Archives for January 2008

Look, I am not buying into the whole ‘Hillary is over” bit (in part because I am starting to think the pundits and the Clinton haters are being disproportionately heard at the moment- I just don’t sense any real residual Hillary hate where I am), but if things are going so bad that Bob Shrum is not ashamed to give advice, you have problems:

So it’s a long shot, with one and only one possible road to recovery: Let Hillary be Hillary. Throw away the product packaging – those poll-tested small-bites of policy – and set out a big case about what she wants to do in the next four years, not what she has done for the past 35.

The pursuit of the presidency is not a résumé contest. Otherwise a one-term congressman named Lincoln never would have beaten Stephen Douglas, “the little giant” of American politics; Kennedy never would have prevailed against Nixon, and the young Bill Clinton never would have ousted the first George Bush from the White House.

The conventional caveat is that things could change. World events could refocus voters on Hillary’s strengths – or on Obama’s weaknesses. Yet as of today, it is far more likely that Hillary Clinton won’t be giving an acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Maybe Obama, the unifier, will let her speak in prime time.

Yes, Virginia. That Bob Shrum (Joe Klein link replaced with someone with a better track record).

Shrum Chimes InPost + Comments (38)

I see via Memeorandum that Hillary got super-duper angry or something last night, and Sullivan has the apparently over-the-top reaction from Hillary:

Sullivan also has the idiots that Frank Lutz is apparently learning from:

“Hillary seemed to crack…”

I actually have about had it with all this crap, because I am sick and tired of defending Hillary. But if that was Hillary ‘cracking,’ or seething with anger, or whatever you want to call it (Andy states he thinks “she’s actually offended that anyone is challenging her for the Democratic nomination.”), I just don’t see it. in fact, I am beginning to think this really is a nation of wimps.

What you saw was someone making the point that there is more to change than just supporting change, and that change takes hard work. And that offends people? Seriously- change is work, and that is the point she is trying to drive home. And she has a right to be a little frustrated. What exactly has John Edwards done? Not much when he was in the Senate, if you remember the Republican talking points from the past election. What major bills does Obama have under his belt?

Quite frankly, I hate to say this, but I think what we are actually seeing is a double-standard here, and the feminists may be right. This is all about Hillary being a woman. John Edwards has been 150 times as angry the whole campaign, and has built his entire campaign around it. Howard Dean was angry, and people lapped it up. Here, Hillary isn’t really angry, just matter-of-fact and frustrated, and people are giving her shit.

I don’t want Hillary as President, but it sure looks to me like she isn’t getting a fair shake and is being subjected to a double standard. It’s bullshit.

And while I am ranting, one last thing- Watch that Luntz polling group video again and try to argue that it is not well beyond the time to end these special primaries and caucuses (cauci?). We are placing an inordinate amount of power in the electoral process in a bunch of yokels up to their armpits in pig shit and corn in Iowa and sipping mocha while driving a Volvo in New Hampshire. All the primaries, same day. Something. Anything.

*** Update ***

Apparently my ten+ year old memories of NH are off. I remember lots of wealth, lots of yuppie type shops with flowerbaskets and gingerbread woodowork, lots of flannel for effect. Whatever. My apologies to offended New Hampsherites, but in 2012 I say you should pound salt and to hell with your privileged status within our electoral process.

Thin-Skinned, Much?Post + Comments (185)