Guest Deebo Report post Posted July 6, 2004 http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/26839.htm July 6, 2004 -- EXCLUSIVE John Kerry has chosen Rep. Richard Gephardt, the veteran congressman from Missouri, to be his running mate, The Post has learned. Gephardt, 63, a 28-year veteran of the House of Representatives, could be named by the presumptive Democratic nominee as the party's vice-presidential candidate as soon as today. The Massachusetts senator was set to announce the winner of the veep-stakes at a rally this morning in Pittsburgh, according to several reports last night. With the July 26 Democratic convention in Boston looming, Kerry is looking for some advantage in the polls, and is hoping his choice of running mate will be the answer. The polls have consistently shown him neck and neck with President Bush. Gephardt, who was House majority leader from 1989 to 1995 and minority leader until 2002, could be an asset to Kerry in key battleground states in the Midwest. He also has long been known as a supporter of organized labor, which leans heavily Democratic. Gephardt had been one of those vying for the Democratic nomination along with Kerry, but folded up his operation after failing to win the caucuses in the neighboring state of Iowa. He also lost an attempt at the nomination in 1988 to Michael Dukakis. After holding local office in his native St. Louis, Gephardt was first elected to Congress in 1976. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Michigan law school. He's has an extensive political résumé, but he may be too experienced. Gephardt could be viewed by voters as too much of a Washington insider. There was early speculation that Kerry was going to make a bold choice by crossing party lines and asking Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) to join the ticket. But McCain embarrassed Kerry by publicly declining. Then many thought Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) would be the one, when it was learned he had cut short a family vacation at Florida's Walt Disney World last week so he could rush to see Kerry in Washington. They met Thursday, according to sources close to the Kerry campaign. But the sources also noted that Kerry held positive meetings with Gephardt and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. Many Democrats had urged Kerry to turn to his former opponent Edwards, 51, whose youthful appearance and sunny campaign style during the primary made him a favorite among party activists. Edwards also could have been competitive in the south, and the choice of Gephardt could be a sign that Kerry is "writing off" that region. Edwards also lacked experience. He is a one-term senator whose lack of seasoning in foreign affairs could have made voters nervous about his ability to assume the presidency during a war or an international crisis. It was thought that Kerry felt more comfortable with Gephardt than any of the other candidates. He even said he would have supported Gephardt if he were not running himself. Vilsack, 53, was the least known of the top contenders. The Iowa governor was believed to be personally liked by Kerry and also hailed from the Midwest — but he was virtually unknown to voters. Besides Pittsburgh, Kerry will also be in Indianapolis today and will head to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee before coming to New York at the end of the week for several fund-raisers. With Post Wire Services oh well.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 I'm hearing on my local right-wing Pittsburgh-based talk-radio station that Edwards is being picked. We'll have to wait and see who, if either of us, is correct... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BDC Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Well, according to NBC this morning, he picked Edwards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Told you so (the photo was taken a few months ago)... WASHINGTON (AP) - John Kerry selected former rival John Edwards to be his running mate, picking the smooth-talking Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes of injecting vigor and small-town appeal to the Democratic presidential ticket, The Associated Press learned Tuesday. Kerry planned to announce his pick by e-mail to supporters, then at a rally in Pittsburgh. He settled on Edwards on Monday night, said two senior Democrats who spoke on condition of anonymity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CBright7831 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 He picked Edwards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vyce 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Wow, he must really want to win the South. But I just don't see it happening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Who would you want him to pick, CBright? Edwards is the best choice, imo. If he picked Gephardt most campaign stops would have to provide blankets and pillows. If he picked Vil-uhh, that guy from Iowa, most campaign stops would need 10 minutes of introducing someone nobody knows about. If he picked Hillary Kerry would probably be found in a park somewhere with a "suicide" note. Edwards was the best choice. UPDATE: Wow, he must really want to win the South. I don't think he'll "win" the South, but Kerry might have a chance to win, or at least compete, in a state or two down there... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Dubya 04 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 And the NY Post is all over another story. Are they hiring the Times writers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Robfather 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Edwards is a bad pick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/26839.htm You dumbass. Never trust the New York Post for anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Evolution Report post Posted July 6, 2004 If he picked Vil-uhh, that guy from Iowa, most campaign stops would need 10 minutes of introducing someone nobody knows about. Vilsack. But it's true, no one really knows Vilsack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lando Griffin 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 A Kerry/Vilsack ticket would've been a boon for sophomoric wordplay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nelly's Bandaid Report post Posted July 6, 2004 The NY Post has to be the least credible newspaper out there. The peice of paper they passed around in middle school was more reliable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Kerry did the "safe" thing... boring choice... don't know if it will make much of a difference. Is Edwards pulling a Leiberman this year and running for the senate as well? Or did he just not run? I heard that he was projected to lose his senate seat if he ran for re-election, and running for president was just a stunt to up his profile for future years. Guess it worked ;-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 He's already chosen not to seek re-election in the senate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Is Edwards pulling a Leiberman this year and running for the senate as well? Or did he just not run? I heard that he was projected to lose his senate seat if he ran for re-election... Really, who was running against him? And just look at these two crazy kids. BTW: Tyler, any idea who Howie would have picked as his VP?... