since Spidey tipped my hand....howsabout James Webb?

[callmeslick]

My dad and I have been talking up Webb for a while, and are sending the exploratory a small check to show support. What I heard from Spidey is echoed by others I've talked to who normally don't endorse any Democrat. I feel it would be a very significant thing for the nation to elect a Vietnam vet for a LOT of reasons, and knowing Webb from Virginia(supported his Senate run, met him twice), I know his heart is with the working man and not simply wedded to an elite or extreme element. I think he should be the Democratic nominee, and thanks to Hillary being Hillary, he might just get a shot at it. Lord knows he's as exciting at a podium as a bowl of oatmeal, but paired with a dynamic running mate(perhaps Hispanic, or at least from the Western US), he has a solid plan and a disdain for the same old-same old of recent Washington politics.
Any other opinions here?

[Tunnelcat]

Yeah, he is a breath of fresh air. Hopefully him being a Vietnam vet will temper the presumptive warmongering of late that this country seems to be so mired in. I'm also hoping that him being an outsider, and a vet who's fought hard battles, will at least put a crack in the Washington insider money machine. Plus, I agree with getting a running mate from the Western U.S. Our side of the country needs a little representation. One can only hope.

[vision]

Lord knows he's as exciting at a podium as a bowl of oatmeal, but paired with a dynamic running mate(perhaps Hispanic, or at least from the Western US), he has a solid plan and a disdain for the same old-same old of recent Washington politics.

My first impression of this guy is very positive. He's got a cool, matter-of-fact demeanor, kind of like that Ron Paul fellow we all love so much. Webb might have a shot. In the past, the US has elected presidents who were not great in front of a camera, take Carter for example. However, I take issue with the idea he needs to be paired with someone that fits a marketing stereotype. I know the point you were trying to make and I'm not riding you, but I think we can both agree that pairing him with a Hispanic/Woman/African-American/etc just for the sake of appeal to a base is cheap and would be a distraction from Webb's campaign. I'm sure you and I agree there should be plenty of qualified VP candidates who also appeal to the base without being a forced stereotype. Part of me thinks that same type of mismatch was one of the reasons McCain/Palin didn't do better. Palin seemed sloppily tacked on to the bill and was a huge distraction from McCain, who was up to that point running a solid campaign.

[callmeslick]

not talking about sloppy add-ons, vision(as I'm sure you expect), but someone dynamic and able to amplify the core message. And, yes, you have to take that stuff, plus demographics into consideration. My dad dreams of Biden staying on as veep, but that gives you two guys from Eastern coal country childhoods, and Biden probably doesn't wish to do 8 more years as veep.

[callmeslick]

[woodchip]

As to being a yietnam vet, both Murtha and Kerry were the same. If Webb is anything like them I'd say....So what. McCain was a yietnam vet and look where he got.

[callmeslick]

wow, Y isn't near V on my keyboard.


seriously, one of the reasons I jumped to this campaign is that at the very least, many 'conservative' and most every moderate citizen I've talked to thus far expresses interest in the guy. Certainly, a viable anti-Hillary chance.