Defining The Democratic Field

By CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

Now we can get down to the major task at hand for each of the 10 announced (or near-announced) candidates. They don't have long to begin shaping the messages they'll present their party.

In less than two weeks, Democrats in Nevada, an important early caucus state, will gather to watch a candidate forum featuring at least seven of the candidates vying for their support, including two heavyweights: Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. Barack Obama, who is expected to formally kick off his campaign this weekend, has not yet said whether he'll attend but even if he opts out, two out of three isn't bad.

How each of these candidates sells themselves to the party will eventually become a big part of how the entire country thinks of them. All 10 candidates began that process last week in Washington when they each addressed party activists at the Democratic Nation Committee's winter meeting.

Aside from the nuanced differences in their opposition to the Iraq war and the celebrity factors that Clinton, Obama and Edwards bring to the equation, the performances were interesting for how they packaged themselves. Each of the 10 had a different label, emphasized different characteristics and tried to convey the sense that they had a unique place in the race.

So, how are all these folks positioning themselves for the campaign? Culled from each of the 10 DNC speeches, here is how the early marketing of the 2008 Democratic field is shaping up:

The Rock: Sure, Clinton has the best shot ever to become the first woman president. She's universally recognized, has gone through scandals and two terms as first lady. Everyone knows that, so why not take advantage of it?

Her message to Democrats can be summed up in this line from her speech: "I believe that I can, with my lifetime of experience and qualifications, make it possible for us once again to believe in ourselves because we can actually see results."

Anyone can talk a good game, she is saying, but I alone can deliver. She can win elections and she knows how to get things done. And to stress just how much she can accomplish, Clinton rattled off a litany of policy areas — war, jobs, education, energy policy, health care, global warming and the genocide in Darfur.

And to drive the point home, Clinton used her much-maligned performance pushing health care reforms in the early '90s.

"I learned a lot about what we need to get it done," she said. "It's a big difference between calling for it, impassioned speeches about it, presenting legislation that embodies your hopes and dreams, and another thing to put together the coalitions to actually make it happen."

Not the most spine-tingling sell, but serious and steady.

The Dreamer: Everyone loves a dreamer and when that person also happens to achieve near-rock star status it seems magical. Barack Obama has captured the nation's imaginations by appealing to our better natures and providing the promise of healing our most longstanding and bitter wounds.

In a speech filled with pleas for civility and unity, two lines jump out. Obama addressed a common election-year complaint of the electorate by saying "we don't want another election where voters are simply holding their noses and feel like they're choosing the lesser of two evils." And more importantly, he sold the notion of hope over experience. "We've had a lot of plans, Democrats. What we've had is a shortage of hope. And over the next year, over the next two years, that will be my call to you."

Obama's heritage, his life story and his shortage of a record on the national stage make this sell all the more appealing. He's a vessel for what Americans claim to want from politics: civility, optimism and positive campaigns. He challenged Democrats to ignore the inevitable media circus, to resist the urge to constantly bash the opposition and have a serious debate on the issues.

How well this packaging will hold up in the heat of the campaign is a big question mark. Everyone complains about the negative tone of campaigns, about the ads bashing this candidate or that. But would anyone use those tactics if they didn't work? Still, if there's any leader in politics today with the charisma to pull it off, it just may be Obama.

The People's Choice: Other candidates may have an eye on the broader electorate, but John Edwards left little doubt who his message is aimed at — the Democratic Party. "We cannot walk away from our people. We cannot walk away from the heart and soul of what the Democratic Party is and should be."

Experience and dreams are fine, Edwards implied, but our party's core values — and constituencies — are what's important. "We are here today because somewhere in America a housekeeper who works in a hotel is walking the picket line in front of that hotel with her union brothers and sisters to try to get decent health care, decent benefits, to try to have a better life, to be able to send her child to college so that her child can have a better life than she's been able to have."

Populism is historically an easy sell within the Democratic Party and of all the candidates, only Edwards emphasized labor unions. Clinton touched on the "bargain" between government and the people but Edwards hammered the point home, throwing out red meat to a crowd that received it with wild applause.

It's a message that hasn't been a winning formula in national elections of late but one which leaves Edwards in a strong position to win the nomination — especially if doubts creep in about the nation's willingness to elect a woman or a minority in 2008.
The Guv'nor: "We need a Democratic nominee who's brokered international agreements, understands the Middle East, has fought global warming. A nominee who has served as a governor, balanced budgets, created jobs, covered health care and turned an economy around." That pretty much sums up Bill Richardson's pitch.

In a speech that careened from creating jobs in New Mexico to negotiating cease-fires in conflicts halfway around the world, Richardson laid out the broadest resume of any of the candidates. He didn't break out the Spanish, but he's the most serious Hispanic ever to seek the presidency — an important factor not lost on political activists.

