Conservatives (Heart) Hillary

abcnews.com ^ | May 5th, 2008 | Jake Tapper

[The_Republican]

A few days ago I was talking to a prominent conservative commentator who told me how much he'd come to admire the campaign Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., had waged against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

No fan of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the commentator said to me that if Clinton promised to not raise income taxes and she gave the conservatives the next Supreme Court pick, he'd vote for her.

That won't happen, of course -- but it's a remarkable phenomenon, and now it's showing up in conservative publications.

Rich Lowry, writing in the National Review:

"Was just talking to a shrewd friend. His take on the turn of events in the campaign and how it has affected Hillary Clinton (quoting roughly): 'Hillary has shown a Nixonian resilience and she's morphing into Scoop Jackson. She's entering the culture war as a general. All of this has made her a far more formidable general election candidate. She's fighting the left and she's capturing the center. She's denounced MoveOn.org. She's become the Lieberman of the Democratic party. The left hates her and treats her like Lieberman. Today, Obama is distancing himself from Wright and Hillary is getting in touch with O'Reilly. The culture war has come to the Democratic party.'"

Noemie Emery in the Weekly Standard:

"She's running a right-wing campaign. She's running the classic Republican race against her opponent, running on toughness and use-of-force issues, the campaign that the elder George Bush ran against Michael Dukakis, that the younger George Bush waged in 2000 and then again against John Kerry, and that Ronald Reagan--'The Bear in the Forest'--ran against Jimmy Carter and Walter F. Mondale. And she's doing it with much the same symbols. ...she is becoming a social conservative, a feminist form of George Bush. Against an opponent who shops for arugula, hangs out with ex-Weathermen, and says rural residents cling to guns and to God in unenlightened despair at their circumstances, she has rushed to the defense of religion and firearms, while knocking back shots of Crown Royal and beer. Her harsh, football-playing Republican father (the villain of the piece, against whom she rebelled in earlier takes on her story) has become a role model, a working class hero, whose name she evokes with great reverence. Any day now, she'll start talking Texan, and cutting the brush out in Chappaqua or at her posh mansion on Embassy Row….

"She might run to the right of McCain, if she makes it to the general election, and get the votes of rebellious conservatives. Or she, Lieberman, and McCain could form a pro-war coalition, with all of them running to pick up the phone when it rings in the small hours. The New York Times and the rest of the left would go crazy. Respect can't get stranger than that."

It's interesting.

Discussion point: Obama is getting the support of some prominent conservatives -- Doug Kmiec comes to mind -- because of their view that he could maybe unite the country.

Clinton, on the other hand, is starting to get Atta-Girls from other conservatives because they sense compared to Obama she's more or less on their side in the "divided" America. (Though after a nasty Fall campaign they would no doubt consider her the second coming of Bella Abzug and race to pull the lever for McCain.)

[potlatch]

I don’t watch much TV and cannot understand well on You Tube so I mostly see her in blurbs on Brit Hume or CNN and the Sunday talk show.

But I have to say I was pretty much basing my comment on the two nights she was on the O’Reilly show. Yes, he went fairly easy on her but she didn’t give an inch when he pushed.

I can remember when Hillary wouldn’t even answer question and I can recall her getting irritated when put on the spot. She is way beyond that now.

[justiceseeker93]

Hillary's campaign has been nothing more than a response to Obama's rise and an attempt to take advantage of his errors, nothing more.

I think you are correct for the most part. Desperate times require desperate measures, and she's now pinned up against the ropes in terms of delegate count.

Now how many are going to fall for her line about attacking Iran if Iran attacks Israel? (That's probably not very relevant, BTW, because Israel would destroy Iran first rather than trust her and wait - even with a wimp like Olmert as PM.) Seems that too many forget her infamous kiss of Mrs. Arafat immediately after the latter's anti-Israel tirade, plus her "charitable" activities on behalf of Palestinan "children."

[justiceseeker93]

How far did O'Reilly "push"?

Did he have the guts to bring up any of those messy scandals (probably too mild a word) and crimes from the Arkansas and White House days? Or was it just some idiotic girlie talk about whether it was right to stand by her man when he cheated on her?

[potlatch]

[Or was it just some idiotic girlie talk about whether it was right to stand by her man when he cheated on her? ]

He asked serious questions.

I’m surprised you didn’t watch it. He didn’t show anger as he has done with others but they kept talking over each other and these transcripts don’t tell everything that was said. I watched both nights.

When they quibbled about ‘taxes’ and he said, “but I’m rich - and so are you”, she leaned forward and said, “God bless us rich folks!” Then she continued and said ‘we can help others.....”.

You would have to see the expressions, gestures and tones of voice to experience it.

http://www.billoreilly.com/show?action=viewTVShow&showID=1852#3

http://www.billoreilly.com/show?action=viewTVShow&showID=1852#2

[Convert from ECUSA]

"It is something visceral with me and the Clintons—I am filled with antipathy at the mere sight of them and start clinging to certain accoutrements that Obama thinks people do in small town America."

Exactly! A while back, I wanted Obama to beat Hillary because I have a visceral loathing for Bill and Hill. Then have Obama lose in November (though I do not like McCain). When the stuff started about "pastor" Wright and he threw his white grandmother under the bus, I decided a tie between them that would go to a nasty floor-fight brokered convention would be better. When he looked down his snooty Haaahhhhvahd educated nose and working class white Americans during his speech in San-Fran-damn-cisco, I decided that as much as I despise Hillary, Obama is even more of a red-drawered bolshie elitist who deserves to have his clock cleaned. All the while I keep hoping the GOP will reject McCain at the convention and nominate a true conservative.

