How to Run For President (drop ..partisanship,... attract disgusted voter)

[Blue_Roses]

How to run for president
Drop bitterness, partisanship and attract the disgusted voter
BY DAVID BROOKS THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY

During the past four decades 49 sitting members of Congress have run for president. All of them lost.
Some of the failed candidates added sparkle to the race (Hubert Humphrey, Scoop Jackson, Mo Udall, Eugene McCarthy, Barry Goldwater). Others seemed, at least at the time, plausible and serious (Ed Muskie, Howard Baker, Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, Birch Bayh). Some exceeded expectations (John Anderson, Eugene McCarthy, John McCain). Others underperformed (Phil Gramm, John Glenn, Alan Cranston). In some cases it’s hard to imagine what they were thinking when they decided to run (Orrin Hatch, Fritz Hollings, Paul Simon, Fred Harris, Phil Crane).

But the point is, they all lost: 49 up, 49 down.

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One might think that this rather compelling historical record would have made some impact. One might think that a major political party would be sure to include lots of non-congressmen in its roster of presidential hopefuls. One might think that those members of Congress who run for president would understand that they are launching an undertaking that is extremely unlikely to succeed, and that they had better do something highly unorthodox to improve their chances.
Wrong on all counts. This year the Democratic establishment is offering up as candidates at least seven current or former members of Congress: John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun. And, true to form, this field is generating about as much excitement as Dole, Cranston, Hatch, Joe Biden, Richard Lugar, Walter Mondale and Tom Harkin did in campaigns past. The only candidate sparking any passion is the one nonmember of Congress in the race: Howard Dean, of Vermont.

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So let me take the seven current candidates from Congress aside and offer some advice.
Your basic problem is that during the years you’ve been in Congress, you have been living in Plato’s cave. You have not been responding to reality; you have been responding to a shadow of reality in the form of committee hearings, conversations with lobbyists and townhall meetings. The overwhelming majority of people you have spoken with are heavily invested in politics. Most Americans, including most voting Americans, are not.

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The people you need to woo are not the political junkies—the folks who watch political talk shows and already know who you are. Nor are they the growing numbers of apathetic Americans who are disengaged from public life and don’t even bother to show up at the polls.
The people you need to woo are the anti-political voters. These people are concerned with the state of the nation but cynical; they are interested in politics but disgusted by the way it is currently practiced. They don’t see why there has to be so much conflict, so many scripted attacks, so much wasted energy.
They long for leaders who are not cast in the usual political mold, and who therefore seem capable of changing the tenor of American politics. In past elections, both national and local, these voters have swooned over such unconventional possibilities as Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, Colin Powell and John McCain. And they are ready to swoon over youbut you’ve got to get out of your cave.

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The Democratic Party is in a highly emotional state, which puts it starkly at odds with the detachment of anti-political voters. Most engaged liberals are enraged by the policies and behavior of the Republicans. Many congressional Democrats believe that the people leading the Republican Party do not care about the common good but just want to grab what they can for themselves. They regard leading Republicans as liars, thugs and worse. And they cannot restrain their fury.

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But their fury is exactly the sort of emotion that will repel anti-political voters, who will see it not as righteous indignation but as shrill partisanship. It is too political, too fevered, too contentious. These voters have not been reading and rereading articles about the many Republican outrages, and they may well wonder about the mental stability of Democrats who get themselves so worked up over seemingly so little.

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<http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowStoryTemplate.asp?Path=ArDemocrat/2003/10/12&ID=Ar08300&Section=Editorial>

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Not quite sure what to make of this editorial, but there are some good talking points. Guess this was written before Clark entered the race. Where have I heard David Brooks name before?

[pruner]

1. Brooks was recently added to NY Times' editorial board

n/t

[Dob Bole]

2. Duh.

I think we're seeing this, with Dean and Clark as the frontrunners. Even on DU, Dean and Clark are the most popular, while the rest have one or two supporters.