"I offer the clearest alternative to this current administration, whose only new idea has been preemptive war and a huge new bureaucracy," she told a small group of student supporters at Howard University. "I can fix the mess they have created because I am practical, I am not afraid of partnerships, and I am committed to making the world a better place for our children."
Moseley Braun acknowledged she will not have the "biggest-funded war chest" and will not be able to tap wealthy donors for cash.
"We're going to do it the best way we can, one vote at a time, depending on small contributions, as we always have," said Moseley Braun, whose career includes service as a prosecutor, one-term senator from Illinois in the 1990s, and ambassador to New Zealand. Moseley Braun was appointed to the latter post by President Clinton after she lost her reelection bid in 1998 amid questions about her campaign finances.
Moseley Braun has scored endorsements from the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus. But she has yet to make a serious effort at competing in the New Hampshire primary, said Kathy Sullivan, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
"She hasn't campaigned in New Hampshire, which I think is unfortunate, because frankly, I think she would bring something to the election," said Sullivan, adding that she has already urged the Rev. Al Sharpton, the other African-American candidate in the race, to spend more time in the Granite State.
While Moseley Braun is not considered a strong contender for the nomination, analysts say she can bring an energy to the Democrats' efforts to oust Bush and may serve as an important role model for women and African-Americans interested in pursuing politics.
"I think it would be good for a lot of people up here to see that you don't need to be a white man to be a serious candidate for the presidency," Sullivan said.
Moseley Braun's back-of-the-pack status, however, may make it hard for her to mobilize support from Democratic women who want a winner next year, said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent political analyst.
"Obviously, she has a particular ability to raise questions that involve gender and gender issues. She talks about the importance of [having] a woman candidate," Rothenberg said. But "her message isn't strong enough. She's a serious candidate, but she's not regarded as someone who could be the nominee, so it's hard to mobilize that constituency of the Democratic Party."
Moseley Braun is unlikely to steal votes from Sharpton, since she is "really quite establishment," and "Sharpton is more of a street politician," said David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Nor is Moseley Braun likely to run away with the women's vote, he said.
"I think women who are on the Democratic side are pretty much like blacks -- what they're most interested in is someone who's going to win," Bositis said.
| The meat in the sandwich in Susan Milligan's Boston Globe article "Moseley-Braun makes her bid official"
posted in articles on September 23, 2003 3:28 AM | t (0)
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