The 2008 Primaries are fast approaching. The Iowa caucuses are two months from yesterday. And with sixty days left, it is time for some honesty here on Daily Kos.
I’ve been a long time reader on this site, and I've commented a few times, but as this year as progressed, I see one simple truth that has emerged: Hilary Clinton is the establishment candidate in the Democratic field.
Let’s be completely and utterly honest here. Hilary Clinton is not the top choice for us folks here at Daily Kos. In fact, she is not even close to being the top candidate.
Daily Kos October Straw Poll
Kos himself placed her as his fourth or fifth choice, after he posted the "devastating" politics of parsing video on the front page.
Going back to the presidential election of 2004, let’s take a look at our choices on the national presidential ballot, ranked in order of preference.
- John Kerry
- Ralph Nader
- Michael Badnarik (Although we all didn’t see the (L) candidate on our national ballots)
- I refuse to vote/I will throw something/I am leaving this country
- George W. Bush
Whether you like it or not, these were your choices, in order of preference.
It is clear to most that Hilary is one of the most "establishment" Democratic candidates. She is the most willing to be tied in with lobbyists and corporate interests of all of the Democratic candidates.
The goal at this site is to.
- Elect Democrats
- Elect progressive, non-establishment Democrats
Why do you suppose we are so ferociously opposed to the Democrat, Al Wynn in MD-04? Donna Edwards is a progressive, non-establishment Democrat who cares about change in D.C. and netroots (and we care about her), while Wynn is a Democrat who is bringing this party down.
Just like Wynn, there is a serious "establishment" problem with Hilary Clinton. Hilary is the most D.C. insider-establishment Democratic candidate in the field since Walter Mondale in 1984. In 1984, Walter Mondale got the nod, because it was "his turn," much like Bob Dole got the nod in 1996 because it was "his turn." Mondale actually just announced his support of Hilary this weekend.
I hope that we do not let Hilary get "her turn." It’s no one’s turn. There is no pre-coronation. This race is NOT over. If she wants this nomination, she should have to earn it. If we rank Hilary Clinton (numerically) at the same place that we ranked BushII in 2004, then it may be prudent to look at other candidates. This is what progressive netroots is all about. Crushing Repubs, and rooting out establishment Democrats. If she actually wins this Democratic nomination, 85% of the population on this website will say, "Well, that sucks. I’ll support her, but whatever."
If Hilary wins, it is a defeat for the netroots, because according to most of us, she should not win. We know we’ll get behind her to defeat McGuiliRomPsonHuck, but let’s use our power to elect another Democratic candidate to win in 2008. So donate some money to Edwards, Obama, or Dodd, if you desire real change from politics as usual in D.C. It’s message that Dodd, Edwards, and Obama have been whispering over the past few weeks, but they are starting to get louder. If they win in Iowa, they will have a distinct advantage in this race. Let’s win one for progressive netroots.