when Clinton first became governor, but they switched to four-year terms in the late 80's. So he did quit in the middle of his term.

I don't think Hillary will run in '04. I think she'll have to have at least one full Senate term to be taken seriously. I have a theory that if they had started a few years later (when the climate was more receptive to women) it would have been Hillary as governor and president and Bill sitting at home baking the cookies.

I still think Lieberman will probably get the nomination in 2004. I don't really have a favorite candidate; no one besides Dean from Vermont is interesting. Everyone else seems like the usual stock candidate.

There was a cartoon in the spring of 1991 about how the Democrats could beat the Republicans in 1992. The Republicans would nominate Bush and Quayle again. The only way the Democrats could win would be to nominate Bush and Colin Powell. In other words, they might as well not show up. Whenever anyone says Dubya will win a walkover in 2004 I just remember that cartoon.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Andrew1999
I have a theory that if they had started a few years later (when the climate was more receptive to women) it would have been Hillary as governor and president and Bill sitting at home baking the cookies.

No way. Bill was hungry for the presidency before he even met Hillary. He always wanted it.

[Nubclear]

Oh it won't really matter who the dems put up. Right before the election, I suspect that either North Korea or Iran will be our target. The war drum is enough to hypnotize most americans (Hi Ming! )

[Imran Siddiqui]

That's a BAM. There are more registered Dems than Republicans in the US, period.

Who has the more likely voters? THAT is the base. There are plenty of people who are registered but don't bother to vote. They don't count as a base of a party.

[Shi Huangdi]

"That's a BAM. There are more registered Dems than Republicans in the US, period."

You don't seem to understand what a political "base" is. It doesn't mean the amount of people who are registered as a member of your party. For instance, in the South many people are registered as Democrats but voted for Bush instead- if you look at the 2000 exit polls you will see a good number of Democrats did vote for Bush. The Democratic party registration also contains many nonvoters who have stopped caring about politics. Party registration does not equal base.

A political base is consisted of the strongly ideological wings of each party- for the GOP the conservative, for the Democratic party the liberals. They are important for running the grass roots work of the campaign, donating hard money, and for turning out in high numbers to support their party's candidate. And as the DLC says, their are more conservatives then liberals(thus making it neccesary for the Dems to get more moderate votes).

Keeping support from your base, as many of the left have recently pointed out, is important. If you fail to do so, you won't get as much energetic campaign work, you risk getting less donations, you may face lower turnout or people in your party may defect to a third party candidate. Still however, the majority of people in this country are moderates, and to it is among the moderate independents that the greatest number of votes in play are found. To be sucsessful, a candidate needs to do a delicate balance and appease your party's base while at the same time capturing as many moderate votes as you can. And if the democrats turn too far left, it becomes less likely they will be able to capture from GWB.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Andrew1999
There was a cartoon in the spring of 1991 about how the Democrats could beat the Republicans in 1992. The Republicans would nominate Bush and Quayle again. The only way the Democrats could win would be to nominate Bush and Colin Powell. In other words, they might as well not show up. Whenever anyone says Dubya will win a walkover in 2004 I just remember that cartoon.

I think the ones predicting a walkover are the ones against Bush. Most of those that somewhat support him are hoping for the democrats to be divided in some way and bloodied by a long primary fight. For whatever reasons, Gore has decided that his chances aren't that good this time around.

Does anyone know what the reasons he gave for not running are?

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


No way. Bill was hungry for the presidency before he even met Hillary. He always wanted it.

Whatever it takes to establish his legacy.

[Guynemer]

Maybe the Dems will decide to nominate Ralph Nader.
















I figured some of you needed a laugh.

[Sultan Bhargash]

Maybe McCain will jump ship now (giving the Dems the senate back) and be allowed to run as the dem candidate. He'd win easy...

Gore stated that the reason he isn't running is because many in his party were drained by the last election and don't want to evoke it. Good reasoning.

And he has been hired on to replace Jimmy Fallon on SNL...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Maybe McCain will jump ship now (giving the Dems the senate back) and be allowed to run as the dem candidate.

[Boris Godunov]

Actually, the Senate shakeup might be Lott. Word is that if he loses the leadership, he will quit the chamber. Since Mississippi has a Dem governor, and he would pick Lott's replacement, that would be a Dem. Senate is once again 50-50 then.

[Sultan Bhargash]

That was Lott's way of saying... "Don't push me" to Bush and Co.

Fascinating that the senate is soooo cloooose.

One more Jeffords... McCain admitting he is a closet dem...

The world suddenly seems so full of possibilities...

[Boris Godunov]

McCain is far more conservative than some other Senate Republicans, so I don't see what sense that would make.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Senate is once again 50-50 then.

But the Republicans would still hold power because of Cheney. Not the best terms of power, but still there.

And Sultan, I wouldn't get your hopes up. McCain is a lifelong Republican and will never leave for the Dems.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Senate is once again 50-50 then.

But the Republicans would still hold power because of Cheney. Not the best terms of power, but still there.

You're forgetting the committees, dear Imran!