Tuesday, November 04, 2003
A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course
Since Wesley Clark entered the presidential race, some people have speculated that he's just a stalking horse for Hillary Clinton, who would presumably swoop into the race at the last minute to save the Democratic Party. James Ridgeway of the Village Voice claims today that the campaign to nominate Hillary is gaining momentum, and that her fortunes rise as Bush's fall. Well, maybe that's how it looks in New York, but I don't detect any great clamor for Hillary out here in the provinces just yet, despite Ridgeway's numbers from the Quinnipiac poll that show her with 43 percent national support among Democrats if she were to run, compared to 10 for Clark, eight for Lieberman and Gephardt, and seven for Dean and Kerry. Nevertheless, I don't think Hillary will run unless the Democratic convention is deadlocked after a couple of ballots, which is unlikely.
Ridgeway reports on the "hyperventilating" of the right as they see--mostly, at this point, imagine--the specter of Hillary looming over the race. Hillary hatred on the right went far beyond reasonable political disagreement into rabid psychosis years ago, to the point at which I honestly fear for her life should she try to make the race. I'm just guessing, but maybe Hillary's people share this fear, and think that maybe 2008 would be safer. In any event, Hillary's failure to run so far gives the lie to Republican characterizations of her as a creature of pure political ambition. The race is on and the fight is now, and if she were the amoral beast she's made out to be, wouldn't she be in it by now?
In another Mondo Washington post, Ridgeway reports that an anonymous celebrity caller dropped in on C-SPAN the other morning to report on her experiences visiting soldiers wounded in Iraq.
Since Wesley Clark entered the presidential race, some people have speculated that he's just a stalking horse for Hillary Clinton, who would presumably swoop into the race at the last minute to save the Democratic Party. James Ridgeway of the Village Voice claims today that the campaign to nominate Hillary is gaining momentum, and that her fortunes rise as Bush's fall. Well, maybe that's how it looks in New York, but I don't detect any great clamor for Hillary out here in the provinces just yet, despite Ridgeway's numbers from the Quinnipiac poll that show her with 43 percent national support among Democrats if she were to run, compared to 10 for Clark, eight for Lieberman and Gephardt, and seven for Dean and Kerry. Nevertheless, I don't think Hillary will run unless the Democratic convention is deadlocked after a couple of ballots, which is unlikely.
Ridgeway reports on the "hyperventilating" of the right as they see--mostly, at this point, imagine--the specter of Hillary looming over the race. Hillary hatred on the right went far beyond reasonable political disagreement into rabid psychosis years ago, to the point at which I honestly fear for her life should she try to make the race. I'm just guessing, but maybe Hillary's people share this fear, and think that maybe 2008 would be safer. In any event, Hillary's failure to run so far gives the lie to Republican characterizations of her as a creature of pure political ambition. The race is on and the fight is now, and if she were the amoral beast she's made out to be, wouldn't she be in it by now?
In another Mondo Washington post, Ridgeway reports that an anonymous celebrity caller dropped in on C-SPAN the other morning to report on her experiences visiting soldiers wounded in Iraq.
