A Long Shadow (Democratic presidential hopefuls have to overcome the Clinton effect)

Newsweek ^ | 5/4/02 | Howard Fineman

[Brian Mosely]

If you write about politics, you had to be in Columbia, S.C., last weekend for what amounted to the start of the 2004 Democratic presidential road show. Even so, Meryl Gordon of New York Magazine was ambivalent. The event that drew her and the tribe was a Saturday-night debate, staged by ABC. But the nine Democratic contenders were so lacking in star power that only 57 ABC stations, reaching half the country, had agreed to carry the show, and then only on tape at 11:30 p.m.—”after,” as they say on the TV page, “your late local news.” On the other hand, Gordon fretted, she’d been invited to one of the glitzier Manhattan media events in ages: a Sunday brunch and baby shower hosted by Hillary Rodham Clinton for her former press secretary, Lisa Caputo. With Clinton’s autobiography soon to hit the stores, Hillary Hysteria was more intense than usual. Every “TV diva”—Katie, Diane, Barbara—was expected to be there, plus swarms of producers, all of them eager to book Hillary for their highly rated programs. Plane connections were such that Gordon couldn’t make it. “Tough choice,” she said. Political consultant Mandy Grunwald, who is advising Sen. Joe Lieberman, agreed: “It’s the mother of all baby showers.”

< snip >

Clinton doesn’t mind being cited when the topic is the economy, and the candidates were obliging in South Carolina. At a Friday-night fish fry, they used the recent rise in unemployment as evidence that Bush had, in Graham’s words, “squandered the prosperity we had at the end of the Clinton years.” Party insiders predicted more of the same. “Clinton is going to become more and more of an asset,” said Jim Hunt, the ex-governor of North Carolina and a key supporter of Sen. John Edwards. “There are people in my state who voted Republican and are looking at the economy and saying, ‘You know what? You guys ought to bring that boy Clinton back’.” Given his economic record, “I wouldn’t be ashamed to campaign with him,” said Dean.

[Brian Mosely]

A long shadow indeed...

[chachacha]

The Friday Night Fish Fry packed full of reasons why this Country is in the shape it's in.

Packed full of Anti-War dead heads, anti GOD losers, Femen- nazi lesbians, gay marriage supporters, bath house fudge packers, union thug gangsters, race baiting, yellow bellied pro United nations, tax and spend , owned by the teachers union, transferees of weatlth, terrorist supporters, liberal bottom feeders. PERIOD

[Unicorn]

Now tell us how you really feel.

[Tall_Texan]

These people haven't heard of airplanes? They can't attend a debate in South Carolina one evening and then fly to New York the next day to attend a brunch?? What whiners!

And in the meantime, they're pissed because George W. Bush can land on an aircraft carrier and they can't.

The libs are just *dying* to get Hillary! into the race and I'm starting to think we should encourage them to. I'll never forget 1980 when the media was having orgasms about Ted Kennedy running against Jimmy Carter. They showed poll after poll saying how Kennedy would win if he just entered the race. They lusted for Teddy to run then, as soon as he did, Kennedy's squalid past behaviors (Chappaquiddick, divorce, drunkeness) became open season and fair game.

Let's encourage them to run Hillary! for president. Let's make them think they can posture Hillary as a return to the "good old days of wealth and prosperity".

Bush has defeated Saddam. He's defeated OBL. And don't forget he's already beaten a prominent female Democrat who the liberal media couldn't get enough of (Remember Governor Pruneface?).

The tree has been shaken but the economy is rebounding and the tree is budding for the new season. The Democrats already have little to run on. The absolute worst thing they could do to themselves is cling to the idea that they can turn back the clock to those "good old days" of perjury, sophistry, photo ops and petty crime (next time the media gets all huffy about Baghdad museums being looted, ask them why they were so blase about Air Force One being looted). So let them trot out Hillary with her piles of dirty laundry. We'll kick her black crusty pant-suited ass.

[ImpotentRage]

I wish it were so, but I don't think the national media would be any harder on Hillary than the NY media was. AND if the republicans tried to bring up all of the "dirty laundry" clinging to her we would be shouted down as being mean-spirited. Hillary REALLY worries me and I want nothing more than to see her totally destroyed - heavens knows there is enough in her background for that to happen quite easily. But there is that adoring media with their own agenda of pushing the Socialist order.

[q_an_a]

Jerks like Fineman and the nine dwarfs forget that "America's Workingman" dislike cowards and cheaters. They had not seen a real commitment to Words becoming action, since the early days of Reagan, so now they will hand the RATS a loss to the presidency and to senators. 58 or 59 is my speculation. Three cheers for a man on intergrity.

[chachacha]

Scum of the earth Immoral baby killers.

[Tijeras_Slim]

A long shadow indeed...

Bill wishes, more like a wide one.

[KeyLargo]

There is a great photo of HITLERY on the front page of the Chicago Sun Times. Please post the photo. The online page does not have the photo however but if you can get a copy of the paper it great!

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hillary04.html

[baseballmom]

Hillary REALLY worries me

Me too. Be ever vigilant.

[randita]

Re: Hillary. Not many men would vote for a woman president who reminds him of a nagging wife. Rush was right last week when he made this comment. Hillary's voice is strident and condescending, especially when she is on the stump.

[Tall_Texan]

Scum of the earth Immoral baby killers.

Now, now. Hillary's press secretary is having a *baby shower*. How precious. I suggest sending her a nice shower gift - like a set of wire coathangers.

[lsee]

Here's the graphic photo from this article...Barf!

[AlbionGirl]

She needs to be able to control that look in her eyes if she hopes to be elected.

The one thing the Republicans need to do is let her be her. Go after her ideologically, but don't seem 'obsessed' with her, leaving the following impression without stating it: 'poor Hillary; still a wooly headed liberal after all these years; bless her cotton-headed heart!'

We need a lot more of her unplugged, as is the case with her thrombo eruption last week. But FOX and other conservative outlets should not devalue her weaknesses by overexposing them. They need to learn how to hoarde for the appropriate season.

Pictures like this one need to be subtly played to also. She's not someone who should be easily dismissed, but she's not someone to politically lionize either because she has an immense amount of baggage.

[lsee]

she has an immense amount of baggage.

Much of it unsuccessfully camouflaged with makeup and Old Crusty...It's probably been easier to hide dead business associates than that face and figure.

[Paleo Conservative]