What exactly is it that Hillary will know how to do on "day one" that Obama won't?

[FlyingTiger]

Sarcasm aside, I honestly cannot figure this out. This seems to be one of the most frequently-repeated themes of the Hillary campaign, but I've never been able to wrap my head around exactly what it IS that she'll do so much differently. It's not as though Obama's grown up working for a foreign government. He's studied law and public policy his whole life. Spent years in elected office, including four in the federal government. I can't imagine he'd have any confusion there. She may have shaken hands with a few more Very Important People back in the Clinton White House, but she hasn't negotiated arms treaties with them, she hasn't given military orders in a standoff situation, and, given how much time has elapsed, I'd be willing to bet that about 2/3 of the people she met aren't even in power anymore.

Yes, my question is vaguely rhetorical because it's there to make a point, but I'm also curious as to just what the honest answer is. What will Hillary do on "day one" that's different than Barack? What other presidents have suffered from this "learning curve" Hillary supporters speak of? What IS that curve? How can you tell when a new guy is over the hump? After four years of his own in Washington, and perhaps more importantly, nearly a year running a campaign that has by now established relations with every big wig in North America, exactly who is left that Barack doesn't know?

[wileedog]

1. Rent out the Lincoln Bedroom

[VolcanoJen]

5. Speaking of which...

At least 30% of Hillary donors who threatened Pelosi slept in the Lincoln Bedroom during Bill's presidency

[Catherina]

29. I didn't know that. Ugh.

The list of things I'm ashamed I ever defended the Clintons on just keeps growing.

[DarienComp]

2. She'll know that you need to push, turn the knob, and THEN pull, to open the door to the Mural Room.

[knixphan]

10. LOL! excellent!

[C_U_L8R]

3. Sit on her "flak" jacket

and take evasive maneuvers from the snipers at 3 am.

[Rene]

4. She'll make decisions. not vote 'present'....120 times showing incapability of making one.

[SeattleGirl]

11. Crap argument.

Voting "present" is acceptable in Illinois.

Nice try.

[FlyingTiger]

12. So, just to be clear, you're saying that, alternatively, Obama would not make decisions as President

I mean, if you'd rather just keep trying to notch up some zingers, I'm sure a chunk of the audience here would approve. But I'm trying to get, you know, an actual answer. Unless you truly believe that there's no difference between President of the United States and the system of voting used in the Illinois State Legislature.

[anonymous171]

13. Great decisions. Like the Iraq war! That was a great choice! How about the Kyle-Lieberman amendment?

[anonymous171]

6. She'll have Bill run everything until she learns the ropes.

Don't think that a lot of her support doesn't come from those who think she is going to be Bill's surrogate. I personally don't think she is but from the comments I have read it appears many do (for instance, the OP that was hoping for a Clinton/Gore ticket.)

[L0oniX]

7. She'll have the new curtains and bed spreads picked out.

:evilgrin:

[Catherina]

31. Bush already replaced the carpet in the Oval office

Laura picked out a vibrant beige and tan carpet.

[undeterred]

8. Run the dishwasher.

[CoffeeCat]

9. Give the neocons everything they want?

Which is what she's been doing the past several years anyway.

On "day one" Hillary will be listening to Obama talking at his
inauguration.

[JayFredMuggs]

14. I'm sure Bill left some of his Marijuana stash hidden somewhere behind

And that's why it's so important to re-elect Hill.........so Bill can get his stash and smoke it after the inauguration ball....

[Skip Intro]

15. Stop campaigning and govern?

You can't vote "present" if you're the president.

[FlyingTiger]

17. Has Obama suggested that he would keep campaigning past his inauguration?

It'd be unorthodox, no question.

[DarienComp]

21. Sure you can!

It's called a pocket-veto. I'm just saying.

:hi:

[Johnny__Motown]

23. You STILL don't understand that lie? OMG.... look into it...

Only 3% of all his votes were "present" 97% straight up and down (although present counts as a no).