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Downhome 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 I don't remember who I was talking to on here about it, but I swore over and over again that it would be Edwards, but someone here kept saying that there wouldn't be a chance in hell because of this reason or not. I've always thought it was quite obvious. Yeah, Edwards SAID he wouldn't do this, blah blah blah, but seriously people, those of you who believe that BS should have known better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 He probably would've picked Tom Harkin as his VP, the Senator from Iowa who kicked off Dean's string of endorsements from major political figures. Harkin campaigned hard for Dean, and it hurt him tremendously when Dean couldn't even carry Iowa; if he had, Harkin would've been the perfect pick. He's charismatic and enormously popular, and his (fairly) progressive politics would've shored up the base. His midwest heritage would, theoretically, given him some appeal in that region as well. About this pick: well, I've been wrong before, and I'm wrong again. I was sort of hoping for a surprise VP pick that no one had predicted (that includes Dean; there was a significant faction of the left that suggested the Good Doctor to nullify the Nader effect, so that wouldn't have surprised me much either, per se) just for the sake of surprising us all and increasing the positive media coverage for Kerry. This will still provide a great bump in the polls for him, as many people have wanted him to pick Edwards for a while now. I have supported Edwards pretty consistently from the start (he was always my second choice), and I still like him today. Standing up against Cheney in the debates, Edwards should make Kerry's ticket look pretty damned good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Downhome 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 I will agree that with Edwards with Kerry, it looks a lot bette than it did a few days ago. Also with Edwards being from where I live and was born and raised, it feels a bit odd that I'll be voting against him. I honestly wouldn't be totally surprised if Kerry/Edwards went all the way right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 It shouldn't surprise anyone if they do, considering Kerry is leading right now. Last projections I heard were that Kerry is up something like 281-250something. Wiith Edwards on the ticket now, he should get a bounce into the three hundreds in projected electoral votes, and it puts both of the Carolinas in play. That doesn't mean he'll win them, but it puts them in play. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 And who can forget Drudge's breathless exclaimation that "IT'S HILLARY IT'S HILLARY I KNEW IT HILLARY HILL CLINTON CLENIS CLONTTONNNNN" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Man, if Kerry would have picked Howie, "the scream" would have had a second life. I can see the commercials now. "Would you want this man one heartbeat away from the Oval Office? ROAR!" Anyway, Kerry will get a bump for a little while then fall back down. Hell, back in '96, Dole even got a bump after the convention that polls had him right up there with Clinton. Then the Dems had their convention and that was the end of that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Yeah, but the polls will matter for about two weeks here. This is the end of the fundraising period, and Kerry needs all he can get; the bump in the polls probably will facilitate that end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 I'm so not looking forward to this election season now that I've moved back to PA. The only real national ads I remember in 2000 were from Pat Buchanan while I lived in southwest Ohio. And to make matters worse, the better half is now more right-wing than me. It's gotten so bad that I am now trying to play Devil's Advocate on some of the things she hears from the same talk-radio programs as I do at work. Up until about a year ago I was always the one following the news, etc. She would always just watch Nick or Lifetime. Not anymore. A recent highlight was a week or so ago when Kerry was pimping some hippie tax credit and from the moment I walked through our front door I heard "Did you hear what that asshole wants to do now?!" Funny how getting a real job can change some people's opinions around... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 PA is now the huge battleground state ohemgee and both sides should be campaigning there heavily. Enjoy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Wildbomb 4:20 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 And in some hole, MikeSC is preparing his point-by-point annihilation of this announcement.... Kerry couldn't have done better than Edwards; it gives him a better base in the South, and someone who can help carry the charisma load. Should make things far more interesting this election season. --Ryan ...who thinks kkk has now lost his position as head of the TSMKonservatives to his significant other... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 So far we've gotten two calls from America's Vietnam War Hero. Great fun. who thinks kkk has now lost his position as head of the TSMKonservatives to his significant other... Oh hell no -- if she ever came across this place and read half of what I say about her, I'd be a dead man. Besides, in another few years she'll probably realize that both sides are full of shit and become more "bipartisan" in her bitterness. This is a new experience for her, after all... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Wildbomb 4:20 Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Yeah, I'd have to concur. You'd be dead within 20 minutes. I keep getting calls to help fundraise for Dubya. Not on my life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MikeSC Report post Posted July 6, 2004 Yeah, but the polls will matter for about two weeks here. This is the end of the fundraising period, and Kerry needs all he can get; the bump in the polls probably will facilitate that end. Umm, Kerry is raising tons of money. He doesn't need more help. I'm sure the lightweight can brighten the image of the walking corpse. -=Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
