Hillary’s mission: Fire up the VRWC
I see that Robert Stein has beaten me to this post. But I’ll go ahead with my advice anyway.
Most pundits say that Hillary Clinton must emphatically show her support for Barack Obama. I certainly agree with that. But I think her task is much greater. She needs to become the biggest and most memorable attack dog of the convention. She must do to John McCain what Zell Miller did to John Kerry in 2004.
Hillary needs to call John McCain out as the most sexist politician to run for President in recent history.
She needs to blast McCain for selling out whatever maverick cred he might have had so he could win the favor of Karl Rove and George W. Bush.
She needs to attack John McCain’s honor, for lying about the kind of campaign he’d run.
She needs to call out John McCain for supporting the disastrous economic policies of George W. Bush, and she needs to do it in the most mocking tone possible.
She needs to show righteous indignation at the suggestion that her supporters would go to McCain (she gave a great hint of that with her “I do NOT approve of that message.”)
She needs to proclaim, LOUDLY, that John McCain is anti-abortion and that McCain is as reactionary on social issues as George W. Bush.
And she needs to blast McCain for his irresponsible warmongering.
Yes, Hillary Clinton needs to go on the attack tonight. She needs to fire up the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and remind them of why they hated her so much. She needs to cut all the GOP concern trolling out and show what frauds the PUMAs are. She needs to draw a line in the sand and say to her wavering supporters: “There are two choices in this election. Obama and Hillary Clinton or McCain and Bush.”
I think Hillary Clinton will do this, by the way. She is very aware of her stature in the party as well as the distrust many have for her. She also knows very well the cards she holds. By playing the attack dog, she lures the GOP into attacking her, which will rally her uncertain supporters to Obama (or at the very least away from McCain). She will also regain the trust of many who think she hasn’t done enough to support the Obama ticket.
Last night was the feel good night. It was great to introduce Michelle Obama and inspire the party with Ted Kennedy.
But tonight and tomorrow night the gloves come off. Nobody can rally the Democratic Party more effectively at this particular time than Hillary Clinton. And nobody, I might add, has the political acumen to pull it off as well as Hillary Clinton.
22 Responses to “Hillary’s mission: Fire up the VRWC”
Why should she want to offend and provoke the US public?
Doesn't she want the Dems, including herself, not only Obama, to succeed this year?
The 80% of the public that thinks we are on the wrong track?
DLS,
By going hard negative on McCain, she unites her wavering supporters behind Obama. By suckering the VRWC to attack her again, she reminds her core voters what's at stake and why McCain is so unacceptable.
Elrod, I totally agree with you, and I hope Hillary gets the message.
To those who say, “Why should she want to offend and provoke the US public?”, I say have the Republicans' most heineous and savage attacks on Democrats and their candidates ever suffciently “offended and provoked?” the U.S. public to make them–the Republicans–lose an election?
On the other hand, look how the swiftboating of Kerry, blessed openly or tacitly by Bush, cost Kerry the election.
I have had enough of pussyfooting, spineless Democrats…let's go out there and win one for a change!
“The 80% of the public that thinks we are on the wrong track?”
She has to be careful about what she, Obama, and others say is the right track.
I don't mind a good deal of bashing — it's overdue, though I want to also learn more about what is being proposed as the alternative to the Evil Republicans [insert ominous music].
“By going hard negative on McCain, she unites her wavering supporters behind Obama.”
Maybe. As if they are not already anti-Republican, largely.
“By suckering the VRWC to attack her again”
The “vast right-wing conspiracy” of the 1990s was THE US PUBLIC. See 1994.
Of course, it does let her play again the Victim 'Cause I'm A Woman game. [gag]
I think you're correct, elrod. Hillary is the perfect speaker to lead an attack on McCain – both because she's good at it, and because presumably at least, much of her supposedly disgruntled fan base will be watching her as she explains what McCain actually stands for (or perhaps against).
However, I doubt that Mark Warner, the other “big name” speaker scheduled tonight will do the same, though I'd love to see it. He's still trying to win Senate election in a reddish-purple state with a large military presence. But perhaps with his huge lead in the polls, he'll feel comfortable enough to throw a few glancing punches…
“I have had enough of pussyfooting, spineless Democrats”
They're far more savage than the GOP, whom so many have been begging to take off the gloves for years. They are so feeble they don't even qualify as “flailing.”
It's going to be a bad year for the GOP. I won't relish any sewage from the Dems but a good bit of ranting and rallying is just what should be coming next (building up to the Better, Positive Alternative later in the week as Obama's speech approaches).
“Hillary is the perfect speaker to lead an attack on McCain”
1. She can exercise control (!!!) over her voters and stop defections to McCain.
2. She can take the “bad” role and leave Obama to fulfill the “good” role this week.
[...] want to like you again. Do this: Most pundits say that Hillary Clinton must emphatically show her support for Barack Obama. I [...]
hey whatevah works – & she DOES have the chops.
