Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee is apparently considering running for President:
Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has announced that he is considering a campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president.
The 62-year old former U.S. Senator and governor said in an interview that he wants to give Democratic voters a choice for president. “The Republicans have lots of choices, I feel that Democratic voters deserve choices too.”
Chafee said the launch of his exploratory committee will be made via videos posted on his website, Chafee2016.com
“Throughout my career, I exercised good judgment on a wide range of high-pressure decisions, decisions that require level-headedness and careful foresight,” said Chafee. “Often these decisions came in the face of political adversity. During the next weeks and months I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts about the future of our great country.”
Tim Murphy makes this observation:
Lincoln Chafee, of the Rhode Island Chafees, won’t be the next president, although he does enter the Democratic primary with strong name recognition among people who use “summer” as a verb. Chafee’s father, great-great grandfather, and great-great uncle all previously served as governor of the state. Lincoln ran for the family seat only after losing his spot in the Senate in 2006 to Sheldon Whitehouse (of the Rhode Island Whitehouses), whose father had roomed with Chafee’s father at some college in New Haven before entering the diplomatic corps (like his father before him).
While Philip Bump notes that, for a guy thinking of running for President, Chafee’s website isn’t anything to write home about:
If you visit Chafee’s website, Chafee2016.com, you’ll notice the prominent placement of an appeal to buy his book right on the main page. You have to scroll down a little bit, sure, but there it is: a plug for “Against the Tide,” coupled with a large, green “Buy the book” button. On every other page of the site, too: two little boxes. One, a stark pitch for donations, the text of which reads simply “Put your trust in Lincoln Chafee to run for President.” And not-too-far underneath it, a book plug, with a picture of the book and the blurb, “Chafee’s insights reveal a deep understanding of American politics as well as uncanny predictions for our world.”
Seems to me — and I’m just one lonely guy, spitballing ideas here — that a real contender for the presidency might put a bit more effort into the “give me money so I can actually win this thing” than the “buy my book.”
Bump also notes that Chafee’s website seems to have only one endorsement from a fellow Democrat, and it’s from Robert Byrd, who has been dead for five years.
Along with people like George Pataki on the Republican side, Chafee seems to be one of those people who is apparently thinking of running for President largely because he can’t think of anything better to do for the next year or so.
