[mysterious]

Mods.........if possible please leave this in the cafe so that those who are not usually politically inclined can join in.



I am not much of a political person (until lately) so I do not know all of the rules and protocals. But I woke up with this on my mind.

I am a Republican and have always voted Republican. This current field scares me. There is not one of them that I am comfortable with yet.
BUT, I do not want the current President back in office.

With that said, here is my question.

Is there any rule that will keep another Democrat from running against the President?

I think that would change things up drastically.

[grumps]

mysterious, on 15 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

Mods.........if possible please leave this in the cafe so that those who are not usually politically inclined can join in.




With that said, here is my question.

Is there any rule that will keep another Democrat from running against the President?

I think that would change things up drastically.

NO rule against, but they know it would be a losing battle. I am like you, my options are looking bleak.

[mrnn]

mysterious, on 15 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

Mods.........if possible please leave this in the cafe so that those who are not usually politically inclined can join in.



I am not much of a political person (until lately) so I do not know all of the rules and protocals. But I woke up with this on my mind.

I am a Republican and have always voted Republican. This current field scares me. There is not one of them that I am comfortable with yet.
BUT, I do not want the current President back in office.

With that said, here is my question.

Is there any rule that will keep another Democrat from running against the President?

I think that would change things up drastically.

Basically, any dem wanting to earn the dem nomination would have to beat the President in a primary. There was no challenger so there was no primary. I suppose the delegates at the Democrat Convention could, under the rules, draft and nominate a candidate but that would be completely unprecedented and will not happen this year. The only way you'll see another dem in this race is if they run as an independent which, again, the chances of a high-profile dem taking votes away from the president by running as an independent are slim to none.

There will be multiple 3rd party candidates (Libertarian Party, Reform Party, Socialist Party, etc.)...perhaps one of them will earn your vote?


mrnn

[mei lan]

mysterious, on 15 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

Is there any rule that will keep another Democrat from running against the President?

There is no rule. I've heard a bunch of talk about Hillary opposing him in the primaries, but I didn't see that happening before, and at this late date, I surely don't see it. Anybody is free to run against him, though.

[RhondaW]

mei lan, on 15 March 2012 - 01:28 PM, said:

There is no rule. I've heard a bunch of talk about Hillary opposing him in the primaries, but I didn't see that happening before, and at this late date, I surely don't see it. Anybody is free to run against him, though.

I SO wish she had.

I am absolutely positive I am not the only registered Independent who feels this way.

I know everyone in my house would have voted for her.

[Veritas]

Considering that Secretary of State Clinton works directly for the President, how could anyone seriously believe that she could seriously have thought about challenging him?

There is nothing to legally prevent a member of the incumbent's party from challenging the incumbent in the primaries. However, as it is the custom for all within a party to unite behind the incumbent, it is extremely rare for this to happen, and is generally considered extremely bad form, possibly even political suicide. If the challenger is in the Congress, he/she will find it difficult indeed to count on the President's support after such a move.

In 1980 Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy (D-Mass.) accepted the advice of his handlers and challenged President Carter for the nomination, believing that his (mis)handling of the Iranian hostage crisis would sway people into Kennedy's court. Carter still won the nomination fairly easily, and there was acrimony between him and Kennedy for years to come. However, being a Kennedy, it did not harm the Senator long-term.

In 1992 Patrick Buchanan ran against President G.H.W. Bush in the early primaries, which was also quite unusual. But Buchanan's stated purpose was to force the moderate President to move rightward, and then he dropped out, never having seriously intended to vie for the nomination.