It is time for the can of Whup-@ss to be opened up!
Agreed, it's time for the gloves to come off. For all practical purposes the R's have been give a pass for too long. Hillary is uniquely positioned to fulfill this role, and there is no question about her ability to handle it if she so chooses. For a long time the D's have been too trusting, too passive, and too patient to ever be called “savage”, which is just another absurd and dishonest characterization. Tonight has the potential to be interesting…
All I can say to Hillary tonight is put those loony PUMA's who are destroying your name and your reputation in their place! You go girl!
Oops I forgot, putting the looney PUM's in their place is great way to come out Bill's shadow as well.
She shoudl do all of those things, but she won't. She'll make some patriotic statements about the country, she will re-hash the Clinton White House years and she will vaguely praise Obama and call for unity. She will not play the role of the attack dog because it has no upside for her. She wants Obama to lose so that she will have another chance at the golden ring in 2012. To that end, she, like her husband tomorrow night, will want to appear the elder states(wo)man and nothing more. If there was a -2 point bounce from the Biden anouncement, suprising that he only lost two points rolling out Plugs, there will be a -5 point bounce after the Clintons are finished.
“Hillary Clinton must emphatically show her support for Barack Obama. I certainly agree with that. But I think her task is much greater. She needs to become the biggest and most memorable attack dog of the convention. She must do to John McCain what Zell Miller did to John Kerry in 2004.
Hillary needs to call John McCain out as the most sexist politician to run for President in recent history.”
**********
No. Actually…Obama should've already done that. And having failed, he needs to start now. Obama cannot be held by the hand by Hillary to win back female voters. Talk is cheap. Obama needs to deliver on female issues. He has remained stalwartly quiet on those issues because if he spoke up on them sooner, he would've lost the primaries to a more deserving female candidate.
No. Obama has to put on his little shoes and learn to walk all by himself. It was fine to ignore HIllary's imput on the VP selection, and now he must ignore her advice on women's issues as well. He needs to form his own policy on women's issues..
Obama has snubbed Clinton. Like a spoiled child he cannot run back to mommy every time the road gets a little rocky..
Day 1 — we're the Feel Great party, unlike those icky Republicans.
Day 2 — Those Republicans are horrible! Let's go over their defects…
Day 3 — Those icky Republicans are so different than we are, the party that will renew and reform this country. We promise all kinds of lofty, wonderful things…
Day 4 — We are the greatest thing in the universe and VOTE FOR OBAMA-BIDEN!
Tonight, Day 2, should be the most enraged, vicious McCain and GOP bashing that the Dems dare attempt. They keep at white heat to start Day 3 and transition to how much better they, the Benevolent and Magnificent, are and what they offer America.
It's the storybook script. They finish on their highest positive note and then the GOP is on the most defensive. And at least until the GOP convention hints at improvement (or lack thereof), the Dems live happily ever after.
” the D's have been too trusting, too passive, and too patient to ever be called 'savage', “
That is, of course, distorted, to say the least. Oh, well. I look forward to the Dems being as vicious as they dare be tonight — full attack mode — even if they risk blowback. Then tomorrow we'll see if Clinton does his share or undercuts Obama.
DLS, the last thing you need to worry about is the D's being too “vicious”. That is still very much the province ot the R's, who are adept at dispensing with conscience when they deem it necessary. The D's are still “in training” comparatively speaking, and while that loses them elections, they still haven't gone all the way to the crossroads. . . . . yet.
DLS said: “I look forward to the Dems being as vicious as they dare be tonight“
Maybe you ought to consider making predictions a little further into the future DLS. Far enough ahead so many won't even remember what you said…
It'd also give you time to find one or two 'bad apple democrats' (say in Kansas City or Barstow or Cleveland) so you could say, “See! I Told you so!”
Let's see who's right tomorrow, see you in the morning.
Barack Obama has already come out strong for women's issues, including equal pay for equal work, health care for everybody that wants it, choice, and anti-discrimination laws on GLBT issues. And he will continue to speak strongly about it. Note that Joe Biden authored the Violence Against Women Act, so Obama did not exactly pick a VP who takes women's issues lightly.
But Hillary Clinton speaks on women's issues with more clarity, purpose and intensity than Barack Obama or, frankly, any male politician ever can. Hillary's candidacy was wrapped up in the aspirations of working class women who get overlooked in national politics. It is to those voters that Hillary must – and will – remind of John McCain's uniquely awful record on women's issues.
Yeah. “Let's all get behind Barack Obama…”
That's what Sinclair said…lol….
DLS- The D's have been too civil- not too vicious! That's why it was up to Nancy Pelosi to try to bring civility back in 2006. Remember, it was Newt Gingrich who began referring to worthy opponents as the enemy and made elections into party warfare.