Dissing the contenders

The CW, unchastened by its blown election calls (narrow Dem gains), is out on the prowl again, this time dissing the current crop of presidential contenders for the Democratic Party. This piece by Howard Kurtz provides a concise rundown on the buzz.

Al Gore is damaged goods within his party. Daschle and Gephardt were damaged by last week's election (was it really only last week?). So was Edwards, who put a great deal of his credibility on Erskine Bowles and has no foreign policy experience (not that it stopped Bush II). Edwards is also not a safe lock for reelection in his own state.

Howard Dean gets no respect, while no one takes Lieberman seriously. Kerry, on the other hand, is getting rave reviews by the punditry. If nothing else, it helps him in the dollars game.

Rendell and Richardson, governors-elect of PA and NM respectively, are also being mentioned. For 2008 or 2012 perhaps, but any notion of them running in 2004 is ridiculous.

Mark Warner of Virginia is also mentioned. The article dismisses him, but I think he'd be very compelling. Any Democrat that can win in Virginia is a superstar, and while his pro-gun views may piss off lots of Dems, I think they are currently necessary for national victory.

How about Iowa's Vilsack? He's another intriguing possibility. And, he's a governor (always a huge boost when running for prez).

Posted November 14, 2002 09:12 AM | Comments (123)