By Mike Naughton
With the Democratic National Convention coming to Boston in July, a Massachusetts senator running for president and the presidential election only a year away, politics are becoming the talk of Beantown.
The race is on for the White House, and former Massachusetts Governor, 1988 Democratic Presidential Nominee and Northeastern political science professor Michael Dukakis knows exactly how the nominees are gearing up for the election.
Dukakis has had years of experience in politics, having started his term in the Massachusetts legislature in 1962. Dukakis later went on to be a three term governor of Massachusetts and then, in 1988, made a bid for the presidency as the Democratic candidate but lost to George H. W. Bush.
The competition for the 2004 Democratic nomination includes over 50 members of the Democratic Party, from Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, to former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, to Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman. Of all these contenders, Dukakis said Kerry, his former lieutenant governor, is one of the favorites for the democratic nomination.
“[Kerry] is one of those top few candidates,” said Dukakis. “If there was a top three, Kerry would be one of the three.”
Dukakis said despite competition from Dean for the Democratic Nomination, Kerry would have the best chance at beating the incumbent, George W. Bush, in the 2004 election.
“Dean has put together a good campaign,” Dukakis said. “Although, [Kerry] knows about such things as foreign policy and national security, and he is a tough guy — while he was being shot at along the Mekong River, these other guys were AWOL.”
Another contender for the nomination is General Wesley Clark, but Dukakis said Clark entered the race too late to become a real threat.
“I do not think Clark is going to get the nomination,” Dukakis said. “Though, I hope he is going to become more involved in the [Democratic] Party.”
Dukakis warned that campaigning for the presidency is a long and tiresome task that should not be rushed.
“[Campaigning] is a marathon not a short sprint,” Dukakis said. “Campaigning requires a high degree of physical stamina because you are out for months and months at a time always having to look fresh.”
Director of University Communications and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier worked as an aide to Dukakis during his campaign, learned how tiresome campaigning is, but also many valuable skills along the way.
“I would finish classes by the afternoon and then run to set-up an event in advance for the governor after classes,” said Klotzbier. “I developed a skill set that I have used ever since. Communicating, organizing, handling a crisis and listening better to other sides are all things I learned from being involved in politics.”
Some Northeastern students said the Democratic nominee is going to be victorious in 2004 regardless of who it is. Freshman business major Josh Rose said the country is ready for a new president.
“I think the Democratic nominee is going to win in 2004,” said Rose. “People are just sick of Bush because he lied about Iraq and people are not going to want to deal with him for four more years.”
For the nominee who is elected to face President Bush in the 2004 election, Dukakis offered his advice.
“Whoever the nominee is [they] will have to deal with a well financed attack by the Bush campaign right up front, [the nominee] has got to be ready.”
