What Hillary Did
August 27th, 2008 at 01:46am Mark Noonan
Victor Davis Hanson nails it:
Hillary tonight said little about the novelty or excellence of Barack Obama; when she evoked landmark African-Americans, she reached back to the Civil War to avoid overt praise of Barack Obama. I think, given the pulse of the convention, the renewed rantings of Bill, and the petulance of her supporters, we can see Hillary’s quite winning, though long-term strategy.
Hers is to go through the motions as a pro-forma Democratic supporter for Obama, convinced that such an inept and inexperienced candidate will lose without shared toxicity, or singular culpability for herself. And the party, in its belated wisdom, will then recognize its tragic errors, and in just four years, given McCain’s age, will rally to her Clinton centrist 2012 campaign.
Her speech in Kennedy-1980 convention-fashion fulfilled its tripartite intentions: 1) it was well delivered, albeit in ossified liberal tropes, to such a degree as to remind the dazed delegates what a catastrophe they have committed in having nominated a novice over a pro; 2) it got her off the hook by cursory praise of Obama without suggesting enthusiasm for him that might either help his election or turn-off her supporters whose potential for trouble is predicated on Hillary as the perpetually wounded fawn; 3) it was not overtly, but only pro-forma hostile to John McCain, and did not contradict ads airing that use her prior anger at Obama as proof of a sort of “she’s right” solidarity with McCain.
Bottom line: she remains loyal Democrat, dissed victim, the should-have-been nominated candidate, senior healer ready to clean up the mess of 2008, and savior in 2012. Note well Chelsea’s ubiquity, the slick Hillary infomercial, Bill’s wide grin, and the Clinton triad everywhere.
And the reaction of the Obamanics? They will belatedly seem like the baffled victims who discover their picked pockets, know full well who did it, but can’t quite tell the police when, how, or by whom it happened.
I was, perhaps, fortunate to be listening to the speech on radio rather than watching it on TV - while I’ve seen some comments indicating it was a good speech, as I sat in the car I cringed at how bad it was. Hillary will never be a great orator, but her speech was extra boring and delivered in a flat, lifeless tone. After the quite stupendous welcome she received one would have expected her to be walking on air - she sounded like she was addressing a PTA meeting. She hit a litany of liberal/left talking points, but there wasn’t anything in there which really said, “I think Obama will be a stupendous President”…all I got was “at least he’s not Bush or McCain”. The mentions of Obama were mechanical and not stated in a way which made a lot of applause likely.
It is clear to me, as Hanson notes, that Hillary has made the calculation that Obama is a likely loser in November and thus she’s positioning herself for a walkover primary process in 2012 (and you can bet she’ll have the ground game to end all ground games in Iowa, should it come to pass that she is running in 2012). It is a calculated risk, as Obama still barely has the advantage in Campaign ‘08, but she must have read the signs (and likely has seen some polling) which indicates that Obama is heading down to defeat, and thus Hillary’s job is to be just nice enough to Obama to shake off any possibility of being blamed for his defeat. Of course, if Obama wins then she’s out of the game until 2016, unless by some event Obama is not re-nominated in 2012. By 2016, Hillary will be very much yesterday’s news, but one can’t account for all contingencies, and from a cold, political calculation aspect, I think she’s doing the right thing.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, DNC08, Democrats
16 Comments
1. Jeremiah | August 27th, 2008 at 2:42 am
It was really something … an entire stadium packed to the gills …. and they all had to have somebody think for them! Even the spokespersons borrowed their speeches from Joe Biden.
They put me in the mind of robts!
Truly mindless!
And all Hillary wanted to talk about was “healthcare” and oh, how she just “cares” so much about the little children. And she couldn’t give a crap about them.
The elderly will be offed as though they were no more than animals, under her’s and Obama’s healthcare!
And what ones they do let live, their social security will have to pay for everybody elses healthcare!
I seen Hitler in Hillary this evening … and that’s no joke!
2. What? | August 27th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Holy Crap,
Jeremiah has figured us out. Who told him we were secret Nazis? Someone go to his house and re-educate him with your liberal mind powers.
You can’t stop us, Jeremiah. Soon all Christians will be re-educated at our special camps in San Francisco. All we have to do is resurrect zombie hitler, our supreme ruler! Thankfully, Obama will pass the necessary funding for stem cell research that will make it possible. You are DOOMED!
3. bongoman | August 27th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Jeremiah, the authoritarian, pulls the Hitler card out of the deck. Oh, the irony of it all.
