The odds are that whoever wins the Presidency in 2008 will the first something or other to do so. Hillary Clinton would be the first woman, the first former Presidential first lady, the first former state first lady, the first person to have previously lived for 8 years in the White House.
John Edwards would be the first successful 20th Century trial lawyer, the first son of a mill worker, the first North Carolinian, the first one-term U.S. Senator, and the first unsuccessful Vice-Presidential nominee since 1920.
Russ Feingold will be the first Jewish person, the first person to have been twice divorced, the first person to have been divorced and not remarried at the time of the election, and the first person from Wisconsin.
Barak Obama would be the first person of African descent, the first person to be the son of an immigrant, the first one term U.S. Senator, and the first person to go from an unsuccessful candidacy for the U.S. House to the Presidency in less than decade.
Bill Richardson would be the first person of Hispanic descent, the first New Mexican, and the first Ambassador to the United Nations.
Other examples pathbreaking could undoubtedly be cited as well. The point is not to catalogue each and every one them, but to demonstrate that times change, and the experience and backround of those who win election to the Presidency often changes as well.
George W. Bush, for instance,the first person who served as Governor of Texas, is the first person with an MBA, the first former professional baseball team owner, and the first son of a President and Vice-President elected since 1824.
When looking at the men and women who aspire to the Presidency we should be looking at who they are and what they have done much more than what unique category they are representing for the first time.
The fact is that the overwhelming majority of the American people are in some category that has never been represented in the White House by the 42 men (counting Grover Cleveland only once)who have been President. 41 of the 42 men have been White Anglo Saxon Protestants, and 28 of the 42 have been elected as a resident of only seven states: New York, Ohio,Virginia,California, Texas, California, and Tennessee. Even most of the original 13 states have never elected a President from their state.
This issue of demographic uniqueness comes up most frequently in the Daily Kos community in assessing Russ Feingold's religion, but it is widely applicable to the field of Presidential candidates. We really do not know what is the political effect of any personal characteristic because it is merely one of many details in assessing a person's character, competence, and dedication to the public interest.
We should be looking at each candidate as a total person with a record and a platform that can be evaluated and compared. If we do that we will increase the likelihood of playing a constructive and important role in The Making of the President, 2008.