Hillary and the Myth of Clinton Inevitability
There’s a sense of inevitability around the Clinton brand, and Hillary Clinton has been cashing in on it.
She advertises herself as “vetted,” promises there will be “no surprises” with her as the party’s nominee, and brags that she and her husband have been fighting—and defeating—the Republicans for 15 years running. And it’s working: Even though surveys show Barack Obama (and even John Edwards) faring markedly better against the likely Republican nominees, Democratic voters continue to tell pollsters that they believe Hillary is the most electable candidate.
The Clintons’ reputation as electoral gold is deserved, to an extent. Bill Clinton broke a 16-year dry spell for his party at the presidential level in 1992 and then became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term—feats that stand out all the more after the failures of Al Gore and John Kerry. He also managed to commit perjury and yet still rally the country to his side against a G.O.P.-led impeachment drive. And Hillary Clinton is now undefeated in two Senate races, racking up impressive margins even in traditionally Republicans swaths of an otherwise blue state.
But those accomplishments, as a measure of their sheer ability to win, need some context.
The Clintons have their political strengths—Bill’s unusual ability to communicate empathy, Hillary’s steely nerve and persistence, and their joint knack for playing the victim—but their political success has been enabled to a remarkable degree by limp opposition, fortuitous timing, and a willingness to throw their own party under the bus when necessary.
Bill Clinton’s path to the presidency in 1992 is instructive. It actually began in the mid-1980’s, when he set his sights on the open Democratic nomination in 1988. But as he prepared to enter the race, the campaign of the front-running Democrat, Gary Hart, suddenly blew up amid charges of marital infidelity. For the first time, a presidential candidate was asked by a reporter whether he’d committed adultery.
Back in Little Rock, his closest friends talked a reluctant Bill Clinton out of running. The country was not ready for someone with his baggage. But without Hart’s implosion, Clinton likely would have gone ahead and run in ‘88—and the inevitable “bimbo eruptions” could have sunk his national prospects for good.
By 1992, though, the public’s mood had begun to change. With Hillary at his side, Bill Clinton acknowledged “causing pain” in his marriage in a “60 Minutes” interview when the Gennifer Flowers story broke, and voters were open to giving him a pass.
But that was hardly the biggest break he caught in ‘92. First, there was the paralyzing impact of the celebrated Gulf War in early 1991, after which President George H.W. Bush’s popularity reached 90 percent. Those high marks froze the presidential race for the spring and summer months and kept every single big-name Democrat—including Bill Bradley, Mario Cuomo, Al Gore, Richard Gephardt, Lloyd Bentsen, and Jay Rockefeller—out of the race. When Bill Clinton finally jumped into the race, his main foes were Paul Tsongas, Bob Kerrey, and Jerry Brown. Of the three, Tsongas waged the strongest campaign and—briefly—threatened Clinton for the nomination. But the Clintons hit him with a barrage of negative campaigning and Tsongas lacked both the money and celebrity to insulate him from the attacks.
That weak opposition was just enough for Bill Clinton to overcome the character questions that dogged him in the primaries. But if even one of the Democratic heavyweights who sat the race out had opted to run, Bill likely wouldn’t have survived. And had that Democrat then won the White House, Bill would have been shut out of presidential politics until at least the year 2000, and possibly for good. Next Page >
The Clintons have decided -- either THEY win a 3rd term -- or, as in 2000 and 2004 -- the Democrats will NOT win. Once again, it's either THEM or else. They are willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THEIR WAY and will savage anyone in their way. They are the other side of the Republicans and the little problem of the Electorate wanting to turn the page from 30 years of this destructive, divisive manner of campaigning and running the Nation -- w/a revolving door of special interests piggy-backing the Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton dynasties -- is of no consequence to the Clintons. The donors for the Library want back into the Lincoln Bedroom, more disasterous deregulation, shipping entire industries overseas and THEIR special privileges. The elite class -- yes, there is one -- gets Government bailouts. Ordinary Americans get LIED into war. Hillary and Bill should discuss THAT! How DARE we get in THEIR way???You saw the overt outrage in the spectacle of Bob Johnson. Voters, there are CONSEQUENCES and Americans know the last 30 years have been a disaster. We could have had Al Gore or John Kerry...both good Americans torn to shreds by the fallout from the Clinton era the media they helped deregulate doesn't discuss -- in detail. WE REMEMBER. Turn the page.
