HILLARY CLINTON IS NOW THE ONE TO BEAT

[Herman Munster]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucds/20070915/cm_ucds/hillaryclintonisnowtheonetobeat

In some ways this presidential campaign, so different from its predecessors in so many ways, is nevertheless so much the same as some of the ones that preceded it. In 1984, for example, former Vice President Walter F. Mondale was the front-runner, followed by Sen. John H. Glenn Jr. and Sen. Gary W. Hart. Senators Glenn and Hart sought to diminish their rival by declaring him the tool of the special interests and unions that bankrolled him. Hart, who had more of an insurgent's profile than Glenn, sought to stay close to Mondale in the polls so as to be well-positioned if he stumbled.

Those are the relative positions Sen. Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama have fallen into in recent weeks. We don't have the advantage of knowing who won Iowa (Mondale did in 1984) or New Hampshire (Hart), but we do know that Clinton possesses some classic front-runner attributes. They are:

Everything bad that there is to be said about her already has been said, maybe a hundred times. Is there a soul alive who has not heard about her marriage, her disastrous effort at overhauling the health-care system, her transformation from Goldwater Girl to Wellesley activist, her role in the Rose Law Firm, her miraculous success in the commodity futures market, her real-estate forays at Whitewater? No matter what the subject, she and her stone-wall defenders can dismiss it with a yawn and the two most beguiling words in the political lexicon: old news.

She's battle-tested. Is there a media focus harder to handle than the one that was thrown at the woman whose husband's extramarital adventures were the subject of an independent counsel's investigation known throughout the world? Few presidential candidates are confronted with tests of poise, composure, character and courage remotely as formidable as what she went through in 1998.

She's disciplined. This was Mondale's great strength, and his great weakness. Like Mondale, who seldom strayed off his text, schedule or agenda, Sen. Clinton has an iron will. Mr. Mondale made a giant strategic miscalculation -- that winning the 1984 nomination with 1948 tactics, emphasizing union bosses and county chairmen, was the way to go -- but he made no tactical errors as he sought the nomination nearly a quarter-century ago. He never said anything stupid or frivolous or, come to think of it, even controversial. He was one of the most relaxed, most engaging men of his political generation, but there wasn't a touch of informality to his campaign.

[Broke Dad]

1. It's illegal to beat another human being in Iowa . . .

But a fourth place finish for Little Hill in Iowa may be the next closest thing to a beating.

ABC!

ABC!

ABC!

[CK_John]

2. Hillary has always been the one to beat! n/t

[Tejanocrat]

3. Your argument is that Hillary is our next Mondale? That's perhaps not the strongest argument for her

[JTFrog]

18. roflmao! n/t

[illinoisprogressive]

4. I'll make sure to order your crow fresh in Feb. hahahaha

[bluestateguy]

5. Yes, Walter Mondale should be the model

And then she should invite Bob Shrum to run the campaign. Mary Beth Cahill can be responsible for the "Rapid Response" team and Susan Estrich can coordinate the campaign's strategic themes.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. President Dean Agrees: Polls Four Months Out Predict The Winner!!!

:rofl:

Hey - Dean was only leading Kerry by 30% ONE MONTH before Iowa.

[Bolo Boffin]

7. Voldemort - I mean, Giuliani - has marked Clinton as his opponent.

The battle for the center has begun.

[calteacherguy]

10. Yes, he has. And I think this early Clark endorsement may have something to do with that. nt

[Bolo Boffin]

14. A Clinton/Clark ticket would be quite a sight to see.

I am still pulling for Obama to get the nod, especially because of his stance on the war. A Gore endorsement of Obama would be very sweet indeed. Bring this primary season on!

[HamdenRice]

11. Only someone who is utterly ignorant about Giuliani and politics in general

would call him battling for the "center." He's a right wing zealot and neo-fascist. He once announced that he was proud that he had never shaken hands with an African American political figure during the entire first term of his mayoralty. Harper's recently published a prediction that if elected, he would be worse than Bush. But he seems to be your cup of tea if that's your idea of the "center."

[Bolo Boffin]

12. You got all of THAT from my post?

Why try so desperately to misunderstand me. I said he was battling Clinton for the center, not that he was the epitome of centrist politics. I also called him Voldemort.

I resent very strongly the statement that he seems to be my cup of tea. Never repeat such a slanderous accusation again, or you will be talking to the moderators.

[HamdenRice]

13. You seem to be perfectly ignorant about Giuliani

He will not battle Hillary for the center, because he's not a centrist. He will follow or even accelerate, the Bush Republican tendency to fire up the extreme right, marginalize centrists in his party and divide the electorate.

Only someone perfectly ignorant of Giuliani could predict he will battle for the center.

You just don't know what you're talking about. That's what I got from your post.

[Bolo Boffin]

15. So you're saying Giuliani is an idiot.

I can live with that.

[HamdenRice]

16. No, I'm saying you don't know what you are talking about

Giuliani's strategy will not be to contest the center. It's a simple concept.

[Frances]

8. There's an article in today's Washington Post

that talks about how much more quickly China is gaining power and influence than anyone expected. This is being done at the expense of the US, which has no policy whatsoever to counter China's growing influence.

I think that if people begin to worry about the US losing a contest with China, then they may turn to Hillary. That's because so many people think the country was doing so much better economically and politically in the world when her husband was president. The Clintons are a known quantity and would have a head start on solving problems.

That said, I still have not decided who I will vote for in the primary. I like both Obama and Edwards, but I need to be convinced that they would be as effective on the world stage as Hillary, not just in likeability (both are at least as likeable as Hillary), but tough enough to get this country back on the right track. Right now Hillary has the toughest image of any candidate in my opinion.

[high density]

9. Battle tested, riiiight.

She is not first lady anymore and the modern right wing hate machine isn't even going on her yet.

[cleveramerican]

17. Mondale got RUN OVER by the republicans

despite his discipline.

He did say something stupid and he lost because of it.
He declared he would have to raise taxes.
He said he was being honest, but it was very stupid.



As far as Hillary goes, she has always been the one to beat.
She is the overwhelming favorite to win, nobody else is even close.
But they are gaining on her.


If Obama can somehow wrestle the nomination away from her,
It'll be a huge upset victory, he will be swept into office on a wave of popular support.