Richard Andrew 'Dick' Gephardt
(Project Vote Smart)
Qualifications: Yep. Thirteen terms in the US House, and before that six years on the St. Louis city council. Led the Democrats for ten years or so (led them where is a separate question). He knows his way around town, and has a large organization to draw from (it's called the Democratic Party).
Strengths: Experience, obviously, and beyond that, he's a good Union man. He's the most consistently pro-labour Democrat � not candidate, Democrat � on the national stage. OK, maybe Kennedy. Other than that, he is personable, knowledgeable and competent. And he's evidently a big Cardinals fan. Not a phony, photo-op fan, but a genuine, box-score, plan-the-campaign-trip-to-coincide-with-road-games fan. Oh, is that not a strength?
Weaknesses: Well, there's the eyebrows. And he's dull as dirt. Also, he's been in politics long enough to have changed his mind about, well, almost everything except labour, and he's changed his mind several times about many things. That may make him unprincipled and opportunistic, or realistic and flexible. As well, he's missed 242 votes in 2003; the only other Representative with more than 100 is Henry Hyde with 106. To be fair, in 2002 he missed only 34 (out of 484), and the year before only 44, but now that he's no longer Leader, and is running for President, he appears to have let his duties slide. Finally, let's not forget that he (with ample help) lost the House.
Priorities: Did I mention Labour? That means everything from opposing free-trade agreements to making decent NLRB appointments, from an international minimum wage to protecting teachers' jobs. Rep. Gephardt is also now on about energy independence, health care, and gun control, as well as (further down the list) supporting affirmative-action, Zionism, and the Rams.
Coalitions : First, anybody who can be elected Leader in either house is good at building coalitions. His ... nimbleness? ... with policy questions has kept him in the middle of legislative negotiations for years. Rep. Gephardt has pissed a lot of people off over the years, but has been able to continue working with them afterwards. He's got the stuff.
Legislative: Let's just take this one for granted.
Executive: Much more of a question. As a Representative, not only has Gephardt never had to make appointments, he's never had to confirm them. As a result, we don't know what his priorities are. Still, he's got a lot of friends, and I would think he'll have a tremendous pool to pick from and have a comparatively easy time getting them through. As for running the whole branch, the only thing to compare it to is his ability to run the House Democrats, which was a harder job (I think) and he did middling well. For a legislator who has never held executive office, I think he's in good shape.
Judicial: This is pretty blank. Again, he's never had to confirm or appoint a judge. He's not currently on the Judiciary committee. Your guess is as good as mine.
Crisis: Honestly, I don't trust Rep. Gephardt's instincts. His reasoned thought, I trust, and his loyalties, but his initial reactions may not be ideal. That would be bad in a fast-moving crisis. On the other hand, in something sustained (a war, or a natural disaster, or a deteriorating world situation, he'd be good at seeing the important things, and focusing on those.
Day-to-day: Rep. Gephardt is a hard worker. He'll do the little things that should get done, and he'll pick friends to give other things to. He'll run a tight ship.
Leadership: Gephardt was out in front in 1990 and 1991 attacking George H.W. "Poppy" Bush (although he supported the war). He was instrumental in forcing Poppy to accept tax hikes that, ultimately, helped get him out of office (and perhaps get Newt in the Speaker's Chair). On the other hand, he's an uninspiring speaker, he has in the past appeared to cave in to the pressure of popularity, and he sometimes appears to be better at attacking than innovating. He was, for a while, one of the most powerful people in the country, but can you name three things he did with that power?