After a pretty reasonable blog post on Vilsack’s exit from the race, Yepsen’s column today on the same subject is back to his classic form.
Geraldine points out some problems with it over at Iowa Progress, and I’ve got a little more:
Why didn’t he take off? The answer may be that in 2008, voters are not be looking for the skills in domestic policy a governor brings to a presidential campaign. It’s the first election since 9/11 in which the country must select a new president, and Americans seem to be be looking for a president with experience in national security or on a broader world stage – not a state capitol.
So Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani has a lot of national security experience? Other than standing on some rubble on 9/11, the guy has no more (and probably much less) experience than any Governor. And Yepsen can dismiss Mitt Romney, but most Republicans consider him to be a serious contender.
While Bill Richardson is not in the top tier of Presidential candidates (yet), it’s not like the combined fourteen years total of the three frontrunners shows some dominant foreign policy experience. Joe Biden and Wesley Clark aren’t getting any traction, and they (along with Richardson) are indisputably the most knowledgeable about foreign affairs.
Beyond that, when have partisans ever favored nominating Governors? Since 1960, partisan nominations have been won by five Senators (Kennedy, Goldwater, McGovern, Dole, Kerry) and five Governors (Carter, Reagan, Dukakis, Clinton, Bush). We’ve also seen six elected Presidents renominated, six Vice Presidents nominated, and both unelected Presidents nominated. Of those VPs and unelected Presidents, five were Senators and none were Governors.
So basically Yepsen is talking out of his ass. And with an ass that big, you gotta think that ain’t easy.
2 Comments
When is Yepsen reasonable?
On the blog, on TV – y’know, the places where his column and opinion isn’t justified in either the rising or the (far more prevalent) falling sales of the newspaper. Hence his assertions in print on both anti-war support and what you note above, Drew. While I dislike his work everywhere, I find him less provocative on IPTV or online.
Yepsen’s a big twerp who tempts me to chew his ass and kick his shins when I see him downtown. But he’s simply being the “dean” of a fraternity that has a haphazard intersection with fact and mendacity nationally. He’s the symptom, not the cause.
idiosynchronic Wed 28 Feb 10:35 AM
Good point
Daily Kos actually had a take down of his comments on Vilsack’s war position.
drew-miller Wed 28 Feb 11:42 AM