How to Win a Presidential Election 

Dear Democratic National Committee,

I know you guys are disappointed with the election results. I know you're going through the 7 stages of grief right now. Judging from the news reports I'm seeing, some of you are further along than others. I understand. We all go through it when our horse loses. I know some of you are already looking to 2008, to see who would make a good candidate. Already, I'm hearing noises of a Hillary run. I know I'm no fan of the Democratic party, but may I make a small suggestion. Don't nominate a Senator to be your party's candidate. It rarely, if ever works. You'd think you of all people would know this by now. Let's look at the history.

2004: Senator John Kerry loses to a former Governor and incumbent President George W. Bush. I know you know this, but I wanted to be complete.
2000: Vice President and former Senator Al Gore loses to Governor George W. Bush. He was never a Governor, and Vice President is a far cry from President.
1996: Senator Bob Dole loses to former Governor and incumbent President Bill Clinton. Really, did anyone think he stood a chance? At least he's made it with those Viagra ads.
1992: Incumbent President George H. W. Bush loses to Governor Bill Clinton. You can't draw anything from this, George Bush Sr. never served in Congress. He was a VP before being President, head of the CIA and the ambassador to the U.N. before that. Though imagine what would have happened if Tsongas, Harkin or Kerrey had won the Democratic nomination?
1988: Governor Michael Dukakis loses to Vice President George H. W. Bush. Once again, nothing useful here. Two executives beating it out. Though Dukakis was a Governor and Bush just a VP... this would make an interesting comparison with the 2000 race if one were so inclined.
1984: Former Vice President and former Senator Walter Mondale loses to incumbent President and former Governor Ronald Reagan. Mondale was both a former VP and a Senator, take from this what you will. Remember... VP ain't President.
1980: Incumbent President and former Governor Jimmy Carter loses to Governor Ronald Reagan. Once again, a battle of Executives.
1976: Incumbent President and former Representative Gerald Ford loses to Governor Jimmy Carter. Ok, Ford was never a Senator, but he did serve in the House. And Ford never won an election on his own (the only President with that distinction).
1972: Senator George McGovern loses to incumbent President Richard Nixon. Straight forward here. Senator loses to a President.
1968: Vice President and former Senator Hubert Humphrey loses to former Vice President and former Representative Richard Nixon. They were a virtual tie. Both used to be in Congress, and both used to be VP's. Draw whatever conclusion you want to here.
1964: Senator Barry Goldwater loses to incumbent President and former Senator Lyndon Johnson. Both used to be Senators, Goldwater was never a Governor.
1960: Senator John Kennedy beats Vice President Nixon.

That's the closest I can come to a Senator beating an executive. I bet that if Nixon had ever been Governor and not just VP, he would have won in 1960. This is where I stopped. Maybe if I keep going back I can find a Senator who actually beat a Governor or a sitting President, but I can't think of one off hand.

So why is this so? Why do Senators have such a hard time getting into the White House? History. Voting history. Successful Senators will have authored and passed bills. They will have voted for bills and against them. They have a record. Sometimes they will vote for something unpopular as part of a compromise. Sometimes they will vote against something because of a minor sticking point that's not widely known, but they can't let through. Governors usually don't have that problem. They've lead their state. They've worked with a legislative body, fought them for certain things, vetoed bills that they just couldn't stand for. They've lead, which is what a President does. They just don't have the same record, and they can point to their real leadership skills as an executive.

So Democratic party... I know that nominating Hillary is going to look awfully tempting in four years. She'll remind people of the Clinton years (though remember, Bill never won a majority). She's been hawkish in the Senate which will play well to national security concerns. But all the Republicans will have to do is pull out a Governor, and you'll be screwed. Now then, if they nominate John McCain... you might have a fighting chance. Personally... if I were you, I'd stack the deck and go find a popular Democratic Governor. It worked in 1992.