Pelosi for President.

[Jackpine Radical]

Well, OK, she's a little long in the tooth, but like a fine wine she gets better with age. (Reagan, on the other hand, turned into vinegar on the wine rack.)

[Xipe Totec]

1. Regan turned to dreck

The vinegar was to hide the stench.

[cascadiance]

2. She had a lot of us with Pelosi 2007 stickers on our cars, until she made it clear...

... that she wasn't interested in getting the job *at that time* when it was appropriate to take charge. But she didn't want to prosecute the criminals then.

I think personally I'd like to revive many of our campaigns for your avatar Russ Feingold. He has a lot less to lose than anyone else (Bernie Sanders is running in 2012 for his Senate seat), and would be awesome as president. Many of us tried to talk him in to it earlier. Maybe now he'd listen to us that that might have been a better long term choice had he taken it then.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Yup. I tried to talk him into it in 2007.

Incidentally, Time for Change is another Feingold enthusiast who would like to see him run.

[cascadiance]

5. Many said that him not being married would work against him... Perhaps we can ...

... work on that now to help him get "hitched up", much like the sentiment earlier pushed Dennis Kucinich to get it done.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. The main problem is that he's been married a few too many times.

Or, rather, divorced too many times: twice.

Somehow, I don't think that would matter to the people who might otherwise be likely to vote for him.

[undeterred]

23. Well, I've never been married

...so if we got married I could bring his average down.

[Jackpine Radical]

25. I'd be happy to introduce you.

[gateley]

8. Wow! I never knew who that was in that little avatar! nt

[Jackpine Radical]

9. My Senator for 18 years.

This was a year of some rather awful changes. Dave Obey, my Representative, retired and the little blue dog who ran to fill his seat lost. The entire WI government flipped from Dem to R: both houses & the Governor. Crap. It's gonna be tough times in this neck of the woods. The incoming Guv has already cancelled the proposed high-speed rail & wants to devote the $$ to highway building (which by Federal law he won't be abe to--idiot!!), so we'll lose the associated Fed funding & jobs. He has also fired a shot across the bow of the state employees' union (AFSCME). I sneer at all the state employees who voted for him because they were pissed at the previous Guv for no raises.

I expect the poor to be hurt the worst, though. We were pretty good at covering low SES people with health care--a state program called Badger Care supplemented Medical Assistance & coverage was much better than most other states. The R's will no doubt destroy that in their first budget. The UW was also a primary center for stem cell research, which the R's have already announced a plan to halt. And the new Guv is a global warming denier (sunspot theorist).

[gateley]

10. Oh my God - it's like you moved to a totally different State! Maybe once

these things become apparent to the voters they'll bust their butts getting Feingold back in. His loss made me the most sad. I'm so sorry. :(

[Jackpine Radical]

13. "A different state" indeed.

A state of collapse. A state of desperation, maybe.

I remember when Jesse Ventura was elected governor in MN. A psychology intern who commuted to my clinic in Wisconsin from Minneapolis summarized his feelings thus: "Last night I went to sleep in Minnesota. This morning I woke up in a cartoon."

[gateley]

16. Except you woke up in a nightmare.

:hug:

[Jackpine Radical]

19. Exactly. (nt)

[PeaceNikki]

15. Feingold/Franken

My dream ticket. :loveya:

[Jackpine Radical]

20. Damn, that would work for me.

A total impossibility, though. Two midwestern Jews who are universally hated by the Corporate Overlords.

[cilla4progress]

4. I said something like this earlier today!

Pelosi for President! She's the wo(man)!

[gateley]

7. I could go for that. She's sharp and knows how to play the game, and she fights

for what's right. Don't know how old she is, but she's still tough.

Wow! Just looked her up on Wiki to see how old she is (70) and she and I have the same birthday! (I'm easily excited :7)

[alanquatermass]

11. I'd vote for her in a heartbeat!!!

Hells, yeah!

