To Boldy Go

To all 96 of my Twitter followers and to you others who happen upon my blog, you will know that I have been fascinated with my old classmate Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth and her association with Joe Biden.  I have certainly noted her unique qualifications and how she has typically been the tip of the Democratic spear when the party takes on Donald Trump.  In and of itself, this proves nothing. Certainly, my speculations are now shared by many other pundits, even in the New York Times.  Just Google the results and look at the news feed.  However, what if I could show you how another Illinois dark horse left the corral in the land of Lincoln for Washington D.C.?  I think this is something most of the pundits are missing and is crucial to understanding Tammy Duckworth.

Well, I have always been a Star Trek fanatic.  I’ve never learned Klingon (my Hebrew is bad enough), but it has provided very great entertainment. One of the more dreamy heartthrobs of mine is Jeri Ryan, the ex-Borg Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager.  What is the Illinois connection?  Well, she later divorced her husband, Republican Senatorial candidate Jack Ryan. Some steamy marital details were sealed in a Los Angeles divorce court file until Chicago media outlets got the file opened.  Please boldly go to YouTube. 

What happened next is history, as you can see in the video.  However, there is a similarity between Tammy and Barack Obama-the dynamics of the Illinois political scene.  Forgetting the possible conspiracy theory regarding the release of the Ryan family divorce court records, these dynamics are what I will call the Illinois political template.  Two of four U.S. presidents that came from Illinois used it, with the exception of Ulysses S. Grant who came from the U.S. Army and Ronald Reagan who was a Hollywood actor and later Governor of California. Interestingly, if she makes it to vice presidency, she will combine a Senate seat and a U.S. Army background.

However, let’s focus on the Senate.  Whether it was in the Lincoln-Douglas Senatorial debates, the run of Barack Obama for the United States Senate, or for the possible run of now Senator Duckworth for the vice presidency, it is the Senatorial race that has been critical to giving a dark horse the national prominence they needed to be taken seriously as presidential material.  It looks like Tammy and the Democratic Party may be doing this now.

Certainly, there are many other details that Joe Biden will take into consideration in his choice for his running mate.  However, Tammy, has not only these qualities, but also run the gauntlet of the U.S. Senate.  Just like Barack Obama, I think she will also boldly go.

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