Possible Presidential Candidates 2008 - an Update

I've decided to give a rundown on possible presidential candidates in 2008, as well as talking points about their candidacy. We will start with the Democrats:

Tom Vilsack (already filed papers) - Governer of Iowa - Not a frontrunner but the first to file papers, he may be a promising candidate because Governors are more likely to be elected president, and at the moment he is one of only two Democratic Governors to show interest.

Maurice (Mike) Gravel - (filed papers) - Former Senator of Alaska. Was a senator from 1968-1981. Quite frankly he has no chance, but it will be interesting to see what kind of following he has. Unlikely to get much financing, though and will probably drop out before the second debate.

Evan Bayh - Senator of Indiana - Has all but filed papers annoucing his candidacy. Has the benefit of being an outspoken member of congress but none of the star power of many of the other Democrats in the senate.

Joe Biden - Very popular Democratic senator of Delaware - well liked and progressive, he may be a popular choice for President but he has lost once before in his bid because of cheating on a test back in college - probably not going to be the nominee, which is too bad.

Wesley Clark - Former General - A Progessive General? I plan to throw some support behind Gen. Clark. He is a progressive ex-general (four star), he's been shot... He would be an excellent nominee that no moderate Republicans could argue against. He is pro-choice, pro-union. He does not have much of a chance, but I would not be unhappy if his popularity grows. Currently he is exploring his options. He ran in 2004 and received a decent amount of financial support, but there is little buzz behind him. However, with the current situation in Iraq, he may be our best choice.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - Senators from New York and Illinois respectively. I group them together because they are the most popular of the possible candidates. Each of them would represent the first of something - the first female president or the first black president. Their popularity is not unwarranted, both of them would make excellent presidents (in my opinion), they both have strong liberal values and are charismatic speakers. However, I think in the current climate, neither of them will win. I welcome their victory, but I'd like to see them as Vice Presidential candidates.

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico - Don't know much about him. He is a Governor, which may be a plus in his candidacy, but he is likely not going to be the Democratic pick.

Reverend Al Sharpton - If you don't know who he is by now, I can't help you. He has no chance, but the strength of his positions seems to help rally Democratic voters. So that's something.

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES:

John H. Cox - Suprise, he is a businessman with no political history (other than a few failed attempts at congress). He was the first Republican to file papers, and is seen by many as a joke, although he hosted a program called "Progressive Conservative," a radio talk show.

Michael Charles Smith - From Oregon, he as well has no political history. He, too, has already filed papers but he does not believe he can win. He wants to get enough votes that he can spread the message about Republicans drifting too far to the right. Good luck Michael.

Sam Brownback - Senator from Kansas - Extreme Right conservative, he favors teaching intelligent design and banning all abortion and pornography. He may be too far right, even for the Republicans, to pose any serious challenge.

Rudy Giuliani - ex-Mayor of New York City - His only real accomplishment is being Mayor during 9/11. Otherwise he has not accomplished much of anything, except for trying to ship the homeless out of New York. May be too Liberal for the Republicans.

Duncan Hunter - Representitive of California - Not much of a candidate, he may also be corrupt. He was the Representitive that Slandered John Murtha by putting to the table a bill on the immediate withdrawal from Iraq and then voting against it, claiming it was Murtha's idea.

John McCain - Senator from Arizona - Originally seen as a moderate renegade Republican who would be accepted by both sides of the aisle, he has turned out to be nothing but a conservative suck up who has changed (flip-flopped, as it were) on his more liberal positions into conservative positions, as well as caving on issues he was supposedly against, like the interrogation bill. He may be the Republican presidential candidate, and probably poses the best chance of winning in 2008, but he is no longer the respected moderate he once was.

More Republican Candidates will be coming soon.