The spring and summer so far of the too-early presidential campaign has been the silly season, with the candidates doing their best to raise money, appear pretty and try to be liked by party faithful.
But now there's some evidence that the candidates have recognized that it's time to get serious. That it's time to move away from soft generalities and toward hard specifics.
So, as a public service, here are some things the candidates should be saying in order to make sense to us voters who will be picking them in the primaries of the upcoming winter.
1. While there's a lot of lip-service about leaving Iraq, the actual goal is to disengage from combat and turn the heavy duty work over to the Iraqis themselves. The trouble with leaving is that not only is genocide likely to follow, but we still have Syria and Iran to contend with and overall Middle Eastern terrorism issues. Opposition to the war morphed from complaints about President Bush's WMD rationale into a full fledged demand to leave, which was originally only wanted by a small portion of anti-war activists. Others who've glommed on to the withdrawal theme have done so without thinking about the surrounding issues. So pull away if you must, but there's no reason to pull out. Just the opposite, actually.
2. Avoid major complaints about the economy. Face it, we're doing pretty well. Feel free to decry gas prices and the high cost of housing. Anything else will make a candidate look foolish.
3. The Democrats are making a headlong rush toward national health care. The issue is a winner within the party, no question. Among the population at-large, support is greater than it was when Hillarycare was roundly defeated 15 years ago, but to suggest that government-run health care has majority support would be simply wrong. Congress is treading carefully, and that's why.
4. Don't avoid the immigration debate. There is a middle road. Secure the border and support a method for some of the millions to remain in the United States, but without a citizenship inducement. The rule of law is clearly supported by voters in both parties, as is tolerance for individuals who might be impacted.
5. No one has seriously taken up reform for Social Security and Medicare, the twin financial disasters that loom in the future. Get it onto the front burner and make yourself the candidate who will solve real problems.
6. Global warming is like national health care in that it's a bigger issue among Democrats than with independents and Republicans. However, people with both parties believe it deserves serious treatment, not immature ravings.
The candidate who captures the public's fancy, and none have as yet, will be the one who rises above the grimy political fray and positions himself as the one who can solve the various problems we face. We're looking for someone who takes the issues seriously, not who places a damp finger in the air. Someone with the stature to get people from all sides together to get things done. If such a person is out there, he hasn't shown himself yet. But the points above are a good place for such a candidate to start.
