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The Missed Opportunity President


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I was thinking the other day about presidential candidates through the years - about the ones that I think would have been good presidents but didn't get nominated or elected. I think of 2016 as being a missed opportunity (not for Hillary) but for others who lost out in the Dem and Rep primaries or who chose not to run (like Elizabeth Warren or in 2008 Newt - I think both would won their respective party nominations if they ran).

So here is a list of some individuals who come to my mind that I think would have been good Presidents if they had won. Who is on your list?

 

I'll surprise you by starting out with 3 Democrats:

Robert Kennedy 1968 - I was 12 at the time he was shot - but even at that young age I looked up to him. LBJ had decided not to run due to the mess of Vietnam. The country was ready for a peace candidate. We ended up with Nixon's secret plan to get us out of Vietnam.

Ed Muskie - 1972 - great Senator from Maine - his flaw - he cried once during or after a speech and was branded as weak. He could have beat Nixon in 72 - who wasn't very likeable but McGovern (a very good guy personally in my opinion - the first guy I ever voted for when I was of age - for Senate) was too liberal for the time.

Hubert Humphrey - 68, 72, 76,80 - He tried several times but failed. Even if one didn't agree wt his politics he was a guy you couldn't help but like (and I agreed wt his politics a good portion of the time back then). I did a huge history paper on him during college and gained a lot of respect for him as a man and for the compassion of his politics. I still admire him.

Jack Kemp - Unbelievable that he didn't get the repub nomination post Reagan. Like Humphrey, a very likeable man

Rand Paul - while Rubio was my candidate this last time around, I think in retrospective and in light of the Middle East - I'm becoming more of a Rand fan.

 

 

(Others I think could have done well - Dems Scoop Jackson, Sam Nunn)

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I think Bob Dole would have been a good president. I thought he had a legit shot to beat Clinton in 1996, but he was so stiff and proper during the campaign, he came across as very wooden and unapproachable. It was difficult to watch at times.

 

After the election and Clinton's win, Dole went on David Letterman and had a very charming, personable interview. I almost shouted at the TV, "WHERE WAS THIS GUY DURING THE CAMPAIGN?!?!?"

 

Still bugs me to this day.

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I agree with Bob Dole. Clinton was able to tap into a younger generation while Dole appeared to be old and stiff....too formal.

 

I'll take this in a slightly different direction. I think McCain could have won if he would have had a VP with half a brain. So, my addition to the list is anyone as a VP for him.

 

I also really wanted Lee Iacocca to seriously run. He toyed with the idea but nothing serious ever came of it.

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If Romney had won in 2012, Trump might have never become president.

Amen on that one. Romney I think had it wrapped up after the 1st debate and only had to maintain the lead. But that 2nd debate wt the moderator taking sides was the turning point. The 3rd debate - Romney proved to be more on target on Russia than what people gave him credit for. I think he played to nice in the final debate and could have come across stronger. I think Kemp may have drawn more of the younger vote and he was seen as an 'idea, innovation' guy.

 

Knapp mentioned Bob Dole - I agree - I think he would've been a good center right guy - not on the fringes. He knew how Washington worked but also was liked on both sides. Yes, he like Al Gore and Lurch (Kerry) were much too stiff during their respective campaigns. Again, I would have preferred Kemp on the top of the ticket instead of 2nd - but the repubs seemed to always do the 'next in line'.

 

BRB - not sure McCain would have won even with the Pope as his running mate. People were sick of the repubs and GWB. I think that is why Newt didn't run that year - even though it would have been his best year to run. I think he would have done a much better job in the debates. McCain acted like he didn't want to step on anyone's toes during the debate. Newt would have gone after O's inexperience. Yes, Palin was a rock around McCain's neck hung their by the same crowd (anti-establishment) that elected Trump. She, like Trump, are long on red meat speeches but short on real accomplishments politically.

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Palin was a rock around McCain's neck hung there by Palin herself. She's an idiot, she is not presidential, and she should not have been anywhere near the Oval Office. If McCain had picked a better running mate there's a strong possibility he wins. Picking Palin made McCain look foolish and sunk his candidacy.

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Palin was a rock around McCain's neck hung there by Palin herself. She's an idiot, she is not presidential, and she should not have been anywhere near the Oval Office. If McCain had picked a better running mate there's a strong possibility he wins. Picking Palin made McCain look foolish and sunk his candidacy.

Esp as you compare Obama's pick of Biden. Contrast Biden vs Palin and the gap is bigger than the Grand Canyon. Even though he is 'uncle joe'(we could have started a Crazy Things Joe says thread), he still pulled a lot of weight, and had a deep bank of experience behind him and could have stepped into the role seamlessly if needed. You may be correct that McCain would have won otherwise. That Katie Curic interview sunk not only Palin but McCain with her. I wonder how many times McCain has kicked himself since then :dunno

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Yeah, there's all sorts of weirdness when you start going down these hypotheticals. It seems quite plausible that the ACA would have actually been dismantled in early 2013 by the Romney-Ryan team for example. Those were much more vulnerable days for Obamacare.

 

What it boils down to is "picking bad candidates might help avoid really terrible ones", which is a weird thing to think about. I don't think it's off the mark, either. Much of politics is reactionary. The reactionary backlash against decent times is much more cruel, vindictive, and abhorrent than it is inclusive and aspiring.

 

Sometimes we plant saplings anew. Sometimes we burn down the forest.

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Biden. 'Nuff said.

 

Unfortunately, given the partisan nature of politics right now, we would've likely seen another four years of what Obama got from the GOP for his 8 years. It would have been another four years of stasis, a slow bleed to further Republican dominance in Congress and at the state level, and the party would've spit out another Trump or equivalent hard-right candidate in 2020/2024.

 

I obviously would've preferred Clinton to Trump. Watching every second of this administration has been painful. But ultimately her losing doesn't bother me *that* much because that's exactly what she would've gotten, too.

 

Fun fact: McCain originally wanted Joe Lieberman, destroyer of the public option, as his running mate. I despise Lieberman for that, but he is infinitely better than Palin as a VP choice. But the party leadership wouldn't allow McCain to pick Lieberman because he is pro-choice. Dealbreaker.

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I've always liked John Kasich from Ohio for some reason.

 

I don't really know a lot about him, but he's always struck me as common sense Republican.

 

Someone who balances businesses need to have room to operate and still protecting the environment.

 

Plus, I think when it comes to LBGTQIA issues, he's not in the "pro" camp...but he's not a bigot either. (And with Republicans, that's as good as "pro.") ;)

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I've always liked John Kasich from Ohio for some reason.

 

I don't really know a lot about him, but he's always struck me as common sense Republican.

 

Someone who balances businesses need to have room to operate and still protecting the environment.

 

Plus, I think when it comes to LBGTQIA issues, he's not in the "pro" camp...but he's not a bigot either. (And with Republicans, that's as good as "pro.") ;)

 

Agreed. Kasich was head and shoulders the best candidate the GOP fielded. I'll never understand why they didn't collectively throw their support behind him from the beginning.

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