2004 Presidential Nominees

At present, the slate of Democratic competitors for the 2004 nomination includes the following (in alphabetical order) – former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO General Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Missouri Senator Richard “Dick” Gephardt, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, former Illinois Representative and Amba

The ground on which one candidate stands seems firm indeed. Retired General Wesley Clark’s record could not be more sterling, if not politically, then on nearly anything else. A four-star general, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, leader of men in wars for nearly 40 years, and remarkably striking good looks to boot, the campaign trail for candidate Clark looks bright indeed.

Sadly, this also seems to be the case for one candidate in particular, specifically how a vast majority of the voting populace views them. Carol Moseley-Braun is both African-American and female, a double disadvantage when running for nationwide political office in the United States. As seen in her “not enough to register” number in the latest South Carolina poll (Greenville Weekly, December 3, 2003), that just doesn’t play in the south. With the experience of the 2000 election, the Democratic Party badly needs something that will play in the South. The former Ambassador just isn’t it.

Something slightly different has occurred. In short, John Edwards’ campaign has never really left the starter’s block. The gate is still stuck for this particular horse. A Senator from the neighboring state of North Carolina, in the important South Carolina primary Edwards has found himself constantly switching the lead with either Howard Dean or Wesley Clark. According to latest numbers (Greenville Magazine, December 3, 2003), Edwards enjoys a five-point lead over the Reverend Al Sharpton. At this point, South Carolina should be an afterthought to the Edwards candidacy. It should be a steamroller for him, but it is not.

Kerry’s responses have not helped his cause at all, as previously noted. At the most recent presidential candidates debate of November 24, 2003, Kerry’s single-minded attacks on Dean came to a head when Kerry doggedly pursued an answer of Dean on a Medicare issue. After five demands of “Answer the question!” from Kerry to Dean, Brokaw asked Kerry a gun-control question nearly thirty minutes later and Kerry instead began his answer with “If I could get back to something Howard Dean said…” This invoked heavy, sustained laughter from the audience. This event, in my mind, sums up the sad status of the campaign of a one-time frontrunner, Senator John Kerry.

Something funny happened on the way to Boston for the convention. Like another afterthought nameless governor of a rural state, Dean’s campaign has scored tremendously with the youth block. Like that other candidate, Dean has risen from obscurity to capture the national spotlight through a combination of incredible charisma and countrified speech. But will Howard Dean, like Bill Clinton, make history?

Some topics in this essay:
Howard Dean, George Bush, Patriot Act, Howard Dean’s, Commander NATO, , Research December, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, howard dean, george bush, patriot act, iwr patriot act, presidential nomination, wesley clark, iwr patriot, john kerry, senator john, dick gephardt, john edwards, reverend al sharpton, december 3 2003, supreme allied commander, former vermont governor,