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Reports

Hillary’s Sex Appeal

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Posted on Oct 18, 2007

By Eugene Robinson

WASHINGTON—A friend of mine in New York—a high-powered professional woman—told me the other day that she thought the country had moved beyond the point where women should want to vote for Hillary Clinton just because she would be the first woman president. “Just vote for the best person,” she said, with what sounds like impeccable logic.

    But Clinton, according to all the polls, is winning overwhelming support from women voters. And the reason, I think, is that there’s a flaw in my friend’s logic: Except in some sort of arcane higher-dimensional geometry comprehensible only to mathematicians, you can’t get beyond a point that you’ve never actually reached.

    The fact is that we’ve never had a female president. And for many women across the country—especially those of the boomer generation who have seen the role of women in American society change so dramatically—Clinton’s election would be a historic milestone and a source of great pride.

    That’s certainly not the only reason Clinton leads the national polls for the Democratic nomination. She started with universal name-recognition and has proceeded to run a smart, largely mistake-free campaign. She is surrounded by the aura of her husband’s eight-year administration, and while that may be a mixed blessing if she gets to the general election, it’s a huge asset among the Democratic faithful.

    But her lead, among women, over Barack Obama and her other rivals is so huge—and so much greater than her lead among men—that it has to have something to do with gender. Which is perfectly understandable.

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    Obama, of course, would be the first African-American president, which would be equally historic. And the predictable notes of caution that must be inserted into any column about Clinton’s campaign—that the polls in Iowa show a close three-way race, that anything can happen in New Hampshire, that Obama can rebound in South Carolina, that Howard Dean was leading the polls four years ago, that nothing matters until someone, somewhere, actually casts a vote—are more than cover-your-behind caveats, they’re real. There’s plenty of time for the whole nature of the Democratic race to change.

    But some of the numbers are stunning. A new national CNN poll, released Wednesday, showed that among registered Democrats, 68 percent of African-American women said Clinton was their likely choice for the nomination while only 25 percent backed Obama. By contrast, Obama led Clinton—46 percent to 42 percent—among African-American men.

    The CNN sample of black voters was small, meaning those numbers are not precise. But even taking into account the margin of error, the poll reports an unmistakable tendency that clearly works in Clinton’s favor: To the extent that African-American voters are taking identity into account as they ponder the presidential race, women are considering not only race but also gender. Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who ran Al Gore’s 2000 campaign, has called it “the ‘sistah’ vote.”

    That advantage among blacks is mirrored among Democratic women overall—and with a series of “Women Changing America” campaign events during the past week, including a huge fundraiser Wednesday in Washington, Clinton has been making an overt appeal to consolidate this support. Her campaign Web site is full of encomiums from women—professional women, working-class women, stay-at-home mothers—who express their pride in the first front-running female presidential candidate. Clinton asks voters to help her shatter “the highest glass ceiling.”

    At recent campaign appearances, Clinton has told of meeting an elderly woman—born when women didn’t even have the vote—who came up and said she just wanted to shake the hand of the first woman president.

    As the old proverb goes, “women hold up half the sky”—actually, a bit more than half. If Clinton can sustain her advantage among women—especially among the working-class and middle-class women who could be said to constitute the spine of the Democratic Party—it’s hard to see how Obama, John Edwards or any of the other challengers can gain much ground on her.

    Not that they aren’t trying. Clinton’s rivals are full of promises and proposals that are meant to appeal to women voters—initiatives on issues such as family leave and health insurance, for example. All the Democratic contenders have records of support for gender equality. All of them, especially Obama and Edwards, are more than capable of projecting themselves as strong-yet-sensitive, modern, caring guys.

    But they can’t hide the fact that they’re guys. And she’s not. 

    Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.   

    © 2007, Washington Post Writers Group

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By Eric, November 2, 2007 at 6:43 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

To Douglas Chalmers.
I know it sounds like I’m for Obama because he’s half black And although I can’t deny it’s a factor I also believe he’s the best qualified for four reasons

1. He’s stands a chance of winning.
2. His ideas make a grate deal of sense.
3. Him being biracial means he stands to be the most neutral when it comes to racially bias bills.
4. He’s education and accomplishments prove he’s qualified.

Had I not believe this I would vote for Edwards.

However I must say that vote is not purely guided by race. I also believe Edwards would be an equally good choice however since he seems to lack the votes needed to win rather than throw my vote away ill give it to Obama. But if the tables were turned I would do the same for Edwards. I respect them both equally

As for Hillary, I believe she can also run the country but just not in the direction I think it should be going. She seems to represent more of the same old politics so much to the point that many Republicans have adopted her as their choice for change. When you really think about it her campaign is flawless since she’s going after Clinton loyalist, women, republicans (by speaking & voting like them) & black democrats who don’t think Obama is black enough. These voters are the bulk of America so she’s truly going to be a hard one to beat.
 
