Everyone but Sen. Clinton knows it is over. Everyone is busy with post-game analysis of why she lost. But the reason is so obvious that it is staring us in the face. Even the best analysis, from Karen Tumulty, does not mention it, perhaps because it is too obvious.
Daily Kos
Why Clinton Lost: The Reason Nobody is Talking About
May 10, 2008
Excellent article and political analysis from Saturday's Daily Kos. Here's the gist from Saturday's article:Fake mavericks like McCain rolled over and played nice. Sen. Clinton fully expected the Primary for Democratic nomination in 2008 to be a coronation: the real attacks would come from Republicans in the General Elections. So she was looking to the right and not the left as she made her decision. She made a crucial decision risking the lives of thousands of soldiers based on a mere political calculation.
We confess we've been watching with a sort of morbid fascination as Hillary Clinton plods onward during the waning days remaining prior to the Democratic National Nominating Convention, under circumstances in which it seems obvious to everybody but Hillary that she's a political "dead woman walking."
Sooner or later however, we were bound to get around to a political post-mortem examination on the subject of the failure of the Clinton campaign; and Saturday's Daily Kos article takes a step in that direction, proffering what we believe to be a very interesting hypothesis.
Read the full article here; and then don't forget to come back with your comments.
16 comments:
To me, Hillary's downfall was her arrogance in assuming that she was the inevitable nominee. She prostituted herself for the sake of a political career. At this point I have no respect for her.
Hillary will never get my vote, for obvious reasons.
Good catch, Rudy. This Daily Kos article is jam packed with videos and other documentary evidence to document Hillery's slimy political posturing. Ogden Lover hit the nail on the head: "She prostituted herself for the sake of a political career."
Plus she was up against a person who could deliver a speech!!! Every point Obama makes in his speech is spot on and if America had been fighting for the goals named in his speech the World would most likely be a much better/safer/happier place to live in today. 6 years is a long time when spent traveling down the wrong road.
I will NEVER vote for any political candidate who's body resembles a bartlett pear. If her body is soggy, so is her brain.
Obama is a fine lean lad with a Good non-soggy brain, unlike "The pants-suit lady."
Vote Obama!
The Clintons are political animals who need to be ushered to the pound for either adoption or euthanasia.
One more lame outburst like that... David... and your IP Addy will be banned for life.
Just a helpful hint from yer old pal Rudy.
Glad to hear you like WCF, BTW
Well, It is like nobody on this blog really knows that Clinton is the come back kid and the race is not over yet. Obama doesn't have the nommation yet. When I look at what the Clinton's did for this county, you would all be happy to rejoice at it. Let me give you some of what I know.
Economy
The Strongest Economy in a Generation Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History. In February 2000, the United States entered the 107th consecutive month of economic expansion -- the longest economic expansion in history.
Moving From Record Deficits to Record Surplus. In 1992, the deficit was $290 billion, a record dollar high. In 2000, we have a projected budget surplus of $167 billion -- the largest dollar surplus on record (even after adjusting for inflation) and the largest as a share of our economy since 1951. This is the first time we have had three surpluses in a row in more than a half century.
Paying Off the National Debt. We are on track to pay down $297 billion of debt over three years. In 1998 and 1999, we paid down $140 billion in debt. This year, we are on track to pay down $157 billion of debt - bringing the three-year total to $297 billion. Public debt is $2.4 trillion lower in 2000 than was projected in 1993. Debt reduction brings real benefits for the American people -- a family with a home mortgage of $100,000 might expect to save roughly $2,000 per year in mortgage payments. Reduced debt also means lower interest rates and reduced payments on car loans and student loans. With the President's plan, we are now on track to eliminate the nation's publicly held debt by 2013.
Over 21 Million New Jobs. 21.2 million new jobs have been created since 1993, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration -- and more new jobs than Presidents Reagan and Bush created during their three terms. 92 percent (19.4 million) of the new jobs have been created in the private sector, the highest percentage in 50 years. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the economy has added an average of 248,000 jobs per month, the highest under any President. This compares to 52,000 per month under President Bush and 167,000 per month under President Reagan.
Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades. In the last 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased 3.7 percent -- faster than the rate of inflation. The United States has had five consecutive years of real wage growth -- the longest consecutive increase since the 1960s. Since 1993, real wages are up 6.8 percent, after declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush years.
