Who Cares About Midterm Elections?
By Barbara Stock (10/09/05)
Midterm elections are over a year away and while there is some talk about one party gaining or losing seats in the House or Senate, the serious speculators are gearing up for the presidential duel in 2008.
The next presidential election will be different from those in recent memory because there will be no incumbent and there is no heir apparent in the form of a vice-president. This race will be a clean slate for both major parties and even this far out you can feel the excitement.
There was much speculation leading up to the 2004 election that Dick Cheney would step aside, claiming health problems, to allow President Bush to put someone in the spotlight who would then become the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. But this didn’t happen and it is unlikely that Cheney will run. Let’s face facts; a man with a defibrillator on stand-by in his chest to jump-start his heart if it acts up or stops is not a confidence builder. When Dick says that he’s not running, most believe he means it.
Before scanning the Republican possibilities, a glance at the opposition is in order.
There is the “loser” contingent of Kerry and Gore. The Democratic Party does not look kindly on losers. While the party line is that the elections were stolen, the Democrats know better. They know full well that both Gore and Kerry lost. Both had their shot at the big time and they blew it. They will not get a second chance.
Pretty-boy Edwards will make a run and perhaps he did learn a few things from his failed run with John Kerry, but when a man barely wins his own home state he doesn’t stand a good chance of winning the nomination. Ask yourself this: How much campaigning did Bush and Cheney have to do in their home states of Texas and Wyoming? Do people realize that had Al Gore won his own home state of Tennessee it would have been President Gore instead of President Bush? Gore is the only man in American history not to win his own state.
Of course, all eyes are on Hillary Clinton. A lot of people are convinced that the nomination is hers, if she wants it. The million dollar question is: Does she want it? Don’t misunderstand. Hillary desperately wants to be the first female American president. But Hillary Clinton has this little quirk about not running for an office unless she is fairly sure she will win. There is no assurance that she has a chance to win a national election for president. In mock polls, Hillary has not fared well against Rudy Giuliani or even against John McCain. Even New Yorkers prefer Rudy over Hillary. Had Giuliani not had to deal with prostate cancer, Hillary probably would not be Senator Clinton now. Rudy is now testing the presidential waters and the polls indicate he is a frontrunner. If someone can’t convince Hillary that she can skate into the oval office without having to answer any hard questions, she probably won’t run.
Others from the left with an outside chance are: Wesley Clark, Tom Daschle, Evan Bayh, and Joe Biden. My sympathies to the left.
There are two Republicans with high name recognition: Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.
John McCain is a true war hero. Even the leftists wouldn’t dare attack his war record. But McCain is not beloved within the rank and file of the Republican Party. Enjoying his label as a “maverick” because he usually gets lots of television coverage when he sides with the left, McCain has often bucked his party and it has not always turned out well for him. The failure of the McCain-Feingold campaign reform bill is a perfect example.
While being a “maverick” may make McCain a darling to the left, it has not endeared him to a majority on the right. McCain’s age and health will also be a factor. He will be 72 years old in 2008 and has had two rounds with malignant skin cancer. At this time, McCain has said that he is undecided about running for president again. Many Republicans just don’t trust McCain.
Rudy Giuliani became a household name in the wake of 9/11. His leadership and strength gained him the title, “America’s Mayor.” What impressed many people about Rudy was the fact that he attended nearly every funeral for every fireman, policeman, and port authority cop that was killed on 9/11. Sometimes, there would be five funerals going on at the same time and he would race to each of them, showing his respects. Rudy was exhausted, but he felt it was his duty to honor those people who died that day, even if just for a few minutes.
But Rudy does have some baggage. His personal life has not been exactly sterling. He is pro-abortion, but, as president, he would have little effect on overturning Roe v. Wade. In fact, of the three branches of government, the executive has the least control over such things.
Jeb Bush’s name has been mentioned. Jeb would be an outstanding president but the prevailing thoughts are that now is not the time. Someday, but not in 2008. It would be akin to political suicide to run on the heels of this brother’s presidency. Jeb is young and his day will come. Showing wisdom, Jeb seems to realize this and has stated he has no interest in running for president now.
An interesting possibility is Mitt Romney, presently the governor of the people’s republic of Massachusetts. The fact that Romney is a Republican in that sea of Democrats shows that he knows how to win elections. Romney made Ted Kennedy break into a sweat by getting 41% of the vote when Romney ran against him for the Senate in 1994. That is the closest Kennedy has ever come to loosing his Senate seat.
Mitt is a lawyer but he can be forgiven for this character flaw. On the plus side, Romney has a master’s degree in business (MBA) from Harvard and also speaks French, Swahili, and several Bantu languages. He is pro-life, pro-family, and anti-cloning. Mitt is a good speaker and looks good on television.
It’s sad to say but in this day and age, Abe Lincoln would never have stood a chance. The truly homely need not apply. Shallow as it is, that is just the way it is. Many women admitted they voted for Bill Clinton solely because they thought he was “cute.” Now that’s an intelligent reason to vote for the leader of the free world.
Another Republican presently not holding any office is John Kasich of Ohio. He is fiscally responsible, pro-life, and pro-family. A true Republican in nearly every respect. Kasich has given no indication that he is interested in giving up his job at FOX News, but hopefully he will give it consideration. His honesty and lack of fear in speaking his mind is refreshing.
Others considering making the run are Senator Bill Frist, Governor George Pataki of New York, and J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. Neither Frist or Pataki are very exciting but J. C. Watts would be an excellent choice.
Not be outdone in the outstanding women category, the Republicans have Secretary of State Condi Rice, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas, and Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina. Any one of them could run circles around Hillary Clinton.
All things considered, the Grand Old Party has a number of wonderful and exciting possibilities for the next presidential election. There is not a loser in their midst. No whiners claiming they were “robbed.” We have qualified men and women who will meet any challenge from the leftist “Progressives.”
While the midterm elections will be interesting to watch, the real games will begin in January, 2006, and it will be great fun to watch the great all-American-free-for-all.
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