To me both Obama & Edwards seem to be normal, honest guys with a genuine sincerity for the well being of our country where as Clinton is a hard core flip- flopping politician who’s willing to do and say anything she can get away with to get back in the Whitehouse.

Hope that cleared that up wink

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By Conservative Yankee, November 2, 2007 at 8:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

111031 by Eric on 11/01 at 6:20 pm

“It occurs to me that one noticeable fact about women leaders is that the allegedly patriarchal south Asian nations (Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India & The Philippines) have had them long before the US”. 

Let us not forget Argentina, Egypt, China, Russia, and Rome! BUT not Mexico The US or Canada.  Maybe there is something in the North American water?

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By Douglas Chalmers, November 2, 2007 at 1:23 am #

#111031 by Eric on 11/01 at 6:20 pm: “...But we can change that With a win for Obama. We can be the first super power with a biracial president.  It would send a Clear message to the world that America is truly the land of the free….”

Yes, yes, Eric, but what that really means is that (a) Americans will vote for a black MAN rather than have a white WOMAN as president, or (b) they will voote for a WHITE woman rather than have a BLACK man as president!?!?

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By Eric, November 1, 2007 at 10:20 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

“It occurs to me that one noticeable fact about women leaders is that the allegedly patriarchal south Asian nations (Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India & The Philippines) have had them long before the US”. 
 
Don’t forget Germany, England & France. Proving that America lags way behind When it comes down to overcoming prejudice But we can change that With a win for Obama. We can be the first super power with a biracial president.  It would send a Clear message to the world that America is truly the land of the free.

We Americans have Unique opportunity here to take a small step forward or a leap ahead.  I honestly prey on my hands and knees for my children’s sakes that in my lifetime we take that leap. Not only because he’s half black but because he’s definitely capable (Unlike Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton). No more reverends please! Particularly if they are North Carolina A&T;State University’s Athletics graduates & Chicago Theological Seminary / Brooklyn College drop outs!

My ideal dream would be Obama as president & Edwards as VP. Let Obama take care of this war & have Edwards go after Bush & Dick

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By driving bear, October 23, 2007 at 1:11 pm #

reply to #108931 by Douglas Chalmers on 10/23 at 4:28 am

I think you are wrong about Jeb being groomed for the job. The GOP grapevine reports that Jeb’s and George W nephew Prescott Bush will be heir to the throne so to speak

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 23, 2007 at 8:28 am #

#108733 by Conservative Yankee on 10/22 at 4:41 am: “...Ahh, we finely get to the core .....she is “queen,” by right of succession. BUT watch that knife, it cuts both ways, after Hillary it must be Laura, Neil, Jeb, or Mel….”

Sadly shaping up to be just that, CY. Everybody is seduced by “Camelot” and Jeb is already being lined up for the job of chief rebel rouser. The USA is a fools’ paradise burning….... but everyone is still cheering the barnburners!!!

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By rage, October 22, 2007 at 4:45 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

“Get your mind out of the gutter and stop blaming women for your limp dick, JB…. The way you have lived your life is your fault!!! ”  by Douglas Chalmers on 10/21 at 11:30 pm

LOL!

That’s cold. Funny, but real cold!

LMAO!

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By John Borowski, October 22, 2007 at 3:31 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Any moron that will vote for a woman such as Hillary Clinton based on the size of her breasts is a moron in my opinion. An intelligent person will assess whether she can heal the wounds of the country perpetrated by Bush and Cheney that left this country in intensive care. Judging by the evils and insanities perpetrated by Bush and Cheney, anybody including the mythical devil is a better choice than a disgraced Republican (Aka Conservative right-winger). Unfortunately, the rigged elections would prevent even the mythical devil from winning an election let alone Hillary Clinton. This is analogous to a moron that will buy a $20,000 to $60.000 vehicle based on how well it spins or how well it goes in the mud, flood, and fantasy woods, or ninety mph in the school zone. “As Seen On TV”

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By Suze, October 22, 2007 at 10:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

I’m a woman, and while I would like to see a woman president in my lifetime, I would never vote for Hillary. The idea that I would vote for any woman simply because she is a woman is crazy.

