So far, the 2004 presidential race has been pretty mild when it comes to “big” ideas. None of the major Dem candidates are offering bold new policy positions, certainly nothing that could be referred to as “revolutionary.” Probably the closest they’ve come up with are plans for universal health care, but all of the competitive candidates have unveiled their own proposals and each take a relatively incrementalist approach.
I should note, of course, that this is not necessarily bad thing. The populace may not want (or be ready for) a radical new public policy proposal and the Dem candidate may not need one to beat Bush. The regular ol’ policy debates — over health care, education, the environment, the nation’s role in the world, taxes, the deficit, unemployment — still capture much of the public’s attention.
Even Howard Dean, who, for some reason, is viewed by many as a bold candidate with new ideas, is playing it pretty close to center when it comes to policy proposals. There’s nothing particularly ground-breaking in any of his ideas. Maybe repealing all of Bush’s tax cuts would come the closest.
Nevertheless, Wesley Clark’s campaign is hinting that they’re about to unveil something pretty big. I have no idea what it could be.
The New York Times had an item yesterday talking about the lack of “dramatic” policy proposals in recent months. In explaining why he thought that was the case, Clark’s campaign chairman, Eli Segal, said “I think a lot of this has to do with the calendar. It’s very hard to develop substantive ideas to distinguish yourself in the crowd with the rush of early primaries and all these debates. It’s made for commonality of views.”
The same afternoon, Clark’s communications director, Matthew Bennett, called the Times back to say the general would soon break the ice. “Wait one week and we’ll have a big idea coming out,” Bennett said. “I can’t give it out yet, but it’s not quite cooked.”
Hmm. The Washington Post also hinted at something big coming from Clark’s camp in an article today. The Post reported that Clark “plans to continue emphasizing his military résumé and electability but will also introduce on Monday what aides are billing as the biggest domestic policy initiative of his campaign.”
Any guesses as to what it might be? Anyone who emails me with a correct guess will get — absolutely free — their name mentioned on this here blog. Gen. Clark and his campaign staff are ineligible.