There's a certain amount of wrangling back and forth here at Kos over the prospect of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president. I am NOT going to go into the pros and cons of Hillary as a candidate. I am instead going to point to Charles P. Pierce and Paul Krugman who are both making an important observation.
More below the Orange Omnilepticon.
Paul Krugman had an important column on April 13, 2015. Titled "It Takes A Party", Krugman laid it out concisely in this paragraph:
In any case, there has never been a time in American history when the alleged personal traits of candidates mattered less. As we head into 2016, each party is quite unified on major policy issues — and these unified positions are very far from each other. The huge, substantive gulf between the parties will be reflected in the policy positions of whomever they nominate, and will almost surely be reflected in the actual policies adopted by whoever wins.
emphasis added
Krugman enumerates the vast gulf between the two parties with a number of examples. To select just one (and you should really read the whole column), consider:
Any Democrat would retain the tax hikes on high-income Americans that went into effect in 2013, and possibly seek more. Any Republican would try to cut taxes on the wealthy — House Republicans plan to vote next week to repeal the estate tax — while slashing programs that aid low-income families.
Charles P. Pierce at Esquire also holds forth, referencing Hillary Clinton in
a compare and contrast exercise:
Because I am always here to help, I will now present a list of what we already know about a potential Rodham Clinton's presidency.
If she is elected, she unequivocally will accept the science of anthropogenic climate change and treat it as a crisis. This cannot be said of any of the Republican candidates, real or potential.
If she is elected, she unequivocally will support marriage equality, and oppose discrimination against our fellow citizens based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This cannot be said of any of the Republican candidates, real or potential.
If she is elected, she will not destroy the Affordable Care Act, an article of faith among all the Republican candidates, real or potential.
That's just a partial excerpt - again I urge you to
Read The Whole Thing.
The point is, both Krugman and Pierce are dreading the next 18-19 months and all of the personality-based analysis and horse-race style reporting that is going to dominate the media, as opposed to actually spelling out what the party that wins will do. Whomever ends up as the banner carrier for either party, however you feel about him (or her) - there is a real choice here, with real consequences.
The media is going to do everything it can to blur the differences, and you will hear pundits calling for someone "who can bring us all together." Well, screw that shit.
We are a divided nation because there is a real battle for what kind of country this is going to be - and defeat is not an option. Sitting this one out, or holding out for ideological purity is not an option either. Republicans may be batshit insane, and wrong on every issue - but they keep winning because they all point their guns in the same direction. Democratic disunity (See Pierce here) and a Quixotic fixation on candidates who are not running or can't possibly win is a luxury that advances no agenda.
The Republicans will do everything they can to make it all about 'character' and 'values' - nebulous things that can be spun in a variety of ways. Their authoritarian inclinations lead to a desire at the gut level for a 'strong' leader to protect them and give them orders while making the world something simple for them to deal with. They prefer personality based contests because they know they can't win if the race turns on substance - what they will actually do if elected, and what they have already done. The media will go along with them because it makes for easy reporting. They love having a narrative.
And that's what we have to remember. We can have a narrative too - but let's make it larger than any one person. Let's make it one that connects with people at a gut level as well as with reality. We have plenty of accomplishments to point to - and a lot of people unhappy with where America will be headed if the GOP prevails. We need to make that connection in the voters minds. Krugman and Pierce both supply us with a list of talking points. Let's build on that, and, as Krugman puts it "may the best party win."
7:16 AM PT: UPDATE If you want some personality-driven 'fun' try the Hillary Temperature Quiz Gail Collins has put together. http://www.nytimes.com/...