TomC
TCash101
Junior Chimp
Posts: 6,976
|
 |
« on: February 18, 2004, 09:09:31 PM » |
|
If Kerry is the Democratic nominee, he should pick Wes Clark to be his running mate.
A lot has been said of John Edwards as VP. Edwards is charming and great on the stump. However, his ability to help carry North Carolina and other southern states remains highly in question since he couldn’t win in neighboring states. Clark was more of an attack dog on Bush in the primaries while Edwards at his best has been viewed as positive; Edwards will have to transform to become the attack dog. Would that seem insincere to voters?
The last two Vice Presidential picks, Gore and Cheney, broke with a typical tradition of picking someone to balance a ticket with someone from a different region. Gore reinforced Clinton’s qualifications as a moderate DLC Southerner; Cheney, while from the same basic region, countered Bush’s dearth of experience in defense, diplomacy, and national security.
Picking Edwards only reverts to that old tradition of balancing mainly for regional differences. Clark, while he is from the South, would be a pick that reinforces both Kerry’s experience on defense and security matters and his personal appeal to veterans. Even now, with Kerry polling Bush 52-43 in one recent poll, he still comes short on the issue of “Who is best to deal with terrorism?” 51-37. Kerry needs to narrow the gap on that issue, even if he continues to lead on economic issues by impressive margins. Clark can help close the “terrorism” gap.
|
