Letters to the Editor
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Sentator Clinton
Calling the Senator "Hillary" is not so bad. It's when the rightwingers intentionally call her "Mrs. Clinton" that makes me roll my eyes. It's just plain rude.
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Call her Senator Clinton.
That covers both her title and her name. Since former president Bill Clinton has never been a Senator, no confusion need result. If you are talking about the candidates by last name, Clinton, Edwards, Obama, etc. does nicely. No one who reads English will be puzzled.
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Was there some sort of secret meeting?
I am seeing quite a few pro Hillary and anti-Obama pieces floating around the liberal blogoshere. It seems the Washington insiders have picked Hillary. YEAAAAH MORE OF THE SAME!!!!! I'll take Obama based on he's fresh alone.
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No comb-over here
She has great back-of-head hair, so I'll vote for Hillary.
It'd be nice if she dressed like a girl more often.
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Always Prepared?
Too bad she didn't bother to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq back in the fall of 2002.
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This approach hasn't worked in the past
Shapiro writes:
"The leading Democratic contenders for the presidency are often praised on the campaign trail for their inspirational style (Barack Obama) and their forthright issue stands (John Edwards). But only Hillary Clinton is routinely hailed for the letter-perfect quality of her preparation."
Gore and Kerry were also both noted for their superior mastery of the issues and Gore, like Senator Clinton, also had the benefit of Clinton nepotism and we still lost BOTH TIMES (although the first time wasn't fair).
Inspirational style and forthright issue stands are going to go way, way further with the voting public than nuance, polish or wonkish mastery of the issues. I'm hoping the primary voters quickly wake to the fact that HC has too much political baggage, too little charisma and offers no fresh perspective. She remains unelectable.
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Clinton vs Obama
I was previously inclined towards Obama because I thought Clinton seemed overly-calculating, overly-cautious and coming accross as a bad actor when she tried to emote.
However, I now see the flip side of this argument. Most of the these qualities result from her having been in the battle and having been hit many times. Clinton IS battle-tested and battle-hardened.
We cannot yet say the same thing about Obama. The Republican machine has mostly ignored him up till now. We dont know (and he himself probly does not know) how he will respond to slanders, swift-boating, racially-tinged attacks. Will he be able to both (i) keep his nerve and not be rattled and (ii) quickly and effectively respond. (John Kerry failed on the second point when he failed to respond to the swiftboating thing in a timely fashion.)
Clinton has experience in the White House; she has experience in Congress; she is intelligent; she is competent; she does her homework; and she is tough.
That is why I have switched from Obama to Clinton recently. We would be lucky to have her as President.
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Mmmm, competence
I'm sure lots of people will vent their spleens on Hillary, but I have to say, after 6 years of W, the idea of someone competent, intelligent, and experienced in the White House is sounding awfully good...
-Jeremy
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On the Off Chance....
...that Senator Clinton might read the letters here, how about showing her both respect and appreciation for her service? It has not been easy, and it's not about her hairdo or wardrobe.
There are very bright, literate people reading Salon who are invested in saving both our beloved country and our fragile planet. How about showing her that the citizens she works for have reasoned and helpful observations to share, and questions that help further our hopes?
If other Democratic candidates are profiled or interviewed here, I'd vote for using this Letters space the same way. It could be a service to them and to us all.
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Gore kissed his wife
...and Kerry flipped a salute. Neither really ran on the issues or their expertise.
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A Sure Loss
Until Bill Clinton managed to achieve the Presidency, I was a solid, Southern, yellow dog Democrat. Between Bill C. and the DLC, I completely lost faith in the Democratic party. The 2006 elections gave me some hope (very late) that there was a serious opposition party in this country. Lately, I'm not sure the Washington crowd has gotten the message.
To put this as plainly as possible, I'm not staying home on election day, but Hillary Clinton will never get my vote. There's a small possibility that the Republicans can present someone I can tolerate, but the check mark goes to the Libertarian Party, particularly if Hillary is the Democratic Party candidate.
For the moment, I'm waiting to see if either major party finds someone who wants to shake the status quo. I'm not hopeful.
One final note: Of all the Salon writers, Walter Shapiro is th one that that I would line up to say "go fuck yourself" to. Talbot may think he adds value, but I'm thinking I can get the "inside the beltway" opinion for free elsewhere.
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Senator Clinton Does Not Inspire Me
My opinion of Senator Clinton went way down when I saw her being interviewed by one of the networks during the 2004 Democratic Convention. When the reporter asked her questions of particular interest to gay Americans, one could sense how uncomfortable she was with the topic. Just what part of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution does the Senator have a problem with? I am far more impressed with Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (who is not running for higher office) of California's 10th Congressional District who is now the lead sponsor of HR 1246, which would effectively repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Congresswoman Tauscher's district consists of mostly upscale suburban neighborhoods in San Francisco's East Bay. There aren't many motorcycle mamas or drag queens living in her district. Think high SAT scores, many million dollar plus homes and great shopping, including Tiffany's and Nordstrom's. I am hoping that Senators Clinton and Obama will have the courage to introduce companion legislation (to HR 1246) in the Senate. I may have a long wait. So far Congressman Kucinich is my favorite in the Democratic race and he even got it right on Iraq. Apparently, Senator Clinton was not all that well prepared before the Iraq war vote.
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Increasing Respect for Hillary Clinton
The more I see Hillary on the campaign trail and pay attention to her speeches and presentations, including her debate responses, the more I respect and like her.
She's brilliant and hardworking. Those who claim(ed) that Hillary planned to coast into the Presidency as though she were entitled, were very wrong.
I plan to vote for her.