While I'm sure Hillary is having a lot of fun making the 3 am ads that tell you Clinton will keep you safe, but what makes you think she will? And could it be that the biggest threat to our National safety may be Bill Clinton himself? Surely can't feel safer because of the deal with Magnequench in 1995. Indianans might remember Magnequench, a Valpariso company that worked with Rare Earth magnets. Rare Earth magnets are used for among other things, as a main component of guidence systems in smart bombs.
In 1995, Clinton allowed for the sale of Magneguench to a consortium of comapnies which included two Chinese firms. According to the Clintons NOW, they had been assured the company would stay in the US. In 2003, that consortium moved Magnequench's production to China. You might think that if they had been "assured" this company would not move that they would have protested loudly, especially considering that we were in a war on terror and all. But there was stunned silence and only now are the Clintons saying anything about the Chinese assurances. So in essence Bill Clinton gave the Chinese our weapons technology in a nice neat package.
Now, Clinton supporters might scream "Bill's not running!" and they'd be right. But if we look at the same six degrees of seperation game we play with certain reverends, Hillary Clinton is directly advised and occasionally may be intimate with the man who sold our weapons secrets to rather large foreign country who also holds a lot of our national debt. Now she wants to scream at Indiana voters about Bush letting Magnequench go but the ink on the sale papers dried under Bill's administration. Kind of makes you wonder who is running things over in Clinton Land somedays.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The fat man is singing: Limbaugh's open support shows that Hillary should get out now!
You would think that Limbaugh throwing Conservative Dittohead support behind Hillary Clinton in a Democratic Primary would be a huge sign that she has not connected well with the Democratic base. Dittohead support for Clinton makes sense because the Republicans think she will be easy to beat in 2008. If they didn't think that, they wouldn't try to bouy her candidacy and force it to be settled in the Convention.
This serves two purposes: Keep the Democrats from putting out a united message, which given the amount of money raised so far would blow McCain out of the water. It also gives the Republicans a chance to build talking points against Obama.
All that Hillary Clinton is doing is crippling the Democratic nominee with by insisting she stay in the race.
This serves two purposes: Keep the Democrats from putting out a united message, which given the amount of money raised so far would blow McCain out of the water. It also gives the Republicans a chance to build talking points against Obama.
All that Hillary Clinton is doing is crippling the Democratic nominee with by insisting she stay in the race.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Lamentations of the woman who would be queen
Six months ago, when the Democratic primariy resembled a coronation march and all eyes were on the Clintons, she looked unstoppable. A giant among people you hadn't heard of and people who you just couldn't see in power. There were some people who had "star power" but none at that time shone above the wife of Bill Clinton.
If time could have just held still, all would have been well, but time didn't hold still. Suddenly a young senator was making people excited about politics and bringing people to his cause. He may have misspoke once or twice but if nothing else he was exciting. Maybe it was because he was not versed in the ins and outs of Beltway Politics. In someways like a real life version of Mister Smith Goes to Washington. But at that point, Sen. Clinton still saw the nomination, as hers.
Then a funny thing happened in Iowa. Funny in the sense of irony but in Camp Clinton the unthinkable had occured: This upstart Senator with big ears started gaining popularity. Her popularity. People began moving to his side. Suddenly, he was the party's favorite. The Rock Star, as it were. The nomination began slipping away.
No matter what she tried to do (having subordinates sling mud, sending out her husband and daughter, crying on camera and on cue) she has yet to stem the tide. The most damning proof of this is S. Carolina where Bill Clinton used every bit of his power to attempt to derail the Obama campaign and was widely perceived as one of the reasons she lost that state.
Now the only strategy left is to take Ohio and Texas overwhelmingly, something she has not been able to do outside of Arkansas. She also has to do this when her perceived power base of women and people without college educations who make under $50,000 are also starting to shift to Obama. Increasingly her message is becoming more shrill, her attacks more desperate. Going 0 for 10 will do that.
Can she pull off the sizeable upset? Outside of a real catastrophic gaffe from the Obama campaign, it is doubtful that she will. If she could have just frozen time six months ago. When the democratic crown was so close. So close yet so far. Thus laments Sen. Clinton, the woman who would be queen.
