Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

I have never fully understood the animus held by many conservative Republicans toward Hillary Clinton. It seems to be much stronger than their dislike of other Democrats. From what I have read about her, she is a much nicer person than most people realize. One conservative writer wrote a book about her and concluded that she is a good person who is loved by her staff. Her main problem is that in public she projects a persona that seems cold and snobbish. Somehow, she has trouble flashing a genuine smile. I do not, however, understand why our presidents have to be warm and fuzzy. We need leaders, and right now we need a leader desperately. Hillary could be a fine leader.

I suspect that part of the problem people have with Senator Clinton is the uniquely American hang-up about powerful women. Many other countries in the world have had female leaders, but Hillary is the first American woman to mount a serious campaign for the presidency. When Bill Clinton said that if he was elected America would get “two for the price of one,” many people were outraged. They were used to first ladies being shadowy background figures who gave tours of the White House and spoke-out on innocuous issues like literacy and children’s nutrition. They were not used to having first ladies who were actually involved in governmental policy.

Hillary is on good grounds when she attacks Barack Obama for lack of experience. Some may ask, “what experience did Hillary get being the wife of the president?” The answer is-- plenty. Several books about the Clinton presidency make clear that Hillary was intimately involved in presidential decision-making. Unlike most first ladies who had their offices in the East Wing of the White House, Hillary had an office in the West Wing near that of the president. She frequently took part in major meetings. She guided many of the important decisions made by her husband. She tried to maintain a low profile, and her significant role in the Administration was never acknowledged. But she has had more experience than any candidate, Democrat or Republican, now running for office.

Barack Obama has many virtues. He is the darling of young people who usually do not like traditional candidates. Young people have no faith in the establishment. They want dramatic change. Obama has great charisma, charm, brains, and eloquence. However, compared with Hillary Clinton and the other Democratic candidates, he has not done much. He has spent two years in the Senate, yet I know of no great pieces of legislation attached to his name. Somebody has pointed-out, however, that the same thing could be said of Abraham Lincoln.

The biggest question about Obama is whether he would be the strongest candidate the Democrats could field. Many people would vote against him because of his inexperience, and, sad to say, others would vote against him because of his race. Conservative writers seem to like him because they hate Hillary. Some Republicans have crossed-over in the primaries to vote for Obama in order to stop Hillary. They probably wouldn’t vote for Obama if he was nominated. They voted for him because they think he is unelectable. I believe that he could win if he is nominated and I would like to see him become President of the United States. I would, however, like to see him get some seasoning and come back to run at a later date. We need his powerful appeal to all that is good in America.

This is an important election. Republicans have made such a mess of our country that Democrats now have a golden opportunity to seize the White House and elect a strong Democratic Congress. We need someone who will bring the bloody carnage of young Americans in Iraq to an end. We need someone who will bring health insurance to all Americans, who will repeal the odious Medicare Part D drug law and bring free medication to all senior Americans, who will sign-on to treaties and accords necessary to halt global warming, who will authorize funds for stem-cell research, and who will stop the appointment of ultra-conservative, anti-abortion Supreme Court Justices. We need a president who will cancel the huge tax cuts for wealthy Americans and stand-up to the powerful oil, tobacco, pharmaceutical, automobile, and insurance industries. We should not let this opportunity slip by.