The Senators - Evan Bayh

Senator Evan Bayh (IN)

Sen. Bayh was elected Secretary of State of Indiana at the age of 30, Governor at 32 and Senator when he was 42. He may well be elected Vice President at 52. Bayh's rise in a relatively Republican state is impressive, yet not that surprising when you consider that his father Birch Bayh was a US Senator (1963-81) and a presidential candidate in 1976. Sen. Bayh is very popular in Indiana which may be in part due to his fiscal conservatism and his vocal support of capital punishment. He thought about running for President in 2008 but then decided against it.

Pro:

• Popular in his home state, could possibly swing it
• Has extensive experience both as Governor and as Senator

Con:

• May not go over well with liberals and progressives

Suitability for the eventual nominee (rating from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely))

Hillary Clinton:

8 - he seems closely alligned with the Clintons, has the perfect resume and he's young enough to take over after a Hillary presidency. One caveat: might be a little too much political dynasty for one ticket

John Edwards:

3 - would be a double red state ticket, also (yes, this is superficial) too much of a "pretty-boy" ticket

Barack Obama:

3 - an Illinois/Indiana ticket? Doubtful.

Bill Richardson:

4 - regional balance, could take over after a Richardson presidency

(Wikipedia Bio)

The Governors - Ted Strickland

Governor Ted Strickland (OH)

Ted Strickland was only elected Governor of Ohio last year. He has previously served in Congress (1993-95, 1997-2007). Strickland's a minister and has also worked as a psychologist and college professor.

Pro:

• Gov. of the state that decided the 2004 presidential election
• Won with 60% of the vote
• He's a minister, might play well in some swing states

Con:

• Has just been elected Gov. in 2006

Suitability for the eventual nominee (rating from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely))

Hillary Clinton:

6 - Ohio's essential, a Gov. would balance the ticket, Strickland won't outshine her like others might

John Edwards:

4 - would give the ticket a regional balance, though a woman or minority VP is more likely

Barack Obama:

4 - Ohio's just around the corner from Illinois, then again so was Tennessee from Arkansas when we had Clinton/Gore

Bill Richardson:

2 - unlikely that he'll pick a Governor, at least not this one

(Wikipedia Bio)

Ain't Gonna Happen - John Edwards

Former Senator John Edwards (NC)

Ain't gonna happen - John Edwards has been the Second Donkey in 2004. It's a job you don't do twice, unless you win the first time around. Also, last time around he had something to gain by running for Vice President of the United States. He was young enough to wait a Kerry Presidency out. This time, I think he'd rather enjoy family life than run for the number 2 job again after losing the Democratic primary, again. Ain't gonna happen.

(Wikipedia Bio)

Ain't Gonna Happen - Hillary Clinton

Senator Hillary Clinton (NY)

Ain't gonna happen - there are several reasons why Hillary will not take the VP slot on the ticket in 2008. She's the front-runner, the person to beat. Therefore, she can't play second donkey to whoever will beat her. Unlike in 2004, where she was rumored to have wanted to be Kerry's running mate, she wouldn't gain anything this time around. By 2012 or 2016 she'd probably be too old to run. Furthermore, I doubt that either Obama, Edwards or Richardson would want her to be on the ticket as she'd take away the spotlight from the nominee. Probably why she wasn't chosen in 2004.

Hillary Clinton will either win the nomination or stay in the Senate and get a bigger role there. VP? Ain't gonna happen.

(Wikipedia Bio)

What's "Second Donkey" About

When I was thinking about starting this blog I was wondering what name to use. "Democratic VP Short List", "Dem Running Mate". Everything I came up with seemed pretty lame. Essentially, whoever will win the Democratic nomination next year, will be the leader of the Democratic Party until the election, hopefully longer. The donkey is the symbol of the Democratic Party, whoever will be the candidate will be the first or the leading donkey. Therefore, whoever will be chosen as the running mate will basically be the "Second Donkey". Bare with me, if you please.

"Second Donkey" is no more and no less than a blog about the next Democratic Vice President of the United States. I will take a closer look at a variety of possible running mates, whether they are rumored to be in the running or whether I believe they'd be viable. All candidates will be evalued, taking a look at what they could bring to the ticket and rating which possible nominee they'd most help. I'll divide these possible running mates up into four categories: "Senators", "Governors", "the rest", and "ain't gonna happen". In this last category I'll only put the most obvious few.

This is a long term project, meaning that profiles will be published at least once a week over the coming year until the eventual nominee chooses a running mate. So stay tuned and spread the word!