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Helping Hillary Now Will Hurt The Republicans Later
The Hill ^ | 6/27/05 | Dick Morris

Posted on 06/27/2005 7:38:08 AM PDT by areafiftyone

The most recent Fox News poll shows Hillary Clinton has reached an all-time height in popularity with a favorable-unfavorable rating of 52-39.

This is the first time she has been above 47 percent favorable since she left the White House. She has gained five points in favorability in the past seven weeks.

And her growth in popularity has been stimulated and animated by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and the other Republican stalwarts who have fallen all over themselves to appear in public with Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.), hyping and ratifying her positions on terrorism, national defense, sex on television and medical-record privacy.

Her popularity is also getting a boost from the arranged marriage between former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton — a nuptial orchestrated by current President George W. Bush so he could use Clinton’s visibility to improve the public impression of his response to the tsunami disaster.

All those card-carrying Republicans are using Bill or Hillary to help their own careers by moving their images to the center, in the case of Newt, or to center stage, in the case of Santorum and Frist. But, in doing so, they are slitting their own throats.

The closer Clinton draws to the White House, the more the GOP should stay away from her. Rather than lend her credibility by seeming to bolster her, Republicans should do all they can to ghettoize her on the left. America needs to understand that Clinton is no centrist, and Republicans should not allow themselves to be used to make her appear so.

But not all Republicans are helping Hillary. In New York state, Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro seems to be getting closer to running against her in the 2006 race for the Senate. Pirro has to be Hillary’s worst nightmare. She is a pro-choice woman who even backs Medicaid funding for abortion and a supporter of gun control, affirmative action and gay civil unions.

But Pirro is no Democrat. She strongly supports the Patriot Act, making the Bush tax cuts permanent and the diversion of Social Security tax revenues into private investment accounts. She has a tough-on-crime image from her constant appearances on New York City television, with a particular focus on family-values issues such as pedophilia and Internet pornography.

Hillary has always thrived off right-wing challengers who flunk the litmus tests imposed by New York’s liberal electorate. But, in Pirro, she has met someone whom she can’t browbeat over abortion or the usual Democratic issues.

Clinton is especially vulnerable to Pirro because Hillary can’t pledge to serve out her term if she is reelected. Polls show that her refusal to do so strikes New Yorkers very badly. Having extended the welcome mat to this carpetbagger and taken her at her word that she wanted to be part of the Big Apple, they feel they are being treated like doormats in reelecting someone who will obviously begin to miss votes and focus all her energy on running for president as soon as she is reelected.

If Pirro attracts the massive national funding she is likely to get, she can wage a very strong race against Hillary. My bet is that Clinton thinks the better of it and drops out of the race if Pirro comes on strong. Why should she risk the presidency — and have to spend $20 million — just to get reelected to her old job?

And … if Hillary drops out after Pirro has built up a head of steam, it could give the GOP a Senate seat in the most unlikely of places — Clinton’s back yard.


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: dickmorris; gop; hillary2008
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1 posted on 06/27/2005 7:38:09 AM PDT by areafiftyone
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To: areafiftyone

maybe their strategy is to set her up for 2008 so they can knock her down in the election.

problem is that I don't think they can perform the latter.


2 posted on 06/27/2005 7:42:59 AM PDT by camle (keep your mind open and somebody will fill it full of something for you.)
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To: areafiftyone
Clinton is especially vulnerable to Pirro because Hillary can’t pledge to serve out her term if she is reelected.

That's why I think Hills won't even try for Senate re-election.

She's not going to risk the Presidency over this.

3 posted on 06/27/2005 7:46:40 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: areafiftyone

"Pirro has to be Hillary’s worst nightmare. She is a pro-choice woman who even backs Medicaid funding for abortion and a supporter of gun control, affirmative action and gay civil unions."

And Pirro's husband is a mafia lawyer who recently got out of prison. I'm sure the NY Times and MSM will have something to say about his dealings, probably a week or two before the election.

