Is there a real Dark Horse out there?

[Labors of Hercules]

I think there may be...

Someone no-one expects, but everyone would go crazy over???

hmmmmm...

[polichick]

1. We can HOPE!

[gateley]

2. Brian Schweitzer -- I'd be beside myself! And I think he'd attract a lot of voters. nt

[MercutioATC]

21. Yesssss!

He's absolutely the right person for the job. Appeals to Obama's only weak demographic, well-rounded, smart.

[Skwmom]

26. Schweitzer would go over BIG in PA, OH, WV and VA.

Oh please pick Schweitzer. Obama/Schweitzer is the one ticket which I cannot see the media/RNC stopping. That ticket screams real change for the people and authenticity.

[ErinBerin84]

3. it would be a fun surprise. And it would off DUers who are in a frenzy right now.

Though Howard Fineman said (supposedly...) that he talked to either Biden, Bayd, or Kaine, and one of them "confirmed" (allegedly) that they are the last three standing. Ok, which one of you was it...Big Mouth Biden? :rofl:

[Muttocracy]

4. I though Kaine was the one actually talking to the press about it?

Or was that just pundits making it sound like he was talking about it?

I can't keep track anymore :crazy:

[ErinBerin84]

6. Kaine talked to the press after a radio station interview today

and made a general "I'm not seeking the office, all I want to do is help Obama get elected", etc statement. Howard Fineman (who I'm not sure if I should trust, I'm a skeptic on him) on KO said that he "talked to one of the three on the rumored shortlist today ( either Biden, Bayd, and Kaine) on the phone, who confirmed that they were the last three on the shortlist". Or, he could just be talking out of his ass. Or, the person on the phone could just be fucking with Fineman, which may not be likely, but would be hysterical. And I'm not sure where the "serious conversations about being VP" rumor about Kaine came from yesterday, maybe he has aides that cannot keep their mouths shut.

[depakid]

8. Kaine is Politico's choice

which is why so many here recently jumped ontp the bandwagon-

[ErinBerin84]

12. Also, according to Roger Simon from Politico (who was on Hardball today)

"Evan Bayd is really, really high up on the list...I didn't think he would be, but he is!"


If politico tells me something with great authority, can I assume that the opposite is true? None of these people really seem to know what they're talking about on the shows.

[depakid]

15. Just recognize that Politico was designed to be (and is) a far right propaganda site

and a facade that the corporate media uses to show that they're "tapping into the net roots."

The Right-Wing Politico Cesspool

Politico reporter Mike Allen, formerly of The Washington Post and Time, appeared yesterday on the show of right-wing radio host Mike Gallagher. The two of them guffawed together at how absurd are Scott McCellan’s claims that the media was “deferential” to the Bush administration and then Allen said this:

ALLEN: And indeed, Scott does adopt the vocabulary, rhetoric of the left wing haters. Can you believe it in here he says the White House press corps was too deferential to the administration?

Think Progress has the audio, which makes even clearer how eager Mike Allen was “to adopt the vocabulary, rhetoric” of the right-wing operatives which Politico exists to serve. Actually, not even Karl Rove — who gave Allen and comrades their marching orders earlier this week when he said during an interview with Sean Hannity that McClellan “sounds like a left-wing blogger” — goes so far as to refer to those critical of the media’s war coverage as “left wing haters.” But Politico “reporter” Mike Allen does.

<snip>

Speaking of Politico’s sycophantic service to the GOP, Allen’s colleague, Daniel Paul Kuhn, today has an article about how gay marriage is going to help McCain win the election and doom Obama among independents and working class voters. Last week, Kuhn wrote an article reporting that GOP operatives were excited about the prospects of McCain winning in a “blowout.” Several weeks before that, Kuhn wrote an article about how the Iraq War’s growing popularity among Americans would be a huge asset for McCain and doom the Democratic candidate. Not even the most shameless GOP hack makes such absurdly optimistic claims about the GOP’s electoral chances — at least not out in the open. They just have Kuhn and Politico do it for them.

I once thought that Politico would be a pernicious new addition to our rotted media culture. Instead, it actually provides a valuable service by packing every destructive and corrupt journalistic attribute, in its most vivid form, into one single cesspool.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/30/9312/

Sadly, many DU'ers have fallen for their schtick, and are getting gamed.

[ErinBerin84]

16. yes. I know about Politico.

[skooooo]

5. Here's one

[jacktaylor70]

7. Here is the dark horse name

Please google his name. Nobody talks about him but me. His name is Joe Sestak retired 3 star general Rep Pennsylvania (Dem).
Hi is the man. He combines military experience and a PhD (I believe) in economics.

