Bury the past, but hide the hatchet!

Andrew Sullivan (writing in the Sunday Times) not only doesn't think Hillary Clinton should be counted out, he thinks the Republicans might help her by miscalculating:

Count me a sceptic of the view that Hillary is irreparably damaged. Time heals. Americans have increasingly fond memories of the 1990s. If Clinton can convince them she takes national security seriously she can overcome the dark side of the legacy.

She has also been talking up her faith, which is genuine. Asked recently by a reporter whether she was running for president, she replied: “I have more than I can say grace over right now.”

As Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, has observed, that’s not the same thing as saying she has too much on her plate.

The other obvious factor is the opposition. Republicans are ebullient right now. But who are the potential candidates in 2008? None appeals. The popular ones — McCain, Rudolph Giuliani — are far too socially moderate to get past what is in effect the veto of the religious right in the primaries. Arnold Schwarzenegger is barred by the constitution.

If Hillary gets to run against a grey, grim apostle of religious conservatism — a Bill Frist or a Sam Brownback — she stands a real chance. What she has shown these past couple of years is that she is, above all else, shrewd.

And what the Republicans have shown is that they can overreach. That’s the formula that helped Hillary’s husband keep the presidency in 1996. It could help her win it for herself in 2008.

The whole piece is well worth reading, and reflects a phenomenon I've remarked upon before:
The more Hillary tries to moderate herself, the angrier her enemies will become.
And the more successful she is at achieving the appearance of moderation, the angrier they'll become.

Hillary's "vast right wing conspiracy" consists of a minority of highly motivated voters who neither forgive nor forget. This minority is likely to be irritated by (and in turn irritate) the majority who do.

I'd say time is on Hillary's side. (Unless you think voters in 2008 will still be interested in hearing about Whitewater. Or a failed attempt at socialized medicine.....)

A plus for Hillary is that she's not dumb enough to run as an antiwar candidate, or boast about her problematic past.

The danger to her is that bloggers aren't terribly concerned about voter forgetfulness. If anything, shining new light on old facts (especially covered up facts) is what they do best.

With that in mind, were I working for the HRC campaign, I'd stress the importance of discrediting independent bloggers ASAP, and by any means necessary.

posted by Eric on 03.07.05 at 12:58 PM





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Comments

I may be writing from the peanut gallery north of the border but I am still looking forward to the next President Clinton.

NIcholas Packwood   ·  March 7, 2005 03:06 PM

I watched her New York campaign close up and, while I still don't like her as a person, I definately respect her as a politician.

Her senate campaign was smart and aggressive. She was helped by an inept opponent, but she still had to overcome huge negatives to win. She doesn't have her husband's gift for smarm, but she understands the machine in a way he never did. And I think she really is serious about having a tough foreign policy--it's not just an act.

The Republicans will be making a big mistake if they take her lightly.

byrd   ·  March 7, 2005 04:22 PM

"... I'd stress the importance of discrediting independent bloggers ASAP, and by any means necessary."

This one excepted, of course?

Mike   ·  March 7, 2005 06:58 PM

So.... It looks like within both the Democratic and the Republican parties, because of the radicals in each: 1) if a candidate is electable, he or she can't get nominated, and 2) if a candidate gets nominated, he can't get elected. Hmmm....

I'm kind of drunk tonight -- without having touched a drop. I just had another long, deep phone conversation with Jeanine Ring.

Wait until the tapes of her screaming rage antics in the whitehouse surface. I find it inconceivable that at least a couple of the hapless aid(s)/staffers she routinely ran roughshod over didn't record some of here juicier moments on one of those myriad laptops Bill had installed in the WH. It would be all too easy to just have the sound recorder up and laying in wait for a choice moment - its what *I* would have done.

I'd bet a grand there's a floppy or CD full of "Hillary's greatest hits" out there in the world somewhere waiting for the moment of maximum effect.

Anonymous   ·  March 10, 2005 02:52 AM


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