One persistent line of criticism of the Democratic Party is that we do not have a consistent lineup of Democratic elected officials who regularly appear on the cable and/or Sunday network political talk shows to advance Democratic ideals and candidates.
The Republicans, on the other hand, have done a masterful job of placing a number of identifiable "personalities" on the airwaves to reinforce RNC talking points.
It's time that the Democratic Senators step up to the challenge and rally behind Senator Kerry going into the November election. The D's need to put forth every effort - just like the R's are - to win this thing. They need to leave no stone unturned in their drive to remove George W. Bush from office an give John Kerry the coattails leading to a Democrat majority in the Senate and the House.
There are 29 incumbent Democrats who are not facing an election this year. I submit that these folks ALL must step up to the challenge. They need to be on TV, unashamed of promoting John Kerry and Democratic candidates nationwide. They need to be headlining last-minute fundraisers. They need to tell Paula Zahn, Wolf Blitzer, Linda Vester and Shepard Smith that their talking points are vapid at best. These folks are totally safe. They can be our standard bearers as they literally cannot lose this cycle.
With no further adieu, I present to you the Democratic Party's 29 safe incumbent Senators (along with some editorializing about my perception of their relative prominence on the national stage):
Arkansas - Senator Mark Pryor
*Never have seen the man. I hope he's prominent on the Southern circuit.
California - Senator Dianne Feinstein
*Sen. Feinstein has been somewhat visible nationally on issues of importance to California, meaning I recall her being a "talking head" once or twice.
Connecticut - Senator Joe Lieberman
*OK, so we only need 28 Senators to step up....
Delaware - Senator Thomas R. Carper, Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
*Joe Biden is the model citizen in this regard. I cannot see asking him to do any more to help the cause. Carper, on the othe hand, has been a ghost.
Florida - Senator Bill Nelson
*I believe Sen. Nelson was more visible earlier in the election year, but he's dropped off. I suppose four hurricanes could do that to you.
Hawaii - Senator Daniel K. Akaka
*I have not seen Sen. Akaka at all.
Illinois - Senator Richard J. Durbin
*Other than his role in the Boston convention, I have not seen Durbin. If Obama can go to Pennsylvania to help Joe Hoeffel, certainly Durbin can do more.
Iowa - Senator Tom Harkin
*Sen. Harkin speaks the plainspoken voice of the Great Plains and should be a valuable asset in securing Iowa. Presumedly the Kerry campaign has buried the hatchet with Harkin over Harkin's active endorsement of Dean - and has Harkin battening down the hatches in Iowa...and neighboring states. Harkin could also destroy Bush's agriculture policies on national TV if given the chance.
Louisiana - Senator Mary L. Landrieu
*I thought she was supposed to be a riding Democratic star! Where has she been? Again, I'll give her a mulligan because of the hurricanes, but the hurricanes have only been a problem for the last 30 days. The campaign's been running a lot longer than that...
Maryland - Senator Paul Sarbanes
*Who could be the attack dog on issues of corporate responsibility - especially vis a vis Halliburton? Perhaps the author of Sarbanes-Oxley. Where has he been?
Massachusetts - Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator John F. Kerry
*I think Massachusetts has done its part for this cycle. John Kerry has been working admirably (and I say that as a Dean supporter). Ted Kennedy is a partisan lightning rod - any further visibility probably would be counter-productive.
Michigan - Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Carl Levin
*I believe I saw that Stabenow has been active on the DSCC fundraiser circuit - good for her. But she's also a great advocate for health care. Sen. Levin also has been somewhat prominent on his issues (intelligence, I believe?).
Minnesota - Senator Mark Dayton
*Wouldn't know the man if I bumped into him in a 7-11. I hope he's tiring himself out working to keep his state blue.
Montana - Senator Max Baucus
*Haven't seen him. Shame.
Nebraska - Senator Ben Nelson
*Ditto Max Baucus.
New Jersey - Senator Jon Corzine, Senator Frank Lautenberg
*Corzine's running the DSCC, so he is doing his part. But where is Lautenberg?
New Mexico - Senator Jeff Bingaman
*One of the brighter minds in the Senate, Sen. Bingaman has just not been visible. Again, let's hope he's working as hard as Bill Richardson, his governor.
New York - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
*Another lightning rod, but one who really inspires women. Used smartly, she could shore up the sagging "Security Mom" base.
North Dakota - Senator Kent Conrad
*Another Senator who I know has the chops but hasn't put them to use as far as I can see.
Rhode Island - Senator John F. "Jack" Reed
*I repeat my 7-11 comment. Who is this man?
South Dakota - Senator Tim Johnson
*If he's not doing everything to keep Tom Daschle as his Senate colleague, he should be ashamed.
Washington - Senator Maria Cantwell
*Another ghost. Could be a terrific spokesperson to talk about trade, economic development, jobs, the environment, and everything else that Democrats bring to the table in the many Silicon Alleys of Ameica.
West Virginia - Senator Robert C. Byrd, Senator John D. "Jay" Rockefeller, IV
*Sen. Byrd wrote his book and tore W. a new one on Russert - a true star turn. Rockefeller has done his part on the intelligence front. Are these two doing everything they can to deliver WV for Kerry?
Wisconsin - Senator Herbert H. Kohl
*Let's hope he's working hard in one of the most critical swing states.
That all being said, I open myself up for ridicule. Please correct me if my impressions of these Senators is off-base.
But I'll stand by my assertion that this crop of incumbents must ALL step up and take their turns in the media spotlight, at the fundraising podium, etc.
It's a team effort. It should have been a team effort from Day 1 of this cycle. Let's hope it happens now.
---
On the poll, I chose to list the incumbents who we really haven't seen a lot of. Problem is, there are more possiblities than the maximum number of allowed answers. Sigh.
EDITS: In resopnse to semantic criticisms, I revised a couple "Democrat" words to be "Democratic". Please don't let this interfere with the spirit of my post...