A serious question about Hillary in the G.E.

[EffieBlack]

Let me preface this by saying that I do not have a candidate in this race. I support both Democrats, so this is not a swipe at Hillary. But I have an honest question about her strategy.

Hillary is pulling out all of the stops to convince voters that she has more experience and is more prepared to be Commander-in-Chief than Obama is. Is this a smart strategy? If she gets the nomination, what will be the gravamen of her candidacy? She certainly cannot run against McCain on experience since, whatever you think of him (and I don't think much), he clearly has more of the kind of experience that Hillary is now touting. She mocks Obama for basing much of his campaign on hope and judgment, but wouldn't those factors be much more effective against McCain than experience, since they offer a stark contrast to him, not a competition?

If Hillary gets the nomination, what will she run on and how will she pivot?

[panader0]

1. Very good point, and one that has been made here many times

If you want to run on "experience" against Obama, what will you use against j-mac?

[NJSecularist]

2. Hillary will run on her "experience" in the primary and her economic "prowess" in the GE

Her strategy will be to win Florida and Ohio. She will get burned in the GE if she uses the experience card. She needs to convince the voters in those two states that she will fix the economy and that she will get her health care plan initiated.

[Medusa]

3. Like her health care reform passed when Bill was president?

Hillary will get her ass kicked in a GE. Her negatives are 50% and growing with each passing day. Now she's quickly becoming a joke with the SniperGate story and her continued huddling with GOPers.

[EffieBlack]

5. I'm not looking for Hillary-bashing. I'm asking a serious question about her strategy.

[havocmom]

6. Stating fact is not bashing.

If the truth hurts, it is still truth

[NJSecularist]

7. Just because HRC failed in her first attempt doesn't mean she will fail in her 2nd attempt.

If anything, she may have learned from her experiences.

[havocmom]

8. What second attempt?

[Ravy]

4. Here is how I see it. Legislative experience is not really that big of a plus.

It is one reason we do not elect many legislature members to the presidency. Governors have executive experience. It is quite a different thing from legislative experience. Hillary was never a governor, and never a president... but she was in the room when a lot of good executive decisions were made.

This current hit on her lying or embellishing her trip to Bosnia. Getting shot at does not really help your resume, but she *did* go to Bosnia. She was there and according to one side, helping to obtain peace in N Ireland. She has travelled to many, many foreign countries and represented the United States well.

That being said, I think her campaign is pretty poor. With her executive credentials coupled with her legislative credentials, she should be blowing everyone away. Right now, I rate it a toss up between her and Obama. Not the election, I think Obama is in command, but as to who I would support if I was supporting one over the other.

[EffieBlack]

9. But does this experience trump McCain's?

[Ravy]

11. Absolutely.

If Obama is nominated, he of course won't run on experience, but he *can* absolutely pick McCain's record apart. Not only on issues that appeal to Democrats, but Senate votes where we were cutting the military and intelligence (I would imagine McCain voted for them as part of the republican "peace dividend" they were espousing in the late 80s and 90s. I know those votes were used against Dole and particularly against Gore when they ran.

[anamandujano]

10. They will be able to have a serious discussion of issues since McCain

will not be crying "race" every time she asks a question of him.

The simple fact that they are day and night on all issues will be the deciding factor.

If you want health care, vote Hillary.
If you want a 100 year war, vote McCain.

We could go down all the issues and there is a clear choice.

There is also a clear choice between Hillary and Obama but he likes to muddy the choice because he can say, "we're the same so vote on hopes and dreams." Needless to say, he won't deliver health care and he is taking the war to Pakistan, for openers.