KEY WORD Most certainly the one word which is going to control so much of the current presidential election in which we are currently becoming involved. The actual "forthcoming" voting event is set for well in toward the end of 2008.
The key word, it seem, is going to be: "elect-ability."
That seems to be the critical term in use at the moment. One's ability to get a majority to favor their views. It tells us it may be more important to affect a "landing" in the political area as a prelude to the actual campaign or the office at stake. It is being given attention at two levels: conventions where party people make the nomination and name a candidate they can be assured will prove to be best at pulling votes to their party's banner. Only after that choice is made do the actual voting citizens - usually just a bit over one-half of our eligible voter population - will take part in the choice to be made.
This question of just who can be nominated with real confidence in their ability to garner in majority votes in the national election.
Imagine yourself to be a V.I.P. in the coming Democratic Party convention. You realize, by this time, that it is no longer a monolithic organization but that you may well be- as are the others - a member of a group - even a minority segment. within what you may think of as being a firm entity with immutable guidelines.
Take, for instance, tonight's poll favorites. There's Hillary Clinton - Senator, New Yorker- with undertones of Chicago and Ozark elements, perhaps, and she is very much a former First Lady with an ex-President as sidekick and manager. Is the Democratic Convention ready to name a woman as their main candidate? You have watched her moving gradually to the political center and admired her skill in doing so, but will the public buy such a modification? It is important to remember, too, that the name used f now is "Hillary", but the ballot will hit them with the cold word "Clinton."
The others, quickly and then I'm going out and sit on my limb. Barack Obama - Senator, capable, eager,a good speaker, a people person and, obviously one we will,hear from in the future. The fact that is black does not disturb me, but I a not at all sure of the attitude of the nominating panel nor of that of the voters. I don't think they are quite ready to accept an Afro-American in the nation's top office.
I think we can skip the others...with one exception. That brings me to my very own, personal opinion: If the nominating group has courage enough to name him and commonsense enough to support Senator John Edwards (D) of South Carolina when he names Senator Joe Lieberman (I)of Connecticut as his Vice-Presidential running mate..their problems are on their way o being solved, at at least, lessened in severity.
Andrew McCaskey Sr. amccsr@comcast.net 2-1-07 [c513wds]
