Who should be President of the United States in 2016? It's never too early to start talking. Governor Howard Dean recently threatened to go Independent if Obama did not pull his plan to cut Social Security. The President has kept one of his main promises so far -- not to get us into any "dumb wars." However, like all Presidents, he has his strengths and weaknesses. His big strength is that he is one of the best speakers this country has ever had. His main problem is that he is too much of a follower and not enough of a leader with ideas of his own. That is why he is all over the map on certain issues like Social Security. That is a good way to make deals with the other side; the upside is that our system is designed for compromise. But the downside is that it compromises core principals and that it doesn't work if the other side is not operating in good faith.
Now, Hillary Clinton is firing up her PAC and bringing all her big guns on board. But we don't have to automatically choose Hillary, as we learned from last time. Barack Obama was like my 5th choice for President -- behind Feingold, Gore, Edwards, and Kucinich. The best thing to do is to have conversations now so that we can pick our 1st or 2nd choice, and not have to settle for our 5th choice. What do we want in our next President? What would be a dealbreaker? Is there someone who, if nominated, would make you follow Howard Dean and become Independent?
With that in mind, here are our choices:
Hillary Clinton:
Would make history by becoming the first woman ever to get elected President of the United States. Would be strong on women's rights. Would compete well in the Midwest and put Missouri and Arkansas back in play.
Howard Dean:
He successfully shook up the Democratic Party back in 2003 when he challenged them to grow a spine and stand up to George Bush and his war in Iraq. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party won back control of the House and the Senate in 2006 and the White House in 2008.
Al Gore:
Should have been elected President in 2000. Since then, he has become one of the leading spokespeople for the environment and for tackling the problem of climate change.
Elizabeth Warren:
She is a highly principled senator from Massachusetts who has become a strong voice against corporate welfare.
Russ Feingold:
He has been right on many of the major issues of the day. Voted against the Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, free trade agreements that have not protected the middle class, and other things. He is a strong opponent of the Military Industrial Complex, having voted against war with Yugoslavia and Iraq.
Barbara Lee:
One of the most principled progressives in Congress. Opposed every war, including Afghanistan. Opposes the Chained CPI. Her tweet:
As I have said before, chained CPI is a benefit cut to Social Security. We must reject it. Period.
Claire McCaskill:
A former state auditor, she works behind the scenes attacking government waste, fraud, and abuse. She does the sort of work that is not glamorous but that needs to be done. She is a strong voice against sexual abuse in the military, something that has been an ongoing problem over the years. Given our huge deficit, she could be uniquely qualified to bring it down without hurting social spending. Would be strong in the Midwest.
Keith Ellison:
Keith Ellison is a strong progressive and very intelligent. For instance, in his recent diary, he took the time to explain why Obama's chained CPI was such a bad idea. He is also strong on foreign policy and human rights.
Kamala Harris:
A rising star in Democratic politics; she is actively fighting Proposition 8 in California as well as excessive CEO pay through the court system.
Debra Bowen:
California's Secretary of State; she is strong on technology as well as fighting the voting machine companies such as Diebold and ES&S. She could bring this country out of the doldrums by turning us into a strong technological force.
Gavin Newsom:
Went from being the Mayor of San Francisco to Lieutenant Governor of California due to his strong belief that anyone can change the world. He is a strong advocate of citizen participation in our democracy and was in the front lines of the fight for GLBT equality before it became mainstream. He is also in favor of legalizing pot.
Ron Wyden:
Would have strong cross-party appeal; could get votes of libertarians and win handily should the GOP not learn its lesson from the last time and nominate another Neocon. Joined Rand Paul in his filibuster against drones.
Brian Schweitzer:
Another Libertarian Democrat. He is the Democratic Party's version of Governor Veto (aka Gary Johnson), even using a branding iron to veto GOP legislation he didn't like. Under his leadership, wind power grew exponentially in Montana. He is also strong on agricultural issues; he would put new territories in both the Midwest and the West in play.
Jay Nixon:
The strongest cross-party appeal of any of the candidates presented here. He has consistently won by big margins here in Missouri even as the state has trended more and more red. Strongest on educational issues.