Well, OK, maybe that title is overstating the case. But I did get to call in to NPR's "On Point" this morning and pose a question to Mark Halperin, co-author of "The Way To Win," his new book about running for President.
My question was about the Netroots community in relation to the Democratic nominee in '08, specifically the general opposition among many here (me included) to Hillary Clinton's potential candidacy, and the strong support for Al Gore and Wesley Clark.
In his answer, Halperin acknowledged Senator Clinton's unpopularity in the Blogosphere, and cited her recent attempts to make inroads into that community, particularly in her backing for Ned Lamont. As to Gore, he said he felt that Gore wants to be "anointed," and that if Senator Clinton runs Gore would, in all likelihood, probably not do so. Finally, on Clark, he indicated that in his opinion Clark was a possible contender, and to watch his fundraising for an indication of how serious a candidate he could be -- if Clark can raise $12 million by June, says Halperin, then he would be a factor.
The overwhelming theme of Halperin's position, however, is that Hillary Clinton is an extremely strong candidate because of her name recognition, fundraising ability, and strong political team. I agree. There is an air of inevitability to Halperin's thesis, however, with which I do not agree. Maybe I just don't want to. To my thinking, Gore or Clark are much more appealing candidates in a general election.
The "On Point" interview can be heard at http://www.onpointradio.org/...