In 1991... I was a 24-year-old registered Republican [View all]

[scheming daemons]

This is a story about the "It" factor.


I grew up in a conservative home, and in 1991 I had just gotten married. After we got back from our honeymoon and were settling into our new apartment as a married couple, I was hooking up the cable TV late one night. At that time, channel 2 on our cable system was CSPAN, and when I hooked it up that was the channel that came on first.

I saw a young Governor from Arkansas giving a speech somewhere cold, probably New Hampshire. And I was mesmerized by what the guy was saying. This guy had "it". I could tell. And I was sold. By November of the following year, I had changed my voter registration to Democratic and voted for Bill Clinton.


I didn't see "it" in another politician again until the 2004 Democratic convention in which a young Senate candidate from Illinois was giving a keynote speech. The guy had "it" and you knew he was destined for the White House. When he announced his candidacy in early 2007, even though he was going up against the formidable Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, I knew he was going to prevail.


This time around, there are two candidates who have "it". Beto O'Rourke and Kamala Harris. While many of the other candidates are sound on policy, and are great people... they don't have "it".


You know it when you see it. Bernie has hit his ceiling of supporters, and it will get nothing but smaller going forward. Biden is formidable, but his time has passed I think. Klobuchar and Warren and Booker are all fantastic and would make fine Presidents.

But they don't have "it".


Beto O'Rourke or Kamala Harris is going to be our next President.