June 21, 2003
Dr. Howard Dean's electability.
Via
Blog for America. David Yepsen of the
Des Moines Register writes on
Howard's Dean growing popularity in Iowa, and more important on his electability.
A Dean win? An upset of front-runners Richard Gephardt and John Kerry? It could happen. Early polling in Iowa shows Dean in third place and closing in on those leading rivals. No other candidate shows his kind of forward motion. Polls show Dean has come farther in Iowa than any of his rivals.
... Several ingredients are going into Dr. Dean's Iowa elixir:
He is presidential. He has passed a subtle but very real test caucus-goers apply to presidential candidates who show up here. It's a private gut check that has nothing to do with positions on issues and everything do to with stature, decisiveness, charisma and gravitas: Do I see this person as someone of presidential caliber? Historically, Americans like governors in the White House because they pass such tests of executive leadership. Of our last five presidents, four served as governor.
I especially have to agree with what he says about him being "presidential." That's my impression as well, corroborated by the statements he's making, which seem more focused on what would be best for America than the other candidates, and less on pursuing a particular agenda or ideology.
At least he's out there campaigning hard, and early. That's what it takes. But why do they call Gepardt and Kerry front-runners this early? Have they won any actual elections, or even any local quorums? No, it's just polls that basically, at this point, just reflect name recognition.
There aren't any actual facts that would lead one to think they're winning, just the desire of the national media to have someone from within the beltway win. Or maybe rather, the assumption that someone from within the beltway will win, even though four of the last five presidents had never held any federal office.