Hillary grew up in Illinois. She knows that the Present vote exists for a reason. (to voice support for the idea but not for the bill as written). She misrepresented his present votes and you bought into it. I bet you think she was against NAFTA or brought peace to Northern Ireland and dodged sniper fire in Bosnia.


Obama looked into every bill closely enough to see the 3% that required the present vote.

Hillary voted for the IWR without bothering to read the NIE.


This type of argument just makes you look bad.

[Webster Green]

32. Lordy, that "vote present" stuff is really weak..

Been expertly dissected right here on this board. Nothing there Skippy!

Sorry, too lazy and bored to hook you up with some links to bring you up to speed. :smoke:

[frazzled]

16. Pee sitting down?

Just saying: not a comment on the relative merits of either candidates, just that on Day One, he'll pee standing up and she will be sitting down. It's anatomy.

[Cha]

18. LIE...35 years

experience.

[SKKY]

19. Lie her ass off...

...then pass it off as "I was tired and misspoke."

[iverglas]

20. address the Prime Minister of Canada

Okay, it's not like we expect minor politicians from obscure non-border states to know the actual name of the Prime Minister.

But knowing that s/he is a Prime Minister and not a President ... yeesh, is that too much to ask?

Not even out of some kinda misdirected national pride; just out of the simple, optimistic hope that the President of the US will, like, have a clue.


Now Clinton, she has a clue. She knows exactly what to do when you need to talk about Canada: go to the CIA and swallow whatever tale it is telling this week about terrorists streaming across the border from the north, and make some jingoistic speeches about beefing up border security.


Dog love ya, ya could've had Joe Biden for your President. Someone who actually (a) knows stuff about and (b) has a little respect for the rest of the world, and particularly your traditional good buddy and biggest trading partner. (When asked in an off-beat one-on-one interview where he'd live if he couldn't live in the US, he said "Canada!" almost before the question was finished. And he knew why.)

You all blew it, and now the rest of us will be saddled with one of these two. If we're lucky.




typo fixed

[FlyingTiger]

22. God, I wish Joe was still around.

He would have smoked all three remaining candidates on any foreign policy issue.

[iverglas]

24. he woulda smoked them on anything

I was just reading a post in another thread about how Kerry's flub of that high school drop out stuck in Iraq joke was handled. By reflubbing it, that is.

Joe would've given anybody who tried it on a withering look, a moment of silence while he looked at them, and a disbelieving headshake, and remarked as how anybody who didn't realize he was talking about Bush ... well, y'know.

I started out thinking Here we go again, which of these unpalatable / unelectable sods will I give my virtual support that nobody cares about anyway to? Just in my own head, y'know. Like having a bet on one of the horses, so you can get interested.

I settled on Joe by default. I'd watched most of the Clarence Thomas hearings back in the day, and I was hooked on Joe then, but that was a different situation. So then I paid some focused attention to him in the nomination campaign, and he became somebody I actually liked and wanted to win, and damn, when you've been doing politics for 40 years and pretty much all the time just settled for what you got (not once has my preferred candidate for leader of my own party, the NDP, actually got elected, fr instance), well, that felt nice.

So a pox on the lot of you! You'll get stuck with one of these two, and so will we.

[Ino]

25. She knows where all the closets are (nt)

[Nailzberg]

26. Dodge sniper fire

[depakid]

27. More or less everything....

The Clintons were in the whitehouse for 8 years!

Whether one agrees with their policies or not, no reasonable person can claim that they won't know how things work.

[FlyingTiger]

34. I don't think anyone has.

I'm more curious about what people expect Obama WON'T know by the time he's sworn in.

[k8conant]

28. Know who slept where at the White House? ... mmmm Maybe Not

[DearAbby]

30. She knows without calling the secret service

where the Charmin is stored.

[Catherina]

33. Lie with a straight face that Iran has WMDs n/t