It's a scary and horrible thought, but I just want to know

[MoonRiver]

what would happen to the election if Kerry died before he picked a running mate? Would we be able to hold new primaries, or would the nominee be decided at the convention? I am so afraid of what the BFEE is capable of doing, that the question is on my mind.

[bigwillq]

1. Do you know something we don't know?

Do you have Kerry's medical records or something?

[MoonRiver]

4. Huh?

Remember Wellstone and Carnahan?

[SheilaT]

18. Wellstone and Carnahan's planes

crashed basically from pilot error. I shouldn't even bother to get into these discussions, because too many here on DU are convinced there's something mysterious about the crashes.

What a lot of people don't realize is just how many small airplanes crash every single year. Sort of like the 40 thousand plus people who die in car crashes each year. It's usually one or two or three people at a time, but it adds up. Same with general aviation. Flying in small airplanes is considerably more dangerous than on a commercial one. All the arguments trying to come up with statistics about how rare these two crashes are fundamentally misunderstand the accident rates in general aviation.

[MoonRiver]

19. It is interesting, though, that the politicians who crash are usually Dems

When you add that to the fact that Wellstone and Carnahan were killed right before senatorial elections and you get the makings of conspiracy theories, which often do turn out to be truth.

[WilliamPitt]

2. The nominee would be picked at the convention

[MoonRiver]

7. That would be a truly chaotic convention.

Not a pretty picture.

[Barad Simith]

3. I've wondered that myself...

...and your question brings up another one: If the nominee passes away after he chooses a running mate, but before the general election, does the running mate automatically become the nominee?

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. Thankfully, he now has SS

and I doubt that would happen. I hear ya though....these people really are the devil incarnate and I put NOTHING past them. Nothing.

[Jane Austin]

12. Sigh

Sadly, me too.

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. The Secret Service would be useless against cancer

Strictly speaking, Kerry's at more risk of a cancer reoccurrence than an assassin's bullet. And since the standard medical definition of cancer being "cured" is 5 years clean, Kerry's VP pick had better be considered very carefully. I'm not trying to start anything here, and certainly not wishing anything on the man, but it IS a legitimate concern. The ironic thing about all the McCain rumors is that he's a man who definitely would be able to step into the Oval Office if he had to.

Hell if the Bush Criminal Empire didn't run the GOP, McCain might very well be there right now.

[Don Claybrook]

6. And if something happened after convention/before election?

I'm assuming that the VP candidate would then be the nominee. Is that the case?

God forbid, by the way.

[SheilaT]

8. I suspect that a new nominee

would be chosen at the convention, very probably one of the men previously running. Trust me, Kerry is not going to be killed any time soon. There's no need to do so, as the men in power have very many ways to steal the election.

What you're seeing right now is a trying out of different campaign themes to figure out which ones will play best. Which will either most turn people away from Kerry, or most turn them to Bush. Those are two different things, although the end result is quite similar.

Besides, by now they're quite happy with Kerry as the nominee, and would not really like to have to go against a stronger candidate.

[displacedvermoter]

9. Frankly, the "things" they are "trying out" aren't doing so well

and I really don't know how "happy" they are. They seem kinda
dispeptic to me.

[hippiegranny]

10. i'm sure i'm going to be sorry i asked...

but what has kerry done or not done to make you think he isn't a strong candidate?

and who do you think would be stronger? who would have handled that "apology" thing better?

[patricia92243]

13. What apoligize thing? If he apoligized to Bush, I'll puke

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. The "I have no intention of apologizing whatsoever for my remarks" thing

3-10: "These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen,"

3-11: "I have no intention of apologizing whatsoever for my remarks"

[SheilaT]

20. I have no respect for Kerry and I'm truly

sorry at the mad rush to nominate him. He's very much same old same old. He's set some kind of record for a Democrat taking in corporate donations. In twenty years in the Senate he never sponsored a bill that passed. Just think about it. THAT'S leadership?

I was a Dean supporter and I still am. I'm angry that voters let themselves be bamboozled by the "electability" crap.

It was Dean who spoke out early and often against the war. Kerry voted for the IWR. And for No Child Left Behind. And for at least the first round of tax cuts.

Yeah, he's different from Bush, but just barely.

And I don't have any kind of inside knowledge, but it's childish and ignorant to speculate about attempts on Kerry's life. Hell, he's the nominee the Republicans can make most hay against.

And I know I'm going to get flamed, because I usually do if I don't swoon over how wonderful Kerry is.

Here's another way to think about the election: Bush will stay in power so long as he serves the interests of the corporations that rule this country. If they turn against him, then Kerry will win. Unless, of course, the men who engineered the coup in 2000 lose confidence in Bush and his ability to do what they want him to -- in short if he moves too far to the right for their comfort zone -- then they'll abandon him and Kerry (or the Democratic nominee, whoever he may be) will win the election.

The real unknown is just how desperate are the men surrounding Bush? I'm convinced they'll do anything to stay in power, and they'll probably want to make it appear as if the election goes to Bush fairly. There are many ways to do that. First off, through traditional campaigning. This is going to be a very nasty campaign, and that would be true no matter who the Dem would have been. Then there's the BBV. Not to mention heightened terror alerts around election day. Maybe the capture of Osama bin Laden. And all sorts of other things I'm not going to be able to think up at this point.

But killing Kerry? Why bother?

[rasputin1952]

16. "Trust me, Kerrey is not going to be killed any time soon"...

I ceratinly hope you are not implying that he will be killed 'later'.

At this point in time, Kerrey is the nominee apparent, and I believe he will be the next president of the US.

I can see nothing that the bushies can do to stop this. By Nov, we should have a decent voting verification process, and bush will have been reduced to a sniveling embarrassment in the corner of a very dark room.

O8)

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. I think some of the real big money people

are sick and tired of the boy king too. They Rockerfellers and the Vanderbilts never did care much for the Bu$h family. That's why the Bu$h's are so spiteful. They got kick out of high society when Prescott was playing money games with Hitler and they've never regained acceptance into those circles since.

[damnraddem]

11. The candidate is picked at the Convention.

Kerry will have a big majority of the delegates. But the delegates will go to vote on a candidate. Even after Kerry announces a running mate, that person might not be the person that a convention would nominate to replace Kerry, if Kerry were not available.