All I want for Christmas is a candidate that can win. That's right. No more Al Gores. No more John Kerrys. We need a winner in 2008.
That means we need a candidate that can win in Texas, Ohio, and Florida. Do you know that the only candidate to win the presidency in the 20th century was Bill Clinton?
I do not believe that Hillary Clinton can win any of these states. I do not believe Hillary Clinton is electable. In fact, I think the GOP would love nothing better than for Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic nominee because I believe they think they can beat her regardless of who their candidate may be. They are correct. Hillary Clinton is too polarizing of a figure. The candidate, Hillary Clinton, will polarize the Clinton Haters to put another GOP Bushie into the oval office. Our country cannot afford this.
Barak Obama's candidacy is attractive in that it's a new face with a new approach. But I do not believe that Barak can win in either Texas or Florida. Ohio....it is a toss up only because it is in the same region as Barak's home state of Illinois. Even still, there are no guarantees here.
John Edwards is definitely electable in Texas. Crowds of people are packing his appearances all over Texas. The Democratic consultants of 2000 and 2004 made a big mistake when they wrote off Texas to Bush. Texans are are hungry to hear Democratic candidates, and they are flocking to Edwards in droves all over the state to hear him speak about breaking down the barriers between the 2 Americas. It was interesting in the 45 minutes he spoke to ordinary people, he never once asked for money.
Additionally, the GOP seems to most afraid of Edwards as a candidate. The fact that they are sicking their attack bitch dog on Edwards so early in the process is a good indication of who they believe would be the toughest to beat.
There are many old timers in the political world who believe that a member of Congress cannot be elected. That narrows the field down quickly and propels Edwards and Governor Richardson into the lead. Considering the last 4 out of 5 presidents have been Governors, it would appear to give Governor Richardson an edge.
Bill Richardson has a wealth of experience that he would bring to the table ranging from being an ambassador, to working as Secretary of Energy under Clinton Administration, to being Governor of New Mexico. Although his candidacy just officically announced last month, he is quickly impressing voters across the country. Additionally, one would hope that his hispanic background and unique understanding of the immigration issue as Governor of a border state would be a great asset in a president facing a country who is more and more admanant about protecting our borders.
The rest of the Dems at this point really don't have a chance. But I admire that they hang in there. We need to have an open debate with all kinds of views being expressed and considered. Our country is not one man or woman's personal country to run as they please. We have seen what happens when we elect someone with that mentallity.
Please visit the Iraq Memorial Quilt and look into the faces of the fallen at http://www.cyndc.com/