Just a thought (don't flame). Would it be feasible for JK to run again?

In this era? After this election? If he wanted to?

The Repubs have HAD their smears on him. They obviously have no real dirt. There is not a more tried and true candidate other than Bill Clinton who can't run.

I know many don't, but I've come to believe in the man. I'd go to war for and with him. Not some stupid, worthless waste of human souls like Iraqnam. War for the soul of our country.

I was just thinking this... Is it totally ridiculous? Thoughts?

and if he did run, I would not mind it all, I really like the man and admire him.

I think he was awesome

I have it on excellent authority of an anonymous poster on this board that MOST democrats hated John Kerry and just voted for ABB...

:eyes:

now, he wont put his family through it again. I'm hoping he can do much good in the senate. I'm not asking anymore of him, he gave us his all and even though it didnt end like we wanted he gave us hope.

right where he is. Senator Kennedy is one of the most respected members of the Senate, but I remember when he tried to run for president (although I was ever so young at the time) and he was kind of a joke. Now he's got quite a bit of power, which I'm glad to see he uses for good. We need another fighter in the Senate, now more than ever.

that Dems keep wanting to pick people known to be either unpopular, or highly unlikely to be elected, as leaders???

Gore again, Obama, Hillary, and now Kerry again??

The amount of Hillary talk is quite boggling, though I do think a good deal of it seems to be coming from one person.

They should find somebody new, somebody electric this time, and above all else, somebody electable.

in OH of "elected". Who ya got? Bill Frist? George P. Bush?

If he had been...he'd be president today.

Shenanigans or no.

THAT is 'electable'.

And if it didn't work once, it won't work any better the second time.

work well for SELECTING a candidate, give me some examples of prospective Dem candidates who YOU would consider possibly "electable"?

history, except for George Bush. He received 49% of the popular vote. That is very respectable and under normal circumstances would have made him president.

What more could they say about him? They pretty much laid it all out there. That is why I wanted Gore to run in '04. They skewered Gore and after four years he was proven to be right! After another four years Kerry will be proven to have been right! I think Kerry can run again in '08 and win.

win in '68. No precedent in the more recent, big money TV era of Prez politics for running after a loss. I'm just trying to examine the possibilities of this, versus other possibilities like Edwards, Hilary, Clark, Obama etc...

By the time chimp gets done with this country, the bible thumpers might thank their lord for JK.

Daly Chicago machine, in the courts, presumably for the good of the country, although his own future political aspirations were no doubt a consideration (possibly the main one) as well... More similarities...

Thanks Tex. I need to hear this stuff. I want to be uplifted enough not to break down in front of the freepers.

It's too soon to say whether he should. He is everything I want in a leader, and I desperately wish he had won.

Brave, smart, knowledgeable.

As Bush self-destructs, people will remember what Kerry said, and realize he was right all along. I will be there to remind them.

John Kerry has something of an electablility problem, as we feared during the primaries. He could still become the leader of the Democratic Party, though...now that there is a power vacuum in the Senate. It is obviously important that the Senate majority leader occupy a safe seat.

The one thing I hate about the word "electability" is that people try to twist it into meaning whatever is convenient for them.

The hole in Kerry's political armor is the lack of national appeal. Almost every Democrat has the same problem to one degree or another (I can think of a few who have it far worse), except conservative Southerners, who will have to fight their way in the primaries through the Democrats who look at George McGovern with feelings of nostalgia.

Kerry was a compromise candidate, but all national candidates are compromises, by the nature of a two party system. That doesn't mean he's unelectable, and it doesn't mean he was a bad candidate, as some people are now loudly claiming: it means he was a product of our political system, the best compromise between values and "electability" the Democrats could find.

That Kerry had a problem appealing to "middle America." We knew this beforehand, but we wanted somebody with military experience and we got the the Iowa/New Hampshire candidate with military experience.

He looked like the bigger man today.

Even some conservatives I've run into thought so. That upped him in there esteem. These were the ones who weren't all that high on Bush to begin with. One voted for "the dead babies" and the other voted for the conservative ideals that Bush doesn't exhibit (and he's gay, for pete's sake!)

He shall live to fight another day... soon I reckon. The Right couldn't completely "Gore" him, though they tried. They managed to marginalize Gore, but I think Kerry will continue to make a difference.

Imagine if he and John Edwards started working on winning the next election right now. And keep working over the next 4 years. I'm sure they're sick of the frenetic campaigning, they've earned a good long rest now ... but it could start slowly, under the radar, and then build up steam as the months and years pass.

I know, the Primaries process makes it unlikely ... but wouldn't it be nice? Is there anything that says we have to hold Primaries? I imagine other hopefuls for '08 wouldn't like it at first, but maybe it's time to drastically change tactics. It's not about anyone's individual ego anymore - it's about getting the rethugs out before they destroy us all. I'd like to think the party is smart enough to realize this....

Then again, I've always had a hard time letting go of what I love, and am allowing myself a moment of fond fantasy....

man in my book, and he didn't start out that way with me. I like what I'm hearing here.

As much as I would like to see Kerry as President, his concession really made me question if he's got the guts to do it over. He should have fought tooth and nail for counting all of the ballots....even if he knew he couldn't win it. He didn't stand up for us in our darkest hour IMHO.

we need him still alive politically to fight for what's right.

