Dean or Kerry for President?

By Stephanie Jean Clement, Ph.D.

As of today’s date (September 11, 2003), Senator John F. Kerry and Governor Howard Dean are the frontrunners for the Democratic Party nomination. That George W. Bush will run on the Republican tickets seems a forgone conclusion. The Democratic ticket is not so certain. With eight or more potential candidates, the Democrats have their work cut out for them. They must select a person who can defeat Mr. Bush by a significant margin in states that are currently Republican strongholds.

Who has the better chance of nomination and election? Let’s look at two of the candidates from the astrological perspective.

Getting Nominated
First things first. The Democratic presidential candidate has to get nominated before he can run. This article is only looking at two of the many potential candidates, so it’s possible we are not looking at the chart of the eventual nominee.

Mr. Kerry’s chart shows all the tension we imagine a candidate having just before a convention. During the convention, though, he has a number of very positive factors in his favor, including the fact that he will look and sound very strong. He has powerful aspects involving Uranus, the planet associated with elections. He also has some very nice Jupiter aspects—transiting Jupiter square birth Moon on 7/23 and transiting Jupiter conjunct birth Midheaven on August 14. This last aspect is beautiful, but may arrive too late. However, on August 14 Mr. Kerry will believe that everything has turned out for the best, whatever the outcome may be.

Mr. Dean also has powerful Jupiter aspects (solar arc MC sesqui-quadrate birth Jupiter and transiting Jupiter opposition birth Midheaven exact on July 24). He also has transiting Uranus opposition birth Saturn (exact on August 11, but close enough during the convention because Uranus moves so slowly). This aspect is not so favorable by itself. He is somewhat less likely to be elected, possibly due to illness or accident during August. However, he may be nominated in July, based on the Uranus aspect supported by the Jupiter aspects at the time of the Democratic convention.

Getting Elected
One way to forecast the winner is to figure out who has the closest, best associations to Uranus at the time of the election. Uranus is perhaps the most unpredictable object in the astrological chart. The history of U.S. politics has demonstrated that our presidential elections are not easy to predict. Truman won over Dewey in what was supposedly a “sure thing” for the Republican Party. Kennedy defeated Nixon in an election almost too close to call. George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in an election that many would say was stolen, not won. Even some of our founding fathers employed dirty tricks to get themselves elected.

Senator Kerry has several indicators of change involving Uranus. He will be at the top of his political game at election time, almost magically bringing about transformation (solar arc Uranus conjunct birth Pluto).The conjunction aspect is a clear indication of change. It indicates the end of one thing, and the beginning of something new.

Kerry may feel somewhat unbalanced as the election date draws near, with all his energy directed toward the campaign. He is very capable of capturing the hearts of the voters (solar arc Neptune opposition birth Uranus). He will fall in love with his work or the people will fall in love with him (transiting Uranus trine birth Venus).

Mr. Dean is likely to experience a lot of internal stress on election day, which is no surprise for a candidate (he has solar arc Uranus semi-square birth Mercury). He will find himself in a position to forge some new associations (transiting Uranus sextile birth North Node). He is likely to experience a rekindling of romance in his life (progressed Venus opposition birth Uranus). These factors taken together suggest that Mr. Dean may take a different direction from national politics, and thus suggest he may not be elected president.

About the Candidates

Former governor of Vermont, Mr. Dean has taken a giant step forward in his campaign by raising more money than any two other Democratic candidates. Money shows up in his birth chart in the form of the planet Pluto in the Second House. He has a powerful ability to attract financial support, and he is also blessed with the ability to say all the right things (Mercury square Pluto from the Fifth House of creativity).

In Dean’s chart, Pluto is in the Sun’s natural sign and the Sun is in Pluto’s natural sign. Astrologers call this relationship mutual reception—each planet is received in the other’s sign. This configuration reflects a tremendous advantage. When things are not going well in one area, the person can shift to the other with ease, thereby finding a way to work around a problem. Mr. Dean, then, is a capable problem-solver.

Can he solve all the problems involved in campaigning for the nomination against a capable field, and then unifying the Democratic Party in time for the 2004 election? Mr. Dean has some strong indicators that he will have won or lost the election about six months before November 2, 2004. He has two powerful indicators of change that are exact during the spring months. During the first half of 2004 Mr. Dean will gain campaign experience. He will look to more experienced politicians for help and he may find their help is sometimes a disadvantage. He wants to go his own way, but will be advised to set a course designed to attract votes. To be nominated and then elected, he will have to make some very uncomfortable compromises.

The second factor that emerges in the spring is Mr. Dean’s deep commitment to the nation and its people. Perhaps his strongest selling point is his demonstrated dedication to helping others. He can win the hearts of the voters by telling how he will improve the lives of ordinary people, and then backing up his promises by taking strong positions in favor of typical Americans.

Mr. Dean can mobilize his power by attracting the female voter. He needs to show that he is a strong family man (which he is). He needs to find ways to attract and engage voters at home. It will be interesting to see how he does this.

Senator Kerry has experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, backed by his personal experience in Viet Nam. He didn’t take the Vietnam conflict for granted, and he doesn’t simply accept the direction we are going now in the Middle East. He is a highly intelligent individual with strong character and stronger patriotism.

What does his astrology chart tell us? He has a potent combination of Venus and Mercury on May 31, 2004. This is a turning point in his life. Whatever happens at this time, it is sure to fill him with a sense of appreciation and joy.

Mr. Kerry has two mutual receptions—Mercury in Saturn’s sign and Saturn in Mercury’s plus Jupiter in the Sun’s sign and the Sun in Jupiter’s. He is therefore doubly lucky in his ability to find ways through difficult situations. He can talk a hard line and at the same time achieve success through diplomacy and social skills.