 |
Change the Guard |
 |
In the Democratic debate last night Senator Clinton was asked the following question, compliments of South Carolina resident Karen Roper:
How can you be an agent of change when we have had the same two families in the White House for the last 30 years?
Her answer:
CLINTON: Well, as I have often said, I regret deeply that there is a Bush in the White House at this time. (Laughter.) But I think that what’s great about our political system is that we are all judged on our own merits. You know, we come forward to the American public, and it’s the most grueling political process one can imagine. We start from the same place. Nobody has an advantage, no matter who you are or where you came from. You have to raise the money. You have to make the case for yourself …
And, you know, it did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush. (Laughter, cheers, applause.)
While the answer provided some well-earned laughs, and two good sound bites, the humor masked an inability to give an adequate response. What she did offer — beyond the sound bites she no doubt had ready and waiting for just such a question — was both unconvincing and untruthful.
In saying “we start from the same place,” Hillary ignored a fact she’s touted many times before; she’s already been in the White House. That, after all, is the foundation for her claim that she’s ready to lead on “day one.” Is this White House experience a product of her own qualifications? No, it was a result of her husband’s political ability.
In saying “nobody has an advantage, no matter who you are or where you came from … you have to make the case for yourself,” she denied the advantage of having a former president, still revered by much of the Democratic base, actively campaigning on her behalf. When Bill said choosing Obama is “rolling the dice,” he proved that, in fact, you don’t always have to make the case for yourself. When Hillary sent her husband out fund-raising, she proved that you don’t “have to raise the money” yourself.
Every Bush and Kennedy in politics makes it clear; if you’re a member of American political royalty, you’ve got a jump-start.
Of course the name isn’t everything. Hillary has not been tugging on Bill’s coat tails every step of the way. She’s a skilled politician and an intelligent, well-spoken individual. But there’s no denying that her campaign has benefited from the last name she acquired by marriage, a last name that carries connotations she did little to create.
Her supporters can argue over the degree to which she has benefited, but they cannot argue over whether or not she has benefited. Hillary did not start from the same point as her competitors, she did not make her case by herself, and most important, she has no claim to change in this election.
Thirty years of the same two families in the White House is enough. It’s time to change the guard.
i have seen 6 of the 17 debates, he stutering by now, but i saw Michelle Obamam last night on CSPAN. Sghe won the debate last night. he has a Coretta.
Bravo! Hell of a piece kid.
Her supporters can argue over the degree to which she has benefited, but they cannot argue over whether or not she has benefited. Hillary did not start from the same point as her competitors, she did not make her case by herself, and most important, she has no claim to change in this election. - Solid.
- I’m biased, but this is the finest most to the point article I’ve read on this site. Thanks LGS for exposing the walking and talking contradiction that is Hillary Clinton.
Amazing how this notion of “political royalty” didn’t seem to surface when Bush Jr was first running for the White House. This is nothing more than a clever meme being pushed by the republican party to push dems towards Obama, an opponent they believe they can soundly defeat. Sorry for the rude awakening, but the American electorate is old enough, conservative enough, that they’re going to flinch away from voting for a black man. You know it as well as I do but we’re all dancing around the elephant in the middle of the room. If it comes down to Obama vs Mccain, the polls are going to show Obama winning handedly on Nov 5th…then the results come back in showing a clear Mccain victory. People *lie* to pollsters, and they say they voted for the black man but end up voting for the rich old white man.
Hillary will take all the undecided moderate women voters, the voters who end up deciding the election every four years. Hillary scares the republican party to death…so why not spread some mindgames about not supporting a “dynasty” when the same people just spent the last eight years supporting their own?
I guess I find it odd that some people think a black man would have a problem winning the White House but a woman wouldn’t. I personally think either has a good shot, but if you feel race is going to hold candidates back, why not sex?
That question from Karen really hit the Hillary campaign’s weakness on the head — it must be a huge hangnail that’s sore and inflamed burning with pain that’s always noticeable on her face whenever she opens her mouth to talk.
I read an article a day ago about how the more she speaks, the less attractive her bid for the nomination is. The way she answered this specific question definitely encompasses that sentiment.
Thirty years is inaccurate. Bush Sr. took office in 1989 when Bush leaves office next year it will have been 20 years with a Bush or Clinton in office. If Hillary is elected this fall then re-elected in another four years then the total of Bush/Clinton presidencies will be 28 years still not quite 30 years. But, hey, even 20 years is a long time under the rule of two families.
