tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post3466650172559804370..comments2024-03-19T11:28:58.168-04:00Comments on History Unfolding: Hillary Rodham Clinton, and usDavid Kaiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05020082243968071584noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-52112464815823658942007-09-25T09:50:00.000-04:002007-09-25T09:50:00.000-04:00Consulting Michael Crichton re Global Warming is a...Consulting Michael Crichton re Global Warming is about as credible as consulting South African president Thabo Mbeki regarding the causes of AIDS.<BR/><BR/>Once again I am struck by the clarity of your insight into contemporary American politics and thank you for it. Sorry I can't get more people to read this blog.<BR/><BR/>ValuethnkerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-36151670769137663552007-09-24T22:48:00.000-04:002007-09-24T22:48:00.000-04:00Name recognition has always played a role in Ameri...Name recognition has always played a role in American politics...would John Quincy Adams have gotten as far as he had had his father not been of the Founding persuasion?<BR/><BR/>A year ago, I might have agreed that Hillary would be a longshot for the presidency. I'm an Arkansan who worked on a couple of Bill's campaigns, and she doesn't inspire the same loyalty in me as he did.<BR/><BR/>However, now I think its hers to lose? Honestly, what Republican currently in the race or likely to enter could beat her? Giuliani won't play well in the South, evangelicals will stay home rather than vote for Romney, Thompson is proving to have been all hype, and McCain's moment has passed. Gingrich would certainly make it an interesting campaign, but he's more controversial even than Hillary!<BR/><BR/>In fact, I think its very likely that Hillary will carry Florida, and perhaps some border Southern states, something that a year ago would have been unthinkable for a northern Democrat!<BR/><BR/>I don't think she's running out of some sort of desire for revenge...like Bill, I think she's wanted to be president pretty much her entire adult life. Not that there's anything wrong with that...many of our best presidents have actively pursued the office (of course, so have many of our worst!)NoZehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795357593775483344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-54085033025420046202007-09-24T01:11:00.000-04:002007-09-24T01:11:00.000-04:00Crichton seems to me to always be aiming at hubris...Crichton seems to me to always be aiming at hubris. The particulars of the plot and character seem to always devolve to a really smart person facing off against an arrogant corporate entity full of empty suits. The smart person sees that the emperor has no clothes and ultimately their view of the situation is revealed as right. Interestingly in the examples I can think of offhand usually the "smart" character is not the protagonist. I guess that allows the wise one to lecture the reader in the guise of informing his fellow players.<BR/><BR/>On Hillary, the mad rush to move primaries forward seems to play to her name recognition advantage. Also this seems to be a bit of a "nudge,nudge, wink, wink" third term for Bill implicit in some of the folks pushing for her nomination. Rudy Guiliani is also in the race on the basis of happenstance name recognition. Had he not been mayor at the moment of the attacks I don't think he'd have much of a shot at national office.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure what the ideal solution is. The founding fathers envisioned a group of electors who would be the well bred and well heeled choosing and electing the president but that idea never really became reality. Party Bosses picked some good presidents and some awful ones (and of course even then name recognition shaped the choices). Now we have the primary system which arose at the same time as the Television age.HoosierDaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070310058834687381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-30093850105341467732007-09-24T01:08:00.000-04:002007-09-24T01:08:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.HoosierDaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06070310058834687381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-67487835877210086712007-09-23T23:04:00.000-04:002007-09-23T23:04:00.000-04:00during the whole last third of the twentieth centu...<I>during the whole last third of the twentieth century only two obscure politicians, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, reached the White House.</I><BR/><BR/>Plus Ford, but that, of course, was different.Matthew Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01007497367844755093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-28956223852921987812007-09-23T20:44:00.000-04:002007-09-23T20:44:00.000-04:00I believe Hillary Clinton is very dangerous for ou...I believe Hillary Clinton is very dangerous for our country. Not only does she side step direct questions, her plans for 'hillary care' will cost us millions. Every time I see her on television I get sick to my stomach. I truly believe she does not care about the very people she is professing to stand up for. American's cannot afford her or her politics. She will never get my vote.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-46899225786776809312007-09-23T16:49:00.000-04:002007-09-23T16:49:00.000-04:00I also meant to bring up the vengeance aspect of B...I also meant to bring up the vengeance aspect of Bush Jr. and Hillary.<BR/><BR/>A lot of witty people compared Bush's invasion of Iraq to Inigo Montoya's (Princess Bride) obsession with avenging his father. I see in Hillary's presidential ambition a very marked desire for vengeance for her husband's betrayal.<BR/><BR/>She should have, as Ségolène Royal did to François Hollande, just said goodbye and walked out the front door. <BR/><BR/>But no...she either has some kind of odd loyalty or (more likely) needs the name recognition for her aspirations to power.<BR/><BR/>I live in the South now and you can't even mention Hillary's name without a guffaw or revulsion. If this is any sign of her chances of winning....Le Monde calls her an entertainment candidate.Nur-al-Cubiclehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13240215262850274264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-10237823149549979332007-09-23T16:06:00.000-04:002007-09-23T16:06:00.000-04:00Thank you for making the point re: name recognitio...Thank you for making the point re: name recognition. It's a sad day when the "Evitas" and "Baby Docs" run for president of our country. <BR/><BR/>As to Hillary's savvy, when living in New York, I recall when candidate for Senator Hillary assumed the Hispanics of NYC were Cuban. And that was on the local level.<BR/><BR/>The jewel and velvet-draped Vogue photos of herself that were published in the aftermath of the Lewinsky scandal were very telling of her self-absorbed vanity.Nur-al-Cubiclehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13240215262850274264noreply@blogger.com