Hillary Clinton
The problem of nominating Hillary Clinton in 2008 is that some people hate her. There is no real reason to hate her, but some people just begin foaming at the mouth when her name is mentioned. There’s nothing she can do about it, because she doesn’t deserve the hate.
Strong negative feelings are really difficult to get around, and when they are irrational, it can be dangerous to try. The attacks started when she was First Lady and have never stopped. It makes no sense, because she was a victim in the Whitewater deal, losing money, and she was the aggrieved party in “Monicagate”. She is a DLC centrist Senator if you look at her record. Other than a few key positions on choice and gay rights she votes to the right of most Democrats.
She is in the unfortunate position of being an icon for the Right of everything they hate about liberals, even though she is definitely not a classic liberal. She is so careful to avoid conflicts that I view her as a timid Senator, waiting for a consensus to form before she will take a position.
While I have great personal sympathy for what she has had to put with since 1992, I can’t support her for the 2008 nomination because I can’t see her fighting for people. She strikes me as passive, and I’m beyond the point that I want a passive President – there is too much that needs to be undone following the disaster that is the Shrubbery.
5 comments
Bryan who are the front runners for to be the Democrat candidate in 08? I know that may sound like a dumb question but I don’t have a feel for the likely runners and riders
Bryan,
I’m with you this far… It is bizarre that Hillary is so widely despised by so many for so little reason. Every time I encounter a Hillary-hater — whether Right, Center, or Left — when I ask “Why? What’s she done you don’t like?” they never have an answer. They just sputter.
I’ll be interested in your response to Jams’ question. Although I strongly favor Al Gore as “the conscience of the Democratic Party” I fear we’re more likely to get a DLC toady on the order of Evan Bayh or (perish the thought!) Joe Biden. Next to those two, Hillary looks better and better.
Here’s another I could support whole-heartedly, although there is no indication he would run and even less reason to suppose the political geography works: Byron L. Dorgan. If only everybody moved to North Dakota, he’d have 538 electoral votes to bring to the table.
How much do you suppose Cafe Press sales are a tell for the front-runners?
Jams, at this point I would honestly have to say that Hillary is the front runner because of national name recognition, in your terms she has a lot in common with Tony Blair on too many issues.
As my project is being rained on at the moment I’ll throw up a post on the those currently interested in running.
It isn’t a dumb question, Jams. How many Americans do you think know who Gordon Brown is, or even the names of the parties in Britain?
At this point, John, Cafepress sales are as good a predictor as anything else.
Not many I would imagine, Bryan. Even fewer will have heard of John McDonnell the only other person who has thrown his hat into the leadership ring (and has about as much chance of winning as Osama bin Laden has of becoming the next Archbishop of Canterbury!),
I looked at the list of people who have expressed interest One who sticks out for me is Joe Biden… Will he be plagiarising Blair or Brown’s life this time around? How serious a contender is Barrack Obama? I have heard him speak and he has impressed. I daresay many of the names will become well known over here over the next year or so.
Biden should just comfort himself with the knowledge that the voters in Delaware will probable still be forgiving and vote for him for Senator, because his “youthful indiscretion” will never go away, and he won’t become President.
Barrack is a media candidate because he has a “good story”, but he lacks the national organization and connections necessary to move forward. He has potential, but he needs to make some connections with people outside his home state. To do anything he needs political as well as popular support.