boneyard bill
Veteran Member
I agree he was a puzzling choice - I did not see him as bringing much to the table.
I think you are overestimating the power of the vice-presidency. I mean sure, it can help the right guy over the top like Gore or elder Bush. But with these two you are already back 20+ years and going back further you get Mondale (lost), Ford (ascended due to resignation), Johnson (ascended due to death) and Nixon (lost then won 8 years later) and you are already back in the 50s. 6 VP candidates in 60 years and only 2 won outright.
Like what? As I said, he has no independent appeal. Dropped due to scandal in 88 before the primaries, dropped after Iowa in 08 because he got 0.9% of the vote. And that is before he became ancient. He is very much comparable to Dick Cheney as far as electoral chances are concerned.
I think there will be a lot of competition in the primaries and I think there is a strong likelihood someone new, a fresh face, will be nominated. An economic meltdown would favor Republicans so much they could nominate Jesus H. Christ and still lose. Likewise I do not think anything like that is necessary for someone like Schweitzer to emerge. For example Keystone XL is popular and Schweitzer has been supportive of it for a long time, while Hillary failed to approve it white SecState.
If Hillary's in, it will be very tough for the other guys. She's got too much money, too much name recognition, and too many contacts. An economic meltdown could change that scenario but, as you noted, it would also make it very difficult for a Democrat to win.