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By Conservative Yankee, October 22, 2007 at 8:41 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

108708 by Douglas Chalmers on 10/21 at 11:24 pm


“The trouble is that people on Truthdig don’t understand the bottom line in politics and how it is arrived at. Its no good being a saint if the suckers won’t vote for you. They prefer “smoke and mirrors” to truth.”

This is a reason to support the business shill, because she uses no smoke and mirrors?

“As it is, only 50% of eligible citizens vote if you’re lucky. They are all mostly already biased in their views. The average person doesn’t really understand what “government” is and shouldn’t be let near a ballot box, electronic or othrwise.”

Ahh, we finely get to the core.  We have a royalist among us. No wonder you want The business shill, she is “queen,” by right of succession. BUT watch that knife, it cuts both ways, after Hillary it must be Laura, Neil, Jeb, or Mel.

BTW when Laura runs will you use the same “sexist” arguments, or is it all right for us mill-workers, the great unwashed who shouldn’t vote anyway, to vote for someone else?

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By CJ, October 22, 2007 at 6:27 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

I was going to go on at length, as I usually do, but ctbrandon said it in fewer words. Yep, it IS a sad day when “journalism” has come to this, even if Robinson was only reporting what he’d discovered in his capacity as journalist. In which case, so much the worse for so-called “citizens,” never mind journalists.

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 22, 2007 at 3:30 am #

#108628 by John Borowski on 10/21 at 10:07 am: “...The sex appeal you are talking about it is for a zoom - zoom car, a prurient picture, or a fantasy trucky - wucky that goes in the fantasy woods…”

Sex appeal is a “moron’s” description of the vitality of life and the attractiveness of it as an example of what is best in vivifying humanity.

Get your mind out of the gutter and stop blaming women for your limp dick, JB…. The way you have lived your life is your fault!!!

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 22, 2007 at 3:24 am #

#108701 by cyrena on 10/21 at 10:24 pm: “... If you want a female president, you’ll have to wait until I’m ready to run. Then you’ll get 2 for the price of 1. A female and an African-American…... I’m really getting the hang of it now….”

Ha ha, cyrena, you’ll upstage Condi yet after all!! The trouble is that people on Truthdig don’t understand the bottom line in politics and how it is arrived at. Its no good being a saint if the suckers won’t vote for you. They prefer “smoke and mirrors” to truth.

It will be too late for waiting until “somebody else go in and clean all of this shit up first”. Cheney is already at it again and WW3 is on the way. By the time this election finally comes round, WW3 could be over. The Santa Anas will have nothing on that, I promise you.

As it is, only 50% of eligible citizens vote if you’re lucky. They are all mostly already biased in their views. The average person doesn’t really understand what “government” is and shouldn’t be let near a ballot box, electronic or othrwise.

Pandering to the majority of supporters’ fanciful opinions is the ONLY way that politicians ever get elected. The rest are “also rans” regardless of how truthful they are. That is the REALITY. Hillary is working away at that strategy the same as the others are.

By the way, how are you coping with the fire front in your neck of the woods, cyrena????

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By Margaret Currey, October 22, 2007 at 3:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

As a woman I would like to see a woman become president, but even though Hiliary is smart, I would wait to see if she makes the primiaries, John Edwards is a person who is beliavable in my opion he is an honest person, so is Obama and he would make a good president.

In my opinion any Democrat would be better than what has run this country in the last seven years.

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By cyrena, October 22, 2007 at 2:24 am #

#108187 by Douglas Chalmers

Nope Douglas…

She won’t be a great president. I surely wouldn’t go so far as to say, (as some have) that she would be no better than what we have now. Nothing could be worse. (Nevermind, I know I shouldn’t say that- it could always be worse)

Still, let’s give it up on Hillary. She’s blundered too many times, and she’s not even out of the gate. You tried to help her out before, just because she was getting some unfair press. And, I agree that she has, in the past.

Since then though, she’s just continued to blunder…the Kyl-Leiberman thing…how stupid was that? Does she think we aren’t paying attention?

Why not just paste one of those big cardborad signs on her ass that says MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX WAR MONGER?

WWIII? She’ll HELP bring it on!!!

No No. If you want a female president, you’ll have to wait until I’m ready to run. Then you’ll get 2 for the price of 1. A female and an African-American. I’ve been satisfying ‘double-quotas’ all my life. I’m really getting the hang of it now.

But, you’ll have to wait for a bit. Let somebody else go in and clean all of this shit up first. Or, at least get it kicked off. Then maybe we’ll be able to do something, IF it’s not too late.

The LAST thing we need is to continue the damage. And, that’s all we can expect from Hillary.

We MIGHT stand a chance with Kucinich, or Gravel, and even Obama has some room for growth. Unless somebody else appears on the horizon between now and February, THOSE are your choices. The rest of them are just wasting time and money, and starting to get on my nerves.

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By Paracelsus, October 21, 2007 at 9:34 pm #

Knock yourself out, EUGENE.

http://www.celebritycrunch.com/art/hillary-rodham-clinton-bust.jpg

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By John Borowski, October 21, 2007 at 2:07 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Sex appeal means the ability of a person to turn on another person sexually. The sex appeal you are talking about it is for a zoom - zoom car, a prurient picture, or a fantasy trucky - wucky that goes in the fantasy woods.  This type of “sex appeal” is reserved only for the enjoyment and excitement of morons.

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By Conservative Yankee, October 21, 2007 at 11:22 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

108596 by concerned_citizen on 10/21 at 6:27 am

“If anyone in the world had the information and experience to see the truth about Iraq, it was Hillary Clinton. But she favored her electability over her integrity and traded votes for death. HILLARY KNEW.”

Hill-the-business-shill’s supporters like to say “she’s smart, well-connected, and experienced.” Then they say she “didn’t know” the ramifications of voting for the war.

Well which witch is which? Did her smart,connected, experienced brain fail her?  Or did she make a calculated decision which leaves the US taxpayer with almost 4,000 dead soldiers, and almost a trillion dollars in war bills, but   fertile ground for her candidacy? Shame on the folks who can’t see through this!

The US population does not get the best person for the office of President, but they surely get the one the majority deserves!

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By concerned_citizen, October 21, 2007 at 10:27 am #

Watch this video now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_gI-_wQvQY

If anyone in the world had the information and experience to see the truth about Iraq, it was Hillary Clinton. But she favored her electability over her integrity and traded votes for death. HILLARY KNEW.

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By felicity, October 20, 2007 at 5:28 pm #

I wonder if she’ll ever admit that she flunked the DC bar - not the hardest one in the country. 

That revelation aside, it’s time we demand that the armies of political consultants who create and produce political candidates be required to issue disclaimers on each.  Afterall, advertised drugs come with them and politicians are no less potentially deadly than drugs.

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By pv, October 20, 2007 at 2:48 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

It occurs to me that one noticeable fact about women leaders is that the allegedly patriarchal south asian nations (Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India) have had them long before the US.  Ditto the Phillipines. 

Now the obvious reason for this is that in those countries being part of the ruling elite is more important than gender, all the women leaders were drawn from elite ruling families, and women became leaders when no suitable males were available from those families. 

Now note also that the first time a woman is a serious contender for the US presidency just happens to coincide with a period where US politics has become dominated by a small number of elite families (Bush’s and Clintons and Gores etc).  Is this merely a coincidence, or is it ironically the case that the ‘progressive’ situation of a woman candidate merely reflects the very regressive growth in inequality and plutocracy in the US?

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By Paracelsus, October 20, 2007 at 12:17 pm #

@ #108436 by Marjorie L. Swanson

Nope. My venom is directed at her because she was chosen for us by the Bilderbergers. There is nothing free form or random about it. She’s been tapped. This decision was made in advance. First she went to the Bilderberger meeting at Lake Lanier in GA in 1997. Then she went to Ottawa in 2006 to meet with the same group again. We don’t elect people any more; they do.

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By Conservative Yankee, October 20, 2007 at 11:09 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

So here’s the scenario…

We get Hill-the-business-shill for president. The clothing comes off, and we (in less than two years) find she is worse than what we have now. She (trying to prove she is as tough as a man) gets us invomlved in Iran. She pays her friends at Walmart for their campaign dollars by opening free trade even further.
the dollar continues to drop, so the few workers left in the USA are bringing their pay home in wheelbarrows, but the entire load won’t buy a single loaf of bread.

Then in 2012 we are asked, (al la Jimmy Carter) “Want four more years of this?

If this happens what advantage to womken?
what advantage to diversity in the oval office?
What chance that the “offended public” won’t look back to the era of GWB with longing?

So Hill-the-business-shill gives us Jeb?

Thanks, but call me sexist if you wish….I’ll pass

Kucinich 08!

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By rage, October 20, 2007 at 10:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

“........much of the venom aimed at Senator Clinton is sexist in nature. Sex Appeal wasn’t meant to mean sexy dimwits. But then you knew that didn’t you and it was just another excuse to bash an older woman.” #108436 by Marjorie L. Swanson on 10/20 at 3:22 am

Spoken like a truly defensive older woman who’s bought into the anti-aging crusade currently waged in those pathetically trite Oil of Olay commercials!

