I think charisma (or what passes for it) will be a dirty word by then and Americans of all stripes will want one thing: pure, unequivocal competence and expertise.
Actually, I'm not gonna name this person. I'll list some of his/her recent accomplishments and you decide if he/she fits the bill.
Here goes...
- elected Governor of his/her state in 2004. First Republican Governor in 16 years.
- took over a state with an $800 million deficit and turned it around to a $1.3 billion surplus in 4 short years
- passed the largest tax cut in state history
- cut no essential services, like education
- state government repaid $760 million to local governments that had been financing the state deficits
- hired 800 new child welfare workers and 250 state troopers
- cut the rate of increase of state spending from 5.9 to 2.8 percent annually
- won reelection in 2008 by 18 points (in a state Obama carried)
- margin of victory included 24% of Democrats, 20% of African-Americans, 51% of the youth vote, 57% of independents
- has successfully attracted business investment to the state: two Toyota plants, a Honda plant, a Nestle plant, a BP project
He/she is not slick, but is low-key, witty and self-deprecating. He/she is very friendly and has never run a negative ad.
His/her state is a laboratory of successful conservative governance, utilizing Health Savings Accounts for health care reform, deregulation for telecom, and the biggest privatization in state history to upgrade infrastructure.
Sounds perfect, right?
(And by the way... you'll have to take my word on this, but I was hoping McCain would pick Palin 3 months before he did. I didn't think it would happen as it was so outside the box. Still, she was on my radar. I knew she was a great Governor of Alaska and was the foremost expert on American energy of any Governor. And since there were no Executives on either ticket, an Executive was needed.)
I don't think he/she will run...but I can dream, can't I?
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