That is good. I'll be interested (okay, with the rest of the country) to see who wins the nomination and the election. I've become so bitter about campaigns in the past eight years that it colors the candidate I go for. It's gotten below-the-belt nasty, and so far the Dems strategy of being the nice guys isn't working so well. Gore v Bush - sue your way to the top! Kerry (purple heart) - not a True Patriot when compared to Bush (couple of weeks in Alabama)! No matter what Clinton and Obama do to each other, it's going to get a lot uglier when there is only one.
So while the criticisms in the essay (and many other articles) are true, Hillary is standing out to me as the one that can fight fire with fire. She has lots of negatives and weak spots, but hey, if draft-dodgers like Cheney and Bush can paint themselves as waaaaaay more patriotic than Vietnam vets Kerry and Max Cleland, then anything can happen if you play dirty enough.
Obama is a nice guy with a positive outlook and a refreshing return to grassroots personalized campaigning. I'm just not sure if he has what it takes to survive the really ugly stuff.
Obama has withstood Clinton just fine so far, with all her use of the Republican playbook and *without* going negative. If Clinton is going to be a Republican with a "Democrat" label (and she is) why vote for her?
In fact, in every single poll I've seen, Obama is regarded by the general electorate (not just DLC members) as *more* electable against McCain than Clinton. *More* people across the political spectrum are prepared to vote for Obama in a race against the GOP candidate than are prepared to vote for Clinton. And with every negative attack, every attempt at race-baiting or painting Obama as a scary Muslim who dresses funny, Clinotn plays further and further into the Republican camp. She's not even running her campaign any more; she's running McCain's for him.
Clinton can fight fire with fire? Yes, she can, but why make that a criterion for voting for her? Unless one wants to simply burn American to the ground, we need to get *rid* of fire, not light more.
I have to admit I'm a party person because there are a couple of deal-killers for me that the Republican party will never change. So I'm happy to vote for whoever is a Democrat ("yellow dog Dem" where I'm from).
I'm sure the Republicans are thrilled because they don't even have to spend any money campaigning against the Dems since the Dems are tearing themselves apart quite nicely on their own. And I *definitely* agree that it would be nice to quash the below-the-belt campaigning once and for all. That's why I mentioned that I've become so bitter in the past 8 years; it's not that I like the meanness, but it seems to be what works regardless of what people say in polls. Which in itself makes me view my fellow voters with queasiness. Ech.
In any other forum my following comment would be regarded as "being a troll".
However, HRC's behavior reminds me in some ways of Adolf Hitler. She does not care what the party wants because she is the party. She will destroy the Dem. Party because she believes she is the only one that can save it. Her campaign has surrounded her with sycophants who seem to believe that she is the second coming or the anointed one.
I most likely would not have made this connection if I was not reading about the fall of Berlin, most likely.
She has certainly ignored Sorkin's Law of Management: "if you are dumb, surround yourself with smart people; if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-03-18 03:47 pm (UTC)So while the criticisms in the essay (and many other articles) are true, Hillary is standing out to me as the one that can fight fire with fire. She has lots of negatives and weak spots, but hey, if draft-dodgers like Cheney and Bush can paint themselves as waaaaaay more patriotic than Vietnam vets Kerry and Max Cleland, then anything can happen if you play dirty enough.
Obama is a nice guy with a positive outlook and a refreshing return to grassroots personalized campaigning. I'm just not sure if he has what it takes to survive the really ugly stuff.
What's your thought?
no subject
Date: 2008-03-18 03:56 pm (UTC)In fact, in every single poll I've seen, Obama is regarded by the general electorate (not just DLC members) as *more* electable against McCain than Clinton. *More* people across the political spectrum are prepared to vote for Obama in a race against the GOP candidate than are prepared to vote for Clinton. And with every negative attack, every attempt at race-baiting or painting Obama as a scary Muslim who dresses funny, Clinotn plays further and further into the Republican camp. She's not even running her campaign any more; she's running McCain's for him.
Clinton can fight fire with fire? Yes, she can, but why make that a criterion for voting for her? Unless one wants to simply burn American to the ground, we need to get *rid* of fire, not light more.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-18 04:44 pm (UTC)I'm sure the Republicans are thrilled because they don't even have to spend any money campaigning against the Dems since the Dems are tearing themselves apart quite nicely on their own. And I *definitely* agree that it would be nice to quash the below-the-belt campaigning once and for all. That's why I mentioned that I've become so bitter in the past 8 years; it's not that I like the meanness, but it seems to be what works regardless of what people say in polls. Which in itself makes me view my fellow voters with queasiness. Ech.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-18 05:43 pm (UTC)However, HRC's behavior reminds me in some ways of Adolf Hitler. She does not care what the party wants because she is the party. She will destroy the Dem. Party because she believes she is the only one that can save it. Her campaign has surrounded her with sycophants who seem to believe that she is the second coming or the anointed one.
I most likely would not have made this connection if I was not reading about the fall of Berlin, most likely.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-18 05:47 pm (UTC)