If time could have just held still, all would have been well, but time didn't hold still. Suddenly a young senator was making people excited about politics and bringing people to his cause. He may have misspoke once or twice but if nothing else he was exciting. Maybe it was because he was not versed in the ins and outs of Beltway Politics. In someways like a real life version of Mister Smith Goes to Washington. But at that point, Sen. Clinton still saw the nomination, as hers.
Then a funny thing happened in Iowa. Funny in the sense of irony but in Camp Clinton the unthinkable had occured: This upstart Senator with big ears started gaining popularity. Her popularity. People began moving to his side. Suddenly, he was the party's favorite. The Rock Star, as it were. The nomination began slipping away.
No matter what she tried to do (having subordinates sling mud, sending out her husband and daughter, crying on camera and on cue) she has yet to stem the tide. The most damning proof of this is S. Carolina where Bill Clinton used every bit of his power to attempt to derail the Obama campaign and was widely perceived as one of the reasons she lost that state.
Now the only strategy left is to take Ohio and Texas overwhelmingly, something she has not been able to do outside of Arkansas. She also has to do this when her perceived power base of women and people without college educations who make under $50,000 are also starting to shift to Obama. Increasingly her message is becoming more shrill, her attacks more desperate. Going 0 for 10 will do that.
Can she pull off the sizeable upset? Outside of a real catastrophic gaffe from the Obama campaign, it is doubtful that she will. If she could have just frozen time six months ago. When the democratic crown was so close. So close yet so far. Thus laments Sen. Clinton, the woman who would be queen.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Why I voted for Obama
I wanted to take a minute and share my story with you and why I am backing Barack Obama. I remember watching his speech at the 2004 convention. At that time I was still pretty much a Republican. I then as I do now, consider myself a student of politics and I make a point of looking at a problem from as many sides as I can. I liked the fact that there was a younger face to the Democratic party. This is ironic because in retrospect the old stuffy faces in the Democratic leadership were the same age as those were in charge on the Republican side.
It led me to realize years ago that the problem in Washington will probably never change if left in the hands of the same people who are working the current system. But as I said, I was a Republican and while I heard a great speaker, he didn't resonate with much substance to his message to me. I noted him and went on with my life.
As the next three years have played out, I heard his name more and more and finally, when I heard that he may announce for the Presideny decided to pick up his book, The Audacity of Hope. I noticed that beyond the flowery speeches, that something true resonated in what he said. I pulled no punches and talked frankly about his first few days in Congress, voting for something unpopular in his district, meeting with Robert Byrd, who I have over the years had a serious dislike for, but in his meeting, he saw a redeeming quality in him: A love for the Senate that has lasted in his entire career. Still, it took months for me to decide that he was actually worth listening to.
I spent the fall listening to what all the Candidates had to say. I watched the debates on both sides because I wanted to see things set right. The last seven years have been an abysmal failure both domestically and internationally. In essence, the man I backed in two elections had managed to decimate the country in his tenure and I wanted a real break from those policies. I listened to what Obama had to say in the beginning and yeah, there may have been better ways to say what he said (like he would put boots on the ground to hunt Al Qaeda in Pakistan or that he would talk to leaders that the current administration thought were enemies) I recognized that there was a deep seeded logic that guided those thoughts and after the waves of rhetoric spwed from the competition, the logic was sound.
Still it wasn't until I'd say December that I was willing to cross the aisle and support someone who had the Chutzpah to actually say what was on his mind. And once I chose to do so, it was weird but for the first time in about 15 years when I supported Bill Clinton, it felt like the right way to go.
So, what happens here? I'm going to follow this man to the end of the line. Win or loss at the convention. Win or loss in November, I'll cast my polical hopes behind this man. And hopefully at the end, we'll get to see the changes we want.
It led me to realize years ago that the problem in Washington will probably never change if left in the hands of the same people who are working the current system. But as I said, I was a Republican and while I heard a great speaker, he didn't resonate with much substance to his message to me. I noted him and went on with my life.
As the next three years have played out, I heard his name more and more and finally, when I heard that he may announce for the Presideny decided to pick up his book, The Audacity of Hope. I noticed that beyond the flowery speeches, that something true resonated in what he said. I pulled no punches and talked frankly about his first few days in Congress, voting for something unpopular in his district, meeting with Robert Byrd, who I have over the years had a serious dislike for, but in his meeting, he saw a redeeming quality in him: A love for the Senate that has lasted in his entire career. Still, it took months for me to decide that he was actually worth listening to.
