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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.
I hear Willie Nelson is looking for work.
Yeah, Hillary would fit that....sure....that's the ticket.....
... and the MSM is still quoting Larry Sabato!
I hear Daschle is looking for a job.
Yeah, and the pundits said that McCain would be the 2000 nominee, that Gore would run in 2004, that 2002 would be Florida's revenge for 2000, that Hillary would be the 2004 candidate, that 2002 mid-term would be a squeaker....and so on....
I like the idea that they want a new Clinton. They lost both houses under him. With another Clinton, maybe the Senate can get their 60. Good thinking.
I would have guessed that she had to sit.
What happens after her first term ends?
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeexcellent.
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They still think that it's their delivery that was the problem, not their socialist/communist ideas. I just hope they don't figure it out...
A good reason why Hillary is not a good choice...
Oh, yuck...
The it will never occur to the Dims that it is their liberal ideals that are unappealing to the majority of Americans.
Not to disagree with Dr. Sabato, but I think the Democrats have had enough of east-coast liberal senators. Their only candidates that have won have been southern or border state governors. They should look hard at the governor of Virginia, or the re-elected governor of North Carolina, who bucked the Republican tide.
For the Republicans...Mayor Guiliani or governor Jeb Bush of Florida. Or, a ticket of them both would probably be unbeatable...
Larry wasn't very accurate this year. Didn't he predict Kerry? These experts on TV talk more than they think.
They'll need to look for a new H. Ross Perot while they're at it. Good Luck!
Why wasn't I thinking of her?
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