Posted on 11/03/2004 12:28:36 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Scarred from their second defeat at the hands of George W. Bush, the Democratic party will be searching for names who can take on the Republicans in four years. And an obvious one is Clinton.
Many Democrats and experts believe that if Senator John Kerry (news - web sites) had the same charisma as ex-president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) he would have easily taken revenge this week for Bush's controversial defeat of Al Gore (news - web sites) in 2000.
But Hillary Clinton (news - web sites) is the most quoted name for the next contender.
University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato believes there are several reasons why Kerry lost Tuesday's vote.
"One, he is too liberal, well to the left of the American mainstream on the critical social and cultural issues such as abortion, gay rights and gun control."
More important for Sabato was personality.
"John Kerry is no Bill Clinton. There is very little warmth there, and people didn't warm to him. A moderate Democratic candidate with personal warmth would have defeated George W. Bush easily."
The new defeat is certain to lead to some painful soul-searching within the Democratic party.
After Bill Clinton's victory in 1992 and re-election in 1996, his vice-president Al Gore was narrowly defeated by Bush in 2000 even though he won the popular vote.
The Democrats were hit hard in 2002 mid-term elections, losing control of the Senate and seeing the Republicans extend their advantage in House of Representatives.
Bush's new victory left a bitter taste for many Democrats who look back to the Clinton years with affection even though the ex-president divided the country with many of his actions.
Bill Clinton electrified a crowd of tens of thousands when he returned from a quadruple heart by-pass to appear at a rally with Kerry eight days before the vote.
Though thinner, Clinton was given rapturous applause after castigating the Bush administration and telling adoring fans "my fellow Americans, we can do better."
Clinton remains wildly popular with core Democratic voters, especially black Americans, a voting bloc Kerry was never able to touch in the same way.
Kerry has been criticized as a one-dimensional campaigner compared to Clinton.
Now Hillary Clinton, the senator for New York state, is likely to dominate the Democratic party debate while she makes up her mind whether to stand.
"Hillary Clinton is the natural heir apparent" of Bill, according to Allan Lichtman, a political science professor at the American University in Washington.
Wildly popular among Democratic loyalists and able to raise vast amounts of campaign funds, Hillary Clinton has "worked very, very hard not to play into a caricature of herself," according to a Democratic party strategist who asked not to be named.
She is however the Democrat that hard-core Republicans most love to hate.
"The Republicans will very happily reverse to a caricature, and she becomes a lot less appealing when she puts herself forward" as a candidate, the strategist said.
So there is an outside chance that the Democratic party's 2008 presidential candidate is a long shot bet.
Barack Obama, a 43-year-old rising star in the party who became the lone black American senator in Tuesday's election, is talked about as a possible future candidate.
The Democrats "need only nominate a moderate candidate with warmth," said Sabato, pointing to figures like telegenic Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.
Power to her.
She's the candidate of liberal elite's and Hollywood. And she has all the baggage of her husband, with none of his charm. Yeah, that's a winner.
Pundits seem to be missing a plain issue: it's about urban vs. rural. Break down the election results by state, by county, by precinct and you find that leftist voters are packed in like sardines in very small urban areas. Social constructs needed to survive in high-density regions are detrimental to survival in low-density, and vice versa. A really savvy pol will someday recognize this.
If they don't get thoughts of Bill Clinton out of their heads, they might never win another election. He's one of the main reasons why they're in this pickle.
Since no one matching that description exists in the Democrat party, this point is immediately placed in the "moot" pile.
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He is the only rat i would take a second look.--voted for a rat once----a ENGR. (peanut farmer) Could not be stupid, wrong!!!!
Considering the fact that Clinton never won any majority or any mandate, perhaps they would be better off looking for a new Ross Perot.
There is very little warmth there, and people didn't warm to him.
Plus Kerry is a traitor, arrogant, etc., etc.
Oh yeah? How, when Dubya has personal warmth too?
"How would you like to be called "FloriDUH" for a month?"
Yeah but savor the fact that your 02 and 04 votes have driven Gore further and further into the dark abyss of insane rage. He's the Captain Ahab of American politics. Just watch out for that "last spit" of his.
Going to be a melt down on "Meet the Press" this weekend...................HA Ha ha...............
It shouldn't take them long to search. There seems to be a bunch of men like Bill working in the porn industry. Why not ask them?
Barack Obama is a Marxist. He is very well-spoken, and can beguile the gullible, but he is a dyed-in-the-wool Marxist, and the country is not ready for such an animal.
Yep. Hillary will certainly fix the Democrats' problem of alienating mainstream America. This is too funny for words! Why not a Hillary/Diane Feinstein ticket? It would certainly reflect their strategy of winning the votes of Hollywood and aging rock'n'rollers while losing the nation overall.
Talking to the tv screen is good therapy. I cuss up an aweful storm at the radio if I hear just the smallest clip of Kerry, Clinton, et al.
Barack Obama is to the left of John Kerry, if that is possible. Obama is dangerous because he is articulate and easily beguiles the gullible. But he is a hard core Marxist, and that will not fly in flyover country.
"Evan Bayh isn't bad at all. He's not nearly as liberal as his pappy was."
Oh, he's pretty liberal. But he would play well with the "just plain folks." Bayh may be the Dims next candidate.
"Edwards, on the other hand, sounded like he was angry and spoiling for a fight."
Edwards is just a punk. A typical trial lawyer.
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