[Labors of Hercules]

9. 3 star ADMIRAL.

big difference. That's damn impressive though! :wow:

He's certainly new to politics, that's outside the beltway no doubt!

:thumbsup:

[Flying Dream Blues]

11. Well, you haven't been talking about him much, huh? JK...welcome to DU! nt

[KittyWampus]

13. Welcome to DU! I just did a quick look at his Bio & webpage. He would make a GREAT VP

[Skwmom]

27. Isn't he the big Clinton supporter who had no problem with her

telling lies about sniper fire and making a big joke about it. No thanks.

[barack the house]

10. Obama does like to surprise people it seems I think we've all got it wrong. n/t

[Inuca]

17. You mean Merkl will be his VP :-)? n/t

[Awsi Dooger]

14. Dark horses suck

I want blue bloods.

Try betting horses for a while. I did. Dark horses run 4th.

[chimpymustgo]

29. Excellent observation.

[Duder]

18. Sherrod Brown

I read it here:

http://presidentialpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/07/final-four-vp-candidates.html">Dark horse for Obama: Sherrod Brown.

[Avalux]

19. Hillary Clinton.

You gotta admit - NO ONE is expecting her to get it at this point. Wouldn't that be a surprise?

[tokenlib]

20. A gun toting, plain talking rancher with a dog at his side that don't like DC "skunks"

It would be so impressive and out-of-the-box brilliant.

[Skwmom]

28. It would have substance AND deliver such a powerful narrative that the

RNC media consultants and media hacks would be stuttering until November.

They are desperate for Obama to pick a typical politician so they can reinforce all of the false negative memes they are putting out.

[Alexander]

22. Russ Feingold = perfect dark horse. Here's why:

Total experience:
10 years in Wisconsin State senate
15 years in U.S. Senate

On the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (foreign policy experience)
Chair of Subcommittee on African Affairs (helps with Darfur and Zimbabwe issues)

On the Senate Judiciary Committee
Chair of Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights (helps with constitutional issues)

-Supports same-sex marriage, voted against DOMA (helps with LGBT voters)
-Voted against the assault weapons ban (helps with gun owners)
-Supports universal health care
-Voted against the war in Iraq
-Opposed NAFTA
-Only Senator to vote against the PATRIOT Act
-First Senator call for a withdrawal timetable from Iraq
-First Senator to call for censure of Bush
-Has a reputation for being against wasteful spending and pay raises
-Is seen as a maverick who can reach across party lines
-Co-author of McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill (neutralizes McCain's strongest issue)

Electorally speaking:

-From Wisconsin, a state John Kerry barely won by 0.38% in 2004 (smaller than Nader's total of 0.55%) and Gore barely won by 0.22% in 2000.

-Feingold outperformed Kerry in 2004, getting 55.35% to Kerry's 49.70%. He clearly brings reverse coattails to the ticket in Wisconsin at the very least.

-Could help in parts of neighboring states Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan, since commercials have overlapped over the state borders and people in those areas are probably more familiar with Feingold. The GOP thinks they can win Minnesota since the convention is there, and if McCain chooses Pawlenty or Romney, Minnesota and/or Michigan could be toss-ups.

-Some DUers have expressed the notion that picking a Jewish VP would hurt the ticket. I dispute this notion - Gore/Lieberman got more votes in 2000 than Bush/Cheney, despite Lieberman's horrible debating skills and eventual desertion of the Democratic party. In fact, in Obama's case I think if anything it would help, since there is still a contingent of voters who mistakenly believe he is or was raised a Muslim, and the GOP is clearly trying to create a huge wedge between Jewish and African-American voters this year.

I think Feingold would be perfect, and fit the exact criteria Obama is looking for.

He hasn't been mentioned much, but I think most names being thrown out there are just bait for the media. So who knows, Obama could still pick him.

[Muttocracy]

24. I would like Feingold a lot - and if not VP, he and Dodd need to split

Majority Leader / Whip in the Senate.

[liberalpragmatist]

23. How about Lloyd Doggett?

Longtime congressman from Austin. Progressive, Southern, older white male with a fiery, populist style and a Southern drawl.

I haven't seen his name on ANY list, and Obama may feel that for "experience" issues he can't name anyone who's not a senator or governor. But he'd be a dark horse I'd LOVE to see on the ticket.

Of course, my previous dark horse, Jack Reed, stopped being a dark horse. Then, tragically, took his name out of contention. He'd have been an ideal pick for Obama.

[Labors of Hercules]

25. I agree it needs to be someone with well-rounded experience...

a LOT of respect, and high-profile, (but not politically)...

[Barack_America]

30. Caroline Kennedy.

She could just do what Cheney did.