Now that John Kerry has nearly locked up the Democratic
nomination for president, the real fun is just beginning as he and
President Bush start down the long road of campaigning toward the
Nov. 2 presidential election. Sen. Kerry’s next task is to
select a vice presidential running mate. His selection will be
extremely important in deciding the outcome of the 2004
presidential election. Vice presidential running mates do many of
the same things presidential nominees do ““ they barnstorm,
fundraise, give policy speeches and even have their own debate in
October. So to help Sen. Kerry select a running mate, here are a
few candidates and a look at how they stack up against their
counterpart on the Republican ticket, incumbent Vice President
Richard Cheney.
John Edwards v. Dick Cheney Age is an issue for
both men. Edwards seems to have discovered the fountain of youth as
his boyish good looks make him look more like an inexperienced
college graduate than a 50-year-old senator from North Carolina.
Cheney could use a couple sips from the fountain of youth. He had
three minor heart attacks before he even turned 50, had quadruple
bypass surgery in 1988, and had a pacemaker installed during his
first term as vice president. John Edwards’ smile makes him
look like Mr. Nice Guy Tom Hanks. Not exactly the kind of person
you want standing up to terrorists and dictators. Cheney’s
smile makes him look like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Not
exactly the kind of person you want visiting with foreign leaders
and trying to make nice with foreign countries. In elections,
presidential candidates usually try to stay above the fray while
vice presidents do most of the dirty work of attacking the other
side. Cheney, who has been involved in politics since he graduated
from college, is highly experienced in this role. Edwards, who
based his entire primary campaign around being positive, rarely
uttered a negative comment about the other side.
Richard Gephardt v. Dick Cheney Both men are
career politicians, both of their first names are Richard, and both
are elder statesmen. But the similarities stop there. Gephardt grew
up in working-class America ““ his father was a milk truck
driver. I think he still has an understanding of the working class.
Cheney, however, became chairman and CEO of Halliburton
Corporation, one of the world’s largest oil engineering
companies. His big oil connections have been highly criticized in
the media ““ especially after it was discovered that
Halliburton allegedly overcharged American taxpayers by tens of
millions of dollars for its Iraq reconstruction contract. Gephardt
will connect more with U.S. nerds ““ he received his
bachelor’s of science from Northwestern University and
graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1965.
Cheney preferred a wide variety of letters of the alphabet on his
report card. His poor marks during his first term at Yale in 1959
allegedly led him to leave the university altogether after his
second year because he couldn’t cut it. Gephardt is famous
for his staunch support of organized labor and leadership on the
issue of free trade. This may not be much help because of
Gephardt’s poor showing in the Iowa caucuses early this year,
normally a labor stronghold. Cheney is infamous for his vote
against a House Resolution calling on South Africa’s
apartheid government to release Nelson Mandela from prison in 1986.
This may not be very harmful because he was elected as the House
minority whip two years later.
Janet Napolitano v. Dick Cheney Napolitano, the
governor of Arizona, has an obvious upside in that her presence
could help the Democratic ticket’s ability to connect with 50
percent of the electorate. Downside: She could hurt the Democratic
ticket’s ability to connect with the other 50 percent of the
electorate. She is also very popular in the important swing state
of Arizona and its 10 electoral votes. Cheney is popular in his
home state, too, the great state of Wyoming and all three of its
electoral votes. Additionally, the last (and first) time there was
a female vice presidential running mate (Mondale-Ferraro), that
ticket was destroyed in the 1984 presidential election in a
stunning 49 state defeat. Cheney, on the other hand, is such a
scrappy and rugged running mate that his ticket emerged victorious
in the 2000 presidential election despite having lost the popular
vote. While vice presidents may not have very much power once in
office, choosing the right one as a running mate can be critical
for election year success.
Bitondo is a third-year political science and history
student. E-mail him at mbitondo@media.ucla.edu. Send general
comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.