Republicans are literally dancing in the streets over
the upcoming battle with The Clintons. Are the Dems
so stupid as to actually think Americans are going to
allow these two back in the White House again? We've
already seen that movie, and we didn't like it the first
time. There will NOT be a sequel!
Gore, Kerry, Clinton... See a pattern?
"No surprises..." How about giving journalists access to the RECORDS at the Clinton Library so WE can do our own vetting of what Mrs. Clinton did during her 8 years as First Lady -- or not. While they put Hill forth as THE guaranteed brand w/out fully participating fairly in OUR vetting process, they and their bubble didn't realise the Nation has changed -- and WINNING AT ALL COSTS is not what we want circa 2008. They, however, are determined to TELL US -- REPLETE WITH THE LECTURES AND FINGER WAGGING THEY BOTH LOVE TO DO! Ridiculous!
Don't Americans and JOURNALISTS know intimidation techniques when they SEE them??? What's with the FINGER WAGGING AND GETTING IN THE FACE OF JOURNALISTS, VOTERS, CAUCESES IN NEVADA, ETC.??? What in the you...know...what...is going on here??? What Country is this??? WHO are these people to wag their fingers and base in the faces of Americans of ANY stripe??? STAND UP TO THESE PEOPLE. STOP allowing a former President to BULLY you all? Turn his microphone OFF. He is not the candidate -- or, if he is, he should declare himself and we can decide if we want a 3rd term Bill Clinton -- once again, bending all rules of law and propriety. Democrats, WAKE UP!
Personally I wish all of them would knock of bashing each other and just tell everyone their plan to get us(the country) out of the mess it is in,in short give us all a plan then America could make an informed decision and choice if they did.have to admit no matter what problems old Bill had the country always came first.No pattern however a solution is needed.choose who is right not who
or what gender/color they are otherwise the country deserves ehat it gets
Should HRC win the nomination, I believe this new word "Billary" will become commonplace. It succinctly reminds people that with Hillary's election, Bill's return to power, with all his baggage, is inevitable. The Republicans will flesh out the "Billary" concept. By election time, we Democrats will even remember how fatigued we were with the Clintons. But the day after, we will find, to our sorrow, another Republican as President.
Of course, the question must be asked: Is Hillary running for president or is Bill running for a third term? I seem to recall Alabama Governor George Wallace pulling the same stunt with his wife.
Regardless of what you people may think of the Clintons, we were in good economic standing while Bill was in office. he left the office with a huge surplus that Bush promptly spent plus more. We also had the respect of the world. and even now, the Clintons are still not only respected but also
liked by many of the world leaders. At a time when we are heading towards an economic recession and most of the world hates us, thanks to Bush, we can't afford to have a President who have to spend the first 2 years of his presidency learning the ropes of Washington.Politicians who say that they will immediately fix the broken Washington as soon as they take office, just show that they are indeed inexperience when it comes to the ways of Washington. Washington has its own mores, practices, hierarchy, etc. It takes experience inside washington to know how to navigate its political infrastructure. Obama maybe likeable, but we may have another Bush who will rely on the likes of Cheney and Rumsfield for advice and look where it got us?
You have to be afraid that if she becomes the next President, the public will lash out in 2010 and vote in a bunch of Republicans even more extreme than the ones already there.
To the question whether Hillary is running for President or Bill for a third term is not fair. Bill is doing exactly what Michelle Obama and Elizabeth Edwards are doing -campaigning for their respective spouses with all their heart because they all believe that their respective spouse is the best person to be the next President of the U.S. It can't be helped that fortunately for Hillary, her spouse happened to be a well-liked and popular ex-president. If you listen to Michelle in particular, she is every bit as critical of Hillary as Bill is of Obama. The diference is: Michelle does not get the the press that Bill does. And no one is making a big deal of what she has to say. The media choose to blow-up Bill's comments because he is still popular and he sells newspapers, magazine and TV time.