Unemployment Is Nearly the Lowest in Three Decades. Unemployment is down from 7.5 percent in 1992 to 4.1 percent in March 2000 -- nearly the lowest unemployment rate in thirty years. The unemployment rate has fallen for seven years in a row, and has remained below 5 percent for 33 months in a row. African-American unemployment has fallen from 14.2 percent in 1992 to 7.3 percent in March 2000 -- the lowest rate on record. The unemployment rate for Hispanics has fallen from 11.6 percent in 1992 to 6.3 percent in March 2000 -- and in the last year has been at the lowest rate on record. For women the unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in March -- nearly the lowest since 1953.
Highest Homeownership Rate in History. In 1999, the homeownership rate was 66.8 percent -- the highest ever recorded. Minority homeownership rates were also the highest ever recorded.
Lowest Poverty Rate in Two Decades. The poverty rate has fallen from 15.1 percent in 1993 to 12.7 percent in 1998. That's the lowest poverty rate since 1979 and the largest five-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years (1965-1970). The African-American poverty rate has dropped from 33.1 percent in 1993 to 26.1 percent in 1998 -- the lowest level ever recorded and the largest five-year drop in African-American poverty in more than a quarter century (1967-1972). The poverty rate for Hispanics is at the lowest level since 1979, and dropped to 25.6 percent in 1998.
Largest Five-Year Drop in Child Poverty Rate Since the ‘60s. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, child poverty has declined from 22.7 percent in 1993 to 18.9 percent in 1998 -- the biggest five-year drop in nearly 30 years. The poverty rate for African-American children has fallen from 46.1 percent in 1993 to 36.7 percent in 1998 -- a level that is still too high, but is the lowest level in 20 years and the biggest five-year drop on record. The rate also fell for Hispanic children, from 36.8 percent to 34.4 percent - and is now 6.5 percentage points lower than it was in 1993.
Families and Communities
Strengthening America’s Working Families.Tax Cuts for Working Families. 15 million additional working families received additional tax relief because of the President’s expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 1998, the EITC lifted 4.3 million people out of poverty - double the number lifted out of poverty by the EITC in 1993. This year, the President proposed expanding the EITC to provide tax relief to an additional 6.8 million hard-pressed working families.
Helping Parents Balance Work and Family. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for seriously ill family members, new born or adoptive children, or their own serious health problems without fear of losing their jobs. Nearly 91 million workers (71% of the labor force) are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act and millions of workers have benefited from FMLA since its enactment. President Clinton has proposed expanding FMLA to allow workers to take up to 24 unpaid hours off each year for school and early childhood education activities, routine family medical care, and caring for an elderly relative.
Improved Access to Affordable, Quality Child Care and Early Childhood Programs. Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, federal funding for child care has more than doubled, helping parents pay for the care of about 1.5 million children in 1998, and the1996 welfare reform law increased child care funding by $4 billion over six years to provide child care assistance to families moving from welfare to work. Since 1993, the Clinton-Gore Administration has increased funding for the Head Start program by 90 percent, and in FY 2000, the program will serve approximately 880,000 children - over 160,000 more children than in 1993.
Increased the Minimum Wage. The minimum wage has risen from $4.25 to $5.15 per hour, increasing wages for 10 million workers. The President and Vice President have called for an additional increase to $6.15. Enacted the Workforce Investment Act. The Workforce Investment Act reformed the nation’s employment and training system so that it works better for today's workers. The WIA empowered individuals by giving adults more control and choice over their training or retraining and providing universal access to core labor market services; streamlined job training services by consolidating a tangle of individual programs into a simple system and creating a nationwide network of One-Stop Career Centers; enhanced accountability through tough performance standards for states, localities, and training providers; and increased flexibility so that states can innovate and experiment with new ways to train America's workers better.
Signed the Landmark Work Incentives Improvement Act. Americans with disabilities often become ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare if they work, forcing a choice between health care and employment. The Work Incentives Improvement Act keeps people with disabilities from losing their Medicare or Medicaid health coverage when they go to work. It also includes a $250 million demonstration, which the President insisted on fully funding, that allows people with disabilities who are still working and are not yet sufficiently disabled to qualify for Medicaid to buy into the program.
Signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act. The Adoption and Safe Families Act, which was based in large part on the recommendations of the Clinton-Gore Administration's Adoption 2002 report, made sweeping changes in adoption law so that thousands of children in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. In 1998, 36,000 children in foster care were adopted, up from 28,000 in 1996. This is the first significant increase in adoption since the national foster care program was established nearly 20 years ago.
Enacted the Foster Care Independence Act. Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. The Foster Care Independence Act will ensure that those young people will get the tools they need to make the most of their lives by providing them better educational opportunities, access to health care, training, housing assistance, counseling, and other services. Putting Families First. The President and Vice President developed and implemented first-ever plan to protect our children from tobacco and end tobacco marketing targeted to young people. They also required the installation of V-chips in all new televisions, and encouraged schools to adopt school uniform policies to deter school violence and promote discipline.
