Isn’t Electability a Better Litmus Test?
Perhaps the most important election of 2007 as far as national Democrats are concerned is the Kentucky gubernatorial. In 2006, thanks in no small part to the work of my client, then-Democratic Governors Association Chair Bill Richardson, Democrats picked up 6 statehouses. Our best chance to build on this momentum is Kentucky, where ethically-challenged Republican governor Ernie Fletcher faces the prospect of a tough primary challenge. Yet some observers believe that the best Democrats aren’t running.
My vote for the best political blog in Kentucky - indeed, one of the best local political blogs in the country - goes to The Bluegrass Report. In today’s post, blog proprietor Mark Nickolas criticizes one of the names being bandied about as a potential candidate, businessman Ron Geary. His offense? Having contributed frequently to Republican federal candidates.
I don’t believe this is the criteria by which we should be evaluating candidates - especially those who come from the world of business. Show me a businessman who contributed to only Democratic candidates since Republicans took over the Congress in ‘94, and I’ll show you a bad businessman. So much of how we took back the Congress this past November was by supporting candidates who may not have passed the old party activist litmus tests. For example, new U.S. Senator Jim Webb served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration.
I want the Democrats to win in Kentucky. Should Ron Geary get in the race, is he the Democrat most likely to win? I don’t know. But the ability to self-fund helps and voters like gubernatorial candidates to have demonstrable leadership skills. I understand that Kentucky party activists are still smarting over the last millionaire who ran for governor, Bruce Lunsford, who got hammered in a spot by his primary challenger and responded by dropping out and endorsing Fletcher. But Geary should be considered on his own merits. And the fact that he has made contributions to Republican candidates doesn’t have much to say about his merits.
January 7th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Thanks for the post. Mark’s blog has turned from Democratic-leaning blog to a Jonathan Miller love fest and pr machine. His posts lately are a lot more about his friendship with Miller than his true political beliefs–take these types of posts with a grain of salt. His blog will get better after the primary, I hope.