Her deficiencies as a candidate (age, IQ, etc.) are MORE than offset by her commitment to Doing The Right Thing, whatever the cost to herself politically (Healthcare, anyone? It would NEVER have passed without her!)

So here's hoping it is Barack again in 2012 -- and PELOSI IN 2016!!!

[gateley]

12. Welcome to DU alanquartermass!

:hi:

[alanquatermass]

38. Hi yourself!!!!

nt

[Jackpine Radical]

14. IQ?

[blondeatlast]

27. A search on the username is, well, enlightening. nt

[alanquatermass]

31. According to Wikipedia, the "Jackpine"...

-- is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine.

So if I had to guess, I'd say our "radical" friend's a New Englander!

[blondeatlast]

34. You're just precious. nt

[alanquatermass]

35. Thanks, Blonde! Right back to ya!

Oh, and I voted too!!!

[Jackpine Radical]

32. I looked. I wasn't surprised.

[alanquatermass]

37. Was I right about New England?!!!

True story: I once lost a wallet at the Bar Harbor Cleaning Village (a laundromat in Maine, natch) on a bike trip throughout New England back in 1979. That was in July. When I made my way back there in August I swung by the Cleaning Village, not expecting much, and there was my wallet -- in the Lost 'N Found bin -- all bills accounted for -- ONE MONTH LATER!

Pretty amazing.

[wildbilln864]

17. Nope!

:eyes: Pelosi is off the table!

[tjwash]

18. Then she can not only take impeachment off the table, she can flat out pardon war criminals too

BRILLIANT!!

[Jackpine Radical]

24. Is that worse than what we have?

Especially if she doesn't roll over on SocSec and Medicare? Or if she gets our stupid butts out of middle-eastern wars?

[deaniac21]

21. I just hope she can remain minority leader. They are trying to run

her off.

[undeterred]

22. Feingold for President.

Seriously.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. Seriously.

A few months ago & was dissing that idea, but it looks better all the time. But how would he survice the onslaught of Citizens United money? Could he even make a Primary showing? Wisconsin likes eccentric mavericks (think Bill Proxmire); I'm not sure the rest of the country does.

[undeterred]

30. I think the whole country is getting sick of elections

based on big money. Obama's candidacy was based on the fact that he made big promises and could raise a lot of money. Nobody really knew what he stood for. Now we do.

If the American people ever really decide they want to elect someone who is serious about ending wars, following the constitution, reducing spending, creating a decent social safety net, and restoring America's relations with other countries- they will choose someone who is a known entity like Russ Feingold.

I don't know if the American people will grow up in my lifetime, but I hope they do.

[blondeatlast]

28. Worthy of more than a little consideration, IMHO. She's sharp as a tack

and tough as rebar.

[Ichingcarpenter]

29. I din't care for what she said what was on the table

Other than that... she'd work... but about the same table
that I didn't like.

But lets deal with what we have to and not a fantasy.
The US is compromised, that's we lost one of my favorite Senators
and one of my favorite Congressman.

They thinned the ranks
of what's available that speaks at least the truth
of what can or can not be on the table, and even those
were just two in the two houses of cards, where the stack is decked.

[Jackpine Radical]

33. I understand and am in emotional sympathy with you.

However, at the time, a lot of people whom I respect, like David Obey, backed her on this decision, and I don't think he loved Bush any more than I do. Nor, I'm sure, does Nancy. Sometimes decisions are made for good and sufficient reasons even though they cannot speak their reasons.

And I really started this thread more as a tribute to Nancy for standing with the liberal cause in these tough times than as a serious proposal. I do think she's very competent and effective within the range of what she has been given to work with. That, no doubt, is what infuriates the right-wing Natterati about her.

[Ichingcarpenter]

36. She needs to Stay

I see no one else in the ranks of power that will do as well as minority leader
for the left.

[Jackpine Radical]

39. In reality, I agree.

I certainly hope she stays.