Seriously now renatam, when you are trying to defend someone you love from accusations that you know are not true, you don't wag your fingers? This is a natural reaction and I think Bill had every right to be upset. Still and all, I thought he was very calm in his response, but he did addressed the issue brought up with conviction. Obama does the same angry responses, but no one gives him grief about it. Bill is campaigning for his spouse, same as Michelle and Elizabeth. What's wrong with that? It's not his fault that he happened to be a popular ex-president who is is followed by the press who hangs on to every word he says to make sure they don't miss anything that they can published negatively about him......Before you criticize them and Hillary in particular, please read her story. She has been doing things to improve the lives of children and women since the very beginning - organizing a church group to gather clothing for the migrant workers in Illinois when she was just in grade school to working for Elderman after she graduated from college in her Children's Defense Fund..she is not what people like to
portray her. She may appear cold and calculating, but when you've tried to break barriers all your life as she did and get a lot of heat because of it, you will, I am sure, build a wall of defense around you. She is a smart woman with a big heart. She is the right person to lead our country back to its" glory" days. I hope you will give her a chance.
Hillary A Woman An American All the way Her husband a us former presudent very popular. Barack Husein Obama Daddy was a Muslim His Step Daddy was a muslim. His early education in INDONESHIA the largest Muslin Country in the World. co-incidential not at all. Obama is the Muslim chance of rulling American there by the entire world that is all they want. Go ahead let them, just because you are jelous of the Clinton
HILLARY’S UNIQUE GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIENCE
Whitewater, Cattle Futuregate, Travelgate, Gennifer Flowersgate, Filegate, Vince Fostergate, Whitewater Billing Recordsgate, Paula Jonesgate, Federal Building Campaign Phone Callgate, Lincoln Bedroomgate, Donations from Convicted Drug and Weapons Dealersgate, Buddhist Templegate, Lippogate, Chinagate, Lewinsky Affair, Perjury and Jobs for Lewinskygate, Willeygate, Web Hubbel Prison Phone Callgate, Selling Military Technology to the Chinesegate, Wag the Doggate, Juanita Broaddrickgate, Vandalgate, Lootergate, Pardongate; and the many deaths, including suicide, murder, and mysterious gun shots to the head, all allegedly linked to Clinton.
Israel for military protection, China for military secrets, and Mexico for amnesty most desperately need Hillary for president.
Google: “boycott liberalism Clinton Legacy”; “Danneymeyer deaths linked to President Clinton”; “Hsu Hillary”; “Mearsheimer Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy”; Stricherz “Why the Democrats are Blue”; “Who Would the World Elect”.
I am quite sick of the Media trying as hard as possible to paint a bad picture of the Clintons. They do this to in fact take away the attention from Obama's poor scant record. Instead of focusing on what Bill and Hillary shouldn't be doing, why don't you report on what they are saying and clarify their 'supposed' wrong accusations about B. Hussein Obama? Well, its quite simple the media knows that they are not accusations. The media and Obama know that what Bill and Hillary are saying are truthful facts. I personally don't trust Obama and his fake over rehearsed, cheap imitations of MLK, speeches. I prefer that straight talk that we get from Hillary. She doesn't just say what she hopes to do, she actually presents us with a plan on how she is going to accomplish her goals for America. Something Obama doesn't do, he doesn't even allow anyone to question him. Could it be because he has too much to hide and with out rehearsing his answers he will be looked at for what he really is. Obama is just a power hungry politician that doesn't deserve to be hired by American people.
I will never, ever, ever vote for Obama, not because he is black, but because he is not qualified.
The whole Hillary hater thing is so yesterday. Get on board people. Because when the shizzy goes down, and trust me it will, you'll regret being on the wrong side. Good luck!
I would also like to say that for all the talk coming from the Obama camp about fear tactics. It sure seems like Kornacki is doing his best on this article to scare us from voting for Hillary. Don't buy his BS, Hillary is a great candidate and is the only candidate that can put American in the right track. She continue to lead us where Bill left off, which was a great place!
Don't allow the media to choose your president again, they did it with Bush and now they want to do it with B. Hussein Obama. Lets show the Media that we are smart and we know how to choose the best candidate, lets go vote for Hillary, America desperately needs her!
read about the trinity united church of christ to which obama has been a member since 1988 and MUST BE IN AGREEMENT with the ten commitments of said church and #4 reads"A NON-NEGOTIABLE COMMITMENT TO AFRICA" and #10 reads"ECONOMICAL PARITY".so, is AMERICA going to settle for runner-up with what is to be called "OUR PRESIDENT"?read it for your self,preferably BEFORE YOU VOTE!!
