The Only Reason Hillary Clinton is "the front-runner" is because....

[HardWorkingDem]

right now she is simply the most well known. That is it. She had eight plus years of free publicity and that is it. Well, her being the darling of the right also has something to do with it as well, but not as much as her having a huge "Q" factor.

[saltpoint]

1. One note-to-myself I'm carrying around is to never underestimate

smart, savvy, well-financed, perceptive, accomplished, professional, well-organized, strategic, well-positioned people.

They have a tendency to succeed at things.

Senator Clinton looks as if she's going to win her primary and go on to a huge victory in November. The entire State of New York is voting blue in November, I'm pretty sure.

If she is a landslide winner on Nov. 7th the talk of her 08 plans will accelerate.

[ndcohn]

2. Not all the way true

Its also because women love her
I was at the dems booth at a fair and we had a mock-primary among people who wanted to vote. I would say 60% of democratic women INTENSELY support hillary for president, they didn't have to look anywhere else.
there were very few men who supported her at all though...

[HardWorkingDem]

4. More to it than this...

we have to look at the most consistent group of voters out there and how they vote. Asking strong Dems is not the answer. Of course, strong Dems will vote for the Dem almost no matter what.

It's the other folks we have to wonder about and through my own occupation, I come across a lot of centrist and rethuglicans and of these folks the insight I've seen is that a vote for Hillary is unlikely.

But back to my point, the only two reasons Hillary is the front runner is because she is well known and the the right want her to run because they think she can't win at all.

[ndcohn]

6. don't underestimate

the gender factor in the intensity of her women support.

[Monk06]

7. I think you have a point there, which is why the R's are after her....

If women vote in force and swing 10% that is a huge
shift.

When women on both sides of the aisle get tired of
having their sons and daughters coming home in a
nylon sack the political climate is going to radically
change in the US.

Personally I can't wait. If Hill was the first woman
pres in the US that would be sweet revenge indeed.

[Donna Zen]

12. Ah...you do realize that Hillary is a hawk

...and a hawk she will stay.

BTW, the problem we have is not getting women to vote for us, it's getting men to vote for us.

[Monk06]

24. She's a hawk like she's a Christian. Fact is she is going to do and

say anything to have a shot at the nomination.

She's not my first choice for first women president.

But if she was elected Pres, which is a very big if,

she would get the troops out of the ME.

[HardWorkingDem]

23. The "democratic" gender factor...because...

I work along side a lot of women republicans and they have an intense disliking of Hillary.

[Greyhound]

15. If I may revise and extend your comment,

"only two reasons Hillary is the front runner is because she is well known and the the right want her to run because they think she can't win at all", and even if she does win, she is sure to move most of their agenda forward. It is a win-win for them.

[DELUSIONAL]

3. Name recognition --

[sutz12]

5. I'm not real big on Hillary in '08

But if she's the Dem on the ticket, there isn't a Rep I would vote for over her.

[Allenberg]

8. Agreed.

[Hissyspit]

9. Yes, but there are plenty of Reps that many Americans would vote for

over Hillary, even with the anti-Rep mood in the country right now. Hillary can't win. There are plenty of Reps who can sell themselves as moderate and trustworthy and plenty of Americans who will fall for it.

And this is all assuming we can get a decent, fair vote count, which, right now, we can't.

[Hardrada]

10. She relies on polls too much and pleasing the AIPAC crowd.

And is a waffler. No thank you very much.

[Ravy]

11. No, the only reason she is "the front runner" is because

more people say they will vote for her than anyone else (currently).

[Awsi Dooger]

14. Another reason: she would win right now

If a national Democratic primary were held minus debate. That's essentially all these very early polls measure, preference minus scrutiny.

[Greyhound]

16. Good point. n/t

[sutz12]

13. Funny thing about this statement, though....

is that it seems to me that the only places Hillary is "ahead" seems to be in the minds of the MSM and the Freepers. And the polls seem to follow that. I don't really buy it, myself.

It looks to me that the Repubs are pushing her to the front a bit artificially. She obviously doesn't have much support around here, and I suspect in the rest of the liberal blogosphere. Repug leaders and talking heads seem to be using her as a scare candidate. Another of those "Copuld you imagine if he/she were in office?" straw men that the sheeple on the right fall for so often.

Hopefully, reality sets in and we get a real progressive candidate, not one that owes the head of Faux news.

[Frank Cannon]

17. And the corporate-owned, right-wing media is selling her 24 hours a day

Her biggest champions have been the nuttiest of the right-wing pundits. Even Hannity has expressed that she'd be "almost unbeatable", or something like that.

That alone should give anyone pause.

[TexasProgresive]

18. She is who the Repukes want

to run against. This is part of the reich wing play book, choose your competition. Nobody would energize their base more then Clinton.

[robcon]

19. Hillary C. will be the next president

She is a great campaigner, plenty of voter awareness, lots of money, and she will win easily.

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

25. No, she'll be the GOP's best enabler to elect their candidate in 2008

It's become obvious that Hillary's biggest boosters for 2008 have been Republicans and the conservative talk-show hosts. The Rethugs are on the brink of an internecine civil war, and they know that the one thing uniting the party is severe animosity toward Hillary Clinton. She would be a Republican fundraiser's dream.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, quite a few progressives among the Democrats have become so alienated at her hawkishness on Iraq and other issues, that they're withdrawing their support for good. I can't even keep count of the number of longtime Democrats I know who are pledging to stay home or vote Third Party if she were nominated. Not exactly an auspicious development for our side.

[SaveElmer]

20. And Democratic voters are soooo stupid...

They can't remember who the last nominee of the party was, or the last vice-presidential nominee, or the one before that, or the last legitimate vice-president....all of whome Hillary bests in polls...

[TNMOM]

21. the first woman president will be a thug --

no way republicans (and some democrat men) will vote for a progressive woman. We just aren't there yet.

The only scenario that seems possible is a woman candidate who is ultra conservative and hawkish -- someone who shares the same political leanings as your typical redstate male - a la Margaret Thatcher.

I like Hillary. But she's not going to win the center right votes. She will motivate the rightwing base.

[theanarch]

22. i agree it's name recognition and

M$M support...and yes, the GOP wants her to run because she may be the ONLY Democrat they can beat. The last poll i've seen on presidential gender preferences suggests that much as 25% of the voting public will NOT vote for a woman in any circumstance...which means, Hillary (or any woman) starts the campaign 25 points down, and (if it's Hillary) continues to drop: Whitewater, Vince Foster, Rose Billing records, Travelgate, etc...and that's just what the GOP will slime her with. On the other hand, look at the division right here at DU, between those who positively (hard) support her (because she's Hillary), those who negatively (soft) support her (as presumed front-runner and fund-raiser, not because they particularly like or agree with her), and those who negatively (hard) oppose her for her DLC policies, support for the war and Israel, triangulation, etc.

One other point: Hillary's moves to the right, whether genuinely-held beliefs, or just cynical positioning, doesnt' work...any more than it worked for Gore in '00 or Kerry in '04...and in NY, Hillary ran BEHIND both Gore and Kerry in red districts/counties, for all her pandering to the right. As for her ability to raise money, there are some things money can't buy...like credibility...she could raise and spend a billion dollars, and still be lucky to carry five states.

[infogirl]

26. No Hillary!

Please .....no