Four years ago, I was chomping at the bit to jump into the '04 presidential primaries. I remember watching those early candidate's forums and getting my first glimpse of Edwards, Kerry, Dean, and others. It's no secret that it was Governor Howard Dean who fired me up and that his campaign kept me energized, hopeful, and extremely busy for the rest of that year.
This year, not so much. I'll try to explain why below:
First, there are a number of characteristics I find "exciting" in a candidate, among those are "fire in the belly," honesty, ability to speak clearly with specifics (but wihtout becoming weighted down in minutiae). Courage, demonstrated judgement, and an impressive resume all excite me as well.
I also like originality and spontanaety. Rehearsed and poll-tested talking points bore me and suggest a lack of confidence and conviction on the part of the candidate. Candidates who wither under the slightest criticism or change their opinions when challenged also turn me off.
With so many candidates crowding the '08 Dem field, you would think that one of them could spark my passion, but so far, none has. Richardson's resume is impeccable, as is Clark's, but each of them lacks that fire-in-the-belly that makes me want to go to work for them. Clinton has a too-polished and focus-grouped message for my liking. Obama has the fire and the rhetoric, but his resume is a little thin for me.
and so on....
The truth is, and some of you will hate this, we don't have a Dean in the pack, and that's what I'm looking for. I guess I don't know how to settle for what I consider a lesser alternative. I know he's a once-in-a-generation leader and candidate, but I still have passion and energy to expend trying to elect a Democrate next year. But who?