Dems’ Race: To Finish, You Have to Begin

Sen. John Kerry may have won Iowa, but winning the hearts and minds of millions of Democrats, independents, growing numbers of Republicans and millions of nonvoting citizens may prove a bridge too far. These voters feel disenfranchised and are very angry. They want a candidate who can stand up to the Republicans, not one who has sided with the president. They want a president who can stand up on all the issues. The Republicans are deadly serious about controlling this country.

Kerry sided with the president during the Iraq debate, and will be fairly impeached for having done so. Howard Dean and Wesley Clark do not have Kerry’s problem. They have not sided with the president, and have consistently held strong antiwar feelings. Not being from D.C. is a definite advantage in the minds of the voters.

A new Democratic president will need a supportive House and Senate to meaningfully legislate. While Kerry may not be tough enough to beat President Bush, Kerry’s presence as a senator would assist a new Democratic president.

Warren Wolfe

Encino

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Kerry walks like a president, talks like a president and looks like a president. He has the education, experience and military record. A Kerry-Edwards ticket would beat George W. hands down. Did I mention he rides a Harley?

Jim Krause

Atascadero

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I hope Dean learned an important lesson in Iowa: Americans don’t react well to men in shirt sleeves yelling at the top of their lungs. It reminds them too much of their bosses.

Joan Yankowitz

Orange

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As the Democratic primaries have now kicked off, the oft-cited electability factor perplexes me. Why is there a need to distinguish between electability and the ideal candidate? Should not the most electable candidate be the one who presents the clearest message, the one who demonstrates an understanding of what needs to done and how to accomplish the tasks needed to steer the country in the truest direction possible?

Robert Bruce

Long Beach

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To those who think that no Democrat can beat Bush in November I offer this true story. In the summer of 1991 I was given a ride from my hotel in downtown Little Rock by then-Gov. Bill Clinton. It was early on a Sunday morning and the governor was wearing shorts and driving a beat-up old car. When we got to the airport he carried my luggage in and even helped me check in for the flight. Not wanting to be too beholden to a politician, I offered to buy him breakfast.

As we sat talking, I was emboldened by the casualness of the situation and asked the governor if he was in fact going to run for president the next year, as I had heard from some friends. His reply sticks to me word for word to this day. He said, “No one is going to beat George Bush next year.” Remember, this was soon after the president’s Desert Storm triumph. “But my advisors tell me that unless I run in 1992, I’ll have little chance of being elected in 1996.”

It just goes to show that in politics nothing is over until it’s over and anything can happen between now and November. Of course, Clinton had more charisma and people skills than any politician since John F. Kennedy, but as Dean just learned in Iowa, a lot can happen to an early lead as the vote nears.

By the way, to my amazement Clinton never asked me for anything. Months later I had to volunteer for the campaign and ended up producing part of the inauguration.

Ken Kragen

Beverly Hills