Evan Bayh — Junior Senator, Indiana
Hobble Horse: Coming across as a mild- mannered Midwestern deacon is not what presidential campaign audiences expect — and in Washington, he is viewed as an intellectual lightweight. To compensate, Bayh asks Democrats, “Do we want to vent, or do we want to govern?” He might find that primary voters prefer venting.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. — Senior Senator, Delaware
Hobble Horse: If Biden could raise big bucks he would have been a serious contender in any of the last several presidential campaigns. And despite his average-Joe demeanor in public, his 33 years in the Senate — along with his reputation as the very model of a long-winded lawmaker — tag him as a creature of Washington. So, too, would the target-rich database of thousands of roll call votes from which opponents could cherry-pick.
Wesley K. Clark — Retired General
Hobble Horse: Although Clark’s lack of experience holding elective office is a plus to some voters, it is likely to remain a hindrance in the eyes of media and political elites. And he has not effectively used his time since the last campaign to shore up his credentials on the domestic front.
Hillary Rodham Clinton — Junior Senator, New York; former First Lady
Hobble Horse: A stilted and sometimes boring performer on the stump, she pales in comparison with her husband when it comes to revving up crowds. And she seems cozier with the many Hollywood stars who are flocking to her cause than with the average folks she most needs to win over.
Tom Daschle — former Senate Majority Leader, South Dakota
Hobble Horse: Having pulled out of an expected presidential race last time, when he was at the height of his influence, Daschle could easily be written off as a has-been and a loser. Although a recent stint debating former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich in California earned them both points for across-the-aisle creativity, it seemed to make both men look very retro.
Christopher J. Dodd — Senior Senator, Connecticut
Hobble Horse: Another New England liberal might not be the ticket Democrats are looking for after walking the plank in 2004 with John Kerry of Massachusetts. And Republicans in Florida would have a field day with his strong support for opening up relations with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
John Edwards — former senator, North Carolina; 2004 vice-presidential nominee
Hobble Horse: Washington’s political insiders tend to dismiss Edwards as a poor performer on the 2004 national ticket who came across as a lightweight in the debate with Vice President Dick Cheney and could not even help carry his home state of North Carolina.
Russ Feingold — Junior Senator, Wisconsin
Hobble Horse: Feingold’s social liberalism — he opposes the death penalty and supports gay marriage — delights his loyal followers, but it could be a devastating target in a general election and severely limit his reach into middle America. He didn’t help matters by once referring to Greenville, Ala., as a place of “check-cashing stores and abject trailer parks.”
Al Gore — former Vice President; 2000 presidential nominee
Hobble Horse: Endorsing Howard Dean for president in 2003 was a sign to some Democratic insiders that Gore had simply lost his way, reducing his appeal to the party’s fringe elements. And his global warming obsession is not viewed as a big enough platform to revive a presidential bid.
John Kerry — Junior Senator, Massachusetts; 2004 presidential nominee
Hobble Horse: Last week’s imbroglio over what Kerry himself termed a “botched joke” — which, to many, appeared to suggest that American soldiers are uneducated — was yet another reminder to Democrats of how clumsy he can be on the stump. It forced him off the campaign trail as fearful Democratic candidates canceled his appearances.
Barack Obama — Junior Senator, Illinois
Hobble Horse: Although many political experts say the country would be open to electing an African-American president (his father is from Kenya, his mother is a white woman from Kansas), it would be a racial gamble for the Democratic Party to nominate only the third black senator since Reconstruction. And his far-from-ripe career on the national stage, while evoking memories of a youthful Jack Kennedy, is bound to give pause among some voters.
Bill Richardson — Governor, New Mexico
Hobble Horse: Richardson’s closet is not entirely clean. At a minimum, a presidential bid will again bring to light his brush with the Monica Lewinsky scandal, in which he reportedly offered her a job, and revelations that for years he erroneously claimed to have been drafted as a pitcher by the Kansas City A’s.
Tom Vilsack — Governor, Iowa
Hobble Horse: Another Iowan, Sen. Tom Harkin (news, bio, voting record), demonstrated in his 1992 presidential bid that being a favorite son might be enough to win the state’s nominating caucus, but it was much discounted by the national media and proved not to be anything close to a momentum generator for the New Hampshire primary.
More:
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
By Peter S. Canellos, Globe Columnist | November 7, 2006
WASHINGTON -- As national Democrats hang bunting and prepare for what they hope will be a joyous victory celebration in Washington tonight, John F. Kerry will be back in Massachusetts, quietly standing behind his state's gubernatorial nominee.
No one has worked harder to bring about a national victory than Kerry: National Journal reported yesterday that Kerry had stumped for more candidates this year than any other Democrat -- a whopping 170, according to his office.
Snip...
In a fairer world -- that is, a nonpolitical world -- the gaffe would be easily dismissed. Kerry is a decorated combat veteran, and he has stood with veterans on hundreds of stages, and on dozens of issues, during his 22 years in the Senate.
Snip...
Ironically, Kerry's stock had been rising before the joke, which was made in California last week.
His decision to lead the libuster against Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. earlier this year had won him liberal support. His early endorsement of a timed withdrawal from Iraq had brought clarity to his views on the war.
As the 2006 season got underway, he continued making successful moves. He intervened at a crucial moment to help James Webb, a former Republican and former Navy secretary, defeat a more liberal Democrat in the party's senatorial primary in Virginia. Now, Webb is at least an even bet to defeat Republican Senator George Allen, giving Kerry the loyalty of one of the party's most credible voices on national security.
Snip...
Now, Kerry has to hope that a big Democratic victory wipes away his sins -- or at least leaves them on a par with those of some potential 2008 rivals. After all, Hillary Clinton has issued her own share of groan-inducing quotes, starting with a crack about not wanting to stay home and bake cookies. Former Vice President Al Gore, the party's 2000 presidential nominee, was treated roughly by the Republicans, and John Edwards was fairly toothless as Kerry's running mate in 2004.
more...
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