I spent the fall listening to what all the Candidates had to say. I watched the debates on both sides because I wanted to see things set right. The last seven years have been an abysmal failure both domestically and internationally. In essence, the man I backed in two elections had managed to decimate the country in his tenure and I wanted a real break from those policies. I listened to what Obama had to say in the beginning and yeah, there may have been better ways to say what he said (like he would put boots on the ground to hunt Al Qaeda in Pakistan or that he would talk to leaders that the current administration thought were enemies) I recognized that there was a deep seeded logic that guided those thoughts and after the waves of rhetoric spwed from the competition, the logic was sound.
Still it wasn't until I'd say December that I was willing to cross the aisle and support someone who had the Chutzpah to actually say what was on his mind. And once I chose to do so, it was weird but for the first time in about 15 years when I supported Bill Clinton, it felt like the right way to go.
So, what happens here? I'm going to follow this man to the end of the line. Win or loss at the convention. Win or loss in November, I'll cast my polical hopes behind this man. And hopefully at the end, we'll get to see the changes we want.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Judge to NBC: Know your role! Kucinich gets to debate on NBC!
A federal judge needed to step in and order NBC to let Dennis Kucinich debate with the other candidates tonight before the So. Carolina primary. While he is not my cup of tea as a political candidate, barring him from speaking only cheats the electorate from hearing something different than what Obama, Clinton and Edwards will say. It is not NBC and the other media corporations' place to choose who the candidates ultimately are.
In many ways, having Kucinich in the debate is far better for the ultimate Democratic candidate than not having him in. Dennis serves as Democratic party conscience, the only person who is completely true to his liberal ideals.
This is not to say that Clinton, Edwards or Obama have sold out their Democratic heritage. They just have reached the epiphany that while it is important that the party to push their ideals of looking out for the common man and protecting the environment, it is also important to remember that most of the voters reside not at the ideological extremes of the landscape but to the center.
So, let the debate begin and let them all be heard. That's the democracy is run.
In many ways, having Kucinich in the debate is far better for the ultimate Democratic candidate than not having him in. Dennis serves as Democratic party conscience, the only person who is completely true to his liberal ideals.
This is not to say that Clinton, Edwards or Obama have sold out their Democratic heritage. They just have reached the epiphany that while it is important that the party to push their ideals of looking out for the common man and protecting the environment, it is also important to remember that most of the voters reside not at the ideological extremes of the landscape but to the center.
So, let the debate begin and let them all be heard. That's the democracy is run.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Poli Sci 575 Mud Slinging Masters Course Instructor: Clinton, Clinton et al
The Clinton campaign in the last few weeks have shown to be the masters class in the art of mud slinging. The Clinton campaign has essentially put together a series of verbal kamikazes whose sole purpose is to deliver one inflammatory blast at an opponent and then flame out, while the campaign rolls along, supposedly unscathed.
In December internal polling suggested that the most likely challenger for the Democratic nomination was Barack Obama. Suddenly, this relative unknown was surging in the polls and threatening to upset the primary apple cart. Obama needed to be stopped. Enter Bill Sheehan, the campaign's national co-chair. “The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight ... and one of the things they're certainly going to jump on is his drug use.”
This prompted an improptu exit from the leadership of the Clinton campaign but the purpose was served. It allowed Sen. Clinton to slow the rise of Obama while they prepared for Iowa.
The Iowa Caucus showed that Obama was a threat that needed to be taken out quickly so enter Fmr. President Clinton who was quick to explain how Obama has no real experience to run on and that bump, coupled with citizens from New Hampshire being tired of hearing Chris Matthews telling them that the race was decided before they had a say, gave the win to the Clintons and not a tear too soon.
Now, with a few days before S. Carolina and Hillary having stepped in it deep with her saying that Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which has taken on a life of its own without help from the Obama camp. For anyone else, this kind of gaffe would be fatal but for the Clintons it should be survivable, as long as they present someone else to take the heat.
To that end, enter Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson, the latest person to volunteer to be grist for the Clinton attack mill. The first black billionaire and not a man to mince words, Johnson said, "To me, as an African American, I am frankly insulted the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues -- when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book -- when they have been involved." In an attempt to cover himself, Johnson added that he was talking about his time as a community activist and any other reference would be irresponsible and incorrect.