I believe the author is including the time Bush Sr. spent as Vice President.
that’s right Jason. The number includes the time Bush spent as VP. Total 28, rounded up to 30 by Karen, who asked the question via Blitzer at the debate.
Load of crap. Its not a Clinton’s fault that idiots in this country voted for Bush jr. nor that the right-wing Repub Supreme Court elected him in 2000. Where were all you Bush haters in 2000? Wake up people. Hillary has the experience. I like Obama but the Repub smear campaign swift boaters are going to hit him hard.
30 years? It’s misdirection worthy of Fox News. The president from 80 to 88 was REAGAN. Yes, if you count Bush as VP the total comes close to 30. But then, why not count his time as the head of the CIA?
Who cares which family has spent more time in the White House? Hillary is either the best person for the job or not, under her own merits. Dismissing her because of the legacy factor is just as stupid as voting for someone because of the legacy factor.
OK then. The burning question to YOU, and everyone else, then, is: Are you just as stupid??!
That’s your burning question? Burning questions should be a bit more gripping than that.
We should simply amend the constitution with a dynasty buster amendment… no relative of the pres., VP or anyone in the house or senate can run for any of those offices until at least 10 years after the end of their relative’s term.
Also, no dual citizenship in any high office.
We all forget one thing, internationally Bush has made american politics a farce, with the false flag operations in the middle east (Common knowledge around the world except america where you dont get the real news, no plane hit the pentagon or hit the ground in shanksville and the towers were helped down by explosives, look at the footage of the third tower that came down WTC7 and the 14ft hole a 125 ft plane flew through haha) what a joke america has become , doesnt matter who you vote for unless you get the candidate once elected to tell the truth about what really happened, Bush must be trialed and sent to the haque. your election system is rigged and you cant do anything about it. Internationally no-one has respect for you guys anymore, we all know its not about oil, its all about currency, when the world buys oil, first they buy US currency, if you control the oil you control what currency it is purchased in and there for the rest of the world props up you economy which is just about down the gurgler, changes are a foot with several countries applying with OPEC to purchase oil in a basket of currencies, rot in hell american politics, i reckon in two years time the world will unplug the phone lines to america for a couple of months to teach you all a lesson, dont get me wrong, 99% of americans are nice people with good ideals, its just your government is a corrupt mafia neocon cocaine smuggling gun running liers currency manipulators and your there puppets …….. What will you all do about it?? nothing as usual.. Obama must win, Clintons are insiders and McCain is being pushed up cause he will keep the lies going… Anyone who disputes you guys is dismissed as tin hatters, typical american arrogance ..PS get your own money system and stop renting your money from the little group of world bankers, then you will be living in the land of the free, are you brave enough America?????
Anyone who believes that the repugs will go after Obama harder then if Clingon is nominated is in a dream world. All the woman Billy boy had affairs with will be coming out as well as the ‘gates’ the Clingons are attached to. The repugs want the Clingons so bad they can’t wait to pull out all the dirt again on this pair and we’ll get to see a mini-series of the troubles that plagued them when they were in the WH.
btw, there were more repugs voted into office during Bill’s presidency because of the chaos and Americans were turned off by the dirty laundry littering the WH…thus George Jr. took the reins.
Obama has a much better chance of surviving swift boating then HRC could ever dream…when they are done with her there won’t be much left.
Great job. I can’t believe how little this is mentioned. I know it would be a complete fantasy to expect our highest office to go to someone who has started off like the average American and proven themselves the most qualified through brilliance and hard work.
This how the world works on every level and it is not for anyone’s best interest. Nepotism only leads to incompentent people holding positions they are unqualified for. It’s mind boggling that after seeing what a president’s son has done to us for the last 8 years we are ready to immediately follow with a president’s wife. It’s bad enough when you have to work for a company owner’s nephew, college buddy, or wife’s friend, but this is the freaking presidency of the United States. And people actually look at Hillary Clinton as a legitimate candidate? Are you freaking kidding me?
I think this would be an interesting mathematical study for an MIT proffessor or somebody. I mean if this is the most imporant job in the entire country hypothetically we should have the single best possible person out of 300 million of us. I wonder what the odds of 2 of the top 1/300 million people knowing eachother outside of washington relations would be let alone being related. And then for it two happen twice in a row the odds would have to be something like winning the lottery every day for a year.