It is not Bill's support of his wife that is wrong or that he has more press coverage. The problem and difference is that Bill Clinton LIES and diliberately misleads in some of his statments concerning Barack. Michelle has not. Those of us that take the time to be informed can see where he lies and will call it for what it is. Lies lead to mistrust.
Presidential records housed in the library have not been released .We do know however that Hillary was unconcerned about acquiring a security clearance which would have enabled her to participate in National Security Council meetings. Her administrative tasks were: 1) Healthcare 2) White House Travel office both of which were fiascos add Iraq vote, Iran resolution, Bankruptcy bill, Vote against the banning of cluster bombs in civilian areas. Seems her memory is a little vague also since the " slumloard " she tried to trash Obama with is pictured ( see drudge with Bill and Hill which means he was a big contributor or he wouldn't rate a WH shot. THis after praising LBJ when she was a Republican and a Golwater girl. Goldwater who fought all civil righhts and voting rights
bills and supported use of nuclear weapons in Vietnam, a war Dr King opposed.
At this point I think Mike Bloomberg is the only person who can keep Hillary out of the White House!
JL: It is unacceptable for a former President of the United States, retired on taxpayers, to misrepresent the truth about a sitting US Senator. Further, it is unacceptable for a sitting President to disgrace The White House and its meaning to the American people, who have a right to expect a certain level of decorum -- or be held accountable for the lack thereof. If Billary want to add VALUE to the discourse, then he can fly down to the Clinton Library and RELEASE THE RECORDS so WE can vet Hillary's performance for ourselves.
Go, Mike go!!! :-)
Scott: Is that a threat? What do you mean we will "regret" being on the wrong side? This isn't the South or NH. It is that kind of communication that will bring Republicans AND 1/5 of the Democrats together for form a coalition against a 3rd (illegal) term for the "two-fer" Presidency. By the way, Billary can also stop storming Caucuses, going door-to-door and FINGER WAGGING IN THE FACES OF JOURNALISTS, VOTERS, ETC. They can also save the lectures. Keep posting like this and Democrats will vote Republican in droves... There is something WORSE than another Republican President...
Clinton seeks to smooth relations with Obama Fri Jan 25, 8:56 AM ET Reuters
Former President Bill Clinton said he might have gone too far in attacking Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton said on Friday, adding that both Democratic presidential campaigns should focus on issues.
"He said several times yesterday that maybe he got a little bit carried away," Hillary Clinton said on CBS' "Early Show."
"So we're all going to, on both sides I think, you know, try to bring this debate and this campaign back to the issues that are important," said the New York senator, who would be the first woman U.S. president.
JL: Notwithstanding how many Girl Scout cookies Hill may have sold as a child (and, Barack was probably a Boy Scout, so this is not unique) -- African-Americans and ALL Americans WILL NEVER FORGET the public SPECTACLE of Bob Johnson's out-of-control discourse about Mr. Obama - and Hillary Clinton's clapping sitting behind him -- for the rest of our lives. STOP with the propaganda. LIES were the currency of the last Clinton White House. Nothing has changed, except in Bob Johnson, the entertainment value has deteriorated beneath contempt. This campaign is a Hillary Clinton orchestration and it is UGLY ON STEROIDS for ALL concerned and caring Americans who value who/what we truly are. Hill should just be herself, take responsibility for what she has wrought and...stop doing disgusting things and apologiing afterward. Most of us haven't been able to get away with THAT since we were toddlers.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/28/080128fa_fact_packer
Amen!
'renatam' - LOL. are you for real? you'll regret not being on board with what will turn out to be an effective, results-oriented presidency that will go down in history as the opposite of george w bush's. no, it's not the south, or NH (where i have many relatives), this is manhattan, my home of 15 years. paranoia will destroy ya!
Bill's popularity is based more on horrified humor and late show jokes than anything else. Hillary is ripping the Democrat party to shreds and it's not helping women eighter. The Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton Washington mafia has dragged this country down long enough. Time for a fresh start.
Better a scant record than a long history of corruption.