vcczar Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 This is my personal list on who I would be most excited about running for president among Democrats. The top 10 GOP list is who I would be most tolerant of among GOP potential presidents. Until MAGA is expunged from the GOP, I cannot ever consider voting for a Republican president because some of the office they will fill will have to be MAGA Republicans. A Democratic nominee would have to become more socially conservative and/or threaten nuclear war for me to even consider Huntsman. In making my list, I only selected people holding office or running for office within the last couple of elections. Note: My list of who I would feel confident about winning and, therefore, who I'd be more comfortable with running for president is a much different list. Of my top 10, I think only 5-10 are electable, assuming they were ever nominated. My top 4 are old, have significant disabilities, or may not have the bipartisan nature that is often necessary for winning over voters such as moderates and independents. I was surprised Joe Biden even made my list, although if I knew more about some of the more obscure US Reps, he'd probably fall off the list. Top 50 Democrats (or allies) Bernie Sanders - VT Ro Khanna - CA Elizabeth Warren - MA John Fetterman - PA Jared Polis - CO Jason Kander - MO Wes Moore - MD Jon Ossof - GA Marie Gluesenkamp Perez - WA Mary Peltola - AK Jay Inslee - WA Melanie Stansbury - NM Sherrod Brown - OH Tammy Duckworth - IL Jahana Hayes - CT Aiyanna Pressley - MA Raphael Warnock - GA Josh Shapiro - PA Mandela Barnes - WI Ed Markey - MA Nina Turner - OH Charles Booker - KY Jeff Merkley - OR Dennis Kucinich - OH Bob Casey - PA Colin Allred - TX Lloyd Doggett - TX Michael Bennet - CO Ruben Gallego - AZ Raul Grijalva - AZ Gretchen Whitmer - MI Cory Booker - NJ Tim Ryan - OH Pramila Jayapal - WA Rashida Tlaib - MI Nina Turner - OH Gavin Newsom - CA Michelle Obama - DC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - NY Beto O'Rourke - TX Phil Murphy - NJ Mark Kelly - AZ Joaquin Castro - TX Julian Castro - TX JB Pritzker - IL Adam Schiff - CA Tammy Baldwin - WI Joe Biden - DE Doug Jones - AL Andy Beshear - KY Top 10 Republicans Jon Huntsman - UT Charlie Baker - MA Larry Hogan - MD Phil Scott - VT Chris Sununu - NH John Kasich - OH Lisa Murkowski - AK Jeff Flake - AZ Susan Collins - ME Mitt Romney - UT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 9 minutes ago, vcczar said: Dennis Kucinich - OH really? even with all of his work on behalf of RFK Jr's primary challenge? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 Just now, ShortKing said: really? even with all of his work on behalf of RFK Jr's primary challenge? Part of that is nostalgia. He was my guy in 2004 and 2008. If not for working on RFK's campaign, he'd be #1-#3. He's kind of gone on the looney bin after losing his US Rep seat, but in 2004-2008, he was darn near perfect. His drop to #24 takes that into account. I think he mostly supports RFK for the progressive parts of RFK's platform. Kucinich encouraged vaccination when he was running for mayor recently. I don't know if he embraces RFK's right-wing populist stances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pringles Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 1 hour ago, vcczar said: Part of that is nostalgia. He was my guy in 2004 and 2008. If not for working on RFK's campaign, he'd be #1-#3. He's kind of gone on the looney bin after losing his US Rep seat, but in 2004-2008, he was darn near perfect. His drop to #24 takes that into account. I think he mostly supports RFK for the progressive parts of RFK's platform. Kucinich encouraged vaccination when he was running for mayor recently. I don't know if he embraces RFK's right-wing populist stances. Quote Former Ohio congressman and two-time presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has the tall task of managing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial campaign—and his first order of business appears to be distancing his candidate from the “anti-vaccine” label he’s become associated with. In an interview with The Atlantic’s John Hendrickson, Kucinich said calling RFK Jr. anti-vax is “a left-handed smear” and “a clipped assessment that has been used for political purposes by the adherents of the pharmaceutical industry who want to engage in a sort of absurd reductionism.” Instead, he suggested, Kennedy Jr. stands for “vaccine safety.” But when pressed on what “safe” vaccines the candidate may support, Kucinich seemed at a loss for words. “No!” he said. “This is … no. We’re not—look, no.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jrs-campaign-manager-dennis-kucinich-cant-name-a-vaccine-he-supports https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/06/robert-f-kennedy-jr-presidential-campaign-misinformation-maga-support/674490/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotaHale Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 There's no way Fetterman is a #4 candidate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotaHale Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 Also Nina Turner is on the list twice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 17 minutes ago, DakotaHale said: Also Nina Turner is on the list twice That's 3 more times than she should be on it! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortKing Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 The number of people on this list who are like, not even a full year into their current job and on this list of ideal candidates to be the Commander in Chief would be the craziest thing to me if not for the number of people on this list whose qualification is losing their last campaign. Charles Booker and Mandela Barnes are preferable candidates for the most powerful job in the world by virtue of not having the job they ran for than the person who is currently doing that job right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 2 hours ago, ShortKing said: The number of people on this list who are like, not even a full year into their current job and on this list of ideal candidates to be the Commander in Chief would be the craziest thing to me if not for the number of people on this list whose qualification is losing their last campaign. Charles Booker and Mandela Barnes are preferable candidates for the most powerful job in the world by virtue of not having the job they ran for than the person who is currently doing that job right now. This isn't a list on who I think will be the best president or even who I'd feel the most comfortable with (as I said), as electability is what I go for. These are just those who I was be most excited about if they were nominated because they typically align with my own views and would likely be more serious in pushing those views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 2 hours ago, DakotaHale said: Also Nina Turner is on the list twice Thanks. I'll have to correct the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcczar Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 3 hours ago, Pringles said: https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jrs-campaign-manager-dennis-kucinich-cant-name-a-vaccine-he-supports https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/06/robert-f-kennedy-jr-presidential-campaign-misinformation-maga-support/674490/ Thanks. I'll drop him further down on the list when I can get around to updating it. I think Kucinich's other virtues make up for the fact that he's adopted this insane RFK plank. He supported vaccines during COVID, so this is him being a campaign manager I think, but it's still staggering demoralizing to hear him say this, considering what he had once been in 2004 and 2008. I think he started veering to crazy land when he tried to unite with Ron Paul in hopes of creating some sort of anti-establishment movement ("two wings to fly" he called it). That movement was so at odds socially and economically that I thought Kucinich had temporary brain damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rezi Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 I won't do a top 50, but here's a top 10 Dems, in no particular order, I'd like to see as President (ignoring other political considerations): Jared Polis Gretchen Whitmer Raphael Warnock Laura Kelly Andy Beshear Sherrod Brown Mark Kelly Tony Evers Tim Walz Roy Cooper Forever and always on governors for President. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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