That shrill piercing sound you heard yesterday morning if you live on the Eastern Seaboard was a primal scream emanating from a leafy Chappaqua neighborhood as Barack Obama told Tim Russert he might run for President in 2008. This announcement could not have pleased Hilary Clinton. The subsequent roundtable of Beltway Wise Men all agreeing that it was probably a good idea that Obama run in ’08 probably further soured the normal domestic happiness of the humble Clinton abode.
Unless Obama enters the race, the entire top tier of Democratic candidates will be people whose best days are behind them. Gore, Kerry (giggle), Edwards, Clinton - if you’re in the mood for something new to change the mood of the country, there’s nothing there. While there are a few deluded people who think Joe Biden (giggle) or Evan Bayh might present the engaging new face that energizes the public, these people are wrong. Bayh’s a non-starter – just one of 100 U.S. Senators who thinks he should be president. And as far as Biden is concerned, this country isn’t ready for a POTUS who is living proof of the maxim, “Sometimes it is better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
IN TENNESSEE, as Hugh has pointed out, the Harold Ford campaign has imploded. The implosion began with this devastating Bob Corker ad which points out that Ford has never done anything except be a politician.
In Massachusetts, we have more than a passing a familiarity with worthless political scions and Ford’s biography strikes several recognizable notes. After graduating the University of Michigan’s school of law (arguably one of the country’s 50 best), Ford failed the bar. He then did what most every law student who fails the bar does – he ran for Congress, obviously basing his campaign more on his famous name than his record of accomplishments.
(Parenthetically, I was the guy in the blogosphere who first suggested that John Kerry’s college transcript likely told a story of epic doltishness. In case anyone from the Corker campaign is reading and wants to gin up a very mild October surprise, I would be willing to bet Hugh’s Cleveland Browns playoff tickets that Ford’s law school performance was beyond wretched. Mind you, I have no evidence for this – it’s just an educated hunch.)
Ford then compounded the damage done by the effective Corker ad by attempting to ambush Corker at one of his press conferences. You can view the video here - Ford came across as an ill-mannered spoiled brat. This was the last impression he needed to leave since he’s a young man whose accomplishments have come much more via the good fortune of being born into a political family than anything he did for himself. Horatio Alger he ain’t.
In the past I’ve confessed a soft spot for Harold Ford. He seems like a nice guy, and he’s always friendly and engaging in his appearances on Fox and Friends. But the Corker campaign has found the soft under-belly of Ford’s candidacy, and Ford is showing no capacity to form an effective response.
ELSEWHERE, CLOSER TO HOME, I must say a word about the Massachusetts gubernatorial race. The debates have all involved the Republican Lieutenant Governor, the Democratic nominee and, for no apparent reason, two other shmos.
You might think “shmos” is a needlessly personal putdown of the non-mainstream candidates who participate in the debates, but trust me, in this case it’s charitable. One of the third party candidates is Christy Mihos, the owner of a chain of convenience stores who was a one-time ally of the Romney administration but who about a year ago morphed into its bitter enemy. Candidly, my choice of phrase implies a sense of equality that isn’t there. Mihos is a bitter enemy of the Romney administration the same way a bug is a bitter enemy of the shoe that squashes it.
Inarticulate and buffoonish, Mihos’ candidacy has become an embarrassment to the Bay State. And having had Ted Kennedy’s service for over 4 decades, we don’t blush easily. Stuck in the low single digits in the polls, any sensible citizen must wonder why he gets to participate in these debates.
The other fringe candidate oddly included in the debates, Grace Ross, represents the Green Party and has yet to even reach single digit support. Personally, I enjoy Ross’s presence at the debates much more than Mihos’. Unlike Mihos, she is personable and articulate.
But the reason I really like her is she is a Green Party candidate sent right from central casting. Short, stubby and gap-toothed, it’s safe to say that if she were by some miracle ever elected president, Ms. Ross would never hold up air traffic around Los Angeles while receiving a $300 haircut on the tarmac.
Ross is also full of silly Green ideas like doubling the minimum wage which she passionately insists would have only salubrious effects on the state’s economy. Like I said, it’s as if she were sent by central casting.
The reason she and Mihos are present at these confabs is that the Democratic candidate, Deval Patrick, seems to for some reason fear a mano a mano conflict with Republican Kerry Healey. Healey keeps beseeching Patrick to meet her in a one-on-one duel. Patrick keep saying these fringe candidates have a rightful seat at the table.
Such is the nature of Bay State politics, Patrick is actually able to get away with this. Maybe the Healey campaign should consider having Patrick trailed by one of those guys in a chicken suit. It would make for some nice political theatre, and the tactic would have the irrefutable defense of being based in truth.
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