Hillary Clinton -- Like her or hate her ...

So if we had a third party and it put forth a presidential candidate, it wouldn't be someone who is turned on by power or advancement, just some noble dude who wants to make the country a better place?

Yeah, good luck with that.

 

You're right that to pretend male politicians aren't all of those things is laughable. But Hillary seems so nakedly self-serving. Every single policy position appears to be carefully calibrated to win a national election. I cannot ever remember a time when I heard Hillary speak and felt as if she was speaking with actual conviction. She also lacks warmth. Everyone one of those adjectives listed could be applied to Bill. But Bill had an overwhelming warmth that made you like him. Hillary doesn't have that.

And to answer your question, I really don't think Hillary has a chance. She has many of the same problems with her base that McCain has with the GOP base. They don't trust Hillary on the war and believe that every statement she has made about Iraq is political opportunism based on the winds of the moment. They fear another Democrat presidency based on triangulation, ala her husband. She might get the nomination because no other candidate will have the money and media platform to challenge her and the parts of her party that hate her will be split between pragmatism (Warner) and purity (Feingold). If it is McCain v. Hillary, Johnny Mac can start measuring for Oval Office curtains. I think Mitt Romney would beat her. If the GOP nominates a candidate with any kind of moderate appeal, she will not fare well. She will energize the GOP base and the hard left will be discouraged. Her only hope is that the GOP nominates George Allen (who I am officially nominating for the Phil Gramm/Lamar Alexander Memorial Award for tanking badly) or another hardened social conservative.

 

Notice I used the word "others" rather than "other Democrats," Sherlock.

 

Thanks Pope.

I agree about the warmth bit.

The woman is smart, smart as her husband but doesn't exude any sort of, what's the word--rapport, maybe? Personality? Sympatico?

Let's face it, no matter what side of the political spectrum you're on, there has to be some connection with your constituents.

And I think that although you might reconsider your position on certain issues based on new information, changing voter opinions etc, people need to feel that there's a moral centre to politicians. Maybe that's the case with Hillary--there's no moral centre.

Other than Bill Clinton, the single most charismatic politician in my memory was Pierre Trudeau. Admittedly he was hated by the smarmy "I'm all right Jack" conservatives but he had a hold on this country like no other politician before or after him.

I like McCain.

 

I don't know how I feel about Mrs. Clinton, either. But I get caught defending her because the criticisms of her are almost always linked to her gender, be it veiled or unveiled. Reminds me of when Bill was in office and she was hated on because people felt she was running the presidency. Nevermind that many presidential wives have had plenty to say about their husband's policies.

So wake me up when one of you accuses her of something male politicians -- many of which you all love -- aren't guilty of as well. If the only knock you have against her is she used her Senator position to springboard to president, then you are very much in need of a civics lesson.

Bottom-line: This board is perfect proof why America isn't ready for a woman president.

 

Actually it's damned hard to get elected from the Senate straight to the White House. Mostly because you have a voting record that can be parsed and spun to no end by the opposition. Kennedy / Johnson were the last.

OTOH, governors don't carry such baggage, hence Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and the Shrub.

 

Kennedy and Martin Van Buren, if memory serves . . . doubt Johnson ever wins a national election without his unfortunate
elevation.

 

You've got your rarities mixed up. Kennedy and Harding are the only Senators to be directly elected. Van Buren and Bush41 are the only veeps to be elected directly from that office.

 

Good catch. I stand corrected.

 

It's not sexism. It's someone who has done nothing, zero zilch in her political career and is just trying to parlay her husband's name into success for her.
Remember when she said she's no Tammy Wynette "standing by her man"?
Yeah, she sure ran away after Bubba admitted to the tube steak.
But she sure stood by her man, because no one would have voted for Hillary Rodham (the lifelong Yankees fan).

 

I'm sorry, what's your point? She is a Senator, right? So she's done something in her political career. Every politician has relied on others to further their political career.

And as for the rest, well, it's a bit of a mindless rant. And your "Bubba" speaks volumes.

 

Most politicians are, sadly, like that. Again, it's part of why the country is in a death spiral. Maybe we just need to go all 1776 on their asses and start over.