Remember gravitas?
It was a word thrown about in the 2000 presidential election which, if you had it, then you possessed a weighty grasp of the issues. Opponents claimed George W. Bush had no gravitas and, as it turned out, they were partially correct. Unfortunately for them, vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney -- whatever you think of the man -- oozed gravitas and Bush was able to eke out the election on the strength of electoral votes.
The best word to use for this election cycle is "veracity" defined as a "habitual observance of the truth in speech or statement and conformity to fact.
Notice the word of choice is not "ideology" or "conservative" or "enthusiasm."
Most people are tired of a political class who are elitist and too clever by half in trying to accomplish what they think needs to be done to keep themselves in office. They no longer want officials who define themselves by whether they are progressive or liberal or moderate or conservative. They certainly want no one who is holier than thou.
Veracity is a good word because it implies someone who will approach his job with open eyes and communicate the issues to the public in a straightforward manner. If you're an old guy in a rumpled suit with no particular ambitions beyond the office you're running for, you're probably having a good year.
That's why Democrat Jerry Brown is leading Republican Meg Whitman in polling in the California governor's race. He is the old guy (72) in the rumpled suit who has in the past decade positioned himself as a pragmatist, a far cry from his younger "Gov. Moonbeam" days. Whitman, the former eBay CEO, is the kind of person the electorate is moving away from -- the one who thinks she can buy her way into office because she has millions and is entitled. People doubt her, if not cringe, even if they are on her side politically.
The way things are going this election season, there is no way Brown should be within 20 points of Whitman. He's got tremendous baggage for voters who remember his governorship, he's a Democrat in a GOP year, he's a step too extreme on environmental issues and will be supported by the public employee unions that have nearly flushed a beautiful state down the toilet. But he's leading because, while he may not have gravitas, he has veracity.
My bet is if this November election does become a GOP landslide, Whitman will ride the wave to Sacramento. She might turn out to be a good governor, too, for all I know. She should be leading by a lot more than she is currently.
Three other Republican candidates are struggling in Senate races because of "The V Word."
Also in the Golden State, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina is trailing incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer by a couple of points now. I think if people had one senator they could run out of Washington on a rail, it would be Harry Reid of Nevada, but Boxer would be a very close second choice. Unfortunately, Fiorina is another corporate millionaire who bought her way into the general election and voters really don't know what they will be getting from her. Same with Reid's opponent, the erratic Sharron Angle. In Delaware, Christine O'Donnell is being slammed by Democrats who daily uncover her unusual statements and activities in the past.
I'm not sure if much can be done to change Fiorina's persona, but both Angle and O'Donnell are relatively new to the public eye and, with discipline, can improve their campaigns in the final month. They can eye another Tea Party Patriot, Rand Paul, who is running for Senate in Kentucky, who also had to overcome a truckload of gaffes -- and has and is comfortably leading in the polls. We'll see.
Here's another word for 2010: "sober."
This has nothing to do with staying away from adult beverages, but everything to do with approaching problems in a cool, calm and professional manner. Whitman and Fiorina can do that. People have doubts about whether Angle and O'Donnell can. Like Whitman, Angle should hold a double-digits lead over Reid, who is vastly disliked in his home state. O'Donnell is fresh, having just won, so she has a chance to get on the good side with voters. With independents breaking for Republicans this time, they'll have a chance. They just need to convince voters of their veracity.
