Thinking About It
September 7, 2007
As we begin the prime time days of the presidential contest with spring training behind us we realize that if the election were held today that None of the Above would most likely be the winner. There is a lack of enthusiasm on the campaign trail this year for any of the candidates. Certainly, each candidate has his or her core group of supporters that will follow them to the ends of the earth but the overall enthusiasm is not out there on the campaign trail. No candidate of either party is really standing out above anyone else. Voters are still looking around the corner to see if somebody new is entering the race they can get more excited about. If we are already tired of the announced candidates now what will happen next February or March when we know the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees. We will grow tired of them in several months and by the spring will be looking around the corner for some new independent candidates to support. Fred Thompson just entered the race for the Republican nomination and already it seems as if he has been around for awhile with his maybe I am in and maybe I am not attitude. I fail to see Thompson’s appeal and predict that he will not play that well as an announced candidate. While his supporters compare him to Ronald Reagan I do not see any comparison other than both having an acting background. I don’t think Thompson has the staying power for a lengthy campaign and his appeal comes mainly from GOP voters looking for someone else other than the current field of candidates. The candidate who will win the presidency in 2008 will show that he or she is competent to handle domestic and foreign policy issues and will be somewhat exciting. So far, none of the above seems to project both competence and excitement. Mitt Romney appears to be quite competent with his impressive resume and money making skills but lacks something in the excitement department. On the Democratic side Hillary also appears quite competent but, in my opinion, not very exciting. Obama, on the other hand, seems exciting and dramatic but we are not yet sure of his competence. Edwards also lacks excitement although he tries hard to manufacture exciting events but he could be classified as competent. Richardson could use a little bit more pizzazz in his speaking style but has a competent background in foreign and domestic affairs. Biden is lively and has a very competent record in foreign policy but is not seen as exciting to the voters according to most of the polls in early primary and caucus states. Until one of the announced or soon to be announced candidates shows the voters that he or she combines both competence and excitement we will still be looking at None of the Above as the winner. Of course, someone will be entering the White House in January 2009 and it will be someone who can not only, hopefully, solve some of our outstanding problems like Iraq and health care but will entertain us in the process. Former President Bill Clinton was certainly entertaining when he was in office. And, his wife appears to be a competent senator. So, if you could combine their two qualities you would have the perfect combination for our next president. So far no candidate has shown us they combine both excitement and competence. When someone does he or she will take off and capture the attention of the American voter. Let’s hope one of the candidates puts these two qualities together and captures our attention. We need more excitement in the race for the presidency! Robert J. Guttman
Founder and Director, CPFR Click here to return to the Thinking About It archive.
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