7 Questions About Campaign ‘08
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, 3rd Party, 7 QuestionsThe Washington Post picks up the “7 Questions” meme and asks some fairly straight-forward questions:
- Is the Clinton campaign a true juggernaut — or is that just what she wants everyone to believe?
- Is there a Republican front-runner?
- Is anyone on either side positioned to break into the top tier?
- Does the new, turbo- charged calendar make Iowa and New Hampshire more important — or less?
- Is it too late for Al Gore or Newt Gingrich to get into the race?
- Do ideas matter in this election?
- When do I really need to start paying attention, and should I trust the polls?
Let’s focus on question 6: Do ideas matter in this election?
Yes, but no candidate has yet seized the mantle of the ideas candidate — though Edwards has certainly tried.“Ideas do matter,” a GOP strategist said. “The American people are sick of the nonsense. They’re cynical. They’re angry, they’re sick of the status quo. . . . They’re looking for someone to call them to action. . . . I don’t think anyone has effectively done that so far.”
Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin said the important ideas are not position papers but something larger. “What matters are big ideas about what’s at the root of our problems and what kind of leadership it will take to fix it,” he wrote. Reagan in 1980 and Clinton in 1992 found that chord. “I don’t think anyone has risen to that level yet.”
Dan Gerstein, a centrist Democrat and strategist, said: “The reality is both parties are brain-dead — they have no new big ideas to deal with the challenges we face today. Which is why I continue to believe that there is an opening for an independent, reform-oriented campaign to run against politics as usual and on a solutions-driven message.”
I’m telling you, 2008 is THE year for the independent run. You’ve got a war that’s pissing people off and a Congress that’s pissing them off even more. No party is able to truly lead, and people are sick and tired of the status quo.
Paging Mr. Bloomberg…Mr. Bloomberg you have a call from the American people…
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 and is filed under 2008 Election, 3rd Party, 7 Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:25 am
Honestly now, what’s in it for Mr. Bloomberg?
Surely you don’t think voters will go for something other than “Pepsi or Coke”, do you?
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Firstly, the idea that there is not ideas candidate is stupid, as there is clearly one candidate who has established himself as the ideas candidate. (Or perhaps the “idea” candidate) That candidate is most certainly Ron Paul.
Secondly, why don’t you page Ron Paul for an independent run instead of Mike Bloomberg?
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:47 pm
No, Senator Clinton’s juggernaut is no illusion. She is now winning going away and in 2008 will make history by becoming the first woman president of the U.S.A Good on her
Hope you will look in on neilmckenty.wordpress.com
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:56 pm
“Do Ideas Matter?”
I think they do. I think for the first time in a long time there is a real demand – nay, a real need – for change among the American electorate, probably long overdue. Perhaps the most telling sign is that the national discourse has shifted away from red herrings like “gay marriage” and “flag burning” to issues of real substance.
The ideals of the Reagan/Republican Revolutions have run their course. The lofty ambitions of small, responsible government have been all but abandoned in favor of K-Street and earmarks. And on the foreign policy front, I think we Americans are beginning to see that our place in the world is changing. This isn’t the Cold War, nor is it the brief Post-Cold War honeymoon period. Our days as a hegemon are numbered.
And I think that’s why Obama resonates with so many people. He’s a different breed of politician with a very forward-looking vision. He’s pushed for ethics and earmark reform. He isn’t taking money from lobbyists. He thinks American policy toward Cuba and Iran is just as obsolete and, frankly, ridiculous as the rest of us. He’s been a little slow on the delivery but I do believe that his message, that we need to “change the way business is done in Washington,” will find its audience.
There’s always a reluctance to embrace change, and Obama has an uphill battle to overcome that, but even if he doesn’t win in 08 (and there’s a good chance he won’t) I think Obama and what he stands for embodies the shape of things to come.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:17 am
In 2008, voters will almost certainly have several other choices, notably the solidly anti-war Libertarian Party, the Party that also opposes the George Bush Republican Party’s attempts to listen to all our phone calls, read all our emails, detain Americans without trial, and suppress our civil liberties. The Libertarian Party also condemns Congress’s failure to control Bush.
Your tastes may vary, but there will be choices almost everywhere.
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Bloomberg has “new” ideas? What?