Is The Strongest Presidential Possibility Not Even Running?
By: TheGreenMiles
Published On: 5/21/2008 3:35:28 PM
Josh Patashnik at The New Republic considers Hillary's trouble with Western liberals and Barack's trouble with Appalachian whites and floats the idea that there's one man who could've won over both groups:
One wonders, in retrospect, if there were some candidate who could have bridged this divide and appealed strongly to both groups. Somebody like Mark Warner, perhaps, whom the Obama coalition might have embraced as an entrepreneurial, somewhat postpartisan, reformist fresh face, and whom the Clinton coalition might have embraced as a culturally moderate, economically savvy governor of a border state.
Amazing that Virginia Democrats have three candidates (Warner, Kaine, Webb) considered viable for one of the top two spots on the ticket.
Comments
Warner was the right man for the job (DanG - 5/21/2008 4:06:56 PM)
Had Obama's message of change and Hillary's message of experience. He had it all.
His time is ahead . . . (Bernie Quigley - 5/21/2008 5:06:30 PM)
We met Warner up here a week before he dropped out. I'd felt that when the NYT's mag cover story came out about him he had learned then what he needed to learn: That if and when he entered the Presidential race the journalistic culture would see him in front as the virtually perfect candidate for a new Democratic party - a manager first with the right values; family and education as the basis of a good life and society. But it was equally clear that Bill Clinton and his party faithful - who were raising money for Hillary hand over fist even as Iraq vets running for the House in '06 were unable to raise cash - was going to dominate. The state we are at today RE Clintons was perfectly predictable in '06 and Warner saw it. Wisely, he got out of the way and will stay out till the nonsense passes. He was a great Governor and will be a great President. He'd be the prefect VP and would bring the Barack thing for 16 years but political lore says he can't tho 'cause he's running for Senate. So what? The country need him now more than Virginia does.
Mark Warner and Wes Clark: A Fork in the Road for the Democrats - Dec. 5, 2005
http://quigleyblog.blogspot.co...
The Hillary Illusion - How the Clintons Could Destroy the Democratic Party - Dec. 19, 2005 at:
http://quigleyblog.blogspot.co...
Hypothetical (tx2vadem - 5/21/2008 4:18:14 PM)
He would have been running against two towering figures with greater name recognition than he. In the crowded field that began the Democratic nominating process, it is pure speculation that he would have made it out of that in the lead. He had the opportunity to enter, but he chose not to. And this: he could have united two different coalitions is just pointless speculation and highly doubtful. He would not have come to the table with a coalition like Clinton and Obama did, how on Earth would he have been able to unite their coalitions under him?
I like Mark as much as the next guy (OutofIraq - 5/21/2008 5:40:51 PM)
But let's be serious. He probably could have won the nomination and the general election. But however he was afraid to take on the Clintons. Pure and Simple. Thank God Obama wasn't and in two more weeks the Clintons can slink away never to be heard from again.
Not quite (Silence Dogood - 5/21/2008 6:28:30 PM)
I'm not going to believe there's an opponent alive that Mark is literally afraid of challenging after the last time he had the guts to step up and run for this Senate seat against a super-popular incumbent (and this was back before Mark Warner was Mark Warner!). Instead I think Wonkette had the best headline to describe why Mark Warner had to get out of the race. It read, "All of Iowa watches Obama drink a beer while Mark Warner is forced to jam steak fries up his nose for attention."
http://wonkette.com/politics/n...
The thing about having a candidate as magnetizing and eloquent as Barack Obama is that when he's speaking, it's hard to get a word in edgewise.