Clearly, Richardson is a towering figure. If he runs in 2008, I think he would quickly enter the top non-Hillary tier--Chris
Though predicting the hot-button issues of the next presidential election can be more difficult than standing up an egg, I will venture to guess a few of the most popular items: Iraq, terrorism, immigration, and energy/environment. On each particular issue, it is hard to find a candidate who is more qualified on the issue than Bill Richardson, much less someone who can contend on all of them. Richardson, a veritable Benjamin Franklinesque jack-of-all-trades, is about as experienced as politicians come. He served in the House of Representatives for 14 years, as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, as the Secretary of Energy, and most recently as Governor of New Mexico. As potentially important as Richardson's lengthy résumé is his heritage. Richardson is the only potential candidate from either major party to be Hispanic.
Every single electoral vote strategy designed to bring a Democratic candidate above 270 involves winning states with the following voter groups: Southerners, Westerners, and/or rural voters. It is simply impossible to win without appealing to these voters. While the Northeast and Pacific West have been secured, there is absolutely no way to surpass the 270-vote threshold without appealing to Southerners (Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas), Westerners (New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona), or rural voters (aforementioned states plus Missouri, Iowa, and Ohio). Make no mistake about it, a candidate's electability hinges on winning some of these states.
Exhibit A: this map of the 2004 presidential election showing which way each county in the nation voted.
Partisan primary voters are strategic thinkers. Primary elections are not isolated events; rather, votes must be cast with one eye on the national politicalscape, another eye on the potential opponent, and whatever else is left on the candidate him/herself. All these dimensions are examined in order to enable a voter's party to receive the best chance of winning the national election in November. Therefore, for partisan voters, the most important attribute of a candidate is electability.
"This campaign has not yet begun." So claims CNN political analyst Jack Valenti on June 17, 2005, in reference to the 2008 presidential election. Make no mistake about it, Jack, the campaign battle began many months ago. It is just starting to heat up. Fact is, Democrats need a win in 2006 and 2008. It is crucial, however, for Democrats to achieve a victory that has been absent for nearly a decade. On that notion, I plan to use this blog for two main purposes: to profile, analyze, and compare the 2008 Democratic presidential contenders, and to discuss and debate Democratic strategy as a whole for the upcoming elections. I hope to generate some good dialogue on the subject and, in doing so, better educate myself and other Democrats on the direction of the party in the upcoming months and years. Comments are very much encouraged. If you would like to contact me, my email address is malkori@gmail.com.
