Democratic Candidates

The MoveOn primary gives me the perfect chance to talk about what I think of the Democratic candidates for president. I should note that I will of course support anyone who gets the nomination over Bush. In alphabetical order:

Carol Moseley Braun:
Probably my least favorite candidate. Even worse than Lieberman and totally irrelevant. Why is she even in this race?

Howard Dean:
My man. I am totally behind Dean, like many lefty bloggers. And I believe he can actually win, not just in the primary but against Bush as well. Maybe this is just the delusion that Dean supporters seem to get but I can picture him doing better than the others in the general election.

Despite having the support of the left wing of the Democratic party, Dean isn’t that much of a lefty. For example, he isn’t a huge supporter of gun control, preferring that the states make their own laws on that issue. Indeed he seems to evade a lot of questions by saying the states should decide. But I think this is a very good idea. What people want in Wyoming will be different from what they want in Massachusetts. The Republicans keep spouting rhetoric about giving states more power, but they keep increasing the federal government.

Dean also seems extremely motivated. He seems willing to fight and not back down to the point where he has been called mean. That is a positive for me. He can also be quite an opportunist. He has appealed to the left wing of the party, appropriating Paul Wellstone’s “democratic wing of the Democratic party” line, but I think he will head further toward the center as the general election progresses.

He also has the advantage of being a governor, without much record in the national media. Most of the presidents in my lifetime have been governors: Regan, Clinton, and Bush II.

His only disadvantage I saw when I downloaded the commercial running in Iowa: He reminded me of Al Gore. Not with what he was saying, but how he was saying it. That could be not so bad; many Democrats feel that Gore lost the election unfairly and want revenge. I hope he can loosen up a bit though.

John Edwards:
For no good reason I seem to get Edwards and Graham confused, maybe because they are both southern. So Edwards is the handsome one from North Carolina. He has a lot of advantages: Handsomeness, money from trial lawyer friends, experience yet relative anonymity (but not too much anonymity). Being a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee allows him to criticize Bush on security from a very strong position; a great advantage since this is where Democrats seem to be weak.

Richard Gephardt:
The Democratic Bob Dole. He is in the race simply because he has been around for so long. He may have some deep support from unions and such, but he he inept. He hasn’t done a very good job as majority or (mostly) minority leader in the senate. He will clearly loose against Bush.

Bob Graham:
I admit to knowing little about Graham. He is from Florida, and to be elected these days you seem to need to have a southern accent. I know he is a fairly serious contender, and I certainly don’t mind him, but I have little opinion.

John Kerry:
I like Kerry. I really do. He is definitely my second choice. My cousin worked for him and her ex-husband was his chief council for a while. But he will probably loose to Bush. He is the new Dukakis: a boring, albeit right, guy from Massachusetts. Even my mom thinks so.

Dennis Kucinch:
My first impression of Kucinich came from hearing about his flip-flop on abortion. Not a good sign. I know he is supposed to be the most “progressive” candidate, but I am closer to Dean on the issues. He is irrelevant and useless. Don’t waste your vote on this guy.

Joseph Lieberman:
I think Jon Stewart said it best (paraphrasing): “Lieberman is the guy you want if you like Bush but don’t think he is Jewish enough.” I know he is ahead in the polls, but that’s just because people know his name. Is there any reason to elect him, and how can he challenge Bush?

Al Sharpton:
Irrelevant, but entertaining. No one’s going to vote for him, but he is great to listen to. I hope he stays in the race long enough to shape the debate, but not so long that he drives black voters away from a candidate like Dean.