In this season of announcing presidential campaign intentions, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., had to make his decision.
Last week Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina received mostly fawning attention from the mainstream press about his candidacy for the nation’s top office. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had already signaled their intentions to seek the Democratic nomination. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt followed with his own announcement, seemingly tired of the arrows he’s taken after Democratic losses in congressional races last year.
Al Sharpton is going to run, as will Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
So Daschle looked at his potential opposition, and what do you think he saw?
In Edwards, he saw the media excited about his “fresh face,” his supposed moderate views, his politically crucial Southern roots, and his trial lawyer cash cows;
Kerry has his own (well, his wife’s really) significant cash resources, plus he can shop his experience as a Vietnam War vet, a la Sen. John McCain;
Dean, another “fresh face,” and a physician who can legitimately portray himself as a Washington outsider in this race. If he’s smart, he’ll take a cue from Dr. Bill Frist and go save somebody‘s life — instant heroism;
Gephardt, and his immense power base with labor unions;
Sharpton, the favorite for a large percentage of minority voters, which will make it more difficult to know who will emerge from the Democratic primaries;
and Lieberman, who has cornered the market on moderates and is the most likely candidate to win swing votes.
Compared to these characters, what did Daschle have to offer? A whiny (conservatives get all the press!), ultra-liberal, uncharismatic, class warfare tactician who hails from a pipsqueak state that is virtually meaningless in presidential elections. On top of that, he is the face of a Democratic Party that was a big-time loser in the last election.
And if he did win the Democratic nomination, he would have to face the popular powerhouse that is President Bush.
His hometown newspaper, the Aberdeen American-News, reported that the senator considered the possibility that a Daschle presidency would bring unprecedented attention to his state. “For South Dakotans,” wrote American-News reporter Scott Waltman, “a strong presence in the Senate may be better than an outside shot at having a president from their home state.”
Looking at the field, recent events, and prospects for success, Daschle made the only decision he could make – skip it.
Chesser is assistant editor of Carolina Journal.