I guess I need to be irresponsible and incorrect because I didn't think being a community activist in the Democratic party was a bad thing and something that has to go "unmentioned" in polite circles. I would think that community activists are deeply and emotionally involved in their work. Surely, Johnson can't be talking about that stage in Obama's life as a point of shame. A thinking individual would infer from the comment that he was talking about Obama's admitted drug use, which in light of President Clinton not inhaling is a quantum leap in honesty.
As with others before him, Johnson will eventually be asked to verbally fall on the sword in order to move Sen. Clinton's campaign forward. But he will have delivered his load of mud as requested. As all of the Clinton's best will eventually this year. Should Hillary Clinton not win So. Carolina, will this sacrifice have been worth it? Who is to say. One thing is certain: When you look up mudslingers in the dictionary, you'll see the Clintons in the periphery of the picture. That's they way they want it
In December internal polling suggested that the most likely challenger for the Democratic nomination was Barack Obama. Suddenly, this relative unknown was surging in the polls and threatening to upset the primary apple cart. Obama needed to be stopped. Enter Bill Sheehan, the campaign's national co-chair. “The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight ... and one of the things they're certainly going to jump on is his drug use.”
This prompted an improptu exit from the leadership of the Clinton campaign but the purpose was served. It allowed Sen. Clinton to slow the rise of Obama while they prepared for Iowa.
The Iowa Caucus showed that Obama was a threat that needed to be taken out quickly so enter Fmr. President Clinton who was quick to explain how Obama has no real experience to run on and that bump, coupled with citizens from New Hampshire being tired of hearing Chris Matthews telling them that the race was decided before they had a say, gave the win to the Clintons and not a tear too soon.
Now, with a few days before S. Carolina and Hillary having stepped in it deep with her saying that Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which has taken on a life of its own without help from the Obama camp. For anyone else, this kind of gaffe would be fatal but for the Clintons it should be survivable, as long as they present someone else to take the heat.
To that end, enter Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson, the latest person to volunteer to be grist for the Clinton attack mill. The first black billionaire and not a man to mince words, Johnson said, "To me, as an African American, I am frankly insulted the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues -- when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book -- when they have been involved." In an attempt to cover himself, Johnson added that he was talking about his time as a community activist and any other reference would be irresponsible and incorrect.
I guess I need to be irresponsible and incorrect because I didn't think being a community activist in the Democratic party was a bad thing and something that has to go "unmentioned" in polite circles. I would think that community activists are deeply and emotionally involved in their work. Surely, Johnson can't be talking about that stage in Obama's life as a point of shame. A thinking individual would infer from the comment that he was talking about Obama's admitted drug use, which in light of President Clinton not inhaling is a quantum leap in honesty.
As with others before him, Johnson will eventually be asked to verbally fall on the sword in order to move Sen. Clinton's campaign forward. But he will have delivered his load of mud as requested. As all of the Clinton's best will eventually this year. Should Hillary Clinton not win So. Carolina, will this sacrifice have been worth it? Who is to say. One thing is certain: When you look up mudslingers in the dictionary, you'll see the Clintons in the periphery of the picture. That's they way they want it
Thursday, January 10, 2008
ABC/Washington Post runs canned non-story. Clinton proves she can swift boat like the big boys
At a time when the Clinton momentum seems tenuous and she faces the real chance of losing the Primary to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, through her surrogates at ABC and the Washington Post have begun their first real attempts at swift boating Barack Obama out of the water.
The story about a 2006 indictment of an associate of Obama, Antoin Rezko has been public knowledge but canned and primed to stop the emergence of Obama as the Democratic Nominee. Judging by the timing of the release of this story by ABC and the Washington Post, the time to stop Obama has come.
The story stems for the 2006 indictment of Antoin Rezko. It took almost 2 years for this relationship to come to light. The Republicans in 2006 didn't unearth this bombshell back when they were hoping and praying for a Democratic miss step.
In 2007 when the Democrats had assumed the majority in both houses and the Republicans were reeling, looking for anything that could upset the Democratic apple cart, nothing was reported.
It took 2008 and Obama beating Clinton in Iowa for this story to come to light. I speculate that the conversation at ABC news went something like this:
ABC Exec: "We have been told to slow down Obama anyway possible. What do we have ready to go?"
Washington Post: "A story we've had on corruption for about 2 years."
ABC Exec: "That's a good start. Let's deliver it now and tell everyone we can, right before we tell anyone about Kerry endorsing Obama."
Washington Post: "I'll let the Clintons know it's started."
Interestingly at 1:30 PST, Fox News, CNN, CBS News and MSNBC ALL seem to be ignoring this non-story since it's release. Hopefully this will be the end of this story's legs and we can get back to the issues of this year.
One thing is certain: That the swift boating tactic is not just for Rove anymore. The Clintons have adopted it for their own
The story about a 2006 indictment of an associate of Obama, Antoin Rezko has been public knowledge but canned and primed to stop the emergence of Obama as the Democratic Nominee. Judging by the timing of the release of this story by ABC and the Washington Post, the time to stop Obama has come.
The story stems for the 2006 indictment of Antoin Rezko. It took almost 2 years for this relationship to come to light. The Republicans in 2006 didn't unearth this bombshell back when they were hoping and praying for a Democratic miss step.
In 2007 when the Democrats had assumed the majority in both houses and the Republicans were reeling, looking for anything that could upset the Democratic apple cart, nothing was reported.
It took 2008 and Obama beating Clinton in Iowa for this story to come to light. I speculate that the conversation at ABC news went something like this:
ABC Exec: "We have been told to slow down Obama anyway possible. What do we have ready to go?"
Washington Post: "A story we've had on corruption for about 2 years."
ABC Exec: "That's a good start. Let's deliver it now and tell everyone we can, right before we tell anyone about Kerry endorsing Obama."
Washington Post: "I'll let the Clintons know it's started."
Interestingly at 1:30 PST, Fox News, CNN, CBS News and MSNBC ALL seem to be ignoring this non-story since it's release. Hopefully this will be the end of this story's legs and we can get back to the issues of this year.
One thing is certain: That the swift boating tactic is not just for Rove anymore. The Clintons have adopted it for their own
Monday, January 07, 2008
I'm Back
I haven't been around much and I haven't been putting my thoughts here like I promised myself I would. Iowa has changed that. It's time to get excited about politics again. This year, so far is not a cookie cutter replica of the last election or two. Sen. Clinton is not steaming toward a coronation on the Democratic side and who knows what's going to happen on the GOP side. Anyway, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Time to put the seatbelt on tight.
Sen. Clinton: Beware the kids of those soccer moms!
With the new year and new election cycle is coming an incredible change. Iowa was the first place we saw a hint of it as 240,000 voters showed up to caucus and gave Barack Obama their support.
The exit poll show a frightening situation. Sen. Clinton, in spite of how much she spent and attempted to connect with women in Iowa, she didn't reach women 18-59. She carried the women over 60 group but that was only good for 3rd place behind Edwards. Sen Clinton does not connect with people under 40 well. Why is the $64,000 question for the Clinton camp. I have a few ideas why:
Maybe the real prospect of extending this war has focused young people on the prospect of dying and the long term costs of waging a war in the terms of lives and dollars. Everyone knows a serviceman or woman. The miss steps of the current administration have cost thousands of lives and cost trillions of dollars. That's money thrown into the Iraq effort that could have been used on Education, Infrastructure or just invested in the next great technology so that we can maintain our edge in the world. Talk of keeping an open ended military presence in Iraq for decades, in an area hostile to Americans means that we will potentially be burying soldiers for years and attempting to pay for the occupation by pulling monies out of other necessary programs. Ultimately, it's the 20 something generation that has to pay that cost in lives and tax money.
It could be that she has worked in the system for 35 years and hasn't been able to change much on her own. I mean think about it: The closest she came to changing the way we did something was her attempt at changing healthcare. Since then she has pulled in a lot of money from the pharmaceuticals and insurance companies. It's hard to think that all of the money she has collected came without strings attached. With no more fire behind that issue from her, it seems that the agent of change has herself been changed by the system.
