Sunday, July 6, 2008

Why Republicans Dislike Hillary Clinton

Hillary fans, relax. I do recognize the woman's talents, and I even suggested to McCain that he ask her to run with him on the GOP ticket. I like to think that I respect the woman enough to treat her like a real human being rather than as some fragile icon. I'll write a lot more about the pros and cons of Mrs. Clinton.

McCain-Hillary image from www.johnmccain.com.


PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM FOR MAJOR BULLETIN FROM PUMAPAC!

On Hillary's strengths AND weaknesses . . . and her possible future run from the Presidency against Gov. Sarah Palin . . .

For many weeks now, I've been involved with Hillary Clinton Supporters, and I'll be writing a series next week called "My Life Among the Clintonistas." Most of the people I've been associating with -- and in some cases, will continue to regard as friends and allies -- are liberal Democrats. They also have a sprinkling of conservative and moderate Democrats. It's been one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. I've had a tremendous amount of correspondence with these people, most of whom are quite different from me in attitudes and political views.

One young woman from New York State asked me why Republicans "hate" Hillary Clinton. I told her most Republicans didn't hate the New York Senator, although they disliked her. She asked me to explain why, and I wrote the following:

A lot of the Republican dislike of Hillary traces back to the statement she made on the "Today" Show in regard to the Lewinsky matter. She said it was "a vast right-wing conspiracy" against her husband. She was wrong, although I don't believe she ever admitted as much. She should have kicked Bill to the curb. Apparently, the guy was a chronic adulterer.

Many Republicans, including this one, believe she valued her career -- and divorcing Bill would have ended it -- over her dignity. Frankly, there's a major character issue involved. They also believe that the "Kosovo sniper-fire" incident, which hurt her terribly in the primaries, is a part of her personality, to exaggerate her accomplishments and experience.

Finally, many Republicans see her as someone who is too willing to cave into Special Interests, including the unions, rather than to offer real solutions to problems like education. In many ways, she is a gifted politician -- with an emphasis on the word "politician." She obviously has a way of connecting with millions of people, which is an important talent/characteristic.

My "problem" with Hillary Supporters is that few of them want to engage in any serious discussion about her strengths and weaknesses. They don't want to "hear" anything perceived as a criticism. The want to worship at the altar of "St. Hillary." The situation strikes the "realists" (like me) as absurd

Hillary is a flawed human being, just like the rest of us poor "smucks." That's why I called one piece I wrote on Hillary "The Empress Has No Clothes."

In her "Unity" speech, she endorsed a guy who had basically "branded" her as a warmonger, a liar, and a racist. She disappointed me and many of her followers.

Much of the criticism Hillary received from the media was unfair, but not all of it was. I compare her unfavorably with Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, a relentlessly honest, totally consistent woman. To me, Sarah is much less interested in getting elected forever to something or other than in actually solving problems, big ones.

She may run against Hillary in 2012 or 2016, although I believe Mrs. Clinton will not be a serious presidential candidate again. 2008 was her moment, and that time has passed. Sarah's time is still to come.

Major Bulletin from PUMAPAC to McCain Supporters.

PUMA, recently re-dubbed "Party Unity My Ass" (originally, "People United Means Action") needs your support and your money.

http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 29, 2008
"Why Obama & Dean Fear 4 Million!"

"The fear that the PUMA community and their silent supporters will realize the power of their fundraising. If just half of those 4 million who do not support Obama were to immediately give $10 to both the McCain campaign and PumaPac, the influx of cash would spread the Puma message like a wildfire through the media while providing the McCain campaign with the extra resources they need to overcome the wealthy who have funded 60% of Obama's campaign. If the just half of this 4 million were to contribute the media would be forced to question a campaign that they have more often referred to as a "movement", than as the "political campaign" it is."--J. Brown, June 29, 2008, Politically Drunk on Power.

I have given my $10 to PUMAPAC and $25 to McCain. Please do the same.

5 comments:

puma4palin said...

Fortunately, many Democrats like Sarah Palin. See, e.g. --

http://puma4palin.blogspot.com/

Lordlokipv said...

