Did You Read My Résumé
The second-tier Democratic presidential wannabes look darn good on paper, but that hasn't helped them so far
But for others, like Democratic consultant Bill Carrick of California, hope springs eternal for the long shots. Says Carrick, "Nobody knows what will happen in February; 1988 is the last time we had a concentration of primaries like this." And the result? Jesse Jackson and Al Gore each won five states, Richard Gephardt only one, and the eventual Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, a Northeastern liberal, won three, including Florida. "I just don't believe February 5 is going to be a one-day sale, and that will be it," says Carrick.
Gimmicks. It's not that the résumé candidates haven't already tried a few gimmicks. Dodd announced his candidacy on Don Imus's televised radio program before it was canceled. In Iowa and New Hampshire, Richardson has aired off-beat ads in which he submits to a job interview by a sandwich-chomping boss who tells the candidate he's overqualified. As for Biden, he got most of his attention for a gaffe: He apologized after referring to Obama, the only African-American running for the nomination, as "articulate and bright and clean." The misstep brought back memories of Biden's withdrawal from the 1988 race after it was reported he plagiarized parts of speeches.
Richardson's campaign has recently shown signs of life. Surveys show his support breaking into double digits in Iowa and New Hampshire. "We're now in a tier by ourselves," his campaign manager David Contarino said last week. But Biden and Dodd continue to limp along, barely registering as a blip on voters' radar. In states that will have early contests, surveys show Biden with strongest support at only 4 percent in South Carolina, and Dodd registering little or "no measurable support" in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
For Dodd, 63, and Biden, 64, this is most likely their last try for the White House. Though presidential candidates never admit positioning for other jobs, Richardson could emerge as a strong contender for vice president, Carrick says. "He's got a great résumé; he's from a swing state and a swing region," he said. "He would look awfully attractive."
But for Richardson, whose 2005 book, Between Worlds, recounts his journey from a boyhood in Mexico to his days with the Clinton administration and beyond, his aim is the presidency. And Biden and Dodd are counting on their campaigning in early primary states to lift them up to something more than a well-qualified asterisk. They have more than seven months before the first vote is cast. And these three still believe anything's possible.
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