Cosby in '08? It's time for Democrats to think beyond the usual suspects.The ink on those Ohio provisional ballots was not yet dry before the inevitable speculation began about Democratic presidential candidates for 2008. Battered, tired, and frustrated by yet another close-enough-to-taste loss, Democrats dreamed of a leader who could respire re·spire v. 1. To breathe in and out; inhale and exhale. 2. To undergo the metabolic process of respiration. 3. To breathe easily again, as after a period of exertion. them. They surveyed their ranks, scratched their heads, and tossed out the names of possibilities: Hillary Clinton. John Edwards  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. . Evan Bayh Birch Evans Bayh III (commonly known as Evan Bayh) (pronounced like "bye"; IPA pronunciation: [baɪ]) (born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who has served as the junior U.S. . That's about where the conversation ended. Nothing hurts Democrats more than their own aversion to risk. If they are to confront a Republican Party now eyeing a constitutional amendment to make their favorite Austrian-born-movie-beefcake-turned-GOP governor eligible for the White House, Democrats must start thinking audaciously. Instead of bellyaching about the supposedly shallow 2008 bench, why not consider the following list of people, who probably no one including those on the list--have yet pictured duking it out in New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). ? Some of them may have a real chance of winning the nomination, while others are longshots who nonetheless represent the type of candidate who might make a run for the White I louse louse, common name for members of either of two distinct orders of wingless, parasitic, disease-carrying insects. Lice of both groups are small and flattened with short legs adapted for clinging to the host. . Some are larger-than-life personalities; some have been wildly successful in business; some are already household names History Formation (1998-2000) Household Names have been together since 1998, with various members rotating throughout the line-up with singer, Jason Garcia, until it was solidified in the summer of 2000 with bassist/keyboardist, Chris Peters, and drummer, C. J. ; and some are all of the above. Most importantly--with apologies to the governor of Iowa--each can make a more exciting candidate than Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (born December 13, 1950) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002. . Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (born February 6, 1940 in Webster, South Dakota) is a popular American television journalist, Previously working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program Bio: Former NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. "Nightly News Nightly News may refer to
Case for Candidacy: You know him, you trust him, and you are already tired of Brian Williams. Until recently America's most-watched news anchor, Brokaw was a respected interpreter of world events for 21 years. His "Fleecing of America" segment about government corruption and waste highlighted the native South Dakotan's populist insistence that Washington work for the people. Mad Brokaw's bestselling book made him a spokesman for a bygone era of national pride and political harmony. Surprising Edge: He's interviewed more foreign leaders than most candidates can name. Possible Disqualifier: South Dakota Democrats might be cursed (See McGovern, G.). Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 2:1 Lance Armstrong Big: Professional bicyclist, six-time Tour de France Tour de France World's most prestigious and difficult bicycle race. Staged for three weeks each July—usually in some 20 daylong stages—the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of nine riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles) of flat and winner; cancer survivor. Case for Candidacy: The man got Americans to sit in front of their televisions to watch a three-week-long bike race. In France. Armstrong's pro-choice, a major advocate of stem-cell research, and an inspiration to cancer patients everywhere. He established the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fund research and sits on Bush's national cancer panel. Oh, and he's from Texas. Come on--sign him up. Surprising Edge: Trouncing the French time and time again. Possible Disqualifier: Divorced wife, then hooked up with rocker Sheryl Grow. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 1:3 Phil Bredesen Bio: Governor of Tennessee; entrepreneur. Case for Candidacy: The only two successful Democratic candidates in the last 30 years have been Southern governors--if anyone can repeat the formula, it's Bredesen. He's Clinton, version 2.0: tough on crime, a fiscal conservative, a death-penalty supporter, and a gun owner. Widely touted as the face of the "'New South," the self-made millionaire came into office during the 2002 election debacle, bucking the Republican tide that swept the rest of the country. Surprising Edge: Hands-on experience in health care. Possible Disqualifier: Unfortunately, it was as the head of an HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, . Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 3:1 Bill Cosby Bio: Comedian; actor; Ph.D. in education Case for Candidacy: America's favorite dad is also a master of reframing reframing (rē·frāˑ·ming), n the revisiting and reconstruction of a patient's view of an experience to imbue it with a different usually more positive meaning in the ; Cosby consciously structured his top-rated "Cosby Show" to emphasize the importance of education and knock down stereotypes of black families. He has since drawn upon his beloved-icon status and personal fortune to stump for early-reading initiatives and endow college scholarships; now, he's putting his popularity on the line to criticize the lax parenting and low academic standards he sees in black America today. These recent remarks, that drew defensive fire, proved the former Jello spokesman has guts and thrust Cosby back onto the national stage. A successful, much-loved black man touting education and family-values--what's not to love? Surprising Edge: Great one-liners. Possible Disqualifier: Has admitted cheating on his wife. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 50-50 Carly Fiorina Big: Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Hewlett-Packard; former teacher. Case for Candidacy: A naturally-gifted saleswoman (and what is a president if not national pitchman?), Fiorina rose from sales rep at AT&T to chief executive of Lucent Technologies where she engineered its IPO (Initial Public Offering) The first time a company offers shares of stock to the public. While not a computer term per se, many founders, employees and insiders of computer companies have found this acronym more exciting than any tech term they ever heard. . When she took over the helm of HP, she became the first woman to head a Dow 30 company and oversaw a successful merger deal with Compaq. She was Fortune's most powerful woman in business for six years running, and she is also closely involved with HP's philanthropy efforts. Surprising Edge: Poster girl for women with stay-at-home husbands. Possible Disqualifier: Her company may not survive another four years. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 50-50 Lou Gerstner Bio: Former chairman and CEO of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) . Case for Candidacy: No one has to teach Gerstner about the new economy--IBM was on its way to bankruptcy until the former Pepsi CEO took over and revived the computing giant by restructuring a hopelessly entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. bureaucratic culture into an innovative, lively powerhouse. In addition to saving corporations, Gerstner doubles as an education wonk: He co-chairs Achieve, Inc., a bipartisan group founded by governors and corporate leaders in the mid-1990s to advance national standards and testing. The goals of Bush's No Child Left Behind reform, if not their implementation, bear the group's hallmark. Surprising Edge: He's the son of a truck driver. Possible Disqualifier: He's also global chairman of the Carlyle Group. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 2:1 Tom Hanks Bio: Actor, two-time Oscar winner. Case for Candidacy: Gosh, he's nice. Whether portraying everybody's favorite captain in Saving Private Ryan or everybody's favorite astronaut in Apollo 13, Hanks understands and celebrates the nobility, and heroism of ordinary men; in real life he plays a convincing multimillionaire mul·ti·mil·lion·aire n. One whose financial assets are worth several million dollars. multimillionaire Noun a person who has money or property worth several million pounds, dollars, etc. everyman. He has received the Distinguished Public Service Award (the highest honor the Navy gives to a civilian) and is an activist for veterans causes, leading the charge for a World War II Memorial in Washington. Surprising Edge: Remarkable number of Americans think he served in WWII WWII abbr. World War II WWII World War Two . Possible Disqualifier: Turner and Hooch hooch Substance abuse 1 A street term for marijuana See Marijuana 2 Moonshine, see there . Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 50-50 Bob Kerrey Bio: Former Nebraska senator and governor; college president. Case for Candidacy: The straight-talking maverick politician from the heartland was hailed as the second coming of Bobby Kennedy when he came to the Senate in 1989. H& tough--Kerrey lost a leg serving as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam--and never afraid to break party ranks. As a member of the 9/11 commission, he enhanced his national security bona tides with sharply worded questions to both Republicans and Democrats. Surprising Edge: Just crazy enough to do the right thing. Possible Disqualifier: Acknowledged participation in war atrocities. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 2:1 Bill Nelson Bio: Senator from Florida; former astronaut. Case for Candidacy: Political consultants, look no further for your dream candidate. Moderate? Check. Veteran? Check. From Florida? Check. Tall, good-looking, a younger John Glenn, and a smarter Evan Bayh? All that, and more. And when it comes to moral values, Nelson doesn't just go to church--he and his wife founded a Presbyterian congregation while he served as a congressman from Florida. Surprising Edge: Has already won the all-important 1-4 corridor. Possible Disqualifier: Not that much smarter than Evan Bayh. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 50-50 Queen Noor Bio: Widow of Jordan's King Hussein. Case for Candidacy: Americans dig royals! She's multilingual, stunning, and beloved throughout much of the Middle East. And while she's part of the Jordanian monarchy, the former Lisa Halaby is also a D.C. native whose father served in the Pentagon and was appointed head of the FAA by President Kennedy. Noor's advocacy for women and children in Jordan (not to mention the parties she's thrown for many of the major leaders in the region) could go a long way toward redeeming our reputation in the Muslim world. Surprising Edge: Speaks flawless Arabic. Possible Disqualifier: Also makes anti-Israel comments. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 1:5 Vic Snyder Bio: Congressman from Arkansas; physician. Case for Candidacy: Democrats worried about a Bill Frist run in '08 could neutralize the Senate's only doctor with Snyder, a family practitioner family practitioner n. Abbr. FP See family physician. . Nothing says crossover appeal like medical missions to the Third World. Snyder is a moderate who continues to foil Republican challengers in Arkansas with his fiscal conservatism and background as a Marine in Vietnam, and handily hand·i·ly adv. 1. In an easy manner. 2. In a convenient manner. Adv. 1. handily - in a convenient manner; "the switch was conveniently located" conveniently 2. won reelection re·e·lect also re-e·lect tr.v. re·e·lect·ed, re·e·lect·ing, re·e·lects To elect again. re despite voting against the Iraq resolution. Surprising Edge: Wife is a Methodist minister. Possible Disqualifier: The last time a congressman won the presidency was ... well, never. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 1:2 Ted Turner Bio: Founder and former CEO of CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. ; philanthropist. Case for Candidacy: The take-no-guff businessman bet the farm on a tiny Atlanta VHF (Very High Frequency) The range of electromagnetic frequencies from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. station and turned it into the world's largest cable media enterprise, revolutionizing the way we consume news in the process. He's a Southern good ol' boy who is committed to liberal causes. And, heck, he already acts like a country--Turner has endowed $1 billion to the United Nations (more than the con> blued annual dues of the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, and France) and his land conservation holdings are nearly the size of the Bahamas. Surprising Edge: A hunter-environmentalist. Possible Disqualifier: To many pictures of him standing next to Hanoi Jane. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 1:3 Gen. Anthony Zinni Bio: U.S. envoy to the Middle East; four-star general. Case for Candidacy: Most presidents wait until they win the White House before attempting to solve the Middle East conflict--Zinni has a head-start. Democrats concerned about their party's foreign policy heft will like the diplomatic missions he led to Somalia, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, and his years as commander-in-chief of Central Command bring much needed national security cred cred Noun Slang short for credibility Noun 1. cred - credibility among young fashionable urban individuals street cred, street credibility to the table. But he's a thoughtful hawk; though he was appointed as Bush's envoy to the Middle East, Zinni publicly broke with his boss to criticize the administration's post-war planning in Iraq. Surprising Edge: Taller than Gen. Wesley Clark. Possible Disqualifier: The Swift Boat Vets Against Zinni ad is already in the hopper. Odds of surviving Iowa Caucus: 50-50 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion