Matthew Rothschild: Why Hillary Is So Hard to Take

[marmar]

from The Progressive:



Why Hillary Is So Hard to Take
By Matthew Rothschild, May 14, 2008



It’s increasingly difficult to listen to Hillary Clinton give her speeches these days.

For one thing, there’s no poetry there.

Her opener Tuesday night in West Virginia, for instance, was an allusion to a John Denver song, for God’s sakes. (“Almost heaven,” she said.)

For another, she’s schizophrenic.

One minute she says, “I can lead this party to victory in the general election,” and the next minute she says, “I will work my heart out for the nominee of the Democratic Party to make sure we have a Democratic President.”

Her cuts at Obama, now more subtle than before, are still unkind, as when she says Democrats should elect someone “who is ready to execute the office of the Presidency.” At least this time she didn’t add her tired mantra, “on day one.”

And her repeated claim to be the “strongest” candidate, which she said four times Tuesday night, her repeated emphasis on what a fighter she is, implies that Obama just might not be tough enough for the task at hand.

“I am ready to go head-to-head with John McCain to put our vision for America up against the one he shares with President Bush,” she said. “Now, I believe our party is strong enough for this challenge. I am strong enough for it.”

Also, coming on the heels of her infamous “hardworking Americans, white Americans” comment last week, it was a little unsettling for her to say that one of the reasons she’s still in the race is for “all of the hardworking men and women who defy the odds to build a better life for themselves and their children.”

But most of all, it’s the Clinton shell game, the Clinton hustle, the constant Clinton angle-playing that is so irritating. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/?q=mag_wx051408

[midnight]

1. It was not to long ago that the repeated phrase the annoyed

folks about John Edwards-My father was a mill worker. His haircut was big too. I'm glad his voice for those living in poverty continues, because that's the message I heard and wanted to keep alive.

[Lerkfish]

2. can't believe I'm going to be devil's advocate here, but I think she has to say she's tough

I don't see that necessarily as a slam against Obama, at least not an effective one. I think anyone in the race is going to tout what they consider their own strengths. I would prefer she say things like that than prop up Mcinsane again.

[cliss]

3. Fact: people will vote for someone they like.

If voters are faced with a choice, they will choose someone that seems likeable. That someone is NOT Hillary. Her voice is frozen in the same monotone, acid-soaked decibel. It screeches anger, negativity, arrogance, and above all entitlement to the office of the Presidency.

If someone were to do a voice analysis using sophisticated equipment, they would uncover an unbelivable amount of anger. You can hear it whenever she talks. And it makes people squirm, it's like nails on a chalk board.

As bad as Bush.

[Window]

5. All of her many voices drive me insane. I used to admire her sound bites,

but not since she began her candidacy...and it's gotten worse.

[libodem]

8. Yeah, what you said!

[Cha]

4. hilary is at least Schizophrenic and that's

never pretty. Narcissistic, too.

[JVS]

13. Nice!

[LSparkle]

6. What grates on me are her claims to "never stop fighting ... "

We've had 8 years of a stubborn, combative president
(both at home and overseas) and frankly I think that
Obama's more diplomatic approach is what the country
needs. Let's quit just punching each other and our
enemies in the nose and get down to SOLVING PROBLEMS
the way mature adults do -- through dialogue.

[Peregrine Took]

11. AbsoLUTEly. As soon as the Messiah floats down the aisle, the disagreement

and nasty bickering will instantly end.

In fact, we'll all wonder what the fussing was about all those years and embrace each other.

Red mean right wing talkers like Michael Savage and Mark Levin and company will toast Bill Moyers and NPR.

Its all gonna happen!

[LSparkle]

14. So your prescription is -- just keep on bickering?

We've tried that approach for the past 2 decades and it
hasn't brought much progress for the American people --
just more anger being spewed over the airwaves and cable,
greedy gridlock in D.C., demonizing of opponents, splits
in families, ad nauseum.

I remember back in the 1970s, people like Orrin Hatch
and Ted Kennedy could battle each other on the Senate
floor and then go have dinner together. Even somebody like
Alan Simpson was nasty by day but civil by night. We
need to take a different approach that gets us back
closer to THAT kind of politics: We can disagree but
we don't have to BE DISAGREEABLE, and we certainly
don't have to paint our opponents are being demons.
She may like that fight because she's been having it
her entire political life; the rest of the country is
sick to death of it and is willing to put down the
arms and try something new.

[Perry Logan]

7. The delusion that everyone hates Hillary is common to Clintophobes.

"I hate Hillary. Ergo, everyone hates Hillary." That's Clintophobe logic for you.

I don't know how the Clinton-haters can maintain this notion, when a quick look around reveals that normal people have no problem with Hillary whatsoever. Their modus operandi seems to be incessant repetition. and the liberal use of the "ignore" function.

[VotesForWomen]

10. yep; i remember their shock in the '98 mid-terms when dems won in the middle of Monica-gate, non-sto

non-stop bashing by the MSM, and a 4 year, 80 million dollar witch hunt by ken starr.

[VotesForWomen]

9. yawn.

[FrenchieCat]

12. The fact that her campaign never stuck to a theme

hurt her.

[Cha]

15. hilary is the Chameleon to end all Chameleons.