Domestic Politics: H-Rod in ‘08?
Pale and Male on the Outs...
Tue, January 30, 2007
Just a formal shout out from HQ about how excited, in fact thrilled, we are about the upcoming primary horse race.
Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced that she is “in” for aught-eight. The senator from New York announced her candidacy, although she’s long been considered a front runner for the Democratic ticket along with Barack Obama who made this run official last Tuesday. Joining the exploratory fray as of last week is Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who if elected, would be the first president of Hispanic decent.
Aside from the obvious Benetton ad factor, the united colors the burgeoning Democratic field have some serious street cred. Love her or hate her, you have to admit Sen. Clinton has shown herself to be a fierce advocate for the rights of women and children; the eloquent Sen. Obama, while new to the ways of the beltway, got his start as a grassroots organizer on Chicago’s South Side and Gov. Richardson, a former ambassador to the UN, and has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I for one am naively hoping that the depth of the potential candidates, be they Republican, Democrat or third party, will give the 2008 race a more thoughtful flavor, with debates driven by concrete issues rather than the vague notion of “values” that will spare us voters from the decent into screaming attack ads that have defined the past few state and national elections.
Regardless of the tone of the ensuing electoral ruckus, it is comforting to know that being both pale and male may soon no longer be a prerequisite for the presidency.
