Another article that explains why I think John Kerry is not the right candidate for the Democrats this year.

Peter Stein is a member of the Ithaca Town Board and a Professor of physics at Cornell University.

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Why Wesley Clark?

An Ithaca political veteran's views on why Wesley Clark, and not presumptive candidate John Kerry or one-time frontrunner Howard Dean, deserves your vote in the March Democratic primary.
by Peter Stein

14850 Magazine > February 2004 Issue > Why Wesley Clark?
When New York Democrats go to the polls to cast their votes for their party's presidential nominee, they will probably decide in March whether George Bush will win in November. The 2004 presidential election is arguably the most important political race in our nation since the end of World War II.

Party voters in any primary election, whether it be the mayoralty of Ithaca or the presidency of the United states, must balance two questions; which candidate do they prefer, and which candidate is more electable. When the stakes are high and the differences between the parties are very great, the balance must tilt decisively towards electability. Responsible Democratic primary voters must remember that electability depends more on how favorably Republican and independent, rather than Democratic voters will respond to their candidate.

In making their decision, Democratic voters should keep in mind the following facts: In the 13 presidential elections since World War II (excluding the 2000 election, where the actual winner is still a matter of debate),

• The incumbent won six of the nine races in which a president sought a second term.
  
• Democrats who were generally perceived as liberal won 3 presidential elections, and lost 6. Democrats perceived as middle-of-the-road won 4 elections and lost 1.
  
• Democratic candidates from southern states won 4 times and lost once; those from mid-western and eastern states won once and lost 6 times. (The 1948 Truman victory is not included, since Missouri is both southern and mid-western.)
  
• No Democrat ever won the presidency without winning at least 5 southern states.
  
• Polls consistently show that the American people have more confidence in Republicans to manage our national security
  
• Since 1948, the fraction of voters declaring themselves Democratic has declined from about 50% to about 30%. The Republican fraction has stayed constant at about 30%.
  

These historical data portend a grim 2004 race for Democrats. To win, the Democratic candidate will need everything going for him (alas, there are no longer any "her" possibilities this year). The ideal candidate will have southern roots, have strong national security credentials, and will not begenerally perceived as a "standard democratic liberal". He will have to draw votes from outside of the basic Democratic base, and must win back those Democrats who are concerned with the dangers of a post 9/11 world.

Of all the possible candidates, I believe that Wesley Clark comes closest to the ideal Democratic standard-bearer. His weaknesses in the primary become strengths in the general election.

One of those weaknesses for many Democratic voters, particularly in New York, is that he is not perceived as a "standard democratic liberal". Those voters should look beyond perceptions, and examine Clark's beliefs and programs. He strongly supports choice, affirmative action and first amendment freedoms. He has promised that he will restore all of Bush's environmental cuts on his first day of office. He will build strong and lasting world-wide alliances to defeat terrorism. On the domestic front, Clark will ask Congress to eliminate income tax for all families with incomes below $50,000 and compensate by adding a 5% surtax on incomes more than $1,000,000, provide health insurance for all under the age of 21 and expand coverage for poor and middle-income families.

Wesley Clark can win, and by fulfilling his program, will reduce the divisiveness that separates Democrats and Republicans. Americans need a president who, like Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy, can be respected and admired by Americans across the political spectrum. He will make an ideal leader to bring our party and our nation into this new century.