What if the "left" candidate were Wellstone instead of Kucinich?

I realize this is extremely hypothetical, since Wellstone is not here to run.

But suppose he were alive, and had decided to run as a candidate of the progressive/liberal/left in the Democratic primaries?

Would he have fared better than Kucinich in terms of being taken seriously? Although not Mr. Macho, he was more straightforward and not quite as, er, odd as DK. His rhetoric was somewhat more mainstream populist. He was widely liked and admired, even by his political opponents. He was a nice guy, but he had brass balls when necessary....

I'm asking because IMO Kucinich represents everything the Democrats should be, but he is not taken seriously because of his appearance and personal eccentricities.

Would the progressive/liberal/left have been able to make more of an impact in this election, if it were represented by someone whose persona was considered more viable?

Just askin.

So how is it that the rabid right can rally behind George W. Bush, with all his personal eccentricities, but the left cannot rally behind Dennis Kucinich, with all his personal integrity, not to mention his uncorrupted support for the progressive agenda?

But when you have a candidate who is only asked about UFO sightings, it becomes a distraction from the issues.

I wish to hell Kucinich were able to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. But he's not.

The conditions for Bush being rallied behind consist of A) a strong, established conservative trend, B) like it or not, the scandals of the Clinton era, and C) poor campaigning by Gore. Even in 2004, Bush used 9/11 and poor Kerry campaigning to keep it going.

The political conditions are trending liberal, but we still have quite a ways to go before reaching what it was for Republicans back in 2000. Kucinich would not be able to cash in because he has long since established himself on the wrong side of the sanity aisle in many Americans' minds, but the second coming of a Wellstone might be able to capitalize in 2012.

AA) Media bought and paid for by the Repiglickins.

he was another Hubert Humphrey. He had personality and a certain charisma. Kucinich will never be president because he lacks charisma.

Wellstone, because he was a solid progressive without the three-ring circus of Kucinich, would be able to reach more voters from outside of the established left-base of the Democratic Party. He would have a far greater impact on the tone and issues of the campaign in general than Kucinich ever will simply because Wellstone realized that being a politician means more than just being a zealot.

My guess is that he'd be sitting about where Edwards is now. He was a good man, though.