Gut Check: Mark Warner
The Virginia governor is on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" this morning, on display as a possible presidential candidate. I am immediately and unfairly unimpressed. He may have been an effective governor, but he lacks the physical presence, confidence, and pungent personality you instinctively expect in a presidential contender. Here's another eager, ambitious, careful, slightly insubstantial young pol who thinks that looking like a hastily sketched cartoon of Robert Kennedy -- the teeth, the hair -- is qualification enough to audition as the Democratic Party's white knight. And he's the kind of centrist who gives centrists a bad name, making carefully balanced statements that cancel each other out: "We need a strong military, but we also need strong alliances." Duh. Talk about making the commonsensical and obvious sound null and void.
Michael Reynolds at The Mighty Middle, who so often rings the bell on my wish-I'd-said-that meter, has sorta-kinda endorsed Warner. Michael would never tolerate a meal, wine, or cigar as generic and cautious as this wannabe candidate. That's the trouble with partisanship, even vestigial, reluctant partisanship. I want to be completely free to support the strongest candidate (in this case, IMO, McCain or Rice), regardless of party. I will get interested in the Dems again when it's Obama's turn. (I know you hate him, Nappy. I don't know why. He is the kind of centrist who can make the commonsensical and obvious sound fresh and forceful.)
You and David are wearing me down. I just might change my mind on him. I need more information.
Posted by: nappy40 | January 15, 2006 at 12:09 PM
Meanwhile, I'd seriously like to know what's been annoying you so much about him -- because David and I need more information, too. Enthusiasm is as irrational as antipathy and needs to be counterbalanced.
Posted by: amba | January 15, 2006 at 12:13 PM
I really don't know that much about Warner so I withold judgement. But I too will probably not get excited about any Dem candidate until Obama. I've never thought "WOW" about any modern political speech except for his at the '04 Dem Convention.
Posted by: Clint | January 15, 2006 at 04:52 PM
Yeah, I wasn't impressed by Warner, either. What about Edwards? His message from '04 seems so on-target now, especially since Katrina...
Posted by: Matt | January 16, 2006 at 11:52 AM