Hillary in 08?
It's hard to believe that Hillary Clinton is considered in most quarters to be the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008. Yes, she has outstanding name recognition. Yes, she has access to a powerful fund-raising apparatus. Yes, she will have the benefit of running in the primaries as a "moderate" compared to Kerry and Feingold and (maybe) Dean. But seriously, can the Democratic Party--the party of John Kennedy and Harry Truman and Scoop Jackson and Sam Nunn--really have fallen this far?
After all, this is the woman who said on Sixty Minutes that she wasn't "some kind of Tammy Wynette standing by my man"--when of course she did exactly that. First she covered for Bill's indiscretions from his days as governor to help him get elected. Then she covered for his White House folly with talk of the "vast right wing conspiracy." I know honesty isn't the top value for most people when it comes to selecting our leaders, but even by the elastic standards of the political world, she is a remarkably dishonest person.
The cattle futures trades, the White House travel office, the Rose Law firm billing records, the health care task force--this is not a woman who tells the truth, either regarding her husband or herself. The impact of the Swift Boat Vets on John Kerry dramatically demonstrated that the mainstream media has lost their ability to protect their chosen figures from facts...and if the Democrats are thinking at all, they're going to realize at some point that she is not a viable candidate, at least for the general election. There are enough skeletons in her closet (sharing space with the hidden files) to bring out one a week for an entire election cycle. It's going to be awfully hard for her to stay on message in the face of that.
Of course from a Republican standpoint, having her run might not be such a bad thing. She might be the one person capable of reuniting the party that President Bush has divided. Certainly the prospect of her (and Bill) back in the White House would serve as a powerful incentive to rally round the flag of whoever her opponent might be.
posted by Robert @ 1:08 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
In October of 1992 I was sitting around in Sierra Vista, AZ, waiting for our first chick to hatch. At a home prayer meeting, the pastor prayed a prayer that sent cold chills down my spine. He prayed, "Lord, give us the president we DESERVE." I wanted to interrupt him and scream, "No, Lord, forget all about that! Never give us a president we DESERVE! We're talking a great need for undeserved mercy here." Clinton won the election, and I've always felt it was that pastor's fault! I would highly suggest we pray no such prayer for a president we DESERVE in 2008! Rebecca A.
I agree on your assessment of Hillary, but I personally think there is a high likelihood of her election in 08 for several reasons.
First, she has an incredible loyal base. She will easily pull in 50% of the female voters and 90% of the African-American voters. That fact alone gives her viability if not near invincibility.
Secondly, the Republicans don't have a strong candidate on the radar at this point. Frist? Allen? Brownback? McCain? Guilliani? I believe there will be a very rough Republican primary next cycle whereas, Hillary will tie up the nomination rather rapidly for the Dems.
Finally, the dispirited Republican base. From the Neoconservatives to the Paleoconservatives to the Religious Conservatives -- at this moment each segment is listless if not outright hostile and discouraged with the state of the current Republican party. The Party is in a huge identity crisis and is wavering on core principles that date back to the Reagan Revolution.
Many in the base are just weary of investing in a party that governs to ineffectively once they get in power.
For those reasons, I have been practicing saying "President Hillary" without gagging and choking. I fear we'll be forced to do so for nearly a decade.
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