What Is The NUMBER ONE Characteristic A Dem POTUS Candidate Has To Have

[ruggerson]

To win the general?

I'm not talking about policy positions. We all, hopefully, want someone who will end the war, help working folks get ahead and keep government out of our private lives.

I'm talking about personal characteristics.

My number #1 characteristic is AUTHENTICITY.

I want a candidate who comes across as saying what they truly believe. No hedging, no obfuscating, no lack of conviction.

A straight shooter.

I want someone real.

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. The ability to get 390 electoral votes.

Nothing else matters. The Republic will not survive if we run an ideal candidate who nevertheless fails to win.

[unblock]

9. 270 is enough

but 390 would be great :)

[Connonym]

2. A pulse n/t

[ProudDad]

3. MONEY, money, money and money

lots and lots of money.

Gobs and Gobs of money.

A ga-jillian dollars of money.

and QUICK!!!


That's the only real criteria any more here in capitalist Amerika...


If Lincoln or Jefferson or FDR were running today, they couldn't win...




On Edit: Do you mean what they really need or what you would like them to have?

[TwilightGardener]

4. I agree--authenticity. And would combine that with decency. Because

the Chimperor might have what you call authenticity and conviction, but it sure ain't doing the world any good without kindness and decency.

[femmocrat]

5. The common touch.

Can't be high-falutin'... has to relate to "real" people.

[AshevilleGuy]

18. There you go. The only winner in modern times who didn't have it

was Nixon. But he only won because 1968 was what it was. JFK didn't really have it either but that was a different world. George HW Bush was able to finess it beccause Dukakis was far more deficient.

Others notably lacking this were Gore, Kerry, Dukakis and Adlai Stevenson. Who from our current crop does NOT have it??

[mike_c]

6. frankly, the popularity contest attributes are the LAST ones...

...that I'm interested in. Oh sure, I want to know that the candidate I support has the strength of conviction to follow through on the progressive issues that matter to me, but all in all the issues and the candidates' stances on on them are MUCH more important than personal attributes. We've all seen what happens when the nation elects a guy they'd feel comfortable having a beer with....

[babylonsister]

7. Experience, or if that doesn't fit your criteria, acknowledged intelligence. nt

[Pirate Smile]

8. Good Judgement.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Must denounce all code pink women.

[liberal N proud]

11. I can't narrow it down to one

There are too many factors to look at when choosing your candidate.

My pet republican asked me the other day who my was going to be the Democrat (yes he used Democrat) candidate was. I said, I haven't made up my mind to which he responded that I surely had a single candidate that I wanted to win.
The republicans select their candidates on one characteristic, I can't do that.

[AtomicKitten]

12. authenticity does quicken the blood

The problem is authenticating the authenticity :)

I am also fond of fire in the belly.

[nevergiveup]

13. Empathy

[dogman]

14. That pretty much precludes politicians.

Unless you mean some one who can portray that characteristic. The problem with that is you could end up with Fred Thompson, an actor.

[mtnsnake]

15. Grit

As in tough.

Without grit, our candidate isn't going anywhere. The first time the general public perceives that our candidate isn't tough, it's all over. The other necessary characteristics are important, but if our person doesn't have loads of grit, the other stuff won't mean a thing in the end.

[TygrBright]

16. A sense of humor. And a cast-iron stomach. n/t

[Adelante]

17. Strategic thinker

who is a straight shooter.

[AshevilleGuy]

19. Likability!! Only Nixon won without it.

The 10 or 15% swing voters who decide elections vote as if it were a high school popularity contest. Issues? They have no clue, but they can tell you the latest on Anna Nicole, or their fave soap, or their ball team. They shouldn't vote, but they have been trained to, by well meaning but naive dogooders.

We ignore them at our peril.

Don't believe me? Then think: how do the same voters elect Santorum and Specter? Grassley and Harkin? Santorum and Rendell? It can't be the issues!

[AZBlue]

20. Passion, energy, vitality, personality, and, yes, authenticity.

OK, not that's not just one characteristic, but they are all related. We can't come off as mild or unenthusiastic again.

[pscot]

21. The ability to gets shit done

What the fuck does authenticity mean? The next president is going to be facing war in Iraq, global warming, an energy crisis, an economic melt-down, major house-cleaning at Justice, Interior and Defense, a national security system that's out of control and a military-industrial complex that thinks it runs the country. There is no time for OJT. If we piss away another 4 or 8 years we can kiss our collective ass goodbye. We're on the edge here, folks. We need a real mensch. Somebody who understands the problems and can get right to work.

[JohnLocke]

22. Vision for the future, an optimistic and focused message

[loyalsister]

23. Communication ability

Reagan was able to do it because he could tap it using his acting skills.
Bush is like an actor because he has purposelly reinvented himself as a southerner.

The reason southerners have had such success is that they have an ability to use universal language unlike many other wonkish politicos.
People in the south use language in the most accessible ways because the don't count on their audience being highly educated. They are able to use concrete methaphors to put their ideas in a vivid perspective. Without that grounding it's all a bunch of lofty synonyms for pundits to waste airtime arguing.
Another place you will find this kind of language is in tough neighborhoods.
I think we may find authenticity where you find that ability.
Communication and authenticity are simultaneously lost with distance from the ground.