Let’s tell the truth and shame the devil. Sex appeal and sexiness are not necessarily interchangeable synonyms. However, you do usually run across one when looking up the other in the dictionary or thesaurus. Whether or not what appeals sexually to members of this mammalian species that reproduces sexually is necessarily sexy does not dismiss the reality that sexiness remains a interestingly integral part of sex appeal. So, walk it off, and let the truth free you. No one is being sexist. Mitt “The Dog Terrorist Griswold” Romney is sexy, quite stupid and mindlessly cruel to animals, but very sexy. Hillary is getting over for simply being the only woman at a podium. She is not at all sexy, not even politically by tortured DC Swamp standards of sexiness.

No one is bashing Shillary. Had she not gone on The View, of all places, shooting off her mouth about what an inconvenient burden her political sex appeal is to carry, this discussion wouldn’t even exist. Hillary DESERVES to come away from this one bitten to pieces by her rampaging detractors. She is not Sophia Loren. Thus, her selling sexy is straight up false advertisement. There is no data to substantiate that claim. No one has confessed to any sort of sexual obsession for Hillary Rodham Clinton. She just doesn’t bring that out of anyone in America. It’s not very politically correct or Christ-like in its compassionate kindness, but it’s no less the truth.

The press wants to play up Hillary’s sexiness to match the questionably contrived poll data being crazily spun before the primary elections. The propagandists behind the Team Hillary curtain who pick her audiences and the questions she can be asked during these staged appearances they call debates need us to feel she’s the answer to every prayer we’ve ever prayed. But, she’s not. After all, there is nothing overly sexually appealing about a woman Senator with genital injuries clumsily gained from ineffectively straddling every political fence she was stubbornly unwilling to hurdle.

Bottom line: Hillary is the 60 year old wife of a very popular former President, a displaced corporate lawyer with a lot of very troubling corporate ties, and a mendaciously mediocre Senator in a carpetbag from the state with the most permissive residency requirements. She’s a former Goldwater girl who lucked upon a Rhodes’ Scholar. That’s about as sexually appealing as it gets for her. She is not a sex symbol, nor should she aspire to be if she ever wants to be taken seriously in political life again.

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By Marjorie L. Swanson, October 20, 2007 at 7:22 am #

I wonder how many of the men hyperventilating about women voting for Hillary Clinton because she’s a woman wouldn’t vote for her for the same reason. All misogynists don’t reside in right wing world. I support John Edwards and have from the gitgo. But it appears that much of the venom aimed at Senator Clinton is sexist in nature. Sex Appeal wasn’t meant to mean sexy dimwits. But then you knew that didn’t you and it was just another excuse to bash an older woman.

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 20, 2007 at 3:17 am #

#108375 by thomas billis on 10/19 at 5:41 pm: “...The good thing is there is no intelligence gap in America between men and women….. Men voted for one moron because they wanted to have a beer with him….. Women vote for another person because she has tits….... It is utterly amazing what we use as a perameter to dedeuce which person has the qualifications to be President…”

Ha ha, you must be joking, thomas billis. Men voting for a moron is proof of an “intelligence gap”. Voting for “another person because she has tits” is a different matter which most men seem to fail to see (brewers’ droop?). Actually, I think a president “with tits” would be kind of cute, ha ha.

And, strangely, even the “…employees of arms manufacturers…” but NOT the arms manufacturers themselves are supporting Hillary. That is virtually a union vote in her favor and the same with the Wall Street “bankers” employees. This has been misconstrued and misrepresented…… and thus entirely missing the point. These people, as employees, are dissatisfied and also want positive change.

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By Paracelsus, October 20, 2007 at 3:00 am #

I figure that Hillary is going to be President whether we want her or not. I think it was confirmed at a secret be-in where all the contenders disrobe for some kinky ceremony involving Henry Kissinger as the head priest. A baby was sacrificed. The entrails were read. And it was decided that Hillary would be The One.

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By Fools on the Hill, October 19, 2007 at 10:54 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I don’t give any weight to her being first lady.  If I did then Barbara Bush should be considered Presidential material.  A one term Senator, isn’t much experience, especially when she voted for the worst foreign policy disaster in US History.  A big negative, is all her time, inside the parallel universe of DC.  Where all that matters is who has the money and power.

We’ve heard this nonsense before, Bush being the first MBA President.

I think Obama has significantly more experiences in life and his career, that would lead him to be a great President.

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By DennisD, October 19, 2007 at 9:45 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

ER - another inane, ridiculous article that tells everyone we should vote for her because she’s a woman?
Whose paying you to write this crap?

Just because Hillary already knows where all the bathrooms are in the White House doesn’t qualify her to be President. Even Bu$h eventually found most of them by his second term, albeit with help.

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By thomas billis, October 19, 2007 at 9:41 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The good thing is there is no intelligence gap in America between men and women.Men voted for one moron because they wanted to have a beer with him.Women vote for another person because she has tits.It is utterly amazing what we use as a perameter to dedeuce which person has the qualifications to be President.No one in their right mind to this point with all the” skirting” of the issues has done knows where Hillary stands.I take exception to anyone who says that Hillary has taken a novel position on anything.The war well maybe 2013.Health care HMOs figure prominently in the mix.Will she fight to restore habeus Corpus.Is she for or against war with Iran.Anyone who says they think they know her positions has not taken their eyes off her tits.

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By Leefeller, October 19, 2007 at 7:46 pm #

Shanron Ash,

You state Hillary is the most qualified and highly qualified, on what grounds?
Your opinion, issues, ideas, collecting the most money?  If you want to address the imbeciles of society write to Fox News.  Otherwise please support your statement with substance instead of personal opinion, then we can discuss it with something useful like a fact.

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By felicity, October 19, 2007 at 6:04 pm #

#108307

Would you please lay out for me, perhaps us, why Hillary is the ‘most qualified person’ of all the candidates?

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By Verla Mae, October 19, 2007 at 5:30 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

“Not that they aren’t trying. Clinton’s rivals are full of promises and proposals that are meant to appeal to women voters—initiatives on issues such as family leave and health insurance, for example. All the Democratic contenders have records of support for gender equality. All of them, especially Obama and Edwards, are more than capable of projecting themselves as strong-yet-sensitive, modern, caring guys. ” -from above

We’re talking about Presidential candidates, not candidates for the final episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Since when has being capable of projecting a “strong-yet-sensitive” anything been a Presidential attirbute?

I’m sick of these nuts from the evil empire dragging us down on the dark side. We’ve already got a cute little monkey who likes to play dress-up and pretend to be king. He read My Pet Goat while America was under attack. So, enough with the projected fake images.

And, another thing: Hillary can’t run on the sexy ticket until her wardrobe undergoes a Mr. Gunn makeover. That poor woman hasn’t worn a single outfit I’ve heard another woman I know claim she wants or owns. Somebody just needs to tell her about that. It’s like she’s dressing for the sympathy vote.

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By felicity, October 19, 2007 at 4:39 pm #

Since reading this little tidbit, I’ve taken ‘polls’ with a grain of salt. 

Sampled poll groups, due to non-cooperation with the pollsters etc, result in the final groups polled representing a mere 20% of the original groups. The words ‘illegitimate’, ‘unfair’, ‘unbalanced’ and ‘biased’ should be kept in mind when considering poll data of any kind.

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By sharon ash, October 19, 2007 at 4:11 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I support Hillary because she is the most qualified person(in fact highly qualified), in the field of candidates, of either party.  The fact she is female is a bonus, from my perspective, as I am more than ready to give a female the opportunity to serve as president.  The closed minded on the right will never accept her and the screamers on the left are out-of-touch with what can and cannot be elected in this country.  However, I believe she has a strong base of support in the bell curve group (also known as moderates)to win the election.  But who knows, it is still a ways down the road and plenty can happen between now and then.

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By rage, October 19, 2007 at 3:36 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Please! Don’t make me vomit!

There is nothing even remotely sexy about Shillary Clintoon, okay? Sarcozsy of France has a sexy wife, well ex-wife. Kucinich has a sexy wife. Even Ugly Freddy has a sexy wife. The Spice girls are sexy. Kimora Lee is sexy. Kate Blanchet is sexy. Hillary Rodham Clinton is NOT sexy. Shillary is a tan-free, funny-looking, anti-fashionable, aging Goldwater baby booming housewife in an off-the-sales-rack polyester pants suit and a rayon blouse, who is about as sexy as an anal cyst. Let’s be clear; Shillary is one reason why Big Dog is flagrantly adulterous.

