Vice-President Kerry

[Marius]

Apparently when Bill Clinton was deciding on a VP, John Kerry was on his shortlist (Kerry would have been a better choice from the point of view of a better regional balance, being from the North, while Gore was also a Southerner like Clinton). What if Clinton had gone for Kerry over Gore? What kind of VP would Kerry have been? He most probably would have run in 2000 against Dubya, would he have managed to win Florida, or would the outcome of the election have been the same? If he had lost, what would he be doing now, or would he have tried again in 2004?

[Xen]

Originally Posted by Marius

Apparently when Bill Clinton was deciding on a VP, John Kerry was on his shortlist (Kerry would have been a better choice from the point of view of a better regional balance, being from the North, while Gore was also a Southerner like Clinton). What if Clinton had gone for Kerry over Gore? What kind of VP would Kerry have been? He most probably would have run in 2000 against Dubya, would he have managed to win Florida, or would the outcome of the election have been the same? If he had lost, what would he be doing now, or would he have tried again in 2004?

The key to the 2000 election was not Florida, it was West Virginia. George W. Bush won the election with 5 electoral votes, West Virginia has 5 electoral votes and traditionally votes Democrat. The 2000 election in the state was rather close too and if the Democrat candidtate would have bothered to even show up in the state (which Gore didnt) it would likely swing his way.

Bush campaigned vigorously in the state in 2000 and came out just ahead, and in 2004 both campaigned here, and though Bush seemed to have the state locked, Kerry abandoning the state with weeks to go before the campaign sealed the state for Bush. It was the first time the state has voted Republican in two consecutive election since before the Great Depression. Bush was able to play to the state's deep religous faith, and stir up patriotic emotions in 2004, things he wasnt able to do in 2000. West Virginia has the third highest veterans percentage in the Union and Bush was able to play on that in 2004.

If Kerry got the 2000 Democratic nomination, and showed up to the capital a couple of times he won the state, and assuming the rest of the country votes the way it did in 2000 he wins the election. Another sure fire way to win the state is to nominate our Senator for his Vice President, since Byrd is really too old that leaves John D. Rockefeller. Kerry-Rockefeller would be a formidble team and would probably be able to beat out Bush-Cheney in 2000, even if its by the narrowest of margins, 5 electoral votes. Florida would still be a debacle, but regardless of who won the state the Democrats had the election sealed with West Virginia, and Bush would have been forced to concede.

[Derek Jackson]

In 2004 Kerry carried New Hampshire. This was in an election Republicans won by about 3%. Surely he would have done so in 2000. In 2000 New Hampshire would have been enough to give, 271 or 273 electoral votes to Kerry.

I believe that a President Kerry would have gone to war in Afganistan afterh the September 11 outrage. I think he might have given less reliance and influence to War Lords.

I do NOT believe he would have started a war in Iraq.

[Thande]

Kerry might have ended up as hated as Bush by pacifists, as it would seem to them that he was selling out on his old agenda.

[Landshark]

I think a Kerry/Gore ticket could well have won in 2000. Bush wouldn't have had the post 9/11 "War President" advantage he had in 2004 and what they were doing during a certain time period thirty years ago would really have worked in Kerry's favour.