Third, think female, at least this time around. America is finally ready to elect a female president.  The voting public is not as hung up about women as most pundits would have us think.  Long gone are the days when Geraldine Ferraro went out for a trial run, the days when people seriously debated whether a woman was up to the job.  Geena Davis as Commander-In-Chief may not have won the prime time ratings, but she certainly was a contender.  If America is ready for a prime time Ms. Commander-In-Chief the indicators are there and they will certainly handle a real live Ms. President.   Right now, Condi Rice and Hillary Clinton are the two most exciting women out there.  Hillary has not yet declared.  She will not run unless she is certain that she will win and until the Republican party declares their candidates a crucial factor in her calculus is missing.   Rice has said she will not run.  But if the current secretary of state does decide to enter the presidential race she will follow a classic tradition set in the 18^th and 19^th centuries by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan when the position of secretary of state was a classic stepping stone to the presidency.  

 

Fourth, look for national notoriety aka name recognition. Most Americans will not recognize the names of most candidates until just before the election, just ask Jay Leno and listen to the people he talks to on his “Jay Walking” segment.   A candidate whose name is known has an advantage, at least until the primary.  After primaries everyone’s name is known and the court advantage becomes level.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, were it not for that nagging law about being born in the USA, would be a sure shoe-in candidate just as his in-laws have always been.

 

Fifth, check out a candidate’s ability to make money. Money is a plus, there is no way around it.  Money is the solution to almost every aspiring politician’s problems and the presidency is no exception.  Money is what turned Ross Perot from a small man with way out ideas into a serious presidential candidate.  It can be the candidate’s money, or the candidate’s spouse’s money or it can be a war chest filled with hard won campaign money.  It thrusts a person front and center and destroys other candidates along the way. 

 

 

Issues?  Did I forget to mention issues?  No.  I didn’t forget. Right now, the field is wide open.  America’s collective attention is turned to the  World Cup and to Brad and Angelina’s progeny and to Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.  November 4, 2008 will come – sooner for some, later for others.  And when that day arrives, attention will be riveted on the final candidates.  That’s the American way.