Jonathan Chait notes Olympia Snowe’s reference to a “vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish” and “unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate” in yesterday’s retirement announcement.
Additionally, he adds, “it may not be coincidental that David Boren, the former Democratic senator from Oklahoma and oil industry lickspittle, came out for Americans Elect today. The group is set up so that its presidential and vice-presidential candidates need to come from opposing parties.”
The problem with this scenario is that, while Boren and Snowe fit the more-or-less centrist profile Americans Elect is looking for, neither of them have the name recognition or stature to be plausible presidential contenders. My guess is that they’ll court former governors and other executives, likely without much Washington baggage. And, if they do go for a former Senator, it’ll be someone like Chuck Hagel, someone with a relatively short tenure in Congress.
The only way they go with something like a Boren-Snowe ticket is if no name brand politician decides it’s worth casting his lot with them. (Which, so far, has indeed been the case.) In which case, it’ll be a complete boondoogle.
