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American History

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Bucky

(55,334 posts)
Mon Sep 24, 2012, 05:57 PM Sep 2012

Who would have made an interesting president, but never got the shot? [View all]

The first two I think of were Mario Cuomo and Bruce Babbitt. Cuomo was tough, compassionate, FDRish (with a little dash of Adlai), and an amazingly subtle thinker. 1988 was his year and I think he could've womped the hell out of Poppy in the general election. So much would've been different (including, possibly, no Speaker New Gingrich!).

Babbitt was kind of an odd duck. He talked like Jimmy Stewart and had no physical control over the erratic gyrations of his own eyebrows when he was talking. But he was a truly committed, passionate environmentalist of the sort that Teddy Roosevelt could only pretend to be. Whenever I heard him speak, I heard a man with a deep connection to the land and legacy--environmental and political, too--we leave to the next generation. In that sense, I tend to think we'd have a much smaller debt problem today if America had had him at the helm for 8 years.

Who else might've blown our minds via the White House?

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I'm going with Eugene Debs arcane1 Sep 2012 #1
Debs would have been interesting Fortinbras Armstrong Sep 2012 #5
me too bodem1955_om Oct 2012 #15
First I thought of as well. cdogzilla Jun 2015 #22
Noam Chomsky. nt ZombieHorde Sep 2012 #2
God, no Fortinbras Armstrong Sep 2012 #6
About as good or well as anyone else. ZombieHorde Sep 2012 #8
Chomsky's tone is "my way or nothing" Fortinbras Armstrong Sep 2012 #9
That may be what you hear, but that is not what I hear. nt ZombieHorde Sep 2012 #10
Do you seriously see Chomsky compromising on anything? Fortinbras Armstrong Sep 2012 #11
Chomsky has said that compromises are necessary. ZombieHorde Aug 2015 #28
Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2015 #27
Mike Mansfield Ptah Sep 2012 #3
Gary Hart... jaysunb Sep 2012 #4
Eugene McCarthy, John Anderson, to name a couple. bemildred Sep 2012 #7
+1 for both of them no_hypocrisy Jan 2017 #46
Martin Luther King, Jr. charlie and algernon Sep 2012 #12
That's the first name that came to my mind, too! DavidL Oct 2012 #13
Before he was shot, there was significant support for the idea Ken Burch Dec 2016 #45
Yes. JDPriestly Jun 2016 #36
Mo Udall was my first serious political hero...he ran in 1976 and finished second to Rowdyboy Oct 2012 #14
Another good choice. JDPriestly Jun 2016 #37
William Jennings Bryan jonpaulprime Oct 2012 #16
Nelson Rockefeller left-of-center2012 Oct 2012 #17
What should have been danbenbow Oct 2012 #18
I HAVE TO SAY ROBERT KENNEDY .. JUST IMAGINE YOHABLO Nov 2012 #19
Ross Perot,just saying. SCALA13 Nov 2012 #20
At the top of my list of Morris Udall. I don't know whether he would have won the GE if he had StevieM May 2015 #21
I think 9/11 would have just been another Tuesday. 47of74 Aug 2015 #29
I was never a 9/11 conspiracy theory, but I am rethinking my attitude in light of additional JDPriestly Jun 2016 #38
Bob LaFollette (nt) cdogzilla Jun 2015 #23
Bill Bradley cdogzilla Jun 2015 #24
Henry Wallace Southern Belle Blue Aug 2015 #25
Good one. JDPriestly Jun 2016 #39
I agree. The saddest thing is he came so close, thucythucy Mar 2018 #61
Abraham Lincoln serving out his full second term. thucythucy Mar 2018 #62
Al Gore boatsnhose Aug 2015 #26
Paul Tsongas 47of74 Sep 2015 #30
Paul was in it--but then he ran out of money. He won 7 states. MADem Feb 2017 #47
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #31
Joe Biden paul ofnoclique Nov 2015 #32
Think how different our recent history would have been.... lastlib Jan 2016 #33
A Humphrey-Kennedy ticket (if Bobby hadn't been murdered) would've been stronger Bucky Jan 2016 #34
Interesting Almost President aswanson Feb 2016 #35
Robert Kennedy SheriffBob Jul 2016 #40
I absolutely agree with you on that one, he had so much to offer, and the temperament, too. Rhiannon12866 Jul 2016 #43
Who would have made an interesting president, but never got the shot? RedHornet44 Jul 2016 #41
UGH. Horrible pick. nt MADem Feb 2017 #48
Henry A. Wallace RedHornet44 Jul 2016 #42
Paul Wellstone and maybe... RealityChik Dec 2016 #44
Adlai Stevenson....eom mrmpa Feb 2017 #49
There you go. Basic LA Feb 2017 #56
The word they used in the 1950's was "egghead"...eom mrmpa Feb 2017 #57
Ross Perot ParanoidFactoid Feb 2017 #50
HRC JustAnotherGen Feb 2017 #51
Hear, Hear stephensolomita Jun 2017 #58
Mo Udall Binders Keepers Feb 2017 #52
Cuomo my first throught hibbing Feb 2017 #53
Get To Know The Real Cuomo stephensolomita Jun 2017 #59
I meant his father n/t hibbing Jun 2017 #60
Jay Rockefeller. PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2017 #54
Henry Wallace gopiscrap Feb 2017 #55
Elliot Richardson Doc_Technical Mar 2019 #63
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