Lincoln Chafee launches presidential exploratory committee

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Dear Lincoln Chafee,

April Fools is gone and past. Now, you're the biggest fool at last.

Fubart Solman

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I will say this...

While a GOP Senator he was the only one to vote against the Iraq War, supported gay marriage, and was an environmentalist advocate. As Independent Governor he signed gay marriage into law, passed a controversial pension reform law, and decided not to run for a second term and changed his affiliation to Democrat (the really only specific instance people gave of why he was unpopular was because he called the state Christmas tree a Holiday tree... Which actually started under his Republican predecessor). He's also good friends with Obama.

But he doesn't even stand a chance in RI.

As much as its fun to make fun of Chafee, his record really isn't bad. It's just that he has no name recognition, is unpopular at home, and faces the Hillary Steamroller. Being an older white guy doesn't give him any pizazz either. Sanders is at least Jewish.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I'm guilty of it, but why is there a massive desire in Presidential Politics for centrist figures like Huntsman, Bloomberg, Chaffee etc?

Chafee isn't centrist. He's to the left of Hillary Clinton on a number of things.

And he has a pathway to victory, a clear one at that. Especially if Sanders doesn't run.

Does that pathway involve Hillary dying before the Iowa caucus but after the filing deadline?

Well, she wouldn't have to *die*. The problem with Chafee as an anti-Hillary is that he has the charisma of a squashed grape. Even Sanders excites people more.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I don't mind Chafee in the role of gadfly.

Me neither. Anything to make it interesting (and to make maps that aren't just one color).

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

"Well, obviously, I think Lincoln Chafee's inevitable, I think he's a juggernaut. No one will stop him. No, he's not."

Golden.