“The Gonzo option” and other Democratic dead ends

Schweitzer’s rough rollout shows the Democrats’ 2016 bench is weak if Clinton doesn’t run -- except for Joe Biden

JOAN WALSH

There’s so much to like about Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, but his conversation with the National Journal’s Marin Cogan shows he’s probably not the guy to lead the Democratic Party in the 21st century. Comparing Sen. Dianne Feinstein to a prostitute and opining that defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor looks gay shows a man unready for a Democratic primary run in 2016, especially if he’s running against Hillary Clinton.

One big question about 2016 is whether the Democrats look for someone who is the natural heir (or heiress) to the Obama coalition – someone who can consolidate it and maybe even expand it. Or do they look for a new way to put together the electoral puzzle? Do they return to the 1990s and 2000s, when Democrats hoped to regain the allegiance of white working class men, even in the South and non-coastal West? Schweitzer seems a return to that strategy, and not a very promising one.

In case you weren’t paying attention, Cogan’s thoughtful and respectful profile featured Schweitzer reacting to Cantor’s primary defeat this way:

“Don’t hold this against me, but I’m going to blurt it out. How do I say this … men in the South, they are a little effeminate.” When Cogin asked what he meant, he explained, “They just have effeminate mannerisms. If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say—and I’m fine with gay people, that’s all right—but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he’s not, I think, so I don’t know. Again, I couldn’t care less. I’m accepting.”

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http://www.salon.com/2014/06/19/%E2%80%9Cthe_gonzo_option%E2%80%9D_and_other_democratic_dead_ends/