Or maybe she's not. But someone needed to say it, and it might as well have been me, because I don't actually believe it to be so. Judging from some of the recent diaries, though, some of you just might.
I'm no fan of Hillary. Of the declared Democratic candidates, she may be my last choice (I haven't actually gotten to the point of sorting out my least favorite options, and I hope I never have to!), but if she wins the nomination, I will vote for her! I may hold my nose, but I won't hesitate!
I have no problem with criticizing our candidates. I've been critical of Hillary. She's been maddening on Iraq. She triangulates. She doesn't admit fault. She sells out on too many important issues. She's too beholden to big money special interests. I also hear she's lousy in bed. But I do get tired of the relentless Hillary-bashing. We get it. We all get it. If you're planning to write a Hillary-bashing diary, I ask you to consider: is it really necessary? Does your critique add anything that hasn't already been diaried- say, in the last hour or two?
I'm not suggesting that anyone needs to STFU, but I am asking people to consider what they're accomplishing. Does anyone really believe that anyone on this site doesn't already have a strong opinion about Hillary? Polls show that the vast majority of Americans already do, and the vast majority of Americans don't follow politics quite as obsessively as we do. So, unless you really have some new insight, or some new facts, maybe- just maybe- you're beating a very dead horse. A decomposed horse. Maybe you're beating dust!
Hillary has become our Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. After a while, it's just not funny, anymore. We get it: we can do better than Hillary. But the reality is that we might not! We need to deal with that! We may have to deal with the fact that we're going to have to choose between a President Hillary Clinton or a President John McCain. Or a President Mitt Romney. Or a President Sam Brownback. And if we get too far out on the Hillary-bashing, it may become impossible to pull it back in! And that's why I want to repeat: I do not support Hillary Clinton's candidacy to be the Democratic nominee for President; but if she wins the nomination, I will support her in the run-off!
Courtesy of Project Vote Smart, here are some of the reasons why...
She has received 100 percent ratings at least once from the following organizations:
Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Assocation, The Humane Society of the United States, Fund for Animals, Society for Animal Protective Legislation, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Protection Institute, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, League of United Latin American Citizens, Human Rights Campaign, National Education Association, National School Boards Association, Campaign for America's Future, American Wilderness Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, American Lands Alliance, National Parks Conservation Association, Comprehensive US Sustainable Population-Natural Increase, California Park & Recreation Society, Children's Defense Fund, National Network for Youth, American Family Voices, PeacePAC, Peace Action, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Citizens for Global Solutions (A+), The Genocide Intervention Network--Darfur Scores (A+), American Association of University Women, National Organization for Women, Business and Professional Women USA, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, American Public Health Association, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Global AIDS Alliance, American Medical Association, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Service Employees International Union, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker, AFL-CIO, American Postal Workers Union, United Auto Workers (110 percent- ?), Communications Workers of America, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, American Federation of Government Employees, Transportation Communications Union, Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, United Food & Commercial Workers, Americans for Democratic Action, Non Commissioned Officers Association, Parkinsons Action Network, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Alliance for Retired Americans, Secular Coalition for America, NETWORK- A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Population Action International, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, Population Institute, Population Connection, Zero Population Growth, Californians for Population Stabilization, National Youth Advocacy Coalition, Disabled American Veterans, Bread for the World, The Partnership for the Homeless.
And she received at least one rating of 90 percent or higher from:
Public Citizen's Congress Watch, National Parent Teacher Association, League of Conservation Voters, State PIRGs Working Together, Americans for Democratic Action, National Committee for an Effective Congress, People for the American Way, Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) and-WILL, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave her a grade of (A-).
She has received 0 percent ratings at least once from the following organizations:
National Right to Life Committee, Democrats for Life of America, National Tax Limitation Committee, FreedomWorks, American Shareholders Association, National Association of Government Contractors, Americans for Prosperity, Christian Coalition, American Conservative Union, Center for Reclaiming America, Concerned Women for America, English First, American Coalition for Ethanol, American Land Rights Association, Family Research Council, American Family Association, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA), Citizens Against Government Waste, National Rifle Association (F), Gun Owners of America, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, Protect Patients Now!, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Americans for Better Immigration, American Immigration Lawyers Association, National Association for the Self-Employed, American Benefits Council.
And she received a less than ten percent rating at least once from:
National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, and the National Tax Limitation Committee, National Association of Manufacturers, Christian Action Network, Campaign for Working Families, John Birch Society's Conservative Index, Citizens Against Government Waste, U.S. Border Control, Council for Government Reform
And Peace Action gave her ratings as various as 0 percent in 2001, 100 percent in 2003, and 89 percent in 2005.
Her National Journal Ratings are as follows:
National Journal - Composite Conservative Score's calculations:
2002 more conservative on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 13 percent
2003 more conservative on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 11 percent
2005 more conservative on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 20 percent
National Journal - Composite Liberal Score's calculations:
2002 more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 87 percent
2003 more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 89 percent
2005 more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 80 percent
National Journal - Conservative on Economic Policy's calculations: 2001 more conservative on economic policy issues than 13 percent
2002 more conservative on economic policy issues than 0
2003 more conservative on economic policy issues than 7 percent
2004 more conservative on economic policy issues than 36 percent
2005 more conservative on economic policy issues than 15
National Journal - Conservative on Social Policy's calculations:
2001 more conservative on social policy issues than 20 percent
2002 more conservative on social policy issues than 0 percent
2003 more conservative on social policy issues than 0 percent
2004 more conservative on social policy issues than 0 percent
2005 more conservative on social policy issues than 10 percent
National Journal - Conservative on Foreign Policy's calculations:
2001 more conservative on foreign policy issues than 27 percent
2002 more conservative on foreign policy issues than 27 percent
2003 more conservative on foreign policy issues than 14 percent
2004 more conservative on foreign policy issues than 41 percent
2005 more conservative on foreign policy issues than 29 percent
National Journal - Liberal on Economic Policy's calculations:
2001 more liberal on economic policy issues than 87 percent
2002 more liberal on economic policy issues than 95 percent
2003 more liberal on economic policy issues than 90 percent
2004 more liberal on economic policy issues than 63 percent
2005 more liberal on economic policy issues than 84 percent
National Journal - Liberal on Social Policy's calculations:
2001 more liberal on social policy issues than 70 percent
2002 more liberal on social policy issues than 82 percent
2003 more liberal on social policy issues than 85 percent
2004 more liberal on social policy issues than 82 percent
2005 more liberal on social policy issues than 83 percent
National Journal - Liberal on Foreign Policy's calculations
2001 more liberal on foreign policy issues than 61 percent
2002 more liberal on foreign policy issues than 70 percent
2003 more liberal on foreign policy issues than 79 percent
2004 more liberal on foreign policy issues than 58 percent
2005 more liberal on foreign policy issues than 66 percent
Is she perfect? Far from. And she's far from being my favorite candidate for 2008. But looking over those ratings, do you honestly believe any of the Republican candidates will even be on the same horizon, when it comes to representing your values, and what you want a President to do? Then, all I'm suggesting is that you think about how you go about trying to derail her campaign for the Democratic nomination.
If your preferred candidate is so superior, sell him to us! Tell us why you think he should be President, not why she shouldn't be! Because if you're too successful convincing people that she's not fit for the job, your candidate still might not win, and she still might win the nomination; but I promise you: if she wins the nomination, and loses the run-off, you will have four miserable years of wishing she had won!