Hillary's comeback

Well, we have just witnessed an incredible, stunning revival for Hillary Clinton in the face of ten polls and just about every commentator around who had already written her off as dead. I am personally happy about the result, even though my last posting on the forum was an awed response to Barracks’ powerful speech after he won Iowa. In the days before New Hampshire, though, I found myself moving back toward Hillary for several reasons:

1. I didn’t feel the race should be over if Obama won in two small and unrepresentative states. The race should, and now will certainly, continue at least through Super Tuesday February 5 which will give us a chance to thoroughly vet Hillary and Barrack and make an informed decision as to who is the best change agent and has the best chance to defeat the GOP’s candidate. As much as I remain impressed by Obama, he needs to put more meat on the bones of his “change” message. What are his priorities and is he willing to go toe to toe with the insurance, oil and pharmaceutical companies and with the Republican right to get health care and a sane energy policy that really fights global warming/ All this stuff about uniting the whole body politic and no red states and blue states is lovely, but only goes so far. And Hillary needs to prove to me that she is not too much of a centrist and a militarist, but will instead resist the impulse to go to war with Iran, will find a way to withdraw from Iraq and will follow policies that isolate Islamic fundamentalism, not fan its flames as Bush-Cheney have done.

2. I disliked the media’s nasty treatment of Hillary during the lead up to New Hampshire, as well as the ‘ganging up’ on her manifested by Edwards and Obama during the New Hampshire debate. Edwards, in particular, behaved in a slimy way with his servile kissing up to Obama and deriding Hillary as the status quo. Bullshit. She was right on target to get angry and make clear that she has been fighting for progressive change in this country with 1969—has dedicated her whole life to it. Any chance that I would back Edwards went by the board at that moment. I also didn’t like Obama’s sardonic “You’re likable enough, Hillary.” And then the media going crazy when she teared up the following day—the sheer meanness of the NY Post and jerks like Dick Morris. Yes, I am sure all of that won her great sympathy, including my own.

3. Both Hillary and Barrack will need to draw distinctions with each other, but the one who goes too negative will lost my vote for sure. They need to argue over the next month about who would be a better Democratic candidate in a way that doesn’t pull the party apart; does not, for example, pit women against blacks—for that way will lead to certain destruction and likely throw the election to the Republicans. These are both fine candidates and decent human beings and good leaders, so please, Hillary and Barrack, give it your best shot, but do things in such a way that the winner of the primaries over the next month will then be able to move forward and take us to victory. And leave open the option of a Hillary-Barrack or Barrack-Hillary presidential/vice presidential ticket; since that would likely be our ticket for victory.

I’ll write on the Republicans and the Jewish angle in all of this in my next posting…