Pirro is Hillary's dream candidate.


4 posted on 06/27/2005 7:46:43 AM PDT by nj26
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To: areafiftyone

a stake through the heart
a silver bullet,
throw coors lite at her big ass but wear garlic and a cross.
heaven help us.


5 posted on 06/27/2005 7:48:34 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: Mr. Mojo

You could be right but she just may want to hold on to her job like Kerry and Lieberman did.


6 posted on 06/27/2005 7:48:47 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: areafiftyone

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/312468p-267322c.html

Pirro's husband (Albert Pirro) did federal prison time for tax fraud. Jeanine Pirro also signed the couple's joint returns but was not prosecuted. Albert Pirro has also been mentioned on FBI tapes of mafia figures, and has also been accused of funneling information to the mafia about pending prosecutions in his wife's office.


7 posted on 06/27/2005 7:53:18 AM PDT by nj26
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To: areafiftyone
If she's confident in her re-election chances she'll definitely run.

If she's not, she won't.

We'll just have to wait and see.

8 posted on 06/27/2005 7:54:24 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

Well she just got a big fat boost from Billy Graham in NYC. I hate when they mix politics with a religious affair. The Clintons should never have been up on that stage.


9 posted on 06/27/2005 7:56:54 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: camle
"..maybe their strategy is to ... "

There ain't no "their". There is no secret cabal that makes strategic decisions in smoke-filled back rooms and then issues secret orders that everyone follows.

Too bad there ain't.

10 posted on 06/27/2005 8:07:41 AM PDT by bayourod (Unless we get 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2008, President Hillary will take all your guns away.)
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To: areafiftyone
Who the hell setup the love-fest between the Clintons and Billy Graham?

That's pure evil!

11 posted on 06/27/2005 8:23:40 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: areafiftyone

My take is that Hill is falling all over herself to be associated with the right wing politicians like Gingrich to benefit her 2008 presidential run.

But Dick Morris knows what's going on, and if his take is the other way, I'll pay attention.

And I hate the thought of Medicaid-funded abortions. That's like funding cosmetic surgery, IMO.


12 posted on 06/27/2005 8:25:54 AM PDT by peacebaby (We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.)
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To: TexasCajun

The Clintons knew that Billy Graham was a life long Democrat and what better way to get Hillary in front of the Religious Evangelicals than to get on stage with Billy Graham. Hillary knows what to do when it comes to running for NY Senate and the Presidency. She's a smart person and has Bubba behind her. They are both shrewd politicians.


13 posted on 06/27/2005 8:31:02 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: peacebaby

If anyone knows Hillary - it's Dick Morris. The Republicans seem to be underestimated Hillary and think she will be easy to beat in 2008. But that is far from the truth. It is not going to be easy at all.


14 posted on 06/27/2005 8:32:31 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: areafiftyone

Hillary won't win if the GOP runs someone who has a backbone.


15 posted on 06/27/2005 8:36:59 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Washington DC RINO Hunting Guide)
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To: bmwcyle

I doubt there is one available from what I have seen of the names that have been thrown out there.


16 posted on 06/27/2005 8:39:23 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: bayourod

mebbe this is the prob.


17 posted on 06/27/2005 8:49:34 AM PDT by camle (keep your mind open and somebody will fill it full of something for you.)
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To: areafiftyone

Can't we come up with better candidates? This is sick, electing crooks, liars and thieves.


18 posted on 06/27/2005 9:00:07 AM PDT by freekitty
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To: bmwcyle

So you're predicting a Hillary win in '08, eh?


19 posted on 06/27/2005 9:01:57 AM PDT by over3Owithabrain
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To: areafiftyone

Well she just got a big fat boost from Billy Graham in NYC. I hate when they mix politics with a religious affair. The Clintons should never have been up on that stage.


And that was after Sean Hannity had been singing the praises of Billy Graham for a week!!


20 posted on 06/27/2005 9:04:26 AM PDT by Primetimedonna
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