Posted on 11/13/2007 3:14:13 PM PST by Hillary4Penetentiary
If the 2008 presidential election were held today, Hillary Rodham Clinton would win.
Hillary’s minor stumbles in last week’s debate notwithstanding, she is simply running the most disciplined and effective campaign. She’s one of the most able politicians in America, and no one should underestimate her desire to be President and her calculating focus.
What you need to understand is that Hillary Clinton is, quite simply, craftier and more aggressive than the rest of the field. I know this firsthand, having battled with the Clinton Administration throughout the 1990’s while serving as a leader in Congress.
She’s only gotten tougher since then.
Early on, there were many fights, but one of the most important was over Hillary Clinton’s 1993 plan to expand government control of the health-care system. We were lucky to stop it, and we did so by standing our ground on the principle of putting patients ahead of bureaucracies. But now she’s back, and the health-care issue is a perfect example of the way she’s learned on the job and evolved her tactics.
Her latest health-care plan is more of the same stuff—greater federal control of our lives—but this time she’s presenting it in a way that is far more politically savvy. She leaves open questions of funding and enforcement, and is actively working to buy off the groups who opposed her plan in 1993.
Hillary Clinton and her agenda are not going to fade away. She is relentless and determined. Once she resolves a course of action in her mind, she is not going to be wishy-washy. The other candidates, and the rest of the world, will quickly learn that Hillary Clinton means business.
No doubt, Hillary Clinton has the Democrat primary all wrapped up. A couple of one-term senators are simply no match for the political machine she and her husband have built. I won’t go so far as to say that it’s not possible for a Republican to defeat her in the general election. But as things stand today, the GOP has a very real set of problems that are larger than any of the party’s candidates.
First and foremost, the Republican brand as effective stewards of the taxpayer dollar is in tatters, and the shredding doesn’t look to stop any time soon. Just yesterday, 138 House Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to override the president’s veto of a wasteful and pork-ridden Water Resources bill. That vote was a shameful display of personal politics over the national interest, and it contains the seeds of destruction of whatever conservative principles remain in the Republican party.
The callow accommodation to big-spending Democrats in Congress is one of the ways the Republican party will return itself to the days of serving as a compliant, permanent minority. Happy for table scraps, elected Republicans will simply abandon the ideas of their party in order to “get along”.
No wonder Americans prefer Democrats on the economy, taxes, and spending issues, according to recent polling data. When the choice is between Democrats, and the Democrat-lite ideas the GOP has become so comfortable offering, the Democrats will win every time.
The only way the Republican party will beat Hillary Clinton is to return to its limited-government roots. That’s the only way to rebuild a majority coalition.
For example, today religious conservatives are confused, disillusioned, and somewhat fractured. Too many of the current crop of self-appointed social conservative leaders have embraced an agenda that splits the GOP coalition. Big government ideas— runaway spending on “conservative” social programs, social engineering in the tax code, and greater government intervention into Americans’ personal lives—are the wrong path. This pandering has hurt the GOP in swing states, especially in the Mountain West and Great Lakes states.
To counter Hillary Clinton’s perfectly oiled political machine, Republicans need to return to their Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan roots. They need to present an alternative vision for America—a positive vision that limits government and trusts individuals and leaves families, churches, and businesses free to make their own decisions, and not have bureaucrats and politicians calling the shots.
Right now, the country is headed toward a date with Hillary Clinton, and big government is on the agenda. The only way to change that rendezvous is for candidates to offer a clear, principled, limited government alternative.
The Spelling Police are *everywhere*.
There would be no argument if there were a plate with 50% of what many want. Unfortunately, we're talking about getting nothing from the Democrats and somewhere around 10 - 15% from Giuliani. That's going to really excite people into going to the polls and voting for the Republican party.
Armey fooled a lot of people while he was still in Congress, but since leaving has shown his true colors. One thing he's correct about is the Republicans sinking back into their perpetual minority, Bob Michel days, exactly where they belong considering their recent behavior.
Don’t worry you won’t be alone. I am sure Wall Street will also liquidate most assets before she gets elected. Ask Dick Morris what Hillaries first move in office would be.
I'd like to believe that because I'm one of the 50 some odd percent of people in this country who dispises her and would not vote for her under any circumstances, that she is "doomed to defeat". The problem is that Bill was elected with just over one third of the popular vote because Perot pitched in and "split the vote".
I voted for Bob Dole even though I didn't think particularly well "qualified" (in my opinion, he never saw a piece of legislation that he wasn't willing to "compromise" over). He had no Core Conservative Principals! He was a politician and nothing more than a politician! He was not a Statesman! I voted for him, knowing there was little chance he could win.
Now I may be faced with the same choice all over again, RG is not the only one who stands on shaky ground and says, "I've seen the light - I AM A CONSERVATIVE!" For the record, I think he and possibly one or two more are lying POSs. I have three choices - (1)Vote for a Republican In Name Only (RINO)" who once believed in stringent Gun Control, Open and Free Abortion for any and all who ask, and for a Gay Marriage Amendment OR (2) I can vote for a third party candidate who will split the vote again (and possibly leave Hillary with a clear Path to Victory, or (3) I can stay home and not vote and achieve the same thing as Option 2 above. I hate the choices but I WILL VOTE - only, as of now, I have no idea who I can, in good conscience, vote for.
You nailed it. Thanks for your common sense.
