Christian suggested I share my top-ten ranking of the Democratic candidates….
It’s a rich field, with a whole generation’s worth of 50-60 year-olds taking their best shot. You could make the case that this is the most top-heavy collection we’ve seen from either party in three decades.
There are five I like (Clark, Dean, Edwards, Kerry, Lieberman), one I like, but who’s been statistically insignificant (Braun), and four that I’d rather see bow out:
- Graham – a good man. Experienced. Respected. Admiral Stockdale.
- Gephardt – another good guy. And more likable these last few weeks than he’s been in years. But it’s hard to get past his role in the painfully passive 2002 elections.
- Kucinich – yet another man of character. But just too far to the left. Too far. Hard to believe I’m actually saying that. If my misspent youth were a bag of Lays Potato Chips, spilling onto the living room floor, that “dink” you just heard would be the very last chip-fragment, bouncing lifelessly off tile.
- Sharpton – Very funny on The Daily Show the other night. But I grew up in the NY area. And the whole Tawana Brawley mess left me with such a negative impression of Sharpton that, funny or not, I’d really rather he stepped off the stage.
One last thought for your consideration:
Lieberman has a huge asset that’s being completely overlooked. His name, “Lieberman,” it’s German for “lover man,” or “man who loves.” Seriously. I checked with my dad. So, like, if he was president, and he went to Germany, and he walked into a room, if he said “hi,” the German people in that room could greet him in their native tongue by saying: “Hello, President Loverman.”
Fantastic!
Comments
4 responses to “Ranking redux”
Scoop! Your first wish comes true… Graham has dropped out.
I thought Graham had not actually dropped out yet. Has that changed?
You’re right Laura — he’s still in it after all.
Things sound a little hazy over there right now. If you check the public calendar at Graham’s site (“Where in the World Is Bob Graham?”) there are no events planned.
In a recent article from October 4th, MSNBC.com quotes Graham as saying “We are looking at strategies to be the next president of the United States of America.” I like that quote a lot. A little Borg-like.
The options he’s considering include deciding (MSNBC.com again) “whether to drop out of the race or dramatically cut his staff and focus on fewer states.”
We should know more this coming week….
-Dan
Graham announced the end of his run tonight on Larry King – he’s out for real this time.
A good man.
Interesting timing – announcing the night before the big California election. I guess whenever he announced, he was bound to be a bit buried by that story.