2008 Woodie Awards
Democrats are Unsure, Unsteady in 2008
Jon Miller
Issue date:
1/16/08
Section:
Campus
Early primary results have yet to reveal any clear victor in either party, but the republicans take the win in stability.
The public has become enthralled by the drama of the presidential race and whether or not the GOP will run against a woman with some second-hand knowledge of life in the Oval Office or a black man who is barely a green horn in the Congress.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, the candidate who appeared to have the most impressive public service résumé, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, pulled out recently after finishing 4th in both the New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucus.
It is really unclear why Richardson was unable to rally support with his incredible amount of experience as a governor, congressman and cabinet member, but it may have something to do with his extreme ideas about troop withdrawal in Iraq or his inability to be personable during televised debates
Regardless, the field has now been narrowed down to three candidates: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who critics question whether her time as the First Lady counts as experience, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who lacks a clear strategy to get out of Iraq or develop a new health care plan, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Edwards was a favorite in Iowa, where he was very successful in the 2004 campaign, but was not able to beat out Obama in the end, a shock to many analysts.
When the primaries moved to New Hampshire, predictions were on Obama to again dominate the race, but instead Clinton came out on top, leaving Edwards trailing behind.
On the GOP side, Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee came out on top in Iowa and Ariz. Sen. John McCain beat out the competition in New Hampshire.
With only two primaries so far, there have been some surprises and upsets. It is too early to determine who will win in the primaries for either party, leaving the actual presidential election up in the air.
For the Democrats, the choice really comes down to Obama and Clinton. Many analysts have grouped Obama and Edwards together as proponents of change, although both presidential hopefuls have been vague about how to begin the process of change.
Recently, in an effort to grab some younger voters, Clinton also jumped on the change bandwagon, but not as elegantly.
In a debate just prior to the New Hampshire primaries, she argued that she was the embodiment of change. When asked how, Clinton said, "Well to start with, I'm a woman."
That's not the kind of change voters are looking for, but Obama has yet to deliver a clear picture of what he thinks America should look like, leaving Democrats without a promising candidate.
Like it or not, the chance of another republican president is good until democrats can find a candidate that can be taken seriously.
Sure, it's neat that we have a black man and a woman in the top running, but what we really need is someone with a new plan and not just a new face.
The public has become enthralled by the drama of the presidential race and whether or not the GOP will run against a woman with some second-hand knowledge of life in the Oval Office or a black man who is barely a green horn in the Congress.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, the candidate who appeared to have the most impressive public service résumé, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, pulled out recently after finishing 4th in both the New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucus.
It is really unclear why Richardson was unable to rally support with his incredible amount of experience as a governor, congressman and cabinet member, but it may have something to do with his extreme ideas about troop withdrawal in Iraq or his inability to be personable during televised debates
Regardless, the field has now been narrowed down to three candidates: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who critics question whether her time as the First Lady counts as experience, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who lacks a clear strategy to get out of Iraq or develop a new health care plan, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Edwards was a favorite in Iowa, where he was very successful in the 2004 campaign, but was not able to beat out Obama in the end, a shock to many analysts.
When the primaries moved to New Hampshire, predictions were on Obama to again dominate the race, but instead Clinton came out on top, leaving Edwards trailing behind.
On the GOP side, Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee came out on top in Iowa and Ariz. Sen. John McCain beat out the competition in New Hampshire.
With only two primaries so far, there have been some surprises and upsets. It is too early to determine who will win in the primaries for either party, leaving the actual presidential election up in the air.
For the Democrats, the choice really comes down to Obama and Clinton. Many analysts have grouped Obama and Edwards together as proponents of change, although both presidential hopefuls have been vague about how to begin the process of change.
Recently, in an effort to grab some younger voters, Clinton also jumped on the change bandwagon, but not as elegantly.
In a debate just prior to the New Hampshire primaries, she argued that she was the embodiment of change. When asked how, Clinton said, "Well to start with, I'm a woman."
That's not the kind of change voters are looking for, but Obama has yet to deliver a clear picture of what he thinks America should look like, leaving Democrats without a promising candidate.
Like it or not, the chance of another republican president is good until democrats can find a candidate that can be taken seriously.
Sure, it's neat that we have a black man and a woman in the top running, but what we really need is someone with a new plan and not just a new face.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Tom Russell
posted 1/24/08 @ 9:38 AM PST
You pick on Democrats because Republicans don't have a clue. All their candidates (Re pubs) have no new ideas and seem to want to dig up Ronny Ray guns. (Continued…)
Post a Comment