Dick-Less Dems

I’m trying to decide which possible Kerry running mate is a worse choice: Dick Gephardt or Wesley Clark. Newsweek reports that while Gephardt has already been fully vetted, General Clark is the flavor of the week for Democratic apparatchik Jim Johnson’s veep search team.

OK. That’s enough time. I think Clark would be a poor choice. But Gephardt would be fatal. Kerry just launched a $25 million 19-state ad blitz to “reintroduce” himself to American voters. But if he goes with Dick, he might as well skip the intros and just start saying goodbye. Or better, good night. Putting Kerry and Gephardt up on the dais together is likely to induce mass narcolepsy (Disclosure: I favor John Edwards as the only potential VP pick capable of energizing anybody).

It’s more than a style issue. Gephardt, as his party’s House leader from 1989-2002, presided over the greatest ongoing congressional crash of the Democrats in modern history. His career was marked by sheepishness, vacillation and, ultimately, capitulation. Gephardt as much as brokered Bush’s 2002 Iraq war resolution in the House. My Nation colleague David Corn neatly captured the moment in his aptly-titled report Now, It’s Gephardt’s War, Too.

During the Iowa caucus campaign I watched Dick close-up for the better part of a week, or at least until total numbness set in. You might remember he was once the favorite there. Dick brought out a small army of labor activists to work the ground from Storm Lake to Davenport and poured all of his campaign bucks into Iowa.

But to no avail. As Iowa Democrats in droves fled the Howard Dean candidacy, searching for Mr. Electable, they apparently found Dick so deadly that even John Kerry seemed exciting by comparison. If the Kerry team re-erects Dick, it deserves to lose. (In compliance with equal time considerations, my anti-Wes Clark rant will come later this week).

Comments

[Bob]

My daughter, who lives in St. Louis, had the good luck to attend a "happy birthday" concert for Chuck Berry a couple of years ago. Chuck played a long set, as did Little Richard. (Now THERE's a show for you!) According to the daughter, several big-time Missouri politicos were on the stage, Gephardt among them. The mayor of St. Louis and the governor of Missouri rocked out, but Gephardt just ... sorta stood there, smiling. Woodenly.

I'm guessing Chuck Berry and Little Richard could make even Dick Cheney dance, but apparently not Gephardt.

[Crid]

Edwards is a young pup, no? Might he not sit out a veep slot and save his self for a shot at the Big Chair in '08 or '12? We haven't heard much from Jack Kemp lately.

[Marc Cooper]

Exellent point Crid. It's all beind me. Once I hear that Kerry is actually considering Gephardt the whole thing becomes inexplicable!

[yfb]

I can see why this might upset you, Marc -- if Kerry picks Gebhardt then the resulting snoozefest will result in fewer people that you can bash and trash for wanting to vote for Kerry. And you've already dismissed the possibility of serious consequences from another 4 years of Bush, so of course you can't make yourself useful by writing something intelligent on that subject.

[Rick Heller]

I'd like to see Kerry pick someone who can do the sort of "God Talk" that Carter and Clinton were able to do. I think a Northeast secular liberal will have difficulty in the swing states if he picks another secularist.

[The Messenger]

How can Kerry best strengthen his ticket in his choice of running mate? In an on-line Vice-Presidential Preference Poll at Sozadee CA, Wesley Clark leads John Edwards by 22% going away. Other candidates listed are Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bill Richardson, Dick Gephardt, Evan Bayh, John McCain and Tom Brokaw. Marc, if you or your readers have a better choice than Clark, vote your Veep and comment at: http://www.sozadee.com/e107/news.php

[carsick]

I'm guessing the floating of Gephardt's name was only as a courtesy to Kerry's peer and friend.

Clark would assure people with his internat'l experience and Cheney may have a tough time playing games with his head in a debate.