Bad news for both Obama and Clinton. No Senator elected since 1960.

[Deep13]

Even then, 1960 was the exception that proved the rule. It was the only year that a D. won without Ohio since Ohio entered the Union. The Rs have never won without Ohio. The previous Senator to become president was Harding in 1920.

America prefers sitting presidents and governors. If Romney or Huckabee is nominated, then we will be trying to buck a historical trend.

This is not an implicit endorsement of Edwards. I'm simply pointing out a historic trend to anyone who is interested.

[beyurslf]

1. How would it be an endorsementr of Edwards? He's a former Sen and never been Gov.

It seems pretty likely we could end up bucking the trend this year.

[Deep13]

4. He's not one now.

In 1988 we said no V.P. had been elected since van Buren. We didn't count Nixon because he was out of office in 1968.

Of course that observation ended up not meaning shit in 1988.

[beyurslf]

13. Has a former Sen been elected since 1968?

[question everything]

17. No, only governors and one VP who lasted one term

1972 - Nixon (re elected)
1976 - Carter
1980 - Reagan
1988 - papa Bush
1992 - Clinton
2000 - Bush Jr.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. So what happens if it's SEN. Obama/Clinton against SEN. McCain?

Does the universe collapse upon itself?

[Deep13]

6. Yes, polling stations will form micro-quasars...

...and kill us all with intense radiation.

[Eurobabe]

28. just what I was going to say

:thumbsup: What stupid logic people use sometimes (or don't use)??

[AP]

3. I think Senators tend to win open elections. Governors tend to beat incumbents.

[question everything]

5. Which is why a Hillary/Obama or Obama/Hillary ticket is crazy

Whoever is the nominee, of all three, will need a military experience as a running mate. Wes Clark for Hillary and I read someplace on DU Webb for Obama.

[Deep13]

9. If either win the nod, then the VP will be a white man.

That's still the largest voting block. I figured HC would pick Clark. Is Webb the same guy who is Senator from VA?

[question everything]

18. Yes. A veteran (nt)

[cali]

22. Wrong. The largest voting block is women. n/t

[Renew Deal]

7. Edwards is a senator too, so what am I missing?

What happens if they run against McCain?

[Deep13]

10. He was a Senator. Now a private citizen. nt

[Renew Deal]

15. When was the last time a private citizen was elected?

[Midwestern Democrat]

16. Reagan in 1980 - he'd been out of the CA Governor's office since 1975.

Carter was also a private citizen when he was elected in 1976, having left the GA Governorship in 1975, as well.

[Deep13]

26. 1968

[oasis]

8. More bad news.

No woman or African American has ever been elected. What to do? what to do? :eyes:

[Deep13]

12. Damn. We're screwn.

:eyes:

[avaistheone1]

19. Okay Elizabeth, you can pick out the carpet and draperies now. We're going to the White House.

LOL

[MADem]

11. Well, they've never elected a black or female candidate to the presidency yet either.

It's paradigm-breaking time.

Edwards WAS a Senator...like "taking a break" would help?

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. It worked for Nixon -

though I HATE using that as an example.

[MADem]

25. Well, he was a former VP when he ran for the Presidency... nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. True, but similarly he didn't go directly from the one to the other.

He has several years of lying fallow before 68. Not the same as a sitting VP stepping up.

[Webster Green]

14. Kerry won in 2004..

He wasn't allowed to serve since the fascists fixed the votes in the middle of the night, but he did win the election.:-(

[VotesForWomen]

21. since it's going to be McCain vs. Hill or Obama, 2008 will be the year a senator gets elected.

[jbnow]

23. That's why Durbin told Obama to run now

He said a more years in the Senate and a thousands more votes do NOT make it better timing. Do it now.

The reason seems obvious since televised debates at least.
Everyone can be picked on for votes as you have seen ours all picked on for votes.
Some deserve to be picked on. (The only Senator up for reelection that voted against the authorization to use force on Iraq was Wellstone. For the same reason it's no surprise future candidates did the same)

Some just sound bad but had good reasons...a part of a good bill can be unacceptable or a not great bill can have something very important in it so they have to weigh it.

But it still sounds bad when they have seconds to justify an accusation.

Of course Obama sounds bad with the 130 present votes in the State Senate. He didn't explain it well as the general concept, he tried explaining the reason for the particular one Clinton brought up.
He should have explained (honestly) that Present" is used commonly as a strategic or protest vote. Usually groups make the vote together, either all in one party or some in both. As a Constitutional law geek he sometimes voiced his objection to it and did it alone or with few others.
There they didn't vote No to a bill they agreed with in essence and so on.

So that's even worse sounding then explaining the "bad" Senate votes that are not bad. (Bet he practices that answer!)

Governors don't vote and have a congress to blame.

[LeftishBrit]

24. True, but in several of these elections no senator was running

After checking the list, I think the only ones that involved a senator were:

1964: Goldwater vs Johnson

1972: McGovern vs Nixon

1996: Dole vs Clinton

2004: Kerry vs Bush


In all these cases, the senator was challenging an incumbent, which may have made life more difficult, and there were other reasons why they may have lost. And probably no one will ever really know who won in 2004 anyway.

ETA: even if it's Edwards, he is not a senator now, but that was his main experience as an elected official. A governor might have some advantage in that (s)he had already run a government; but there is no governor likely to run, at least on the Dem side.