It is no surprise that presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has faced great scrutiny and pressure from her fellow candidates, media, and the general public concerning her views on public policy and foreign decisions, should she be elected president. As more time passes in this rather premature electoral race, heavier issues have arised and even more publicly appealing candidates like Barak Obama find themselves recieving the same heat Clinton has.
However, Senator Clinton has had her fair share of challenges already with such issues like her now infamous 2002 response to the war in Iraq, where she approved President Bush's decision to use force in Iraq. As of now, she sticks to the response of "if I knew then what I know now," which still is not good enough for her left-winged critics and for many Americans who have grown bitter over years of failed promises and missions concering Iraq and the war that was supposed to concur terrorism. Aside from her foreign policy beliefs, there have been more recent questions of her domestic concerns, such as the issue on gay rights where she was under fire for not directly responding to whether or not homosexuality is immoral and her failure to support gay marriage.
Some of these issues are major setbacks for her camp for she must convince as many potential voters now to ensure that she has a chance at all to even be considered for the election. Already grappling the fact that she is not as popular as Obama and tends to be a bit too dry and stiff, there is concern that perhaps she is not capable of being presidential material.
So, the question that must be asked is what will save Hillary in the upcoming months? Is it the fact that she has admitted to her mistake in 2002 and is focused on "bringing the boys in Iraq home?" Could it be her efforts to reinforce the importance of education or work on the failed 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on gay civil rights? Perhaps, despite her views and plans, which are of great value without a doubt, there is one thing that is overlooked: her secret weapon. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who has been aggressively fundraising in the interest of his wife. As mentioned in this article in the New York Times ( http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/the-clinton-spin/ ), "No politicians raise money quite like the Clintons," and, they must be given this much, that they are excellent campaigners.
Do you think that Crazy Willy is capable of helping get his wife out of some of the mess she has gotten herself into and gain the approval of the skeptic lefts and not-so-sure public? Or is Hillary simply not cut out to be Presidential material?
(I suggest you look at the blog responses on the nytimes website to help with your argument, it is a good representation of both sides of the public opinion)
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4 comments:
You make some great aruguments in your posting. However, I am not sure that I think its still to early to say that Hillary needs some "Saving Graces".
As of right now nothing is certain in the Democratic Party. Each candidate is equally in the hot seat at this point as far as voters are concerned. It seems to me that when political discussion is up for debate in a conversation people are still swinging back and fourth between Obama and Hillary.
As for taking a stance on certain issues such as Gay Rights and Iraq, I think timing is everything. You can't put all your eggs out at once or they might get cracked. Hillary has to be very strategic about this campaign. Hillary and her campaign crew are not stupid, they are aware of Hillay's weaknesses and strengths.
In reagrds to what will save Hillary, I don't think she is sinking and when she starts to her campaign crew and her husband Bill will have a way to keep her alfoat.
I feel as though it's too early to say that Hillary is in need of saving. I think both candidates are receiving lots of flack and are being criticized for different things. People claim that Obama doesn't have enough experience. Each candiate is being targeted for their flaws and setbacks. This is part of the downfall to announcing a run at the ticket. Heavy issues come out and maybe when we get closer to the election these issues we are speaking of now will hurt Hillary, but I don't think she's completely out of the race yet.
As for Bill, I do feel that he will aid in her campaign. Although he had a very publisized scandal, people still like him. He remained popular with the people and this will help Hillary gain a following of her own.
I agree, I dont think Hillary is in any serious trouble and it is still early in the race. While her former view of invading Iraq and TBA stance on gay rights can upset the more liberal party members, she is in no more hot water (at this point) than Obama. Later on if things do get heated, Hillary will have to be herself; fake acts and bad jokes won't help. Plus, her "secret weapon" Bill will be behind the scenes which (in my mind) will strengthen many's support for Hillary.
I don't think Hillary can get out of her hole she's allegedly digging herself. The point that was brought up in the original post was an interesting one, that being Senator Clinton is receiving heat for her support of the Iraqi war in 2002. I don't think that heat is justified. If we remember, I believe the only person who opposed the war was Sen. Russ Feingold from Wisoconsin. If she is truly getting heat for this, it is undeserved, and if nothing else, hypocritical. This is why I do not believe Clinton will win over everyone. As far as Bill Clinton helping her, to me, he would overshadow her. If she's giving a speech, maybe it's just me, but i say hey look it's Bill in the background. He's bigger than the show itself.
I think Hillary has a considerable uphill climb, even though polls show her on top right now. It's going to be awfully hard to hold off the rock star.
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