Hillary Clinton on Iraq--is she where the voters are? A theory.

[bklyncowgirl]

I am not a Clinton supporter. I am one of those people for whom a yea vote on the Iraq War Resolution is an insurmountable obstacle. What surprises me, however is that, despite having voted for this debacle and despite refusing to admit that she made a mistake, she continues to lead the polls.

Is it possible that her position is where most voters, even most Democrats, are with regard to the war?

Many of not most Americans believed Bush when he told them that there were weapons of mass destruction which threatened our existence. They felt that after the victory in Afghanistan that the war in Iraq would be fairly easy and that the Iraqi people would be grateful for the freedom we handed them.

I remember telling people at the time that this war would be a disaster and that we would end up with another Vietnam--only worse. Many of these people don't particularly want to discuss the war with me these days. I was right. They were wrong. They don't want it rubbed in their faces. A candidate like Barack Obama or Wes Clark, guys who were right only reminds them that they were deceived.

Hillary Clinton was wrong, they were wrong. For many of those of us who were right, being wrong is unforgivable but for people who initially supported the war--the majority of Americans--there is comfort in having a candidate who was wrong--just like them.

No one likes to feel like a sucker.

[papau]

1. That is likely to be true - as is her focus on a plan to get us out w/o undercutting whatever

the on the ground commanders and the troops are doing currently.

Perhaps the "I want to get out more than you do" and the "I can do a mea culpa for my IWR vote better than you" debate will lead to a Dem Candidate that is elected and good on the non-Iraq issues that concern me - I certainly hope so.

In any case I am following the other issues very closely - single payer universal health being my number one issue post Iraq - and while Clinton has a lot of specifics still to be put out on those issues - I hope - so far her positions are meeting my left of center requirements.

[wyldwolf]

2. good theory and well thought out

Without digressing into the actual "right" or "wrong" of the war, I'll point out that during the 2006 elections the war was not even voter's #1 concern.

In addition, all through the 90s, Americans were assualted by rightwing rhetoric about how Hillary was really running things and Bill was a wimp and Hillary wore the pants, etc. Whether they believed it or not, the 90s look awfully good now and people to equate Hillary at least partially with that.

[bklyncowgirl]

3. You certainly have a point there about nostalgia for the '90s.

Hell, didn't Bill Clinton just come in very high in a "Best President Ever" poll.

Mind you I am second to none in my inability to comprehend what motivates the average voter--witness George W. Bush. Sometimes I think that a candidate's electability is in direct proportion to my distaste for him or her.

I personally don't want to go through the whole "I voted for the war before I voted against it" thing again but this issue does not seem to reflect the thinking of most people being polled.

I won't be voting for Clinton in the primaries, I won't be voting for Edwards, Biden or Dodd either no matter how much they natter on about how they made a mistake.

If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination, I will vote for her like I voted for her husband. Whatever I think of her judgement she will be better than anything that the Republicans put up.

[wyldwolf]

4. I'll go one further

Referring to the article from this weekend about how the GOP's support around the country is crumbling and that the Iraq war is seen as a Republican debacle, by 2008 anyone who seeks to pin responsibility on Democrats for the war will be seen as out of touch. IMO.

[durrrty libby]

5. I was 100% against the war and I support Hillary, unless

Gore jumps in



So your “theory “ is incorrect

[bklyncowgirl]

6. Yup, I could be wrong, but I think you missed my point.

I'm not saying that every Clinton supporter was for the war. No doubt many people like yourself are overlooking her IWR vote for other reasons.

What I am trying to say, in a very clumsy way, is that the IWR vote is not as big an issue as people like me THINK it should be and trying to understand WHY it's not foremost in other people's minds.