(no subject)

[prog]

So this Dean fellow has flared up as a bright blip on my political radar with a rush of serendipitous information from many sources this past week, doubtless as a result of preparations for last night's Democratic candidate debate. I am embarrassed to admit that before last week, because I saw lots of glowing references to him among rabidly anti-war strangers in the bloggy spaces I inhabit, I assumed he was a third-party dude, probably a Libertarian or something, who would be the Anti-Bush faction's next vote-splitting whipping boy in the tradition of Nader. But: no, he's a Democrat, and he's currently winning the race within his party, inasmuch as a straw poll leader can said to be a winner this early in the running, before any states have made their feelings official. From this distance, it does currently look like it'll come down to him and Kerry, with Gephardt as the unknown factor.

It's pretty interesting, and it makes me nervous, because I think of what fragile creatures presidential candidates are; it seems that a candidate with a sane political platform is more likely to fall due to showing any emotion other than square-jawed determination in public (think McCain snarling, Muskie crying... Nixon sweating) than they are from scandal (think Clinton, who was in publicized trouble with the ladies he done wrong well before the 1992 election). I have long waited for a presidential contest between two really interesting people; my dream matchup was (and remains?) Gen. Powell v. Sen. Clinton, but it sounds impossible because a presidential run seems to demand a voluntary drainage of all color and personality from those in the running. Or maybe I just have bitter memories of the days before the 2000 election, when the big joke on everyone's lips was that Gore and GWB were the same deal. Well. That probably won't happen next year, no matter who ends up wearing the blue button. But, I'd rather it be someone who would inspire cynical Americans to vote for something other than the lesser of two evils.

Dean seems like a very interesting dude, and I'm looking forward to later on sniffing out some media of him speaking.

Comments

[ex-colorwhe.livejournal.com]

it seems that a candidate with a sane political platform is more likely to fall due to showing any emotion other than square-jawed determination in public (think McCain snarling, Muskie crying... Nixon sweating) than they are from scandal

Yeah - remember Pat Schroeder crying and how that campaign was instantly over? (Despite supporters, in great good humor, wearing tiny bits of tissue on their lapels rather then Schroeder buttons)

[keimel.livejournal.com]

interesting /= qualified.

Just because a race between two 'candidates' might be interesting, certainly doesn't mean it'd be a good thing for anyone (other than the winning candidate! )

Be careful what you wish for....

Yergoddammit!

[xymotik.livejournal.com]

I had written a really long comment for this but LiveJournal only accepts 4300 characters for comments! So here it is.

Raving lunatics don't just live in Berkeley; they can live over the border too.