Early take on the Democratic Presidential Candidates
This morning I read that Barack Obama announced he’s running for president.
I’m not sure I’d vote for Obama, but if no other, more compelling candidate appears, I’ll give him a try. He doesn’t have a lot of experience but, shamefully for our country, he has more national political experience than just about any other black candidate ever has: Barack is only the third black senator since the Reconstruction, 150 years ago. I know little about his politics but hope he isn’t simply a welfare democrat who appeals to the disenfranchised. Democratic economic populists generally do little more than run the economy into the ground, and eventually everyone suffers. In order for me to vote for him, he’ll have to show balance– that he supports policies that promote economic growth and stability while at the same time shows a strong social conscience, promoting improved healthcare access, concern for and action on environmental issues, and a spine in the face of pressure. Can he play politics with the good ole’ boys in Congress and still get his agenda through? Will the democratic congress self-destruct over the next two years, making it doubtful that he could get anything done even if he does succeed in getting elected President? I want a President with a heart, but who can play hardball and is a realist. Clinton was the recent President who most fit this mold. Obama can play the race hand, and I think it’s exciting to think of having a black president. But his politics will have to be broader than those demanded by underdog constituencies, and I don’t want to see the country edge back to the wasteful and economically disincentivizing welfare politics that began under Johnson.
I’m not very enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton. I can’t locate her soul. Six months ago she mounted a campaign to make flag burning illegal. This is normally a far-right crusade. Her action seemed to be one of political expediency; she was trying to broaden her appeal to the right well in advance of any future run for the presidency. The initiative petered out but she may have gotten the mileage she wanted just by having championed the cause. However, her motivation was political and her cause fundamentally opposed to principles of free speech, which demonstrates that she’s willing to put votes in front of values. Which means she’ll have to convince me that she has integrity before I’ll vote for her, and that won’t be easy.
John Edwards still seems green, and by making his campaign one for the underprivileged he scares on the economy. He’d better hope the economy does poorly over the next couple of years or his campaign will fall on deaf ears. If the economy does falter, the country may hold the democratic Congress to blame and Edwards won’t seem like such a good choice anyway.
Denis Kucinich of Ohio is a nut.
John Kerry is the same guy he was during the last election, and I didn’t have much respect for him then even though I voted for him as the lesser of two evils. I don’t want to see him get the nomination, and I think most democrats see him as a choice only when all else fails. His mention of Dick Cheney’s gay daughter during the final presidential debate is burned in my memory. Another candidate who will stoop very low for a vote.
I’m not sure I’d vote for Obama, but if no other, more compelling candidate appears, I’ll give him a try. He doesn’t have a lot of experience but, shamefully for our country, he has more national political experience than just about any other black candidate ever has: Barack is only the third black senator since the Reconstruction, 150 years ago. I know little about his politics but hope he isn’t simply a welfare democrat who appeals to the disenfranchised. Democratic economic populists generally do little more than run the economy into the ground, and eventually everyone suffers. In order for me to vote for him, he’ll have to show balance– that he supports policies that promote economic growth and stability while at the same time shows a strong social conscience, promoting improved healthcare access, concern for and action on environmental issues, and a spine in the face of pressure. Can he play politics with the good ole’ boys in Congress and still get his agenda through? Will the democratic congress self-destruct over the next two years, making it doubtful that he could get anything done even if he does succeed in getting elected President? I want a President with a heart, but who can play hardball and is a realist. Clinton was the recent President who most fit this mold. Obama can play the race hand, and I think it’s exciting to think of having a black president. But his politics will have to be broader than those demanded by underdog constituencies, and I don’t want to see the country edge back to the wasteful and economically disincentivizing welfare politics that began under Johnson.
I’m not very enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton. I can’t locate her soul. Six months ago she mounted a campaign to make flag burning illegal. This is normally a far-right crusade. Her action seemed to be one of political expediency; she was trying to broaden her appeal to the right well in advance of any future run for the presidency. The initiative petered out but she may have gotten the mileage she wanted just by having championed the cause. However, her motivation was political and her cause fundamentally opposed to principles of free speech, which demonstrates that she’s willing to put votes in front of values. Which means she’ll have to convince me that she has integrity before I’ll vote for her, and that won’t be easy.
John Edwards still seems green, and by making his campaign one for the underprivileged he scares on the economy. He’d better hope the economy does poorly over the next couple of years or his campaign will fall on deaf ears. If the economy does falter, the country may hold the democratic Congress to blame and Edwards won’t seem like such a good choice anyway.
Denis Kucinich of Ohio is a nut.
John Kerry is the same guy he was during the last election, and I didn’t have much respect for him then even though I voted for him as the lesser of two evils. I don’t want to see him get the nomination, and I think most democrats see him as a choice only when all else fails. His mention of Dick Cheney’s gay daughter during the final presidential debate is burned in my memory. Another candidate who will stoop very low for a vote.
posted by CatZoo at 10:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home