Bob Graham is one of the VP candidates

Bob Graham was a guest on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room. Wolf said that Politico is reporting that Bob Graham is one of the VP candidates.

When asked, Bob said that he has not been contacted but would accept the position.

Graham has not endorsed either Hillary or Obama.

I think this would be a great pick for several reasons.

1- It would bring experience to the ticket

2- Bob Graham as the ex Sen and Gov from FL will make that state much more competitive for Obama and can possibly force McCain to pick Charlie Crist as his VP.

3- Graham also opposed the Iraq war.

I also get tired of his name being used for the vice presidental candidate each election...

What exactly in Bob Graham should be changed?

Of course. :shrug:

It would also not push Obama's change message.

I think he'll go with Webb

He won't be viewed as an active force for change, but he also won't be viewed as an impediment. He also adds experience to the ticket, which can only help in the general election. He might also help to put Florida into play for Obama.

but he's not very exciting on the stump and his age might hurt him. Also, could Graham really deliver FL for Obama? It seems like a real long shot this time. But I really think he would have a much better VP candidate for Gore back in '00.

But I have not seen any polls from Fl since Obama started campaigning there.

Bob Graham was the gov of Fl for 8 years and their senator for 15 years. Not to mention he is a FL native. If anyone is going to help Obama win FL it would be Graham.

Hes more popular than Gov Charlie Christ, considered one of the puke frontrunners for veep.

I've had him on my short list for a while. :toast:

You forgot to use Caps Lock. :D

Please, forgive me? :hi:

He would be GREAT!!! :woohoo:

where the President is asked why he chose the VP as his running mate. The President hands the VP a piece of paper that says something like "because I might die". I recall this anecdote here because the most important question by far in choosing a VP (IMHO) is what kind of President that person would make if the President was unable to serve for any reason. Of course, there are other factors, but Bob Graham fails on the most important question--in fact, I believe he campaigned to be the Democratic nominee in 2004 and didn't register more than a blip. A good and decent man, and popular in Florida, but a buzzkill for Obama. He's been mentioned before, but check out Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana. While not a Southerner, he's a crossover Democrat who might appeal to the rank and file portion of the Democratic Party that Obama has recently had trouble with--some might think he's not liberal enough, but based on everything I've heard, he'll stand up for the average person. Unlike Graham, he's also photogenic and has a quick wit. I think he'd be a great fit for Obama.

Then you can begin to ponder what will happen if Obama did die. Your pick will do us no good.

There will be lots of opinions on who would make the best running mate for Obama. IMHO, Graham has almost no charisma and adds almost nothing to the ticket. The only thing he'd add is that he's from Florida and I disagree that he'd matter much in that state. Schweitzer is a farmer, is a popular Governor of a Western state that usually leans Republican, worked in the Middle East for many years and speaks Arabic, and compared to Graham in an interview or on the stump, represents the difference between night and day. Because of who he is, I think he'd appeal not just to westerners but also to that segment of the Democratic Party, mostly the working class Joes and Janes in the South, West, and steel belt areas (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) who are uneasy with the liberal wing of the party. Another example would be Senator Webb, who also would add much to the ticket.

And re my original post in the thread, I don't think most voters choose a President based on the state his VP hails from, even a VP candidate who's as popular as Graham is in Florida (I think this is consideration is overrated); instead, I think they look at the ticket as a package deal. I think most vote based on what the VP adds to the ticket (not much in Graham's case) or sometimes more importantly how the VP detracts from the ticket (which is why I'm concerned about whether Hillary Clinton becomes the running mate because she's No. 1 on the Republican's hit list).

Schweitzer, Webb, and Richardson available--and someone as bland as Graham gets the nod???

There are states in the West that are turning purple if not blue... sorry Florida is not worth that price...

The more some of us have heard about him--the more we are warming up to him...

But he won the governorship in Montana, which typically has been a Republican leaning state, and he's extremely popular there. He's smart and funny in a down home unpretentious way. He is not ideological but focuses on the important stuff. He's been on 60 Minutes and the Ed Schultz show and when you hear him you'll know why; he's photogenic, he's quick with a quip, and can explain things in a simple straightforward manner. He's a farmer and rancher and has worked around the world, both as a private citizen and as a representative of the U.S. government, including seven years in Saudi Arabia. He speaks Arabic. He made an effort to recall the Montana National Guard from Iraq to fight the fires that raged out of control in Montana several years back. He's not as liberal as some would like; for instance, he's against gun control, but he's not ideological about it; he just thinks gun laws in Montana, where many residents rely on guns, shouldn't be the same as gun laws for areas such as New York City or Washington D.C. Think Ed Schultz with less bombast and that should give you a decent picture. I think he'd appeal to farmers in the West and Midwest (actually, farmers anywhere), workers who've lost their jobs or are in danger of losing their jobs in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and more conservative "blue dog" Democrats in the South.

veep nom.

I don't have a keen sense of how it will go. I could make an argument for some more than others, but against whatever corrupt skunk McCain is going to pick for the Puke veep, I'm on board with whichever selection Obama makes.

Who are all the names, anyway? HClinton. A general -- Zinni or Clark? Other names I've heard include Richardson, Biden, Edwards, Dodd, Sebelius, Brown, Strickland, Schweitzer, Boxer, Chafee, Bloomberg, Nunn, Napolitano, Webb, Kaine, Bayh, (Graham), Hart, RFK JR, Pelosi, Feingold, Rendell, McCaskill, Daschle, and Bredesen.

I would throw in Max Cleland, Henry Waxman, Tom Harkin, and Bill Bradley, just to add a few more really good people to the list.

I'm likely leaving out a whole lot of names.

Some would bring this strength to the ticket, while some would bring that strength, and others bring still different strengths. I prefer some more than others personally, but would honor Obama's wishes. He's the one with the tough job coming up.

Graham would make Florida more competitive, and in a page-turning year he might make the difference. McCain's electoral college totals would likely not survive losing Florida.

Seriously, Florida is Bush Crime Family corrupted from top to bottom. We aren't winning that state, unless there is massive turnout, and the racists don't detain anybody for "voting while Black".

My reservations about Bob Graham are: 1) He had some weird breakfast companions on the morning of 9-11-01 and 2) He's in his mid-70's with a chunk of cow heart in his chest. But I'd still prefer him over Hillary.