Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Saturday, February 02, 2008

OUR VIEW: Known knowns and known unknowns

By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board

“As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know." — Donald Rumsfeld

Bless Donald Rumsfeld’s soul. We finally think we know what he’s talking about.

The former U.S. Secretary of Defense’s quotation perfectly summarizes the field of presidential contenders.

As we approach the caucuses and primaries of the Midwest states, we would urge both Democrats and Republicans to look closely at the candidates, do their own research and disregard the amount of cash any candidate has raised.

For example, there’s Democrat Hillary Clinton, who seems quite willing to say whatever it is she thinks people want to hear. Her voting record is erratic and her campaign tactics seem to get more desperate as races get closer. What we mean is that Hillary Clinton is a politician first and foremost; principles come in a distant second.

What we don’t understand is what the Democrats stand to gain with her as the nominee.

Even more disturbing is the Democratic party’s thick-headedness and seeming unwillingness to absorb the lessons of 2004.

For a moment, let’s remember back four years ago: People knew the situation in the Middle East was deteriorating. The voters knew the Bush administration was no friend of civil rights. And, the economy was cooling with talk of a slowdown. Re-election for Bush was questionable.

And what did the Democrats do?

They ran John Kerry — a smart, but aloof New Englander who lacked a sense of humor and much crowd appeal. The rhetoric was always tepid and what was even worse, Kerry was an entrenched Washington politician. He lost, despite a Bush administration that had a less-than-rosy record.

Fast forward four years: The Democrats are on the verge of running Clinton — a candidate who at her very best is polarizing. Even among Democrats, there is a strong faction of folks who simply will not vote for her.

Why?

Because she’s aloof. Because she’s willing to say anything and take responsibility for nothing. She’s a career politician.

Sound familiar? It should — this is recent history repeating itself.

On the GOP side, one of the frontrunners is Mitt Romney.

Many voters are having a hard time warming up to a man who’s been described as plastic or Teflon.

Like Clinton, it’s hard to tell where Romney stands. That seems to depend on who he’s talking to and what day it is.

We hope that whomever the Republicans nominate in St. Paul this summer has more transparency — something that has been overwhelmingly absent in these eight years of Bush rule. It may be the only way to salvage the good name of the party.

In this day of quips and soundbites, voters and pundits alike look for quick and easy answers.

But when it really comes down to it, how many of the problems that boil up to the national level are easy? How many of them can be solved quickly?

We hope that as the long presidential campaign continues we hear the frontrunners and winners talk about working together to solve problems more than offering simple answers. We hope we hear more about vision than a recitation of what’s failed.

If there’s one thing both parties need, it’s change. Change in rhetoric, change in vision, change from running the same type of tired partisan politicians.

The Winona Daily News editorial board also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.