Hillary is being rather deliberately whored by the very calculating national corporate military industrial propaganda complex as the first woman candidate for President to get this far to keep us from seeing the more qualified competition. The reality, though, is Shirley Chisolm beat her to the draw back in the 1970s. Shirley was black and a woman candidate for President of the United States. Shirley never resorted to boob flashes because her political resume lacked the sex-umph to get her recognized by the voters. Shirley fought to the death on ISSUES of the day, not her ethnicity, her gender, or her (un)popularity. The sad reality is that if the RNC knew of a Democratic candidate more beatable than Shillary, she, too, would be polling in the single digits with everyone else the BFEE and Murdock want us to ignore.
That Clintoon has resorted to flashing her sagging cleavage and proudly making these outrageously coy and pretentious denials of enjoying the spectacle of being seen as a sex symbol makes me know we’re getting nothing but a lot of useless form devoid of any substance whatsoever here. She’s so certain we’re already bamboozled by her intellectually demeaning charms that she’s measured the windows for drapes in the Oval Office. Once she’s lost the primary elections and is NOT the Dem candidate for President, she’ll be doing well to keep her seat in the Senate in New York after 2008.

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By MaryinNC, October 19, 2007 at 3:06 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Mr, Robinson, to your friend in NY and others - give Sen. Clinton a break.  Both she and her husband are centrists, not liberals.
Most people cast their votes based on how much they like the person or the persons’ image and/or how much money they can make/steal while that person is in office.  Remember how many people said they voted for Bush because he’s the guy you can have a beer with, a man’s man.  Clearly when John Kerry was the more intellectual, thoughtful, honest person.
I want to see Sen. Clinton become president.  She can’t be any worst than these ‘men’ have been for past 200 years.  It’s time for a change - she is the change.

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By Leefeller, October 19, 2007 at 12:59 pm #

Not being a Clinton fan, I detest career politicians, especially when they promote themselves like Hillary.  But talking about sex appeal is really trite.  I would much rather know where she stands on issues, of course those may be national secrets.

The money thing really seems to be the problem, you see this when candidates like Kucinich, Gravel even Ron Paul who show integrity and support ideas with compassion, like stopping the war get no exposure.  Having the wealthy special interests and media choose who we get to vote for, we get to choose the best of the worst aging. Since manipulation is the game, special interests pick and choose who we vote for, I hope Hillary is better then their last choice.

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By WR Curley, October 19, 2007 at 11:24 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

It’s nuts, this breathless, personality based, Oprah style political punditry.

Tell me about her health care policy - in detail, if it’s not too much to ask. Tell me about tax policy and wealth distribution. Tell me about environmental protection, and worker protection and wage protection. Tell me how she’ll tap dance with the K Street boys. Tell me how the government - with its tens of thousands of interlocking, overlapping services, entitlements, and responsibilties - will better function if Ms Clinton attains this, her highest aspiration. Get some hard answers on her team’s strategies to mitigate the mess that Dickey and Georgie and Rummy and the boys got us into Over There. Do some of the hard work journalists are trained to do, or hand over your card to someone who will.

Race track touts is what you Times/Post time-servers have become. I’ll check your rags now and then to monitor the direction and the intensity of the spin. But if it’s depth I need, and fact, I have better places to go. This serious business, kids. Your audience share is going the way of your professional ethics…down the tubes.

You write well. Your piece is pleasant, painless, and banal. I appreciate your efforts.

But, lordy, sex appeal? I’m looking for some decent leadership. I don’t need a whore.

WR Curley
Elizabeth, Colorado

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By Jonas South, October 19, 2007 at 10:18 am #

If the polls can be trusted, women voters who overwhelmingly prefer Clinton may well rue the day they elect her.

At a time when the very existence of our values and freedoms as defined in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution is at risk, picking a president based on sex appeal, or any veneer over substance, is high risk behavior.

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By ctbrandon, October 19, 2007 at 10:18 am #

It is a sad day in journalism when we spend time discussing a candidates sex appeal instead of objectively reporting their stances on the issues that really matter. When will the masses wake up and refuse to accept this any longer?

ctbrandon
http://www.actforyourself.org

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By RdV, October 19, 2007 at 7:49 am #

Same old shit.
You would think all these journalists who jump on the Clinton bandwagon with all the talking points in tow are paid. Certainly the Clintons can afford them all.
  Note the use of the word “smart” in framing Clinton. Maybe getting all of Wall Street behind her, or the insurance companies or the rest of the corporate media to sing her praises and frame her dumpy, matronly, smug manner as “smart” and “sexy” helps. However, that little “cackle” incident was just the tip of the iceberg of what they could do to bring Clinton down if they so choose. As with Bush, “mistakes” are never addressed, or with Dean, created, so “mistake-free” is how it is all framed for the public.  A little reminder of who pulls the strings. But many of us out here aren’t hoodwinked by the set-up. We know that Clinton hasn’t been “smart” on the issues that matter most. We know that every effort is put forth to insure Clinton’s ascention to the throne. We know the price the Clintons pay to claw their way into the whitehouse and who they are beholden to. We know that the Clintons represent the same old shit despite these fluff pieces that emphasize her gender as significant. Besides Obama has lost steam. Playing the role is getting old for him and there is no substance or spirit in his wan confrontation. When he isn’t reciting his platitudes he is evasive and green.
As a woman, I could argue that based on the measurement of gender, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleeza Rice and now Hillary Clinton may just set the clock back in future hopes of women based on their incompetence. Certainly Condoleeza Rice and Clarence Thomas haven’t been anything black America might see as furthering their interests as anything more than house servants to the man.

