I wish I were a high priced consultant like Carville or Penn. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I even play the role. What would I tell a fine Senator that's losing her lead all over the country? What campaign would I have run over the last month?
Let's get real. For thousands of years, women have been perceived as their husbands' partners, supporters, the "distaff" side--even spare ribs. They've taken over for their husbands in times of need.
That's not a President. It's a "Bibical" helpmate. Had I been a highly paid advisor to Senator Clinton, I would have created a campaign based solely on what she's done in her life, and let the guy at the donut shop know what changes she'd made herself.
For example, rather than take a highly paid job right out of college
Hillary advised the Children's Defense Fund in Cambridge and joined the impeachment inquiry staff advising the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.
What did she do there? What change did she make?
As First Lady, Clinton didn't just "look sad at funerals." Her speech in China is listed as one of the "top 100."
Women also are dying from diseases that should have been prevented or treated. They are watching their children succumb to malnutrition caused by poverty and economic deprivation. They are being denied the right to go to school by their own fathers and brothers. They are being forced into prostitution, and they are being barred from the band lending office and banned from the ballot box...Those of us who have the opportunity to be here have the responsibility to speak for those who could not.
Clinton raised holy $%^& in China with that speech, even though few of the poor women to whom it's addressed ever heard it.
What has she changed? How many of her flyers show the work she's done on the Armed Services committee?As Senator, while she may often have triangulated (don't they all?) she exhibited a lot of leadership when she used examples from American History to argue against torture on 28 Sept. 2006 on the Senate Floor. Her speech on how Washington refused to mistreat British soldiers was so to-the-point and so important to our kids in Iraq, and yet it's not being talked about at all.
Now, all this may sound like I'm pushing Clinton. In fact, I'm not at all.
My biggest criticism of this fine woman is that she didn't know enough to pitch the Mark Penns of Washington and get a young, savvy team. It's not enough to say: "I can't control those guys." You have to take charge. And many times, women are not taken seriously by the networks of mid-level people they manage. Is this a sign of things to come?
Perhaps it's not too late. She could send a big check to my PayPal account! But I do think management counts, and the campaign made some really bad choices. (Maybe tomorrow I'll try for the consulting fee from the Edwards campaign.)