Both Denise and I voted for Hillary in the Ohio primary, my reason being that I felt that she had the best chance to beat McCain and the Republican smear campaign that would be coming -- unlike John Kerry in 2004, I thought that there was no way she'd take the hits without striking back, probably in a nuclear fashion. (I still worry about this with Obama...)

However, Obama ran the smarter campaign, and I was terrifically disappointed in her inability to accept the inevitable when it came time to acknowledge that she had lost.

However... that was one hell of a speech last night. At one point, Denise turned to me and said "She would have made a great president." We may never know that, but she certainly did her part last night, and she showed why her followers love her (and perhaps why her detractors hate her...).

Good job, Hillary!
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From: [identity profile] sleigh.livejournal.com


I think she did what she could -- though I suspect that some people will still hear only what they want to hear. Nothing she could have said would have convinced them.
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From: [identity profile] madtruk.livejournal.com


It may make you feel better to know that the person that the PUMA site is registered to is a known McCain consultant (whose name I don't happen to have). I feel that the PUMA people probably don't know that, offhand...

From: [identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com


Hillary needed to give a great speech, and she did. I would have been happy with her as the candidate, and am also happy with Obama. She's still relatively young, and in 2012 (or 2016) she'll be younger than McCain is now. Meanwhile, she'll be a powerful senator under President Obama.

From: [identity profile] sleigh.livejournal.com


I halfway suspect that Hillary's ambitions were part of the reason that Obama picked Biden (and that Hillary is actually pleased not to be the VP choice).

If Obama loses the election, then Hillary isn't 'tainted' by being a failed VP choice and won't have pundits saying that her failure proves that she's not electable. She can run in 2012 -- and this time would (barring some nasty scandal in the intervening four years) probably win in a walk.

If Obama wins, then in all likelihood he'll run again in 2012. Win or lose, that leaves 2016 open for Hillary. Even if Obama/Biden is the 2012 ticket and they win, Biden will be 75 in 2016 and it's unlikely he'd run for president... which leaves the field open for Hillary.

From: [identity profile] madtruk.livejournal.com


Won't she be 73 at that time? Then 77 and 81 by the time she leaves office?

I simply can't vote for someone who has little or no connection to the generation(s) they have to lead. Call it Ageism if you want, but here's just a small case in point:

As a teacher I dealt with young people all of the time and made a concerted effort to stay on top of things popular just to converse with them. My little brother is 12 years younger than I am and we may as well have been born on different planets as far as what was 'normal' to us in our upbringing.

I feel that someone 50+ years removed from the age of the youngest voter is simply someone who cannot possibly understand the issues confronted by that generation, and they would be hard pressed to understand the needs of people 10, 20 or more years younger than they are.

Yes, I am much more concerned about domestic affairs than foreign policy, and on that basis alone I wouldn't vote for McCain. Of course, Republican neocon policies are _evil_, and that helps the decision along...

All that said, had Senator Clinton won the nomination, I'd be voting for her now. We'll see in 4-8 years how that sentiment goes...

*vent over* Good speech, Senator.

From: [identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com


True, I forgot her age; how time flies!

Still, I keep needling my goppie friends that if Hillary is in the Senate until she's as old as Strom Thurmond was before he retired, she'll be around until 2046...

From: [identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com


As I've said before, I remain unconvinced that Hillary really wants to be president. She likes being able to influence policy; for the issues that especially concern her she can do that more effectively as a senator with a national base than as the top executive.

Running for president and not being on the ticket was a win-win for her, I suspect.

From: [identity profile] mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com


She's a fabulous speaker and an outstanding Senator. I love watching her hold court with the Senate. She's unbeatable when they debate issues.

I think that skill would have served her well as President and I think she'd have been excellent.
(I wish her hubby could have kept his pie hole shut on her behalf.) She'd have faired better if no one was directing her responses to things I think she handles these things better on her own.

I think Obama would also make a great president sans some of the fire she has.

From: [identity profile] sleigh.livejournal.com


I hope we get to see whether you're right about that last statement!

From: [identity profile] jdonat.livejournal.com

Hillary's speech.


A barnburner! I don't know how much of her speeches she writes, (if at all), but last nights' was outstanding.
She will do very well in the Senate over the next few years. Hopefully, there will be some leadership position opening up soon for her (maybe Joe Liebermann's)?????

She would have been a fine president, IMHO.. but her advisors thought that she was going to be appointed, annointed, and crowned by Feb 5. They were completely caught off guard by Sen. Obama.
Now. Let's see how Bill does tonight......

From: [identity profile] ontology101.livejournal.com


Completely in agreement with you and Denise.

They said on NPR this morning that she has a meeting today with some of her delegates who are still planning on "making a statement" by voting for her. Lets see her talk some sense into them.

I'm pretty muched convinced she wouldn't have touched the VP nomination. She'll have much more influence and power elsewhere and I put my coins in the basket that says she runs again.

A.

From: [identity profile] sleigh.livejournal.com


It looks like she convinced her people not to make a stir. Yay!

From: [identity profile] jdonat.livejournal.com


I don't know if she was convinced of it, but I am sure that Sen. Obama's staffers realized that Sen. Clinton would bring many positives with her... but.... she has lotsa baggage to deal with, starting with Bill, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. She had as many negatives on most polls as positives.

And, I don't think she'd be comfortable as a #2. Not with that drive. She'll put that to good use in a Democratic Senate.


From: [identity profile] spenceraloysius.livejournal.com


I agree with you on Hillary's DNC speech and I am, unfortunately, still disappointed that she's not going to be the nominee. I think she'll be too old to run in 2016. Call me superficial, but I think that Americans won't vote for a female who looks even potentially hag-like. Look at how much flak Barabara Bush got for not being pretty.

Loved Hillary's speech. Just loved it.

From: [identity profile] sleigh.livejournal.com


You may well be right (though the Boomers will be getting increasingly gray and hag-like right along with her -- maybe attitudes will change?)
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