This isn't the only place where her laboring for change has not panned out. Look at her record on the Iraq war. She does give a considerably good speech on where we have gone wrong in Iraq but has not been able to vote against funding for the war or against attacks on our civil liberties from the Bush Administration. And this is something (her votes) that she has control over. So when asked to step up, she has chosen to keep her seat
Maybe it has to do with the fact that she's not as personable as her husband. Let's face it, Bill is a friendly guy. He's someone you'd like, even if you don't agree with his politics. He was the sax player, adept at changing his position on the fly and making you believe that he was there all along. Sen. Clinton doesn't have the same way of carrying herself. She is far more calculating. She doesn't deviate from script.
So this inability to deviate from script makes it more difficult for Sen. Clinton to adapt to changes in the landscape. When Obama and Edwards pulled ahead of her in Iowa, it was no doubt a shock. Suddenly, her experience wasn't what was being looked for. It was the idea of changing things in Washington. She underestimated that the Democratic electorate is at a critical mass. After seven years of Bush and a year of congressional gridlock, it was time to change the way business was done. She positioned herself as the person who was best suited to run the machinery in place. Iowans showed up with sledgehammers to tear the machinery apart. She now tries to reposition herself as the woman who can really change the machinery but it's hard to campaign for change and the status quo simultaneously.
All told, it's likely that the youth vote that is resurging in the Democratic party will send Sen. Clinton home soon. This is ironic if you think about it: President Clinton had the soccer moms wrapped around his finger. But it seems at least right now that the backseaters in those mini vans don't share the same affinity for his wife.
The exit poll show a frightening situation. Sen. Clinton, in spite of how much she spent and attempted to connect with women in Iowa, she didn't reach women 18-59. She carried the women over 60 group but that was only good for 3rd place behind Edwards. Sen Clinton does not connect with people under 40 well. Why is the $64,000 question for the Clinton camp. I have a few ideas why:
Maybe the real prospect of extending this war has focused young people on the prospect of dying and the long term costs of waging a war in the terms of lives and dollars. Everyone knows a serviceman or woman. The miss steps of the current administration have cost thousands of lives and cost trillions of dollars. That's money thrown into the Iraq effort that could have been used on Education, Infrastructure or just invested in the next great technology so that we can maintain our edge in the world. Talk of keeping an open ended military presence in Iraq for decades, in an area hostile to Americans means that we will potentially be burying soldiers for years and attempting to pay for the occupation by pulling monies out of other necessary programs. Ultimately, it's the 20 something generation that has to pay that cost in lives and tax money.
It could be that she has worked in the system for 35 years and hasn't been able to change much on her own. I mean think about it: The closest she came to changing the way we did something was her attempt at changing healthcare. Since then she has pulled in a lot of money from the pharmaceuticals and insurance companies. It's hard to think that all of the money she has collected came without strings attached. With no more fire behind that issue from her, it seems that the agent of change has herself been changed by the system.
This isn't the only place where her laboring for change has not panned out. Look at her record on the Iraq war. She does give a considerably good speech on where we have gone wrong in Iraq but has not been able to vote against funding for the war or against attacks on our civil liberties from the Bush Administration. And this is something (her votes) that she has control over. So when asked to step up, she has chosen to keep her seat
Maybe it has to do with the fact that she's not as personable as her husband. Let's face it, Bill is a friendly guy. He's someone you'd like, even if you don't agree with his politics. He was the sax player, adept at changing his position on the fly and making you believe that he was there all along. Sen. Clinton doesn't have the same way of carrying herself. She is far more calculating. She doesn't deviate from script.
So this inability to deviate from script makes it more difficult for Sen. Clinton to adapt to changes in the landscape. When Obama and Edwards pulled ahead of her in Iowa, it was no doubt a shock. Suddenly, her experience wasn't what was being looked for. It was the idea of changing things in Washington. She underestimated that the Democratic electorate is at a critical mass. After seven years of Bush and a year of congressional gridlock, it was time to change the way business was done. She positioned herself as the person who was best suited to run the machinery in place. Iowans showed up with sledgehammers to tear the machinery apart. She now tries to reposition herself as the woman who can really change the machinery but it's hard to campaign for change and the status quo simultaneously.
All told, it's likely that the youth vote that is resurging in the Democratic party will send Sen. Clinton home soon. This is ironic if you think about it: President Clinton had the soccer moms wrapped around his finger. But it seems at least right now that the backseaters in those mini vans don't share the same affinity for his wife.
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