Reasons why Kerry as VP would be a disaster.
(disclaimer: I personally like Theresa and don't think Kerry is elitist. However public perception will become the truth if he is VP)

1) Media Train Wreck: Even after 2004 Kerry would wait two media cycles before responding to attacks. Deer in the media headlights.

2) the Elite Twins: If Obama's problem with blue collar Democrats and Independents is they see him as out of touch with their concerns, doesn't that exacerbate by adding someone the same people see as elite to the ticket?

3) Swiftboating: Maybe the credibility of the Swiftboat attacks has been discredited. However there was one Republican who angered his own party by denouncing the swift boat vet attackers and defending John Kerry's name in 2004...John McCain. People will be reminded that four years later an ungreatfull Kerry joined Wesley Clark in diminishing McCain's war hero status.

4) Kerry voted for the war: and did a terrible job of explaining that vote:In the primary, Obama ran on his anti-war speech of 2002. He attacked the judgement of those opponents for voting the way Kerry did. His primary opponents at least gave better explanations.

5) Teresa Heinz Kerry: The independent and blue collar voters Obama needs to pick up, saw Teresa as a brass loud mouth in 2004. This is also the first impression many had of Michelle Obama. As with #2, doesn't matter if it is true or false, you don't reinforce your negatives.

6) Same Sex Marriage:

McCain voted against the FMA but supported the state proposition banning same sex marriage in his home state of AZ. When the people voted it down McCain publicly said he accepted the will of the people.

John Kerry voted against the FMA but supported the state proposition banning same sex marriage in his home state of MA. when the people voted it down Kerry publicly said he accepted the will of the people.

Kerry would make McCain look alot more centrist on LGBT issues.

7) ERA: Kerry removed it from the 2004 platform. The Democratic Party put strong language on a multitude of women's issues into the 2008 platform to help unify Clinton supporters who are furious at the vicious sexism in the primary. Naming a VP who is the only recent Democratic Nominee to remove the ERA from the party platform is just not a good idea.

8) John Kerry thinks McCain is ready to be president...even more so than his former running mate John Edwards.

In 2004 John Kerry first offered the VP position to Republican Senator John McCain who declined. After, Kerry asked Edwards. Whatever reasons may have made political sense 4 years ago, this alone would seal the election for John McCain.

trivia: who is the DNC bigwig who tried to broker that offer to McCain?

Posted by: jon Winkleman | Aug 12, 2008 9:39:57 AM

But don't we think the Veep should at the least have a soul?

Posted by: Adam Paul Levine | Aug 12, 2008 12:34:57 PM

I hear you: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/1094863-john-kerry

Posted by: JLD | Aug 13, 2008 11:39:50 AM