I do diverge from you a bit however in the idea that Hillary would turn the country against liberalism. The Dems. will spend the next 4 or 8 years implementing socialism and creating middle class depedency on the government just like in Europe and the Dems. will manage as a result to create a semi-permanent majority and White House presence. When the GOP does manage to get back into the White House, perhaps 2 decades from now, just like European conservatives we will be unable to touch anything of the middle class welfare programs the Dems. will have created, as it will become another 3rd rail in American politics. Government run health care and other middle class vote buying schemes the Dems. will have dreamed up will have entrenched themselves permanently into American governance and the psyche of the American voters.
The GOP will be left to acting as nothing more than protectors of the welfare state thus created if they ever want to be in power again, the only difference being they’ll slow the creation of more and more socialism rather than being able to roll it back outright. You only need to look to Europe to see how that happens. That is what will move the GOP to the left, not Rudy’s potential election as some conservatives claim. He has never been a proponent of big government programs.
Maybe I’m just too bearish on the country right now, but I no longer believe Americans are against nanny state government any longer. I see more and more our spoiled society demanding government create a risk free, adversity free life. And that starts with healthcare. More and more Americans are becoming convinced that government needs to have a bigger hand in health care. And the first thing Dems. will do when they have total control of the federal government is to create government healthcare and then campaign from there to eternity on protecting it and on the fear campaigns of Republicans rolling it back if they get into power.
In addition to creating a dependency culture, the Democrats will dismantle our homeland security apparatuses, including the Patriot Act and NSA wiretapping and retreat from Iraq which will likely lead to an Al Qaeda and Iranian victory in Iraq, and the loss of the overall war on terror stemming from our capitulation in Iraq. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda and Iran will grow bolder from their victory, sitting atop billions in oil wealth to wreack havoc with in the world while the US retreats within itself to create a European-style dependency culture.
Unfortunately the IEDs going off in our streets (or God forbid a school being taken over by terrorists Bezlan-style) scenario you envision may be the only thing that wakes Americans from their dependency-induced stupor.
Those saying Hillary cannot win are always forgetting one thing: She will have the entire media apparatus minus Fox News only shilling for her at every turn. We will hear nothing negative about her whatsoever. Look how few news outlets even reported the Norman Hsu story and how quickly it was deep sixed. Meanwhile the Republican candidate will have ever minor flaw or failing magnified into the crime of the century. If he removed his mattress tag or accepted too much change at the grocery store, it will be turned into Watergate 2. Hillary will get the equivalent of $4 billion in free in-kind political advertising in the guise of being unbiased journalism. This is Hillary’s great ace in the hole, and she knows it.
I agree if Hillary wins it won’t be her charisma or skill as a candidate, it will be simply the unfair leg up the media is already giving her.
Mrs bill clinton is not smart, wise, experienced, stately, or worldly. she is evil, mean, viscious, and nasty. There is a major difference. Dick ruled over the loser republican majority to bill clinton and he has decided that the two (mr & mrs) must be superpowerful. They weren’t and aren’t. They are sneaky and sly and scum. The problem in the past 14 years is that republicans have been ball less, pussies, and shrimps.
Thanks for injecting a dose of reality onto these boards!
Let me just say at the risk of mass onslaught, Rudy is not as liberal as he’s been made out. On abortion he has a 10th amendment based view, the states should decide on whether to ban it. He has said he will appoint conservative judges in the vein of Scalia, and has conservative Ted Olsen advising him on judge appointments. On gun control it was a position he largely had to take to mollify the liberal NYC Council to get them to go along with his tough on crime agenda. He has said he will insistute no new gun laws as president, which I believe because even the Dems. know that is political suicide these days. On a few other social issues he was more on the liberal side of things, (but most of the GOP candidates have liberal positions on things including Thompson who declared opposition to the GOP’s anti-abortion platform plank and Huckabee who is a big government liberal) but on fiscal and tax issues as well as crime and national security I honestly believe he is the biggest conservative in the race. Take a look at his record. This is from a journalistic source, it’s not a campaign source: http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_1_rudy_giuliani.html
Thanks for noticing!
lmao...well had a few Fat Tires too so.....
How about Duncan Hunter?
The only thing I don’t like about him is that he doesn’t project his passion as well as RR.
Maybe he needs to take lessons from me!
Without getting too technical, I’m pretty close to calling an end to this Republic if we lose this election...
In a more succinct version: principles over party.
And pushing the GOP to the middle with Rudy McRombee is not the way to do it. If you abandon core principles, the party won't matter. Plan and simple.
National defense conservatives have become enamored with the idea of using Big Government to smite those they beleive to be America's enemies.
Social conservatives have become enamored with the idea of using Big Government to smite those they believe to be God's enemies.
RINOs have become enamored with the idea of using Big Government to give goodies to the the Democrat base in the hopes of stealing their votes.
The Republican Party's only remaining limited-government roots are the Ron Paul-supporting/libertarian-leaning 10%...and they are getting reviled and driven out by all of the Big Government-loving smiters and panderers that make up the rest of today's Republican Party.
So Dick Armey is 100% right..but there is almost no one left in the Reagan Republican Big Tent who will listen.
I understand your thinking Hitlery is unelectable, but weren’t you one of the folks thinking that the Pubbies were going to GAIN seats in the ‘06 round?
Honest question. I remember a LOT of FReepers thinking that way. Sort of like the “echo chamber” we accuse the Dimrats and LSM of being.
Hillary4Penetentiary-Freeper Since 11-05-07
Translation: She operates her campaign organization like a Mafia Don and will destroy any candidate that doesn't have a private army.
I pretty much agree with you. The only way Hillaryhips wins if there is a third party candidate to hemorrage votes from the GOP.
Unfortunately Bloomberg (and bless her heart) Nancy Reagan are making noises.
Unfortunately we are not looking at getting 75%. It’s more like 20% or even 5% with Giuliani.
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