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January 21, 2007
The Clinton Challenge
Mrs. Clinton’s advisers say she knows full well, from long and sometimes painful experience, the challenges to come. She will have to convince people that another Clinton in the White House will bring more of the successes, and fewer of the shadows and scandals, that marked her husband’s administration, her advisers say. She will have to figure out the role that Mr. Clinton will play, a question that Republicans will almost certainly highlight.
"Shadows and scandals" . . . okay, besides the Lewinsky affair--which had no direct bearing on American policy (say, like torture, secret rendition, trumped up wars, ballooning trade deficits), what are all the so-called scandals the NYTimes is referring to? Whitewater? That too had nothing to do with Clinton's White House policies.
This "analysis" -- as the NYTimes calls its article -- seems like a pretty pathetic puff piece stating so-called "conventional wisdom" that's been drummed up since January 2001 by the conservative media.
Through this entire time, McCain -- formerly known as a Straight Talker -- gets a pass.
I have no problem with any media outlet venting about Hillary Clinton's policy choices as an elected official. I don't even mind an honest look at her 1994 healthcare plan.
But focusing on the "shadows and scandals" that didn't bother the American people during an 8-year run of sustained economic growth, budgetary stability, evaporating national debt, and relative peace pretty well captures the missing intellect in the MSM.
Posted by shertaugh at January 21, 2007 9:04 AM
Comments
The part about "She will have to figure out the role that Mr. Clinton will play" is the core problem, of course. The bulk of the scandal problem will be the same old made up ones but they'll sprinkle in a few of the real ones to lend credibility to the whole mess. They'll hit the Lewinski thing, Mike Espy, etc. and a host of things which, while maybe not technically illegal, are at least sleazy such as the White House Travel Office firings, campaign finance links with China, the slew of pardons, her cattle futures trading, etc.
Posted by: Mojo at January 21, 2007 9:50 AM
Well clearly the NYTimes had Chapter 24 in Book One of Machiavelli's Discourses in Livy, "Well-Ordered Republics Institute Rewards and Punishments for Their Citizens and Never Counterbalance One with the Other" in mind when they wrote this:
"[N]o well-ordered republic ever cancels the demerits with the merits of its citizens...if a citizen has done some outstanding work for the city, and on top of the reputation that this thing brings him, he has an audacity and confidence that he can do some work that is not good without fearing punishment, in a short time he will become so insolent that any civility will be dissolved." (Mansfield trans.)
I thought at first that by "citizen" that "magistrates" might be excluded, but Machiavelli applies to principle to one Manlius Capitolinus who was a Consul of the Republic, who had made a name for himself by saving Rome from the French (Gauls) one one occassion, and then later he got too big for his britches and turned into a first-rate demagogue, accusing the Roman Senate of embezzling money, for which he was condemned by the Senate.
Posted by: Tim at January 21, 2007 11:13 AM
Iraq will be the deciding factor among the Democratic candidates in 2008, and Hillary was flat wrong on the subject. More and more it looks like it will be Al Gore's election to lose, please see http://minor-ripper.blogspot.com/2006/12/why-al-gore-will-vanquish-hillary.html
Posted by: MinorRipper at January 21, 2007 12:49 PM
The shadows and scandals attracted a popularity above 70% for Mr. Clinton (Clinton was never elevated to President Clinton while every other president, even a racist do-nothing-right Carter is President Carter).
The media and the Republicans, as the Bourbons, never forget and never learn. Therefore, Hillary Clinton will have to fight the same shadowy forces through every scandalous claim they are going to invent. Talk about guilt by association with the innocent!
Nevertheless, President Clinton advise way overcomes the media and the Abramoff/Bush/Cheney junta.
Posted by: shmuel at January 21, 2007 2:04 PM