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The Character Question
| Article
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20493 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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5 / 1992 |
1,422 Words |
| Author
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Stuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg, a Washington political analyst, is editor
and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report. |
The 1992 Democratic presidential race has been like a roller coaster, with favorites floundering, long shots exceeding expectations, and noncandidates getting more ink than they deserve. Democratic insiders and members of the national media spent months waiting for Gov. Mario Cuomo (D-New York), House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri), Sen. Al Gore (D-Tennessee), or Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) to enter the presidential sweepstakes. All of them stayed on the sidelines, however, in spite of concern about the electability of the announced candidates.
After the first month of primaries and caucuses, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton emerged as the clear front-runner. But while Clinton quickly dispatched Sens. Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Bob Kerrey (Nebraska) from the contest, two Don Quixote-like opponents, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas and former California Gov. Jerry Brown, proved more troublesome.
Although President Bush has stumbled and his reelection is in doubt, the bitter nature of the Democratic struggle and uncertainties about Clinton raise questions about the Democrats' ability to nominate a candidate who can win in November.
At The Starting Line
Clinton entered the race as a party outsider who argued that the Democrats needed to fashion appeals beyond the party's traditional constituent groups. He downplayed issues that motivated core Democratic constituencies (blacks and organized labor, for example) and instead emphasized his commitment to "middle-class values," fiscal responsibility, and a strong defense.
At the other end of the party spectrum was Harkin, an FDR Democrat who spoke about fairness and promised to bring back his own, updated version of the New Deal. Kerrey was the third major player early in the Democratic struggle. Kerry, who lost a leg in Vietnam, had more personal pizzazz than any of the other hopefuls, but he seemed unsure why he was running. Two other announced candidates, Tsongas and Brown, were not seen as serious combatants.
But the early handicapping proved wrong. As the contest approached Super Tuesday, only one of the favorites, Clinton, was still in the race, and both of the Don Quixotes were still charging ahead.
Weeding Out The
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