Campaign finance

Last month he announced that he would be rejecting public financing for his campaign, and would instead rely on private donations.

The McCain camp accused Mr Obama of "going back on his word", although Mr Obama insisted that he had never made a promise to stay in the public finance system.

Surveillance programme

Mr Obama also raised eyebrows when he announced that he would not be opposing a bill going through Congress giving immunity to telephone companies involved in the Bush administration's controversial warrantless wiretap programme.

His decision angered many of his supporters on the left, who accused him of going back on his 2007 pledge "to support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies".

Gun control

When the Supreme Court decided to overturn Washington DC's handgun ban, Mr Obama declared that the ruling "provide[d] much-needed guidance", despite having previously argued (in a written answer that he says was drafted by an aide and which he had not approved) that the ban was constitutional.

Iraq

Withdrawing troops from Iraq has long been one of the central planks of Mr Obama's campaign, and was something that set him apart from other Democratic candidates running for the party's presidential nomination.

Since his campaign began, however, conditions in Iraq have changed, violence has reduced, and some commentators have suggested that Mr Obama's position is out of date.

Mr Obama himself has announced that he plans to visit Iraq, where he will make "a thorough assessment" which could lead him to "refine" his policy.

Some critics have seized on this as an indication that Mr Obama is laying the groundwork for a change in position.

Free trade

Mr Obama recently hinted to Fortune magazine that his strong anti-free trade rhetoric during the primaries may not be reflected in his actual trade policy should he become president.

His remarks are a neat summation of the pressures and temptations that lead politicians to shift their positions during the process of running for office.

"Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified," he said.

"Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself."

LEL said...

Hillary is a flawed human being, just like the rest of us poor "smucks."
...................................
Agreed. But the reason why Hillary supporters are so defensive about her is because for years she has been the target of relentless vitriol from so many quarters to an extent far greater than other politicians from my observation. So yes this has made Hillary's supporters very defensive of this unfair treatment of her. As far as Hillary's defense of Bill over Lewinsky being the reason for her being the target of such hatred, I don't buy it since it started long before that. It was almost from the beginning of the Clinton's arrival on the national scene when Americans knew next to nothing about them that the GOP and media started in. Till this day I have no clue as to why Hillary is hated by the media and political establishment. I find no reasonable explanation.

Lordlokipv said...

Campaign finance

Last month he announced that he would be rejecting public financing for his campaign, and would instead rely on private donations.

The McCain camp accused Mr Obama of "going back on his word", although Mr Obama insisted that he had never made a promise to stay in the public finance system.

Surveillance programme

Mr Obama also raised eyebrows when he announced that he would not be opposing a bill going through Congress giving immunity to telephone companies involved in the Bush administration's controversial warrantless wiretap programme.

His decision angered many of his supporters on the left, who accused him of going back on his 2007 pledge "to support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies".

Gun control

When the Supreme Court decided to overturn Washington DC's handgun ban, Mr Obama declared that the ruling "provide[d] much-needed guidance", despite having previously argued (in a written answer that he says was drafted by an aide and which he had not approved) that the ban was constitutional.

Iraq

Withdrawing troops from Iraq has long been one of the central planks of Mr Obama's campaign, and was something that set him apart from other Democratic candidates running for the party's presidential nomination.

Since his campaign began, however, conditions in Iraq have changed, violence has reduced, and some commentators have suggested that Mr Obama's position is out of date.

Mr Obama himself has announced that he plans to visit Iraq, where he will make "a thorough assessment" which could lead him to "refine" his policy.

Some critics have seized on this as an indication that Mr Obama is laying the groundwork for a change in position.

Free trade

Mr Obama recently hinted to Fortune magazine that his strong anti-free trade rhetoric during the primaries may not be reflected in his actual trade policy should he become president.

His remarks are a neat summation of the pressures and temptations that lead politicians to shift their positions during the process of running for office.

"Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified," he said.

"Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself."

Ted said...

Well, it’s either gonna be McCain/Palin or …

Barack Obama starring as “Change” the Gardener in remake of movie classic, “Being There”, starring Peter Sellers as “Chance” the Gardener!

*HT to hs commenting on
puma4palin.blogspot.com