Letters to the Editor
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Edwards Obama Is the Ticket I Am Hoping For
Edwards is a self-made man, a good orator, intelligent, thoughtful. His successful career as a trial lawyer shows that he can handle the stress of the presidency and will make decisions based upon a goal that is articulated--not based upon some psycho-delusion,i.e god told me.
With Edwards, we can get a campaign on the issues. If Clinton runs, it will be a referendum on her. Clinton does not have the background required to be president. She has basically been a housewife-plus, who leveraged off her husband's efforts to get elected in News York. Her early efforts to reform health care were a joke. I don't like her and I am a Democrat.
Obama looks really good so far. He has the potential to be, perhaps, a great president. But he needs to be "tempered" by the process of running for vice-president and being exposed to all that entails.
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Pesky Voters
Damn them all. They're liable to spoil the fun of all the experts at Time and Newsweek ... you know, the ones like Howard Fineman, who once called Bush "Our Boyish Knight With His Helmet of Graying Hair" and Joe Klein (examples of his arrant nonsense too numerous to mention). Democratic primary voters know Hillary Clinton has the same chance of winning a general election as Beelzebub. The press's worship of "big names" and story lines makes them all look like Dick "Hillary v. Condi" Morris. We can only hope actual voters can counter your completely predictable next-two-years ass kissing of Saint John McCain of the Imagined Center, even in the face of his genius, popular position to send MORE troops into the Iraq meat-grinder.
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Real Players Versus ?Whom????
We barely even have heard of Evan Bayh, Mark Warner, Bill Richardson, Tom Ittakesavillsack, or Chris Dodd.
Russ Feingold and Joe Biden are faint echoes.
We have plenty of actual already-established contenders: Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Gore, plus Kucinich and Clark.
What's your problem? We have good choices already. Please just jump into the game.
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This article leaves much to be desired
Like several possible candidates, such as Wesley Clark and Al Gore. Conventional wisdom is that if Al Gore throws his hat into the ring, no one else stands a chance of getting the nomination.
And frankly, he's the best in the virtual field so far. Edwards and Clark follow. Hillary has name recognition - and that is all. She doesn't inspire, and her voting record is just conservative enough to piss off the left, and just liberal enough to piss off the right, while failing to keep centrists happy either. Trying to be all things to all people, you are nothing to any of us.
Obama is very inspiring, but a total lack of experience. I'd support him, sure (and before Clinton), but he's not the best that's out there. Do we even know what his policies are? Does he triangulate a bit, refusing to "veer left" as he disparages the liberal bloggers, but spouting some populism while trying to remain "purple".
Edwards' experience isn't much more than Obama - but he's got the goods when it comes to populism, to his calling to end poverty. He, too, is man who can fire up the masses, but he's never been much of a triangulator - much to his credit.
And no mention of Wesley Clark? The man who was drafted into the 2004 race, the man who stood toe to toe with murderous despots and bled on the battlefield? He held his own in an endless field of contenders. He could do very well . . .
And finally, you leave out the man we have grown to love to hate, John Kerry. John Kerry, who had 50,000 people showing up to his rallies, who inspired so many of us - now simply a laughing stock? Or someone to ignore?
John Kerry's not the greatest "candidate" in the world but he would be an excellent president. He made grave errors during the campaign but he has stood up for us since. I wouldn't write him off yet, even though we want to kick him to the curb for not being perfect. Maybe he's a longshot, more than the others . . . but I'd vote for him over Hillary or Obama.
but your list is woefully short.
And Al Gore wipes everyone else off the map in terms of experience, cogent policy statements, executive level experience (WH), foreign policy, environmental policy, forward thinking, did I mention experience, and if all else didn't matter, the justice factor. Who doesn't like a good satisifying "good wins in the end" finale?
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I think...
...it is very important for the coming election that the Democrats learn how to handle the media. I suggest that all the Democratic candidates get together to set some ground rules for the media.
All of the candidates should protest vociferously as a group if and when the media commits any of the following actions:
1: Attacks any of the candidates on silly personal grounds such as Obama's middle name or lack of tie.
2: Declares one candidate to be the 'front runner' and designates other candidates as sure losers.
3: Applies dismissive phrases to the candidates such as "the seven dwarves."
4: Smirks, snarks, or snorts when any of the candidates mentions the names of actual bills or makes references to governmental functions.
I'm sure there are other media violations that I haven't thought of but that will need to be dealt with.
I think action should be taken such as withdrawal of press passes for violations. The media needs to learn to respect the presidental nominating process and to stop treating it as an open joke. And it needs to learn to respect Democrats in particular.
In general, the media needs to learn to be serious again and to leave the joking and the comedy to the Jay Lenos and the Jon Stewarts. The media are supposed to be reporters and not judges of the candidates.
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Good points Delphine
Gore is a titan among Democratic champions. The unfortunate myth he will have to overcome is that he should have won going away in 2000 (all of history, Clinton, Bush's 20 point lead in the polls, and Nader on his left flank notwithstanding). But I think most will remember that he has already proven his extraordinary effectiveness as a campaigner.
Right now and for the last six years he has been the single most qualified man in America for the job. Let's hope he gets into this race.