4. Danish Artist | August 27th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Hillary needs Obama to lose in order for her to have any hope of becoming President.
She just couldn’t compete with the IMAGE campaign of Barak Hussein Obama. Now that the facts are coming out, we see many voters second guessing their initial support. Hence, the drop in polls for the Chosen One.
This is the only thing she can do without destroying the party. Since many are voting strictly along racial lines, she cannot afford to alienate that group which for decades their votes have been bought and paid for.
I see two of our resident lemming Obamatons have, as usual, nothing intelligent to say.
5. js | August 27th, 2008 at 7:33 am
after all the politics, the blackmail arm twisting, and the back room deals, nothing in her or bills power would have subdued the DNC…i guess bill pissed off howard dead one too many times eh?
6. jake | August 27th, 2008 at 7:45 am
i have never seen anyone as much of a joke on this forum as jeremiah. He is mindless and brings nothing to a debate. Hillary’s speech was great. Jeez comparing someone who has never been violent, never murdered anyone or invaded another counry is mindless and insulting to jews. I am not going into the abortion issue but if you were a true christian you would not do this. If you compare everything to hitler than the seriousness of what hitler did gets muddied up( it’s 8 clock and i do not feel like coming up with a better word). There hopefully will only be one hitler but your comparison is weak and you are mindless.
7. bagni | August 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am
marklary
would have to agree
hillary’s spatial speech much overated
but who knows who will win the contest
the lunar level of ugliness over the final 60 days
will produce a winner
from the two lame candidates
8. Jeremiah | August 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
jake,
You underestimate Hillary. Hitler would be proud of her and Obama.
She talked about womens rights…like she “doesn’t” have any? She talked about womens rights because at heart she’s as cold-blooded as they come.
Of course she did a good job in her speech … They thought Hitler did a good job too, because he had them all programmed to believe His blood-thirsty rhetoric.
And you’re go along with ‘em?
Geez, talk about mindless!
9. New Conservative | August 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Jeremiah,
Could you please stop making all Republicans look stupid. I don’t like Hillary but she is not Hitler. I disagree with her and Obama on issues.
If you get the chance please go vote in my VP polls.
http://thenewconservatives.blogspot.com/
10. Jake | August 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Thank you New Conservative. It is mindless to call someone hitler and it diminishes the real issues in this country. I am sick of people shouting at each other and not talking about issues that matter. labeling people is a waste of time and it’s more important to disagree on issues. Not if he is liberal or conservative but what is his record. Until you grow up and stop judging people as much as you do Jeremiah you will be a mindless sheep. Even conservatives are embarrassed of you in this blog. I support Obama for my own reasons such as immigration, taxes, and the war in iraq. If you want to label me a liberal who really cares but listen to what people say and stop judging people and thinking all liberals are evil which you do. It’s mindless and dumb and if your retort is they are evil than you are hopeless. back to my real job
11. Jeremiah | August 27th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Could you please stop making all Republicans look stupid.
New Conservative,
No, anytime I have anything to say about Hillary and the Democrats I’m going to tell the truth.
Now, if that makes you feel stupid then I would be more than glad to stop commenting.
Otherwise, don’t expect anything other than the truth, because I’m not giving in one bit.
I’ve already voted in your poll.
12. Jeremiah | August 27th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
It is mindless to call someone hitler and it diminishes the real issues in this country.
Jake,
It is mindless when people follow after Hillary. The entirety of her platform on the issues sum up Hitler’s agenda quite well.
And you mindless, spineless, gutless people are fools and tools for her rhetoric.
13. jayhay | August 27th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
New Conservative - Jeremiah is your base… he’s all yours, and he never disappoints. You want his votes, but you wish he’d shut up. I don’t think he’s going to help you out on that score.
14. jake | August 27th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
i have no ask- what part of obama or hillary’s issues besides your dogmatic view of abortion resembles hitler? This should be good. The truth is lonely isn’t jeremiah, get a life and learn there are other sides of an arguement besides your own and that the world is a lot more complex than you make it.
15. Bloodthirsty Warmonger | August 28th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Whether you agree with them or not (I don’t), I have to admit that both Bill & Hillary Clinton played the hand that life has dealt them as shrewdly as they knew how, and left the door wide open for a comeback attempt in 2012.
16. What? | August 28th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Yeah Danish Artist,
I am the one looking foolish on this post. You are the one who ignores Jeremiah’s ridiculous comments.
You are judged by the company you keep. I will remind you that Jeremiah is one of yours.