While the national news focuses most of its political stories on the November, 2006 Midterm Congressional elections, the real political junkies are looking past that to the ultimate prize: control of the White House after the 2008 presidential election. The pundits have been looking at this race …well, since the last one ended in November, 2004. Washington elite talk shows love to predict who will be poised to win each party’s nomination in ’08. For the Democrats, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Delaware Senator Joe Biden, have all been suggested as possible candidates who are likely to try for the White House. On the Republican side, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, Arizona Senator John McCain, Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York Governor George Pataki are likely to be contenders. While it seems premature to predict who will run for the highest office in the land more than two and a half years in advance, I am willing to go one step further than the pundits and put forth my personal choice for a Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2008. In 2004, the election of Barak Obama as Illinois junior U.S Senator lifted the hopes of many disheartened Democrats. From the night he gave his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, Obama was tagged as the future of the party. Not long after his introduction to the national audience, OC bumper stickers started appearing on cars, and they weren’t to promote Fox Thursday nights. Rather, they stood for the new party picks: Obama and Clinton. The Democrat’s best bet for a VP nominee, however, is a freshmen senator, but not the one you might be thinking of or expect. If the Democrats are serious about winning back the White House in 2008, then Colorado Senator Ken Salazar should hold the number two slot on the ticket. I worked as an intern for Salazar’s successful campaign for Senate in the summer of 2004, and anybody visiting my dorm room will notice a Salazar For Senate poster hanging from my wall, accompanied by a signed photo of Ken and me. But casting away the fog of my bias and personal admiration, Salazar remains a logical choice for the position. Over the previous forty years, the Democrats have been unsuccessful in many White House bids. Since 1969, there have only been two Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. After John Kerry’s stunning loss to George W. Bush in 2004, many Democrats believed that the party would have to adopt moderate views to regain power. Some even suggested that candidates should tone down their stances on cultural issues like abortion and gay marriage. These flip-flops are precisely what have made the party look unprincipled and weak, and would not help them win in future elections. The Democrats’ inability to win in the Heartland has little to do with the policies espoused by the candidates; it is a consequence of their character. Over the last two decades, Democratic politicians have had trouble overcoming their “limousine liberals” image. Too many Democratic national candidates were not viewed by the public as real people who lived next door to them and mowed their lawn every Sunday. Ken Salazar is the antithesis of the “limousine” image. Salazar grew up on a ranch in Southwestern Colorado in a house without televisions and telephones. He and his siblings were the first members of his family to attend college. After deciding to forfeit what could have been a lucrative career in a law firm, Salazar went to work for the governor of Colorado. During his campaign for the Senate, Ken arrived to events in his beat up green pick up truck, an accurate testament to his simple personality. Ken has proven his ability to win elections. During the time he served as attorney general of Colorado, Ken was the only Democratic official who had won a state-wide election. In 2004, Salazar beat his Republican opponent Pete Coors in a state that President Bush easily won. In terms of the Electoral College, Salazar’s presence on the national ticket would help Democrats win with the “go west” strategy currently being offered by some Democratic political consultants. Under this plan, the Democratic nominee in ’08 would concentrate his or her manpower on western states like Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Winning a majority of these states would offset the need for exhaustion of campaign resources in states like Ohio and Florida. Salazar is seen by many as a rising star in the Senate. He gained national acclaim last year for his involvement in the “Gang of 14” talks that drew out a compromise on the filibuster issue. Along with Obama, Harry Reid asked Salazar to give the Democrats’ annual address about the year in the Senate. Ken Salazar may not be a household name, but if the Democrats want to alter their image and win-back elections, making Ken Salazar the face of the party is a good place to start.
