"The fear of going negative against Clinton in public also grips those who would run against her. None of her challengers show any inclination to explicitly make the charge that she canít win against the Republican nominee. For starters, doing so would probably end any possibility of becoming Clintonís running mate.Crawford thinks Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) is the best bet to be the first to go after Clinton, mainly because "he has no interest in playing second banana a second time, giving him every incentive to antagonize her."
"Thatís my test for separating serious rivals from those who are just auditioning to join a Clinton ticket. Those who canít find a way to publicly speak to party concerns about Clintonís general-election appeal will not be serious presidential contenders in my book.
"Instead of taking on New Yorkís junior senator, the rest of the Democratic field is moving forward with campaigns that seem to be an exercise in collective denial, pretending she isnít there. And yet, if she is to be denied the nomination, her rivals should go negative early, before she has raised so much money and lined up so many endorsements that no one can take her down."
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
