Why Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is bad for Dems

In reading Kid Oakland's excellent Reality Break seriesI have connected his thoughtful analysis with something that I keep hearing more and more of amongst my acquaintances.  It's almost a musical refrain...

Bush - boomba - Clinton - boomba - Bush - boomba - Clinton - boomba

It's like bongo drums of destiny are haunting our national political scene.

Kid makes a million great points in his diaries so I guess I'm simply adding one more which is actually a synthesis of several of his points.

The media has been hyping this B-C-B-C angle for awhile now.  Do a google search and you can see stories dating back to 2005 and sprinkled throughout 2006 and 2007.

I'm not drawing any sort of conclusion based on scientific or statistical evidence.  What I have to relate is entirely anecdotal of what I'm hearing from my very heterogeneous group of acquaintances, most them not blog readers.  But I am hearing many of them repeat...

Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton.

And it's never in a positive light.  Whether I'm speaking to a Republican, Independent, or Democrat, I hear this phrase in a negative light.  Either one of resignation where the person sort of shrugs in relation to how both families excel at the political power game, so what can we do?  Or, I hear a defiant tone that another Bush or Clinton is the last thing this country needs, in succession.

But all of these remarks have got me thinking how damaging it is to have the Clinton name in such close contact with the Bush name.  If Hillary is indeed our nominee, how is she going to make the case against Bush?  Obviously Americans want change, but is the 4th step in this alternating rhythm really change, at this point?

Let's face it, running against Bush is the greatest strength of the Democratic Party this election.  And nominating Hillary weakens or dilutes our greatest strength.

To get back to Kid's points, by integrating Bill so forcefully into this campaign, Hillary is reinforcing the notion of a return to the old Clinton Presidency.  And one can make the further observation that Bill now hobnobs with H.W. on various enterprises.  Meanwhile, Hillary has yet to fully refute Bush policy on the Iraq War, to this day.

Bush's biggest screw up in the last 7 years has yet to be fully repudiated by Hillary.  Can you fault people for thinking that the alternating plaid of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is one of complementing one another instead of clashing with one another?

I stand with Kid Oakland.  I'm starting to feel that a nomination of Hillary is a bad choice.

•  Tips or flames

  by rustydude on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:24:07 AM PDT

  •  If By Some Wild Chance...

    ... we're an empire in decline - I have a feeling that historians will point to this two family dynasty as being part of the problem.

    It's time for some new blood.

    BTW- Jeb's hiding around the corner.  Oh boy!!!

    by brentmack on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 11:10:08 AM PDT

•  Um...

  If Hillary is indeed our nominee, how is she going to make the case against Bush?

  You're joking, right?  For one thing I'm pretty sure the shrub isn't running this year.  

  by MajorFlaw on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:28:27 AM PDT

  •  I guess you're taking it literal

    Literally, yes, you're right, the Democratic nominee won't be running against Bush.  But figuratively there is a powerful argument to be made in pinning Bush's legacy on the Republican nominee.

    by rustydude on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:48:49 AM PDT

•  Agree

  Nominating HRC means we lose the moral high ground on both right's foreign policy and the whole political-aristocracy question.  It makes us just a bit too much like the GOP rank & file for comfort.

  by latts on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:28:31 AM PDT

•  When will you guys get it? Hillary is a Rodham

  not a Clinton.

  by rontripp on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:43:05 AM PDT

  •  >

    Here

    He is taking Q & A from supporters on a campaign giving opinions how his wife may deal with certain issues, like Iran. I would love to have a Clinton in the WH if she is the nominee. But fact is, she is a  Clinton. After her,  if another Bush dares to come, we have another Clinton in line.

    by RedMask on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:27:09 AM PDT

•  the B-C-B-C definitely doesn't inspire

  that many new people into the process.  I've only heard it brought up in a negative light as well.

  by duha on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:13:25 AM PDT

•  You are sooooo right.

  I think the time has come....

  for Hillary to change her last name.  

  /snark

  by Fabian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:29:24 AM PDT

•  It's just wrong, way too many Booshes in there.

  Why did we not hear this crap when dumbya was running?????

  by manwithnoname on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 04:01:12 AM PDT

  •  One Boosh was one too many. n/t

    by bobdevo on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 05:06:20 AM PDT

•  Most people I know . . .

  . . . look back on the Clinton era -- except for the nutjob hatred and witch hunts, which any Democrat would have faced -- as a positive time. Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better that the tragedy since.

  We had intelligent people -- grown-ups with souls -- running America . . . we were paying off the national debt . . . Arafat and Barak were trying to hammer out a deal at our president's urging . . . Saddam was safely in his box . . . the Balkan wars were ended . . . we were engaging the Russians in a relatively positive way . . . Northern Ireland was on a path to healing . . .

  Despite the treason of Rethugs trying to poison the well, it was summertime in America, and in the world.

  Then the roof fell in.

  You're implying -- against all sense and reason -- that the Bush and Clinton terms were one uninterrupted era. At least it seems to me that's what you're implying.

  But in reality, Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is nothing more than an empty chant that people push, a ridiculous nonsequitur. I hope to experience the Clinton part of it again.

  by bluehawaii on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 05:10:35 AM PDT

•  this is precisely why I won't vote Dem

  if Hillary is the nominee, regardless of how I feel about the Republicans. Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is just plain bad for this country.

  by charlestown dem on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 05:13:36 AM PDT