Will the Real Nominees Step Forward

For the first time in over a half century the American public will not be voting for an incumbent president or vice presidential candidate. The presidential field is wide open for 2008, which signals the changing of the guard in Washington, which many would agree is a much needed change. The list of candidates for the GOP and the Democrats is expanding by the week, which will make for a fierce and highly contested primary season. We are too early into the process, but the front runners for each party will have to distinguish themselves and run away from the pack by late in the year. Undoubtedly, the campaign for the general election will be intense, but the fight for party nomination has already taken on a life of its own, which calls for concern when the primary campaigns kick into full swing.

The first punch was thrown recently by Senator Hillary Clinton (D- NY) towards her chief challenger in the Democratic Party, Barack Obama (D- IL). Clinton’s people dug up some dirt on Obama, which alleged that he had attended a fundamentalist (radical) Muslim school while living in Indonesia from 1967-1971. Originally reported by Insight Magazine, the article caused a stir in the corridors of Washington. But the article was debunked by CNN, which looked into the report and clarified that Obama had never attended such a school during his time in Indonesia. Insight’s editors stated that they had received the information from someone on Sen. Clinton’s staff. Clinton called the reports “a right-wing hit job.” This claim may or may not be true, but it signifies how intense this election is to become.

Clinton is the front runner in the race thus far, with 50% of potential Democratic voters stating that they view her in a favorable light. Obama is second with just around a 24% favorable rating. Clinton officially declared her candidacy last week, which signifies how important it is to declare candidacy early and the effect that such a statement of intent has on potential voters. Obama has yet to officially declare his candidacy, but it is extremely likely that Obama will officially enter the race at anytime. On the GOP side of the coin, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads Arizona Senator John McCain by a 28% to 20% margin of potential GOP voters. The onslaught has already begun on the GOP side as well, with negative ads connecting McCain to President Bush’s plan to escalate troop numbers.

Riding the president’s “coattails” this election season will not be a favorable action by any potential GOP candidate. Bush’s approval ratings are dismal, as only 38% of Americans believe that Bush is doing a decent job in the White House (out of 1500 voters). With an essential lame duck president who has minimal political capital as your party’s leader, the GOP is in serious contention to cede power to the Democrats on the executive level. The reactionary response by voters during the 2006 midterms signals that if the status quo does not improve under the guise of Bush, the GOP may very well be at a disadvantage from the get go. GOP leaders in the Senate are attempting to resurrect their party’s stature by proposing a resolution disagreeing with Bush’s policy of sending more troops to Iraq. I am sure that will get the point across to the president; just like the opinion of American public.