Last time, Americans elected a moron. If they do better this time, I can show my face without shame

[sniffa]

More to the point, Americans can't elect any female president, but only a particular one. To the rest of the world as well as to her own constituency, Hillary Clinton is familiar solely for being married to a widely admired two-term president. No Bill, no candidacy - for even foreigners realise that a former family law practitioner with the natural political skills of shrubbery would never otherwise be a serious contender for the White House. So from the outside, the election of Hillary would look like one more cronyistic, nepotistic backroom deal. It would advertise to other countries that despite all our blather about democracy, the US is no different from everywhere else: to get ahead, you have to have connections. It would portray America as one more country where power is concentrated in a few hands that never let go. A second President Clinton would make the preachy rhetoric of my nation sound just as hypocritical as it has done under President Bush Whose Daddy's Having Been President Too Is Just a Weird Coincidence.

A Hillary win would not even strike a considerable blow for women's rights. It would merely set a precedent for ascension to the presidency by marriage. Internationally, Hillary's promise to use her husband as a "roving ambassador" decodes to: if Bill would not be de facto president, he would at least run her foreign policy. (T-shirts at her rallies that read "I MISS BILL" make no bones about the fact that many of her own supporters hope that they are really voting in her husband for an unconstitutional third term.) That wouldn't make Hillary seem a strong, capable female role model, but a sidekick. In sum: no more bag, but I might still slip on dark glasses.

By contrast, a black man in the White House? It would put a lid on all the carping about how you can't lecture to us about fairness when you have all those horrible racial problems at home. (We'd still have racial problems, but we're talking appearances here.) It would betoken that cultures can change, that a country can emerge from a history of slavery to engender some semblance of racial parity. It would put a stop to superior European posing about how liberal and good and tolerant and sophisticated they are in comparison to all those bigoted, retrograde American bumpkins. And in the context of this election, it would suggest that connections aren't everything; that US elections are not a big fix; that democracy is not a farce.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2238299,00.html

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. i would support Hillary a lot more if she wasn't married to Bill

not that I don't like Bill Clinton, but I don't like the idea of someone possibly becomming president because of their name, or who their husband/father was.

for example, see Bush, George W.

[no name no slogan]

2. I am not a fan of dynasties, either

nt

[sniffa]

5. i take it you support the assasination of Bhutto?

that's the obvious huge leap of logic that a DUer can make.

[no name no slogan]

7. Wow, that's a good one!

I salute your awesomeness! :patriot:

[sniffa]

12. thank you

i've also pegged you for a supporter of the Kennedy assassinations.

however, i can't just yet peg you for killing Mary Jo. though with your history, i think that's probable, if not likely.

you're worse than Rick Astley. :puke:

[no name no slogan]

16. "Follow the money"

BTW, check's in the mail

[ElizabethDC]

4. What about the Kennedys or the Adamses?

I don't mind it so much - I'm going to vote for a person because of who they are, not because of who they are (or aren't married to). I know I'd be voting for Hillary whether or not she was married to Bill.

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. well

The Kennedy's are unique because JFK never really got to fulfill his term. RFK was also, sadly, struck down before he got his shot.

And Ted tried, but people refuted him.

As for the Adams', what was that, like 200 years ago?

[Kucinich4America]

17. The Bush Crime Family made sure there wasn't a Kennedy dynasty

Hell, we didn't even get ONE complete Kennedy presidency, let alone the likely second one. :(

[Muttocracy]

3. amen n/t

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sniffa]

13. wow.

i hope you enjoy your short stay here.

if it's longer than usual, it's because this is the moderators' harvest season.

:hi:

[Muttocracy]

21. whoa there. you think not Hillary = for Obama for everyone?

Um, I'm a lost Biden supporter. I DO think experience is important. With Biden and Dodd gone, I'm left with 3 inexperienced senators none of whom thrill me.

But you go right ahead and get that out of your system. Good thing you've got the internet or someone could get hurt.

[aquart]

8. What courage that woman has.

It's like an Indiana Jones adventure every moment. Threats from the right, snakes from the left, and straight ahead a great big boulder swinging right at her.

See, the thing about THIS woman, is that NO OTHER woman has managed to get this far. Are we supposed to sit back and wait for the one that's good enough? Which one would that be? The one unborn coming in the year 3000?

[Auntie Bush]

9. Bush wouldn't have been president if his father wasn't president and have access to

a huge Rolodex. Hillary wouldn't even be able to run for president if it wasn't for Bill and his huge rolodex (No comment please. Let's keep this clean and on subject...as difficult as it may be) That's just the way it is! And frankly Obama wouldn't be such a sensation if he wasn't black! And Flip flopper Romney wouldn't have a ghost of a chance if he wasn't filthy rich. Same for the unknown Blumberg if he runs if his gazillion private and expensive polls say he has a ghost of a chance. Money and influence talks...unfair but true and that's life...so I wouldn't worry about it.
Everyone has their advantages and disadvantages. Hillary has hers!

[Didereaux]

11. HooHah! Yeah, boyhowdy a brit rag is sure to know more about our candidates than we do...

I think I will subscribe to nithing but British rags to find out what I should think! or the National enequirer, Faux News, maybe just listen to Radio Iraq!

Sniffa, for christs sake don't you realize posting this kind of thing reflects on who you are promoting? And worse Obama can't even rebut some of the shit you post to 'help' him. Think!

[sniffa]

14. you should make this an OP

:thumbsup:

[tammywammy]

18. pssst

Sniffa isn't supporting Obama. Unless he's changed his mind, but you know, I really don't see that happening.

[bicentennial_baby]

19. Shhhhhh!

:P

[sniffa]

20. sssshhhh

he should make this an OP. ;)

:hi:

[tammywammy]

22. That I do agree with

It should definitely be an OP.

:hi:

[BeyondGeography]

15. "the natural political skills of shrubbery"

That's our girl.