No sitting senator has won the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1960 — another historical fact fresh in the minds of Democrats from 2004. Four of our last five presidents came to Washington straight from governor mansions and there are only two Democrats in the current field with that on their resume. And only Richardson has been an ambassador to the U.N. and a Cabinet Secretary to boot.

That's why Richardson urged his party to "stay loose" and "watch us on the trail." He thinks it's a pretty good sale and, historically, he's right.

The Joker: Joe Biden isn't a joker because of his habit of making embarrassing gaffes but because he's a wild card of sorts in the race. While other candidates are busy putting together their health care and energy proposals, Biden has one over-riding concern: the war in Iraq. It just so happens, that's also the over-riding concern for the entire nation right now.

And Biden certainly wanted to emphasize that he, as a powerful Senate chairman, has the knowledge, intellect and courage to do something about it.

"Folks, we must stop this war," he said. "And in order to do that, we have to stop the sectarian cycle of revenge in Iraq. And to do that, it's basic. We need a plan. And that plan must first and foremost be to separate the combatants and give them a political way forward. I have a plan to do just that."

Biden has a lot of hurdles to overcome in order to get the nomination. He will almost certainly be heavily out-gunned in most every important way — from money to staff to support. But he does bring credibility on foreign affairs issues and that will help him at least stay in the mix.

The Longshot: All Chris Dodd is saying, is "give me a chance." Like Biden, Dodd has had a lengthy Senate career that gives him some policy heft. Like Edwards, he wanted Democrats to know he would be a champion of Democratic values.

"Bipartisanship to me does not mean getting Democrats to agree with Republican principles, it means getting Republicans to agree with Democratic principles," he shouted.

Dodd also wanted to let his party know he's less than happy these days. "The American people are tired and fed up with the deceptions and the incompetence of the Bush-Cheney administration. And they're tired and fed up with the Bush-Cheney administration who, in a 6,000-word State of the Union address, couldn't bring itself to mention the words 'Katrina' or 'New Orleans.'"

At another point, Dodd said, "in 2008, the American people are going to have to answer for the election-defrauding, wiretapping, Abu Ghraib-ing, debt exploding, Exxon-loving, 'Brownie, you've done a hell of a job' crowd." Dodd touched on the war and a handful of other issues but mostly was just "tired and fed up." How that wins elections went unexplained.

The Outsider: The former governor of Iowa wants us to know that he's an orphan — literally. "I'm Tom Vilsack," he began. "That's a name that my adopted parents gave to me. I didn't know my birth mother and I didn't know my birth father. The fact is I know very little about the circumstances of my birth, other than that I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

And he's an outsider. "I said I was born an outsider, and I am. But I think that's a good thing if you want to affect change. As an insider, it's difficult to effect change. Staying the course is a bit easier."

As the other candidate in this field with executive experience, Vilsack can't be dismissed just because he's a relative unknown. But he's from Iowa and all signs are that other candidates aren't going to ignore this crucial state in deference to a favorite son. If he doesn't win there, it's hard to see him getting off the ground. Then again, he's from Iowa, a state that also happens to be an important target in the general election.

It's not unthinkable that the next time Vilsack runs for president, he'll have dropped the "outsider" mantra. Vice presidents are anything but that.

The General: He's not an announced candidate yet but the DNC invited Wesley Clark because he's expected to get in. Have you heard that he's a retired general? "I'm Wes Clark. I'm a soldier, and I'm fighting for our country."

In case you forgot, Clark reminded the crowd, "I know all the units. I know many of the commanders, a lot of them worked for me. And sometimes I recognize a name or a face. But every time there is a casualty, I feel that pain personally." And, "I'm a veteran, and I'm proud of it. ... I fought in Vietnam. I know what it is to plan and prepare for a war. I know how difficult it is to accomplish peace once the shooting stops."

Clark looks to be reviving a campaign that had a brief burst of energy in 2004. So far in 2007, however, it appears the party isn't looking for a general.

The Peacenik: Dennis Kucinich could become the first Vegan president in history. He would also be the first to establish a "Cabinet-level Department of Peace and Nonviolence." And he says he can win. "I can win because, of all the candidates for president, I not only voted against the authorization for the war, but I have consistently voted against funding the war." Oh, and his wife's name is Elizabeth. She's an addition from Kucinich's 2004 presidential bid, but everything else is pretty much the same, including his chances.

The Mystery: Don't feel bad if you start channeling Adm. James Stockdale and asking "Who is Mike Gravel and why is he here?" Stockdale didn't have much success in answering his question and neither have we. His message seemed to be summed up with this: "Our leaders are promoting delusional thinking when boasting that the United States and Americans are superior to the rest of the human race. We are no better than anybody else, and no worse." Not quite the "shining city on a hill" imagery that's worked for so many successful politicians.

Gravel, a former senator from Alaska, also wants to give all citizens the power to legislate through something he calls the national initiative. Hey, we could vote via text-messaging. Then again, that's how we get American Idols.
By Vaughn Ververs