Presidential candidates in the elections of 2004 and 2008 are discussed. Some of the same presidential candidates competed in the presidential election primaries of 2004 & 2008.
The race for the Republican nomination for the presidency in the election of 2004 was a one-man race.
President George W. Bush of Texas. From the beginning of the 2004 election campaign, there was only one serious candidate for the Republican Party nomination: the incumbent - President George W. Bush.
The only question for the Republicans was who would be on the ticket with President Bush. Would Vice-President Cheney be dumped from the veep spot? That question was answered. Dick Cheney would be on the ticket again. There were a number of capable substitutes for Cheney: Secretary of State Colin Powell, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Senator John McCain who, if chosen, would no doubt have won it all for the Republicans. All this is academic discussion only. It was Bush - Cheney in 2004! And they won it all!
This is where the real race was. The Democratic Party started the election campaign of 2004 with the 2000 candidate (and former Vice-President) Al Gore, and a few far-behind stragglers. When Al Gore dropped out, a kung fu fight developed among twelve Democratic candidates for the right to be his replacement. The twelve candidates were reduced to one major candidate-Senator John Kerry- who won the Democratic nomination.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Kerry was the heir-apparent with Al Gore and Hillary Clinton out of the race. Clean image. Good record. Actually served in the "real" military during the Vietnam war - a rarity in this age! He publicly protested the Vietnam War after being discharged from the military and the Bush team tried to associate him with Jane Fonda, the well-known actress turned Vietnam War protestor. Married into a family of near-billionaires so he doesn't have to worry about his next job.
Another sign of Senator Kerry's stature during the campaign is that Rush Limbaugh repeatedly referred to him as the "French Looking" candidate. You are a serious Democrat candidate when Limbaugh starts attacking you
The final Democratic ticket was Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards of North Carolina. A good ticket but not a winning ticket.
Would any ticket have won for the Democrats?
The Libertarian Party, conceivably, could have played an interesting role in 2004, however, some of their better known candidates opted out of the race. Yet, there remained some interest in the party. Increased interest in the Libertarian Party should have occurred due to the loss of some of our citizen's rights (e.g., Patriot Act) that occurred in the United States since 9/11. The Libertarian Party, I thought, addressed those type issues. But the Libertarian Party did not speak up.....at least not loudly. But maybe, I shouldn't have been surprised at their silence. If you scratch the surface of many Republicans, you will find a Libertarian underneath waiting to get out. In fact, Libertarians can be found in many active positions in the Republican Party. Maybe the Republican influence was just too strong and so the Libertarians had to stick with their Republican buddies.
The Libertarians of this era don't seem to have quite the same concern for citizen's rights that Libertarians of other eras had.
The Libertarian Party Candidates in 2004 were:
Michael Badarik - Presidential Candidate
Richard Campagna - Vice-Presidential Candidate
In 2008, the Libertarian Party Candidates were:
Bob Barr - Presidential Candidate
Wayne Root - Vice-Presidential Candidate
.
The Natural Law Party could probably have made a bigger splash than the Libertarians in 2004 had Representative Dennis Kucinich run for president under its banner as was once threatened. It is conceivable that Kucinich could have received a million or more votes on the third party ticket as an anti-war candidate depending on war sentiment at the time. However, he chose to remain a Democrat. In 2008, the Natural Law Party did not make much noise and I am not sure if they ran candidates for president and vice-president or, even, if they are still a viable party.
The Constitution Party is a developing extreme right wing party that could, in future elections, draw votes from the ultra-conservative element that supported President Bush in 2004. The only problem for the Constitution Party is to decide who they hate most - the extreme left-wing Democrats or, as viewed by the Constitution Party folks, the almost-as-left-wing Republicans. The Constitution Party nominees in 2004 were:
Michael Peroutka - Presidential Candidate
Chuck Baldwin - Vice-Presidential Candidate
In 2008, the party nominees were:
Chuck Baldwin - Presidential Candidate
Darrell Castle - Vice-Presidential Candidate
If the Republican Party shifts too far to the middle, the Constitution Party can make a little noise in future elections.
The Green Party appears to be the only other third party that could have made a scratch in 2004. In 2000, their Florida vote was enough to give George W. Bush the presidency and that made many of them ill. The Green Party faced a quandary in the election of 2004. But would anyone on the liberal end of the spectrum have taken a chance on voting for the Greens in 2004? Especially after Ralph Nader removed his name from consideration.
The Green Party Presidential Candidates in 2004 were:
David Cobb - Presidential Candidate
Pat LaMarche - Vice-Presidential Candidate
In 2008, the Green Party Candidates were:
Cynthia McKinney - Presidential Candidate
Rosa Clemente - Vice-Presidential Candidate
Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate in 2000, decided to run as an Independent in 2004. Peter M. Camejo was his Vice-Presidential running mate. Nader's decision to run upset some Democrats but his action did not hurt the Democrats in 2004 nearly as much as in 2000.
The Real Legacy of Election 2004: Howard Dean.
Before leaving this web page, it is only fair to note the revolutionary political campaign run by Democratic candidate, Howard Dean, former Democratic Governor of Vermont. Using a touch of high-tech Internet competence coupled with low-tech people-skill, the candidacy of Governor Dean came out of nowhere and flamed ahead of other Democratic contenders: Senators John Kerry, Al Lieberman, and John Edwards; US Representatives Dennis Kucinich and Dick Gephardt; General Wesley Clark and several other notable contenders. Governor Dean had a very loyal following and a staff unequaled to none.
See the Joe Trippi (Dean campaign manager) book reference, "The Revolution will not be Televised," on the Political Information page for more detailed information.
Unfortunately, the controlled media of the country went after Dean with a vengeance. They destroyed him!
Howard Dean will be heard of in the future as American citizens realize his true value. His day will come. As a matter of fact, his day has come. Governor Dean has been voted Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (essentially, the head of the Democratic Party.) In that office, he has had a wonderful opportunity to show his stuff. If the midterm election of 2006 is any indication, Dean did a good job in the Chairman position.
However, it appears that Dean's presidential aspirations have had to be put on hold!
Of course, Hillary Clinton and Senator Barrack Obama announced their candidacy early on. For awhile, Clinton and Obama were neck & neck but Obama moved out front and was the Democrat nominee. Several other less-well-known Democrats dropped out of the race early on. Obama chose Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.
Obama went on to easily win the general election and the presidency.
On the Republican side, Senator John McCain of Arizona emerged as the Republican nominee. He chose Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice-presidential running mate. McCain and Palin lost badly to Obama and Biden.
Jeb Bush had been expected to compete on the Republican side but the growing unpopularity of his brother, former President Bush, killed his chances (for 2008, anyway).
1. Election 2008. The conservatism vs. liberalism battle continues.
Last Updated: 01/22/10
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