“Most Dangerous Candidate”…In a Good Way!
Blogger Ed Morrissey opines in the Examiner.com that Bill Richardson should be 08’s most dangerous candidate as far as the Republicans are concerned:
The Democrats have no one else with a resume to match Richardson, with the possible (and extreme) exception of former Vice President Al Gore. The Democrats certainly have no other candidates with Richardson’s experience and his certified centrist appeal.
Neither do the Republicans have anyone in their committed field of candidates who can match this resume, either. And that should worry the GOP, if Richardson gets close.
The Republican front-runners have better track records than their Democratic counterparts, at least for the moment. Between them, Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, and Obama have a total of 14 years of national office and only 21 years of electoral office experience.
By comparison, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been in the Senate for more than 20 years, Rudy Giuliani served as mayor of New York City for eight years and Mitt Romney has one four-year term as governor of Massachussetts.
Between them, these three GOP candidates have a dozen years just in executive experience, which the Democratic front-runners completely lack. McCain and Giuliani have notable biographies of service to the nation, while Romney has the rescue of the Salt Lake City Olympics to his credit.
The GOP has a significant edge in experience at the moment, but it is an edge that will evaporate if Richardson takes the Democratic nomination. Will the Democrats be smart enough to take advantage of it?
P.S. Nuestra Voice blogs on how Richardson could play in California, especially if my home state moves its primary up.
