Certainly, the Republicans and Democrats have done extensive research on their prospects for the 2008 election. With President George W. Bush retiring and Vice-President Dick Cheney unlikely to run, the power vacuum in Washington D.C. is bound to be enormous, and each party is going to have to come up with some heavy hitters to impress the voters.
For the Democrats, the choice for President is obvious. Hillary Clinton has been preparing for the 2008 election since the day Al Gore lost to George W. Bush in the 2000 election. She has been acting like a Presidential candidate, her party is largely behind her, she has an existing campaign infrastructure from Bill Clinton’s decades of elections, she is rich, she is from a major Democrat state with valuable electoral votes, she energizes much of the Democrat base, and she has tremendous name recognition. These are just some of the factors that make Hillary Clinton an extremely strong candidate for President.
Hillary Clinton does come with some major problems. Her behavior during the Monica Lewinsky scandal made her look pathetic, clueless, and naive. She will find it difficult to shed this image. Hillary’s biggest obstacle, however, is that she is stuffy, cold, shrill, and unlikable to a great number of people. Hillary’s lousy personality alone is enough to turn away a droves of voters.
Given Hillary Clinton’s personality deficit, she needs a running mate that will be able to tap into demographics that normally do not vote in high percentages: young people and minorities. When one thinks of youth and minorities, one does not have to think long before Barack Obama comes to mind.
Barack Obama is a relatively young black man and is a rising star in the Democratic party. His full name, Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., is terribly unfortunate given current international realities, but he does have charisma, is aware of the issues, presents himself well, and has an image of competence. If Barack Obama cannot energize youth and minorities, no Democrat can.
A key factor that makes Barack Obama a strong choice for Vice-President is his home state of Illinois. Illinois has some valuable electoral votes that could easily swing the 2008 election. The Democrats need those votes, and Barack could deliver them.
Barack Obama has another thing going for him. He is a bit conservative for a Democrat, and this is another area of weakness for Hillary. Hillary Clinton is a true-blue liberal. She has been pretending to be a conservative for the last few years, but--in reality--she is deeply liberal, and her disastrous past as de facto co-President during Bill Clinton’s Presidency is going to come back to haunt her in 2008.
Assuming that the Democrats will be able to assemble their 2008 Dream Team, the Republicans have to reach for the stars to fight off this incredibly strong Democrat ticket.
John McCain is a candidate with enough clout to beat Hillary, but he is a little risky. McCain is unpredictable and has alienated a lot of Republicans. John McCain can certainly energize moderates, but he will have a very difficult time energizing the Republican base. After all, elephants are known for long memories, and McCain has angered a lot of elephants.
Rudy Giuliani is the clear Republican choice for President for one main reason: Rudy Giuliani can beat Hillary Clinton. After 9/11, Giuliani, arose as a great leader. His bravery and bold leadership as Mayor after the 9/11 attack gave him national recognition and respect. Since 9/11, Giuliani has had a very high profile and draws massive crowds wherever he goes. Giuliani always has the common man on his side. Even the Democrats that do not like Giuliani’s politics, still respect him as a man.
A significant factor that makes Rudy Giuliani a strong contender for 2008 is that he can take New York’s electoral votes. If the Republicans win New York, they will almost definitely win the nation. The Democrats simply cannot spare New York’s electoral votes.
Giuliani is also very popular among the California moderates, and his popularity will put California’s huge block of electoral votes in play. The Democrats cannot win the nation without California, and they will have to spend a massive amount of campaign money to secure the state.
Rudy Giuliani’s biggest problem is that he is a moderate. The Republican conservatives are going to begin grumbling when they start learning about Giuliani’s liberal positions on social issues. A lot of conservatives are not going to like Giuliani, so the GOP will need to find someone to appease that huge portion of the base.
Nothing appeases conservatives like a Bush. Fortunately, the Bush family has a new Bush coming up in the current growing season: Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush may not be as conservative as his brother, President George W. Bush, but he is a solid Republican with a proven track record as Governor of Florida. Governor Bush is a good public speaker, is respected, and is highly popular in Florida. Jeb Bush will soon be stepping down as Governor, and he will be looking for the next big job.
As the candidate for Vice-President, Jeb Bush could easily carry the swing state of Florida. Florida could decide the 2008 election. If Jeb Bush can take Florida, the Democrats will have to work very hard in the other swing states.
Furthermore, Jeb Bush is a rather young man, and he has a strong appeal to younger people. He also has a Mexican wife and speaks fluent Spanish. Jeb Bush’s Hispanic connections will help the Republicans appeal to the growing group of Latino voters.
Some will argue that Jeb Bush’s worst asset is his last name. Liberals have grown to hate the Bush family name, and they will instinctively vote against any ballot entry where that name appears. The sad fact for the liberals is the Republicans do not care about them. Anyone who hates George W. Bush so passionately probably would never vote Republican anyway, so the potential loss of votes is minimal. The fact is that conservatives love the Bush name like a trusted brand. Many conservatives will instinctively vote for any ballot entry where that name appears.
With Rudy Giuliani and Jeb Bush on the ticket, the Republicans will be incredibly strong in 2008, and they will need to be. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be a huge force to be reckoned with. With these two Dream Teams in place, the 2008 election is bound to be a close race, and this matchup may lead to the most exiting election season in modern history.
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