Sympathy For The Damsel
Presumptive President Hillary Clinton has recently gotten a barrage of criticism--from the left. Writers in The New York Times, the Washington Post and elsewhere are questioning her campaign. Perhaps they just want an exciting race, or they're unhappy that, feeling she's got the nomination sewn up, she's started to move toward the center.
But the criticisms are often shallow and nasty. Quite a few have zeroed in on her "cackle." I can't help but feel these cheap attacks are having the opposite effect from what's intended. I know I'm feeling more sympathetic.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:43 AM
2 Comments:
I agree. After all, the conventional wisdom is that Bill's public infidelity gave Hilary her first big boost in popularity. So for those who dislike Hilary, petty personal attacks may be counterproductive.
The laugh, whether or not it's calculated, looks good to me. So the comparison to Gore fails. His style, whether or not it was calculated, looked robotic. Of course, in a better world, TV image and cackling laughs and five-o'clock-shadows should not be criteria for being a good president.
Two great quotes from your second link, with similar arguments that lead to opposite conclusions:
1. Anonymous Republican: “She’s going to be essentially saying, ‘Elect me president after I’ve spent the last 16 years in your face. And you didn’t like me much when I was there last. Give me eight more years so I can be a presence in your life for 24 years.’”
2. Leon Wieseltier: “She’s never going to get out of our faces. ... She’s like some hellish housewife who has seen something that she really, really wants and won’t stop nagging you about it until finally you say, fine, take it, be the damn president, just leave me alone.”
If Wieseltier is right, it means that Hillary will be President, but will not be a popular one. This could really help the GOP in the long run....
Wait until you hear the cackle.
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