While I am an Obama supporter, I seem to find much more interest in writing Clinton POV diaries. Why? Probably because everything else on here is pro-Obama. For this reason, I have decided to look at the positives of a Clinton nomination. No, this is not snark. If you just want to hate on Sen. Clinton then go away. I do think that if Sen. Clinton manages to get the nomination there are some good things about her. The things I think that would make Sen. Clinton a formidable nominee are...over the fold.
Welcome. What might a Sen. Clinton nomination and election look like? For the purposes of the diary, I will assume that some horrific skeleton comes out about Obama and he has to drop out. That is the only realistic way she gets the Democratic nomination and so I base my world assumptions on that. Sorry Clinton fans but the super-delegates have not shown a willingness to come to Sen. Clinton’s side. She has not been picking up many endorsements, even with her victories in Texas and Ohio and she is having funding problems. Yes, I said she won Texas because the popular vote there was the media focus and basis for a win. For her purposes, that was a win and kept the contest afloat. So the election becomes vastly different from the one that Obama would have had. This has a big impact because Sen. Clinton has been setting up her primary strategy to win in the general.
Think about the focal point of the Clinton resources. She has put the largest amounts of her effort into the traditional large delegate states. Her capital is invested in the places she has the best chance of carrying. Sen. Clinton will be entirely about generating turnout among the base. This is not such a problem as it could have been in a different year. The turnout for the Dems has broken records almost everywhere they have voted. I think much of this can be based on total resentment of the failures of the current administration. Being a Democrat in this environment even with the total failure of the Obama candidacy would be an advantage. I believe that Sen. Clinton will be able to get her 50+1 using the turnout boost and investment in large delegate Dem states plus one or two targeted pickups. She was not counting on great support among the youth voters because that is a traditionally unreliable group. One issue might be depressed support among African Americans, but if it is Obama’ s own candidacy that destroys itself then I do not believe that the African Americans will hold that against Sen. Clinton.
Another advantage Clinton would carry into the general election is positioning on economic issues and domestic issues. In the general election voters vote on who they perceive as the best on issues like the economy. These domestic issues rely on the voter’s trust and are very highly correlated with party identification. People trust the Dems on the economy. They also trust the Dems on issues like health care. This is important because Sen Clinton has made that a staple of her primary campaign and it will be talked about a great deal during the general. The weakness of her opponent on these issues will also help her. McCain has zero credibility on the economy and no apparent record on health care. Two of the major issues that voters will have in their minds are definitively in favor of Sen. Clinton.
Sen. Clinton will have no problem kneecapping Sen. McCain. If you think that the tacit approval of McCain expressed by the Clinton’s is an indication that she will be very nice to him, you are dreaming. Sen. Clinton in her campaign against Obama has shown she will push the envelope as far as possible in her desire to win. It will be an ugly election. The Clinton camp will have no problem painting McCain as a senile old man. They will fully illustrate how he is unfit for command after "taking a closer" look at him. They will attack him for his lobbyist connections while obscuring their own. I fully believe that the Clinton’s will be like that person on the opposing team who is a total asshole, but becomes not so bad once he is on your team.
The biggest attack I think the Clinton’s will launch upon McCain will be on his foreign policy. That is his biggest perceived strength and an obvious target. How will she do it? I think she does an end run around Iraq and goes after his relations toward Iran and towards China, Russia and India. Get people to see that foreign policy is about more than military planning in Iraq. Who does not want to see them decimate McCain on his only selling point?
Another important idea to consider is what type of President Sen. Clinton would be. She would be more center-oriented than Sen. Obama would. I know that the policies currently outlined are similar but she would be in office for four years. So, who she is as a person would give a better indicator of where she would end up. I think that Sen. Clinton’s strong faith is an important aspect of her and would factor in her policy. She is much more socially conservative than I think people realize. The issues with flag burning and some of her other legislation reveal this. People have accused her of moving right and buttering up the religious right for political gain. I have to say that I think that is false. Sen. Clinton combines a respect for traditional morality with support for women’s rights and other liberal causes. She is not a conservative, she is moderate to left.
People have wondered about the role of Bill in the White House. I really think that she will tell him to go to hell. Sen. Clinton is a feminist and a strong personality in her own right. Once she achieves the presidency, I think she will be very determined to make her own mark. Bills presence will only diminish her standing. People would always wonder if it she was responsible. Bill serves the purpose currently of getting her into office but once in office I have a hard time imagining that Sen. Clinton would let him near any power. Bill would be sent back to his charitable foundation.
One other advantage to a Sen. Clinton presidency might be some real payback against the Republicans. Few people have as much cause as her to want revenge. So let us try to imagine the good aspects of Sen. Clinton. Just for a little while? Remember, we have met the enemy and his name is McCain!!
Please try and comment on other positives about Sen. Clinton and leave the hate in the 500 other candidate diaries.