It is seriously possible that Senator Clinton was guilty of believing her own propaganda
When President Bill Clinton left office at the end of his second term the press was rife with speculation about the probability that his wife, Hillary would soon be running for the same office. The only question on their minds was when she would do it. At the time I speculated some, myself. My conclusion was that she would not run in any election where she saw herself as having any chance of defeat. It was a matter ambition on her part, as well as preservation of image. She had to be sure that she could waltz her way into the presidency without any serious opposition. There were three factors that I believed contributed to this. They are:
1 – The Clinton mystique. Her husband had appeared on the scene as almost an unknown. He was not thought of as a serious challenger for the office, yet he was able to capture the nomination and defeat a sitting Republican. Mrs. Clinton wanted to be instantaneously successful, as well. She had to do essentially the same thing as her husband. As a result, defeat could not be a reasonable possibility.
2 – Her supposed status as “The Smartest Woman in the World.” Of course this was mostly hype, but people in the public eye tend to try to live up to hype, so she had to be a total success in running for the presidency, to justify her “title” and in so doing, prove it to be true.
3 – Personal Jingoism. Hillary Clinton had come to believe that the presidency was hers by right, partly as a result of her status as “co-president” with her husband, and partly because she wanted it. We see some aspects of self anointing appearing in her senatorial speeches, especially in late 2006 and early 2007 where she said on several occasions “When I am President… .”
In 2000 Senator Clinton had to wait for Al Gore, as the sitting Vice-President to have his run, and she didn’t want to take on George W. Bush as a sitting President during what amounted to war-time in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. She was also using her position as a Senator from New York to build some level of credibility as a politician and governmental official in her own right. As a result, 2008 became her first practical opportunity to run. Now, with the election almost concluded, we see that Hillary Clinton is not the juggernaut that people expected. She is running a second to Senator Obama, and some people believe that she has no chance to obtain the nomination.
What happened? Several things happened. First, the token opposition that was expected didn’t materialize. While other Democratic primary candidates didn’t provide significant opposition, Senator Obama didn’t run to lose, as he was supposed to do (in her mind, anyway). Mrs. Clinton was guilty of a gross miscalculation of his personal appeal in the party base. She also miscalculated the extent of his ambitions, which appear to have exceeded hers by a wide margin.
Second, there was another miscalculation of exactly how much the public really disliked the Clintons, and how it perceived her position as Bill Clinton’s wife. While a purported feminist, she put up with his incessant philandering, which no woman should have done. She became an embarrassment to many Democrats, for that reason. If was obvious that she was staying with him for opportunities of personal power and public exposure. She was all too obviously riding his coat tails, rather than charting her own course and using her vaunted intelligence. While Mr. Clinton was in office they had to support him because he was their guy. After he left, he became expendable; a reminder of a problematic, contentious, scandal-ridden presidency, that made the party look bad, when they were trying to claim the moral high ground, once and for all. In the end, if she was inevitable, they would take her, but if there was credible opposition, she was on her own.
It is possible that Senator Clinton was guilty of believing her own propaganda. This is a common phenomenon in people who spend too much time in the public eye, and who have a posse of “yes-people” following them around. It appears from the stories about Mrs. Clinton’s personality that she did not like dissenting views. She might not have accepted anyone’s warning not to consider her position impregnable.
Lastly, it should be obvious that she never expected Senator Obama to get the support he did. He had less time in office and was younger than she was. However he was also a better speaker and carried less baggage then she did. In effect, Senator Obama pulled the same trick that Bill Clinton had done 16 year earlier.
The date on which this column is published is the date of the Texas and Ohio primaries. The race is not finished, and it is likely that the selection of the Democratic nominee will require some wrangling at the convention this summer. There is still the possibility that Mrs. Clinton can still pull out the nomination if she carries Ohio Pennsylvania and Texas. Today these races appear too close to call. Leads may evaporate in the last minute for any number of reasons, and polling data may be wildly inaccurate. And then, at the Democratic convention there are two states which Senator Clinton will try to claim, despite the party rules disqualifying their delegates. The matter is cloudy.
One thing is for sure; the Democratic race is likely to end up more contentious that the Republican race. This may lead to some Democratic voters sitting out November’s general election. Others may protest the nominee by voting for Ralph Nader. In the final analysis, I cannot see Clinton and Obama combining on a ticket. Both have egos that are too big. Obama will see future opportunities to run if he doesn’t make it this time. He has no reason to accept the second position, which often leads to obscurity. Mrs. Clinton won’t do it either. For her it is all or nothing. Taking second position would be an admission that she can’t make it all the way on her own. If John McCain can run at age 70, she may try it as well, although I don’t expect so. This may be her only attempt. If she doesn’t make it she may try stay in the Senate as long as Strom Thurmond. It should be expected.
slaib@intellectualconservative.com
http://intellectualconservative.com
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