« Vote Here in GOP Bloggers Straw Poll | Main | Guns and Cyber Ashes »
May 07, 2007
A Connecticut Yankee in Queen Hillary's Court
A Chattanoogan's guide to the 2008 Presidential race..so far
That's right: after a valiant effort aimed at staving it off, I too am joining the media circus that has made this seem like the longest ever campaign for the White House. Ever.
There's no doubt that some percentage of those that would read this page have already familiarized themselves with the field. If you know who Duncan Hunter is, you may skip to the end. Ditto Chris Dodd. If you are one of the other 97% who stumbled across this by accident while looking for updates on David Hasselhoff's drinking problem, stick around to meet a few of the clowns.
Of the Democrats
Chris Dodd — who is he? A firm-voiced, non-flashy U.S. Senator from Connecticut who has served in Congress since the mid-Seventies, that's who. He is stock southern New England Democrat, which is to say, in general, a liberal. He's liberal in the "classical" sense on some things, too, as he voted for NAFTA and the FTAA. He's nowhere near as pompous as that John Kerry, though.
Barack Obama — you know who he is: this election's Howard Dean. All the kids are behind him. You know what? The kids don't show up and vote. I'm not saying that Obama will go down in flames like Dean did, but he is likely to show poorly in all but the earliest primaries. Unlike Dean, there's a good chance Obama will be invited to be a running-mate by the eventual Democratic nominee. I admire his fresh approach and his guarded optimism, but the establishment is not ready to relinquish power to such an upstart.
Bill Richardson — this former congressman, Cabinet member, diplomat, and current Governor of New Mexico brings world-class negotiating skills and decent fiscal management to the table. That garners him a second look, which reveals that he's also pro-space tourism and supports larger tax cuts for charitable giving. He's not without his skeletons, though: many recall his handling of a certain nuclear espionage scandal with some distaste.
Hillary Clinton — even as it is a momentous event that a woman figures so prominently in the race for a major party nomination to be President of the United States (though surely as momentous for the African-American and Hispanic constituencies championed by Obama and Richardson, respectively), one must consider that a potential second term of a second Clinton presidency would result in the office being shared by only two families from 1989 until 2017. (Maybe that's when Jeb or George P. would run.) And really, it will be a good day when we break from the white-male pattern, but a mature America will perhaps allow it be through a matter of circumstance, and not as an end unto itself.
Al Gore — but wait; he is not running. Is he? All signs point to No, but a lot of people sure do want him to. Democrats have consistently placed him higher in their poll responses than would seem possible, given the number of high-ranking and qualified candidates already in the race. Countless pundits have commented on the fact that both major parties have failed to arouse their grassroots (the Obama mirage being a notable exception), and this exasperation could indeed draft at least one Tennessean into the fray.
This column will continue in a mini-series, with a look next at some of the leading Republican candidates, a couple more Democrats, projections about Ralph Nader, that mysterious Chuck Hagel, and the "Unity08" online nominating convention being hawked by none other than the guy who plays ADA Jack McCoy on Law & Order. (No, I'm not confused. There are two actors from that show somehow involved in this race.)
Until next time, then, back to your entertainer sob stories.
Presidential Elections | By joe lance | 10:33 PM