Supporting Community Service. In just five years, AmeriCorps has allowed 150,000 young people to serve in their communities while earning money for college or skills training. President's One America Initiative. President Clinton has led the nation in an effort to become One America : a place where we respect others’ differences and embrace the common values that unite us. The President has been actively involved in public outreach efforts to engage Americans in this historic effort, and followed up on the work of the Initiative on Race by appointing Robert B. (Ben) Johnson as Assistant to the President and Director of the new White House Office on the President’s Initiative for One America. The office is working to ensure that we have a coordinated strategy to close the opportunity gaps that exist for minorities and the underserved in this country, and build the One America we want for all of our nation’s children.
The President’s FY 2001 budget includes $5 million for One America dialogues to promote and facilitate discussions on racial diversity and understanding. President Clinton has appointed the most diverse Cabinet and White House staff in history, presiding over an Administration that looks like America. Welcoming New Americans. Since 1993, the United States has welcomed 4.4 million new American citizens. Faced with this unprecedented number of applications, the Administration undertook an initiative that has significantly reduced the backlog of citizenship applications and is restoring timely processing. Furthermore, the Administration’s English as a Second Language/Civics Education Initiative will provide limited English speaking adults with instruction in both English literacy and critical life skills necessary for effective citizenship and civic participation. Providing Fairness for Legal Immigrants. The President believes that legal immigrants should have the same economic opportunity and bear the same responsibility as other members of society. In 1997 and 1998, the President fought for and succeeded in restoring disability, health and nutritional benefits for certain legal immigrants, and he will continue to press for additional restorations.
Thanks for cutting and pasting that irrelevant blather from seven years ago. We needed a blast from the National Archives.
http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/Accomplishments/
In 2002 and early 2003 I emailed Clinton and sent her several letters urging her to take a stand against the impending war.
The emails were returned with the comment: I only respond to my constituency (New York). A form letter with the same message was sent in response to my written letters.
I sent additional responses saying, "I am your constituency if you plan on running for president in the future."
I received the same comment: " I only respond to my constituency."
In spite of the fact that I would love to vote for a woman my age for president, she lost my vote almost 6 years ago.
Obama may be young but he was wise enough to see through the sham arguments of the dynamic Bush/Cheney duo. (By the way, has anybody heard from Cheney lately? Uh oh!)
That was my initial reason for supporting Obama. He has done nothing to change my mind - and neither has Clinton.
Obama along with that article is a bunch of BS.
The fact of the mater is, had The Democrat Party respected Freedom of speech they would have realized that is exactly what Florida was practicing when they broke Dem rules by holding their primary early.
They were tired of being kept silent, they wanted a say in determining their party's nomination. And had the Democrat party accepted that. Clinton would be the Nominee right now and this race would be over. (Don't even start with the "Obama didn't campaign in Florida" crap, because he did. He ran just as many adds as Clinton.)
Now the Party Nomination will be determined not by the Voters but by Unelected Party Hacks. Had they any sense at all they would seat the Delegates from Florida and Give the Dems a Nominee that can acctually win in November without taking the vote away from the people.
Obama has done extremely well in states that are going to go Republican in November no matter what he does. And he has had the crap beat out of him in critical swing states that clinton has the best shot of capturing in the General Election.
You can celebrate all you want right now. But come November 5th you will be wishing we had a Candidate that acctually stood a chance against McCain. Obama will be crushed in those key swing states that will determine the next president.
r.i.p. h.c.,
Oh, you mean critical swing states like Colorado and Virginia?
This is an old way of thinking. You can continue to play the "states Kerry won plus one" strategy all you want, but a much better strategy (not tactics) going into the future is a realignment strategy, as represented by Howard Dean's 50-state strategy.
The fact remains that HRC carries a 45% negative into any election. This has been consistent for 16 years, and isn't likely to change soon. Fighting for 5% of the electorate is no way to win an election.
Finally, the primary contest is no indicator at all of how the general election is going to go. I think we would agree that Obama winning Utah by 20+ percentage points doesn't mean he will win Utah's electoral votes in the general.
So why then would you argue that HRC's 10 point win in Pennsylvania or Ohio translates to a loss for Obama in November? Your logic doesn't track.
In fact, even though we're a long way out from the general, the latest polls have Obama winning PA by 7 and Clinton by 11 (Source: Electoral-Vote.com). In Ohio, which you seem to be worried about, Obama vs McCain is 42/43 (a statistical dead heat) and Clinton vs McCain is 48/38 (a clear Clinton win).
