Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Stannard, a former lobbyist, who is still an author and musician. This piece first appeared in the Bennington Banner.
[T]oday there are no fewer than 11 people running for president. By the end of July that number could increase to 22; seven Democrats and 15 Republicans (16 if Trump gets in). Some know that they don’t stand a prayer of ever being elected, so why do they bother?
Recently, Martin O’Malley announced he was running in the Democratic Primary against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. A few days before that, Bernie announced in Burlington to a crowd of over 5,000 people. O’Malley drew a handful of people; many of whom were protesters. If crowd enthusiasm is any indicator, then Bernie will be our next president. Sadly, it’s not.
So why do they do it? Why put yourself, and your family, through the grind of a presidential election if you know going in that you won’t win? First of all, they all think they can, and will, win. Of those underdogs in the race, Bernie Sanders may very well be the only one who could pull off an upset in either primary. Why? His message has not changed in 30 years and neither has his passion. Can you tell us where Lincoln Chafee is on any given issue? What about Rick Santorum or George Pataki? Where are they on Wall Street corruption?
Perhaps what sets Bernie apart from the ever increasingly large pack is that his core beliefs have never wavered.
Other than Rick Perry is there anyone in America who is thrilled at the idea of Rick Perry running for president? Will he draw Jeb Bush (who has yet to announce, because as an unannounced candidate he can legally create a huge war chest through his super PAC) further to the right?
Can we count on one hand how many votes Donald Trump (and his hair) would get in his primary? Why would an incredibly rich man like him bother to run for president (again) when he knows he’ll not win? It’s probably the same reason he ran last time or why Newt Gingrich ran; to remain relevant.
In 2012 Gingrich won South Carolina and Georgia. He pulled out of the race $4 million in debt, even though Sheldon Adelson gave him $20 million. No sooner was Newt out of the race that he found himself in the spotlight as a talking head on Fox News and “Meet the Press.”
It’s no secret that Donald Trump’s TV show ratings were on the wane, so what better way to bump them up than to run for president? Running for president puts you in the news and practically guarantees you a spot on some cable TV news show. Apparently we’re interested in hearing what losers have to say about the state of politics in America.
Of course, you have to say that you believe you can win or else you’d run the risk of being viewed as an opportunist. The only candidate, thus far, who appears to be bucking this trend of running simply to remain relevant is Bernie Sanders. He does not appear to be looking for an ambassadorship or some other position in government. He’s not changed his position(s) in an attempt to be all things to all people. His hair can’t compete with The Donald’s.
Perhaps what sets Bernie apart from the ever increasingly large pack is that his core beliefs have never wavered. Can that be said for Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton? Is America ready to elect a president who doesn’t have perfect hair and is a little grumpy, but will tell it to you straight or are we too terrified to do so? Can we break our mold of electing canned candidates with gobs of money and get behind someone who is sincere in his/her beliefs and just wants to do the right thing?
That’s what it’ll come down to. Now would be a good time to get registered to vote, don’t you think?
