Robert Parry: How Far Are the Clintons Willing to Go?

[babylonsister]

http://www.alternet.org/election08/77287/?page=entire

How Far Are the Clintons Willing to Go?

By Robert Parry, Consortium News. Posted February 18, 2008.

Hillary has shown she'll do whatever it takes to win, even if that means overriding the majority of voters and skirting campaign finance laws.


Hillary Clinton, who has built her case for the presidency on her superior "ready on Day One" management skills, burned through almost $130 million of campaign money, had to kick in $5 million from her own murky family funds, and is now pressing her chief financial backers to find creative ways to raise more money.

Some of those financial schemes appear to skirt the law -- as some backers consider putting money into "independent" entities that can spend unlimited sums but aren't supposed to coordinate with the campaign -- while other ideas are more traditional, like appealing to wealthy donors involved with the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby.

Sen. Clinton's new scramble for money -- as well as her campaign's declaration that it is prepared to override the will of the elected Democratic delegates if necessary to secure the nomination -- raise the question of just how far Bill and Hillary Clinton are willing to go to achieve their presidential restoration.

Some Democrats, who have e-mailed me, praise the ruthlessness of the Clinton political machine, arguing that only a readiness to throw sharp elbows can defeat the Republicans this fall. These Democrats hate what they call Barack Obama's "Kumbayah" message of national reconciliation, a reference to the campfire song based on an old African spiritual.

However, other Democrats fear that the Clintons are putting their personal ambitions ahead of what's good for the Party and the country, that they are ready to dirty up Sen. Obama with attack ads and dismiss his millions of supporters as -- what one key Clinton backer called -- "a cult of personality."

snip//

The larger campaign question, however, may be whether the Clintons will set any limits on their hunger to return to the White House -- and whether Democrats will view that single-minded determination as a plus or a minus.

[tekisui]

1. We'll soon find out how far she'll go.

It's all minuses as she goes negative. She is digging herself a hole that she can't pull out of. She is going to continue to add to Obama's momentum that started moving in December, and has yet to peak.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. I can see the indie voter, the moderate, the person looking for hope

glancing at the trainwreck known as HILLARY! and run away as fast and as far as possible.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. FWIW

I run a message board about actors. We agreed there that there could be one thread dedicated to politics, so those who aren't interested don't have to read it. So far, the ones who have posted there range from very liberal to very conservative. What I find interesting is that some who claim to be conservative/moderates have said that they don't like McCain, and would vote for Obama if he were nominated, but would not vote for Clinton. I found this interesting.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. I hear the same thing from conservatives in my family

parents, bro-in-law, others. (I'm the librul black sheep)

[Doctor_J]

14. I believe this to be true

The Clinton backers don't think it's true, but I believe it. Say what you will about Obama's vagueness wrt his policy details, but he is channeling JFK smartly and has a chance to put a historic beatdown on McCain this November. Also, and this is key, A PRESIDENT WITH MORE THAN 60% OF THE PEOPLE FIRMLY IN HIS/HER CORNER CAN DO MORE THAN ONE WITH NICELY DETAILED POLICY PROPOSALS.

From Tweety's homoerotic fantasies to your conservative visitors, many * voters will pull the D lever this November if Obama's name is next to it.

[MBS]

3. thanks for this good, if chilling, article

Thanks also for all the other pieces you dig up every day!

[tularetom]

4. If she is nominated you'll see a different Hillary

Of course we want to see our candidate stand up to the republicans, but Hillary has shown no evidence that she will do so.

She was bullied into voting for the Iraq War Resolution, she's even afraid to admit she made a mistake. She even cosponsored a flag burning amendment. She voted for the stupid Joe Loserman sponsored Iran bill.

Clinton's only go negative against other democrats, never with repubs.

[Forrest Greene]

12. That's A Very Important Point

I drive a Honda. Before that, another Honda, before that, a Datsun.

Sometimes, people would ask, "Why don't you support America, buy a car from Detroit? "

I would point out that my Hondas were, to a large degree, built in the U.S., & that I had a lot more in common with the factory workers who built them than I did with with, say, Lee Iacocca. A person like Lee Iacocca would probably be much more at home hanging with Toshiro Honda, or whomever heads the Japanese company.

The Clintons are not Democrats. They are high-end professional politicians. That is their constituency.

[izzie]

5. I used to be on the GOP list of voters so am un-sure on this

Didn't the Dem. so some thing like this in the 60's? They, if I re-call,did not put in the man the people wanted. Wasn't that the whole mess with the riots in Chicago?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. You're thinking of 1968

it was actually more than that. Eugene McCarthy had knocked LBJ out of running for another term. RFK was in a very strong position to win the nomination, but he was assassinated in June, before the convention. Humphrey, LBJ's VP, got the nomination but many wanted a peace candidate. Not sure what happened to Bobby's delegates at the time--could be their turning to a man many considered a "war" candidate is what caused the problem. I was 17 at the time, and though interested in politics, didn't get into details.

[izzie]

15. Yes I guess that was it. I had lots of little kids and not much time.

Every one in my family was in the GOP so I just voted that way and was just starting to really think about how I really felt.

[Myrina]

6. "Screw your courage to the sticking point and we'll not fail"

~ thus sayeth Mrs. MacBeth.

:scared: It truly is all about winning and having power for those two, and I'm glad that others are finally starting to see that.

[pretzel4gore]

7. the 800 pound guerrilla shaking the room in dance

escapes notice of the people with the wide eyes, again, as usual....

[Demeter]

10. A President Is Only As Good As His/Her Team

And Hillary and Bill have ticked off a lot of our best and brightest since before Bill's 8 years in office.

This is not good. Between the Clinton alienation factor, and the Bush Fuck-It-Up factor, it's going to be hard to field an effective and experienced team for the Cabinet, Executive Branch, ambassadors, military, etc.

On the other hand, who would Obama call upon? Let's hope he would have the support of those best and brightest that no longer would touch a Clinton with a ten-foot pole. Otherwise, it's going to be another Jimmy Carter style fiasco, and the GOP will dance rings around him.

[Doctor_J]

13. This spins the situation anew for me - I trust Parry

Most of the intramural fighting thus far seem to this Edwards supporter to be petty and skewed. But Parry is one of my most trusted sources for down-to-Earth, reality based opinion. I am going to give this serious thought.

[babylonsister]

16. .