I've been following Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill since the early days of the Obama presidential campaign, and I think it's fair to say she's a rising political figure within the Democratic Party (check out her statements from the Senate floor today, regarding the disturbing $18 billion Wall Street bonuses, for a glimpse of her sharp political nature). In fact, I think McCaskill as Obama's VP would have been a real possibility, had it not been for the fact that such a pick would have been a sizeable slap in the face to Hillary Clinton; similarly, I think we could have seen McCaskill as an Obama cabinet member, however they likely agreed that McCaskill could server more effectively as a strong ally in the Senate.That takes us (assuming an Obama reelection in 2012) to the 2016 presidential election, where I believe 10-year U.S. Senator McCaskill (assuming her reelection in 2012) will indeed run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Certainly, her centrist political views, midwestern appeal, and compelling rhetorical abilities could all prove to be beneficial in a presidential campaign (not to mention the fact that she's strikingly similar to the first female president of this season's 24; considering the show's prescience with first African-American President David Palmer, this is hardly something to underestimate). Even more interesting would be the possibility that Hillary Clinton could once again take a shot in 2016 (something I think is very possible given her strong political drive, the potential for long lasting Democratic popularity/Republican chaos, and the notion that she was/is "next in line"...of course, she will in fact be turning 69 years old just one week before the 2016 election, so that could prove to be a potential topic of consideration...and, no, Clinton will not be running in 2012, let's just get over that political suicide fantasy right now). Furthermore, it's becoming more and more apparent that Sarah Palin will be throwing her $800 hat in the ring come 2012 (contending for the honor of 'Most Gimmicky Presidential Candidate', a distinction currently bestowed upon Rudolph "9/11" Giuliani), but maybe she'll stick around for 2016 as well, making it an amazingly gender-infused presidential election cycle.
On a related "politicians to keep your eye on" note, I believe Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey is a political star on the rise. The week of Barack Obama's presidential election win last November, Booker could be seen and heard being interviewed by just about every television and print media outlet. He's intelligent, compelling, and politically responsible for arguably one of the toughest cities in the country...and he's glowingly bald! Even more interesting, Booker will be
47 years old in 2016, which is the precise age of...yep, you guessed it...President Barack Obama. As beautiful as that political narrative symmetry may be, I actually think Booker will spend more time gaining political experience in some other political office (possibly eyeing the someday vacated U.S. Senate seat of Frank Lautenberg, or less likely the NJ governship, either of which would prove to be great campaigns to follow), eventually considering organizing a presidential campaign in, say, 2024.Oh, how I enjoy making political prediction several decades into the future!
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A photo of newly inaugurated President and First Lady Obama with musician Jack Johnson and wife Kim Johnson, taken at the Home