[rodeo-mamma]

“What she does in office will be awful and traitorous same as Bill did”

Actually, you should revise that statement, it would be more accurate to say that Bill was only laying the ground work for the real work that Hillary will accomplish. It has always been about her. I am thinking along the lines of WACO, that kind of thing will be just for starters under a Hillary Presidency. Hillary had her handprints all over that one. That’s the kind of work that Hillary does. She doesn’t care who she hurts or inconviences, as long as she can claim credit for something she is fine with others paying for the consequences.

[jpsb]

If Hillary tilts right, and can convince some of us on the right that she means it. Then Hillary will beat McCain who as we all know is moving fast to the left. A promise to put a stick constructionist on the SC would do it.McCain might be able to beat Obama, but with both parties nominating a liberal could be a third party conservative might get enough votes to elect Obama. Hillary moving right of McCain would prevent that in a Clinton-McCain race.

[justiceseeker93]

Thanks for the links to the transcripts.

Apparently, anything that happened in the past was off limits to O’Reilly in the interview, since the ultimate purpose was to prop up her campaign. (Note by contrast that O’Reilly made some negative comments about Rev. Wright’s and Al Franken’s behavior, even though they weren’t running for president and weren’t there to rebut him.)

The surreal thing about this is that O’Reilly was giving her a platform to pose as a credible candidate for president, when her past record indicates she should be in prison, or, at least, in public disgrace. Can any rational person cognizant of her past even conceive of her as a commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United States?

[andy58-in-nh]

Based on past history, Hillary's current issue positions are likely more the result of political calculus than honest belief. Nonetheless, she is not only running to the right of Obama, but in some respects to the right of McCain as well. In so doing, Clinton is looking to attract not only Independents but Reagan Democrats as well: white, ethnic, blue-collar people who are justifiably nervous about hooking up with the Fresh Prince of Bill Ayers. It's a smart move, but it's too late to stop Obama, who now has the Democrat core leftists solidly in his camp.

As for McCain, Conservatives are waiting for him to start running as though he were inside the Republican tent pissing out, instead of outside pissing in. They would do well to keep the raincoats on.

[justiceseeker93]

Hillary moving to the right of McCain...

Let's not get carried away here. It's not as if both of them just entered the political arena yesterday and neither of them have a record and history.

All this "right" talk from Her Royal Thighness - which isn't all that much - is something concocted by her handlers to distinguish her from Obama in her desperate situation, to try to "reinvent" her. Hopefully, conservatives disappointed with the GOP nomination of McCain will be perceptive enough to see her as the fraud that her and her party have generally been for a generation or more.

[exit82]

Convert,

You and I are so much on the same page, it’s scary!

Right down to your last sentence about hoping for a McLame replacement at the convention.

I’ve floated that idea here many times and all I get is grief for it. But for the GOP to win and for America to survive the two raging Marxists is to replace McLoser.

Even with McAmnesty going to speak at La Raza’a convention, people here still think he’s the one to vote for. Once amnesty goes through, it is the end of America.
And Juan will make sure it happens.

Four months to the GOP convention is an eternity in politics. Anything can happen.

[jpsb]

"is something concocted by her handlers to distinguish her from Obama"

LOL, yup I agree, a conservative Hillary is almost laughable, but then McCain is no conservative either. Obama, Hillary, McCain what a nightmare of a choice. I think I'll write in none of the above.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Ain’t it the truth! Hillary the witch candidate, Obama the marxist snob candidate, and McCain, the “my friends” La Raza candidate. Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, or Homer Simpson would be an improvement over these sorry choices.

[justiceseeker93]

I think I'll write in none of the above.

Granted, McCain is not an ideal conservative candidate, but would be a dumb mistake to sit it out. He's certainly much more of a conservative and has more credentials to be commander-in-chief of the military than Her Royal Thighness or "Osama" Obama.

Sometimes it is important to choose something less than ideal to avoid total disaster. If the 'Rats seize power, America as we know it might be history.

[jpsb]

Choose your executioner Huh? No thanks "none of the above" for me.

If anything could demonstrate the completely corruption of our national political parties it is the choice of Obama, Hillary or McCain. Not a dimes worth of difference between them. The game is rigged and I am not playing.

I think the chances for a successful third party challenge have not looked better since the days of the Bull Moose Party. If so I'll have someone to vote for, if not, screw the top of the ticket.

[jpsb]

There is no one even a little right of center, all three are flaming liberals. Surely a right of center candidate will emerge either independent or CP/LP. This great a vacuum will suck some conservative in.

[Convert from ECUSA]

That’s why I plan to vote Constitution Party in November, or write in Duncan Hunter. What we have to choose from is Curley, Larry, and Moe.

[potlatch]

Strange how few people picked up on that “God bless us rich folks!” quote from Hillary!!

[devolve]

.

Yes - She made that quick reply

I’m still noticing lots of extremely naive 3rd party (We’ll teach ‘en in 2006!) political gurus here on FR

The choices:

John McCain
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Barack Hussein bin Osama

[potlatch]

I guess you had to watch her lean into O’Reilly’s face and see her say it to appreciate it.

Yes, not voting, third party, or writein is a vote for the democrats.