There's Something About Hillary

Hillary Clinton is looming on the political horizon. She got her wish during the 2004 election cycle: John Kerry went down in flames. Now she is the phoenix that will rise from the liberal ashes. Her campaign for the presidency in 2008 has already begun.

Her time is now. A May Marist poll showed Sen. Hillary (D-N.Y.) with a gargantuan lead among probable Democratic primary candidates; she garnered 40 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters, while John Kerry ranked second with 18 percent. Meanwhile, a May USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll showed that for the first time, a majority of Americans were "likely" to vote for Hillary. Twenty-nine percent stated they were "very likely" to vote for the former First Lady, with 24 percent stating they were "somewhat likely."

No, that doesn't mean that Hillary is guaranteed the presidency in 2008 -- far from it. Chances are good that at least 54 percent of Americans would be "likely" to vote for John Edwards, John Kerry or any other well-known Democrat. Chances are good that at least 54 percent of Americans would support a well-known Republican. (Remember, those "somewhat likely" voters can swing either way.)

But in any case, Hillary currently has more political momentum than at any time during her political career. Back home in New York, Hillary remains a strong incumbent candidate, with well over 50 percent support. If she wins her 2006 Senate race, there is little doubt she will win the 2008 nomination, should she indeed run.

Hillary Clinton is an immensely dangerous politician. Despite recent attempts to modify her image, Hillary remains an unabashed liberal -- a radical on abortion, health care, the judiciary and the economy.

Hillary maintains a 100 percent favorability rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League. In her time in the Senate, she has voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (which would place criminal penalties on those who kill a fetus in the performance of another crime) and the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act (which prevents a gruesome procedure wherein a fully-formed, ready-for-birth baby is murdered in the womb). She has remained as vague as possible on parental notification for minors' abortions.

Remember Hillary's socialistic health care plan from the early 1990s? She hasn't repudiated it. "You may remember I had a few ideas about health care. I've learned a few lessons since then. But I haven't given up on the goal," she said at the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

Hillary considers anyone outside of Ruth Bader Ginsburg unfit for the federal bench. She recently remarked that Judge Janice Rogers Brown, a federal D.C. circuit court of appeals nominee, "truly sees the world in 19th century terms." Nineteenth century terms like private property and rule of law are too outdated for the junior New York senator.

Hillary is a regulatory-minded, higher taxes, higher spending liberal. As I wrote back in April 2003, "The [Herbert] Hoover economic ideology of yesterday is almost identical to the Hillary economic ideology of today."

Don't be fooled by Hillary's public movement toward the political center. When she's among her friends, she's far less "moderate" than when she's quoted on the evening news. On June 6, Clinton spoke at a fundraiser held by "New York Women for Hillary." She launched into a prolonged tirade against the Bush administration, charging it with corruption, deceit and centralization of power. "There has never been an administration, I don't think in our history, more intent on consolidating and abusing power to further their own agenda … I stay awake at night thinking about all the mistakes and the wrong direction and all the bad decisions being made in Washington," she complained. "It's very hard to stop people who have no shame about what they're doing. It's very hard to stop people who have never been acquainted with the truth."

Talk about no shame. This power-hungry senator would be a nobody had she not latched onto her presidential husband. This power-hungry senator would be a nobody had she not carpetbagged her way into New York. This power-hungry senator has done nothing of note in the United States Senate -- her fawning media coverage began before she even arrived in Washington, D.C. In fact, Hillary's single moment of glory in the Senate was her infamous floor shriek: "The president knew what?" as she held up a copy of the New York Post in the months following Sept. 11.

Hillary's right about one thing -- it is very hard to stop people who have never been acquainted with the truth. Unfortunately for Hillary Clinton, the American people will learn (and remember) the truth about her.

OK. But now compare Mrs. Clinton with the Republican front runners.

Rudy is pro abortion; and signed up for all of the internationalist agenda that refuses to police the US borders and wants to defend the Mohammadan aggression by curtailing the Constitutional rights and privileges of American citizens. No sign that he would do anything about the budget and spending policies or the shrinking dollar. No sign that he would reduce those of our overseas commitments which are not in our national interest.

And if you, or Rudy, think he has the horsepower to stop Mrs. Clinton, the time and place for him to do so is in 2006 in New York where he has wimped out with good reason.

Many here favor Ms. Rice--I don't. My primary objection is that she is not a strong leadership personality. Her convictions are general policy views that go along with the current direction of government. What we need is a candidate with a firm conviction that many of our public policy directions are wrong and must be corrected--with the courage to say so and do something about it when elected.

Frist is another unqualified leader pro Abortion politician who is indistinguishable on policy from the others.

The current fiasco over the judges is a good example. The only--sole--reason I voted for Bush was judicial appointments. I don't know of any other respect in which I think Kerry's Administration would have been any different than the Bush Administration. Kerry would have been a little weaker and probably less effective but a less effective internationalist is positive.

Bush will appoint a successor to Rheinquist; probably O'Conner; probably Ginsburg; maybe Stevens. The goal is to come away from that process with a 5 or 6 vote conservative majority, shifting O'Conner's seat from swing to solid and shifting at least one of the liberals to conservative, two if Bush gets a fourth appointment.

I don't see any sign that Bush has the leadership force at this point to accomplish that objective.

The problem is not just "RINO"s. With a couple of exceptions (Chaffee; and the ladies from Maine and maybe one or two others), most of these people in fact have personal conservative convictions. Bob Dole; Lindsey Graham; for example are conservatives. But they are weak personalities with limited leadership capability--instead of seeking results, they sought compromise. That is the state of Republican leadership--again with some exceptions.

So when you add all this up, unless Republicans can very shortly come up with a common consensus on some present outsider who has real leadership talent and strong views, you better get used to saying President Clinton again.

I might add one longshot to stop her--a Constitutional amendment to permit former two time Presidents who have been out for at least one term to run and be elected again in exchange for twenty year immigrants who were not born in the US. A chance for the Dems to shoot themselves in the foot. Because a contest between Mrs. Clinton and Mr Clinton for the Dem nomination is one way I can think of that both might lose.

I happen to agree with you. There is no Republican of import with name recognition. All the ones mentioned in the MSM are weak.

I have on my desk 2 questionaires from the Repubs asking my opinion on a varitey of subjects.

I'm trying to cool off enough to tell them what I think of their 'leadership' and keep it civil.

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