And I do believe, and of course he's being misunderstood again as always, that he really didn't want to put the country through another 2000 recount. He wasn't being political. I think he believed it would be bad in the long run.

But that doesn't mean he's done fighting.

issues that Edwards had.

I think during the next two years, he'd have to do more personable talk show appearances, without worrying about the election at all.

When Bob Dole stopped campaigning and just did shows like Letterman and kicked back and laughed, I found a human side of him that I hadn't seen before. And Gore - so much less stiff and more likable after the election fiasco.

Those of us that really got a glimpse of JK through old footage, through Going Upriver, through really watching him, grew to know him as warm and connecting/caring in addition to "looking presidential." The more people get to really know him, the more they like him. And if he can do that without the pressure of the campaign spin 24/7 and the swift boat liars, because he wasn't in a race, he might be able to bridge that gap with the rest of the US.

I hope we can get Going Upriver on network tv sometime now that it isn't considered a campaign commercial.

I was not a Kerry supporter in the primaries, and felt his rolling over for the Bush administration on the IWR and Patriot act were political cowardice.

When he won the primaries, I signed on, and supported Kerry verbally and financially.

I had reservations about Kerry all along the way, because I was weary of him saying he "had a plan", and that this or that needed to be done, blah, blah. My thought was, your are a Senator for crying out loud, do something besides talk. I wanted to see some leadership in action.

But even through those reservations, I unwaveringly supported him outwardly.

But his quick concession, and rediculous speech about working with the Republicans to start healing really upset me. I will not start healing with someone that wants to hurt me and my family, and looks more dangerous to me than the Nazi party must have looked in 1927.

If Kerry could not beat this miserably failed president in this awful time, Kerry cannot win in this country. If the Democrats are too blind to see that and go back to him in 2008, then I will no longer be a Democrat. We are supposed to be the smart ones, we should show it by learning from our mistakes.

...though I think the possibility of a Hillary Clinton candidacy needs to either get tested and put to rest or embraced - as long as she's out there as a potential candidate, there will forever be the she should/she shouldn't debates about her.

I'd love to see Barack Obama one day run for president. But they'll massacre him if he does after only one term in the Senate... unless, say, it was a Hillary/Obama ticket or Edwards/Obama - I think it'd be a mistake for him to try too soon, his potential is too great to risk that "inexperienced" crap they tried to lay on Edwards.

Whoever steps forward for 2008, I strongly strongly suggest they start campaigning early in the South. Just DO IT, whether they're from the Northease, Midwest, or West Coast - take on the southerners and Evangelicals and talk to them and campaign and make a dent into their base - that's the way to do it without compromising gay rights or pro-choice beliefs - it can be done. I really believe that, in spite of Bush using those issues like a hammer from a bully pulpit. Discuss this with THEM, debate it with them, and keep them in the dialogue for the entire campaign. Start early. Some will tune out right away, but others might learn to follow in spite of the differences - they did with Clinton, they can and will do it again.

rest. It's a sad thing to say, but this country is not ready for a woman president (and not even taking into account Hillary Clinton's considerable baggage).

...and I was talking about it because I had just finished watching Ben Bradley on Larry King go spastic in support of her, which was weird, LOL - I thought he leaned Republican (Watergate notwithstanding). Might be wrong about that. But still, yeah... we need to find out if she can carry the party, or not. We'll never have peace either from within or without until that's resolved. So I hope she runs in 2008 and ends the mystery. My own opinion is that she'd make a fantastic VP candidate, at least at first.

Although I like and admire them both.

Kerry had his chance.

In my heart I will always believe Kerry really did win, just as Gore did 4 years ago.

But I am dismayed he caved in today. I thought he would stick it out as hard as it might have been.

But then, I am not in his position. So I dont want to be critical at this time.

But I sure felt like I had been punched in the stomach when he conceded today.

Really didnt expect that.

Unfortunately, it's very hard for someone who loses a presidential race to get the nomination again. Extremely few do in modern politics. In the past they used to, but that's b/c bosses controlled the parties and used to give their proteges or supporters multiple tries. Voters aren't as forgiving. Gore had a decent shot, but that was mainly because of his popular vote win and the belief that he probably won Florida legitimately.

Kerry unfortunately lost to Bush in the popular vote (if only his margin in California were bigger) and he lost both Ohio and Florida by over 100,000 votes (300,000 in Florida).

I also doubt he'd want to put his family through the stress and agony of another presidential campaign. I just don't see it, unfortunately.

It's sad, I agree. Kerry would make a fantastic president.

Kerry has so much to offer but he (and other democrats) needs to find a better way to sell our ideas and show the public why they are better. I think that four more years of Bush will do the work for us.

A lot of people will think that he had his chance and could not finish it. Many people were saying the same thing about Gore in early 2001.

I don't think Kerry will run for president again. However, I think he will keep fighting in the Senate for many years to come.

it was feasible for him to run again in 2004.

NOW someone is wondering if Kerry should run again.

Um, I think that once someone has lost they are history. Kerry did not or was not allowed to connect with most Americans.

why I brought this up.

I think he still has much to offer this country. Tricky dick nixon lost a close one in 1960 and came back to win it in 1968. And lets face it tricky dick is no Kerry