April 5, 2006
A Clinton Campaign Tough-Love Letter
It's spring, when a young journalist's thoughts lightly turn to campaigning for the Democrats. Here is one such campaign commercial for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY -- "have carpet, will travel"), masquerading as a "news article." But if this is a love letter, it's a bit of tough-love:
It was a case of Clinton deja vu. "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right about America," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady who seems to be aiming for a return to the White House, said Wednesday as she wrapped up her speech to a Hispanic organization.
Excuse the crowd if they had heard it before. The New York Democrat, who clearly took good notes, had very slightly revised her husband's old standard, from his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1993.
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America," President Clinton told the nation then.
Note, however, that we cannot accuse Sen. HIllary of plagiarism: she did not say that "there is nothing wrong with American that cannot be cured"... she said "that cannot be fixed." See the difference, the originality?
Here's the campaign part in the story (written by Donna Cassata and Ron Fournier). Alas for Sen. Hillary, it's mostly campaign nostalgia:
Policies aside, the Clintons' political skills and style were on display Wednesday.
The former president's smoothness - even rival Republicans marveled at it through two terms - quickly captured his crowd. Conversational, self-deprecating, largely extemporaneous, he was part tutorial, part lecturer, part comedian.
With one hand in his pocket and the other for gesturing, he joked that he missed his introduction because he was "backstage and half deaf" and recalled John Quincy Adams' dismissive comment that "there's nothing so pathetic as a former president...."
He explained that an inability to play on golf's senior tour, limited saxophone skills and a hardworking ethos forced him to created the William J. Clinton Foundation to take on the challenges of global interdependence.
Alas for Sen. Hillary, Ms. Cassata and Mr. Fournier can't find a whole lot to praise about Milady's delivery; they pass along broad, "nudge nudge wink wink" hints for her to pick up and run with:
Addressing the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's legislative conference, the former first lady held the side of the podium or rested her hands on a folder containing notes or texts. In the first few minutes, she looked down to find a number or a name in a speaking style that resembled a law school professor....
About halfway through the speech, she stopped touching the podium. Her hands came together in the form of a steeple but often broke free to gesture. She did not do the famous Bill Clinton thumbs-up, but she held both her hands out, palms up - a gesture that seemed to be an invitation to join her on the stage.
The pair even gently try to steer Milady towards the issues that (they believe) are the Democrats' strong suits for 2008:
She focused on the major problems facing the country - immigration, global competition, health care - that she said Republicans have not tackled....
She revisited the better economic days of her husband's presidency, arguing that work needs to be done after President Bush's term ends.
Yep, that's the burning issue that animates the voters of America today: global competition! Health care for immigrants! And there's yet another backward-look, yearning for the glory days of Bill Clinton -- let's all party like it's still 1999.
The writers gloss over this final point, but I think it's really the core of the story and should have been the lede. This is very, very bad for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects in the presidential race:
Deep into a speech with several partisan riffs, she delivered her first significant applause line, saying immigrants are hardworking, law-abiding people who deserve our respect.
Let's ponder that: Sen. Hillary was only able to get a "significant applause line" when she was "deep into [her] speech." And how amazing it was to get applause for praising immigrants -- when speaking to the legislative conference of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Ouch.
Hatched by Dafydd on this day, April 5, 2006, at the time of 3:56 PM
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Comments
The following hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist
CBS has hired Hillary "Look-a-Like" Katie, as the most desperate of America's Communists seek to elect Hillary as President in 2008...so to speak of that "15%" that MSM once bragged about gaining for the Democrat Party.
Well, word is, that Hillary and Katie are "lovers", and have been for some time...
The above hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://biglizards.net/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 5, 2006 5:01 PM
The following hissed in response by: Big D
Ah, but didn't Clinton the First steal, er, appropriate that quote from Ike?
"There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure."
Right, re-worded. Or perhaps triangulated.
The above hissed in response by: Big D at April 5, 2006 5:54 PM
The following hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist
Or perhaps triangulated
If Politics here in America have boiled down to triangles and/or such triangulations of human mentality, which depends a lot on *POLLS*, then America best come up with more Voters against another Carter/Clinton election win again.
Triangulation sounds good in some Age of Aquarius World, but the firing of a mere mortar also depends upon “triangulations”.
i like games...like chess. Heck, i even like Political Games now, since triangles now point to yet another American loss at war. America cannot afford to lose any more Wars...simple as that, and ask "Mother Russia" or even Mother Nature if you don’t believe me.
Saddam and Osama had planned on much more such silly American triangulations of human mentality, and gambled that no American Male President with balls would ever be elected again...fact is, even the Clintons had bet on a Gore win in 2000.
Great input,
Karmi
The above hissed in response by: KarmiCommunist at April 5, 2006 8:36 PM
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