Again, I give you the caveat that current polls mean exactly nothing (for example, Bill Clinton polled in third place at this point in 1992). Having said that, Obama brings Virginia, NC, SC and by-damn Florida into play. Kerry lost Florida by 5; Obama is tied with McCain in an Apr 29 Quinnipiac U poll.
Finally, in three out of three special congressional elections this year (Illinois, Louisiana, now last night's Mississippi contest), the Democrat won, even after being painted as an Obama-lover. Childers was elected last night in MS-1 even though it was an "R+10" district, meaning Wicker, who held the seat, won it by 55/45 in 2006. This does not bode well for the down-ticket Republicans in November, and frankly puts the lie to the argument that Obama has no "coattails". If you want to see a candidate with no coattails, look to your beloved HRC. That's why the PLEOs (I hate the term "superdelegates") will go for Obama before the convention.
So before you get all sad and misty-eyed about the Democrats' loss in November, actually use some data to make your argument.
I am an Independent. And I have a hard time seeing how anyone can percieve Obama as someone who can bring this country together. Especially since he is considered the most liberal senator in washington... I thought we were trying to get someone who would work with the other side, not drive the two farther apart.
And its those Hard Left winger and Hard Right winger attitudes that have been the problem. You may talk about Obama being free of special interests, I say BS. Just because the Money comes through a personal donation from a Big CEO of Nuclear Energy or any other company instead of a lobbyist does not make that money special interest free. In fact it makes it even more personal and even more dirty. Special interests are not going away no matter who is president, the difference is what special interests are going to get the contracts.
One difference in electing Obama over Hillary or even McCain is we give the special interest a bigger government to have their way with. More power in our individual lives. More say in who gets the lucrative healthcare contracts, more say in what companies are going to provide the Green Products the government mandates. What Lawers, Oil companies, Unions, Farmers, Pharmisuticals, ect. are going to benifit?
THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO HAS A CONSISTANT RECORD OF ACTUALLY BEING IN THE MIDDLE GROUND IS JOHN McCAIN. THAT GIVES ME ALOT MORE COMFORT DESPITE HIS RECENT 'PROMISES' TO CONTINUE THE BUSH TAX CUTS AND OTHER BUSHISMS BUT TO SAY HE IS GOING TO BE A THIRD BUSH TERM IS A BUNCH OF BS... NOTHING CAN BE THAT BAD.
BESIDES SPECIAL INTERESTS HAVE JUST AS MUCH INFLUENCE OVER OBAMA AS THEY HAVE OVER McCAIN AND McCAINS HISTORY OF BEING IN THE MIDDLE GROUND SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
In addition to the above, as you know HAMAS has recently shown their support for the Obama campaign and have said how much they like him and how much they hope he wins. That doesn't say much about the Man Obama, he seems like a fairly reasonable guy.
HOWEVER that "endorsment" is a direct reflection of his policies.
And I will not vote for a man who's policies are attractive to terrorists... Foreign or Domestic (william ayers is another who supports Obama... speaking of terrorists).
And if any of you has a problem with special interests you sure as hell better be voting libertarian because that is the only way they are going away. We get rid of special interests by giving them a smaller vehicle to drive, and a smaller government to control. Or Bigger Government gives them More control.
It realy is that simple.
Look at the Bush Government you all hate so bad, it is a result of not just special interests, but the largest growth in government our country has ever seen in such a short period of time. Due to 9/11, Katrina, & Iraq our government has seen huge amounts of growth, it is growth that would have happened no matter who would have been in congress. The difference is what special interests would have gotten the rewards. And Nearly the Entire country wants more of this? They are going to get more of this by voting for McCain, Obama, or Hillary!
Thats Why I am Voting Libertarian, I hope some of you Dems here in Utah will join me and make a statement, since your vote really wont count in November anyways. Republicans are welcome too.
Please source your assertion that Barack Obama is the most liberal senator in Washington.
I will source my assertion that he is not:
Actually, according to this comprehensive analysis, he is ranked 45th "most liberal" when seven liberal interest group rankings are combined.
He ranks below Sen. Hilary Clinton by every liberal interest group except the ACLU, which I would argue is a good thing.
Looking at it from another direction, who is at the bottom of the conservative interest group rankings? Sen. Barack Obama is 33rd from the bottom, and ranks as "more conservative" than (for example) Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. John Kerry.
Repeating well-worn campaign memes is tiresome. Please argue from data, rather than from your emotions.
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