Presidential Candidates: Part 1

What a difference four years makes! Unlike 2003, when the story was “Is this it? Isn’t there anybody else?”, we are looking at a stable of Democratic candidates with a whole lot to love.

Governor Bill Richardson, at a distant fourth may be, of any candidate, the most experienced and most qualified of the nearly 20 candidates for the job. Between his time as governor of New Mexico, his foreign policy experience, and his measured position on tough issues, he is the perfect andidate to be the nation’s leader. He is the only governor running, which would normally give him a distinct edge over the ‘establishment’ candidates from Congress. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the ‘pop’ of the other candidates, which seems to matter more to the media than anything else.

Senator Hillary Clinton has the most Washington experience, both in the senate and in the White House of any of the candidates. Her intangibles, including charisma, a good sense of humor, and a strong background in law make her an ideal candidate. It is no small thing, however, that she makes the Republicans a lot of money--nothing scares them more than a strong, qualified woman.

Senator Barack Obama is the most inspiring of the candidates. He had the prime speech position on the first day of the 2004 Democratic Convention and brought the house down—before he was elected to the U.S. Senate. His position on the role of government and the way it is intended to work together speak to all of the people that hear it. He also reaches to Generation X better than any other candidate, making him an ideal candidate to get a high Democratic turnout.

Senator John Edwards is today the candidate I wish we had had in 2004. He is the only one that is making solid commitments to what a Democratic candidate is supposed to be committing to (but aren’t). He is the most committed (aside from Kucinich) to an anti-war stance, and he is the only one who has apologized for the position. He is showing strong leadership and is also making a strong stand against corporate influence.

Senators Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, already considered also-rans by most have had excellent careers, though I’d like to see Kucinich taken a little more seriously, or at least his positions on the big issues…

In all, I couldn’t imagine a better batch of candidates with a solid balance of experience, positioning on issues, charisma, and panache.