Crystal ball sees quite a crowd in '08
Dan Barrick & Meg Heckman
Monitor staff
Capital Beat Swami here with a peek into the political future. Helping us out today is Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford University who started playing Fantasy Primary 2008 while the rest of the country was still prying last year's campaign signs out of their front lawns. And from what he says, the next few years are going to be awfully fun.
"This is the most wide-open election in a long time," Whalen said. "That is assuming (Vice President Dick) Cheney doesn't run, which is a pretty safe bet."
Things on the Democratic side look pretty sewn up, at least if you put any stock in polls. Most number crunchers, pundits and Beltway gossips point to the liberal trinity of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and John Edwards.
But look at the GOP and Whalen sees a field at least 14 candidates deep. Sure, the expected big names are there, like Sen. John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani. But plenty of lesser-known Republicans have been testing the primary waters lately, too -- including our neighbor to the south, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
"If he's not running, he's doing a pretty good imitation of it," Whalen said.
Sure, the land of gay marriage, taxes and the Kennedys might not be the easiest place for a Republican to call home ("George W. Bush did a very good job of hanging a 'kick me' sign on Massachusetts," Whalen pointed out.) But Romney might be able to use some of that as ammunition in a primary fight that would likely focus on domestic and social issues, not foreign policy. (read more)
Monitor staff
Capital Beat Swami here with a peek into the political future. Helping us out today is Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford University who started playing Fantasy Primary 2008 while the rest of the country was still prying last year's campaign signs out of their front lawns. And from what he says, the next few years are going to be awfully fun.
"This is the most wide-open election in a long time," Whalen said. "That is assuming (Vice President Dick) Cheney doesn't run, which is a pretty safe bet."
Things on the Democratic side look pretty sewn up, at least if you put any stock in polls. Most number crunchers, pundits and Beltway gossips point to the liberal trinity of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and John Edwards.
But look at the GOP and Whalen sees a field at least 14 candidates deep. Sure, the expected big names are there, like Sen. John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani. But plenty of lesser-known Republicans have been testing the primary waters lately, too -- including our neighbor to the south, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
"If he's not running, he's doing a pretty good imitation of it," Whalen said.
Sure, the land of gay marriage, taxes and the Kennedys might not be the easiest place for a Republican to call home ("George W. Bush did a very good job of hanging a 'kick me' sign on Massachusetts," Whalen pointed out.) But Romney might be able to use some of that as ammunition in a primary fight that would likely focus on domestic and social issues, not foreign policy. (read more)
posted by Scott Fish at 11:30 PM
0 comments