“But they can’t hide the fact that they’re guys. And she’s not.”

  Not for lack of trying on her part. And that is the point, what the hell kind of role model for women is it that believes the formula for winning is by emulating the very worst aspects of male bravado, macho mythology and sabre rattling. That ain’t tough to me, that ain’t smart. That’s stupidity and it sets the clock back on women who want to be an alternative to the failed approaches of men.

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By Douglas Chalmers, October 19, 2007 at 7:25 am #

“Just vote for the best person,” she said, with what sounds like impeccable logic…... But Clinton, according to all the polls, is winning overwhelming support from women voters….... And the reason, I think, is that there’s a flaw in my friend’s logic: Except in some sort of arcane higher-dimensional geometry comprehensible only to mathematicians, you can’t get beyond a point that you’ve never actually reached….”

And the reason, I think, is that Hillary will be a great president if there is anybody still around to cater for with health care and education after WORLD WAR 3 which could be fought and finished any time now and certainly possibly before the election ever arrives!

The issue is not merely Iran or Iraq. As the USA loses its main airbase in the M.East (in Turkey) and the value of its $$$ plummets whilst Iran accepts Euros and Yen for oil, will this be the start of WW3???

This week:- While military action against Iran is a last resort, the U.S. has the resources to attack if needed despite the strains of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday…....

......and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons could set of an arms race in the Middle East….. “and, as the president said, we must keep all options on the table…”.

Then Bush’s threat to everybody on the planet, “...if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon…”!!!

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By cyrena, October 19, 2007 at 2:58 am #

“....A friend of mine in New York—a high-powered professional woman—told me the other day that she thought the country had moved beyond the point where women should want to vote for Hillary Clinton just because she would be the first woman president. “Just vote for the best person,” she said, with what sounds like impeccable logic…..”

Well Eugene,

Your friend in New York DID provide impeccable logic, and I would like to believe that we HAVE in fact moved beyond the point where women (regardless of race or class) would vote for Hillary just because she’s a woman, anymore than they would vote for Barack because he’s a handsome African American.

BUT…I don’t think we have. They apparently voted for George Bush, (depite knowing that Cheney was in charge) and even if neither of those elections were vaild, (because they weren’t) there were still ENOUGH votes, (at least the last time) for him to steal it again.

Based on that, we don’t appear to have ‘smartened-up’ at all.

I also don’t see Hillary as addressing the issues that would matter most to middle class/professional women of any race or class in a positive way. She’s a warmonger. How many women out there really support that? Or, do they somehow believe otherwise? If so, they haven’t been paying attention.

Yes, she’s smart, and she is progressive. But, she’s also into personal-power politics. First she said she wouldn’t engage with Iran, and now she’s flip-flopped and said that she would. Are we just looking at a slightly more successful version of Nancy Pelosi? I hope not, because she actually displayed far more guts and leadership as the First Lady. Still, that was nearly a decade ago. I would have voted for her THEN. But not now.

So, I’m with your friend. I hope that we can just select the best person, and maybe we’ll still see a female president in my lifetime, which would be nice. But for the moment, she’s not it.

I would also ask her the same question that I’ve put to Barack….can she commit to getting out of Iraq before 2013, (preferably in 2009) and was she at the confirmation hearings for Mukasey, and what does she think of him? Is she planning to vote to confirm him? If so, that will knock her off as well. (in my book)

There’s still time…though that confirmation will be a key. The guy approves of Cheney’s torture role, and so he’s a bad news choice for AG. He also claims that GW is OK with his warrentless spying.

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By driving bear, October 19, 2007 at 12:30 am #

When the 08 campaign is over her stance on issue will determine if Hillary is in the white house or back in the senate. Voting for Hillary just because she is a woman is a bad or worse than not voting for her because she is a woman. Also when the general election rolls around she will have to gain support of some independent and republican women to win. Based on her stance on issues I don’t see this happening

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