The Highs and Lows of Presidential Politics, October 5, 2007
There seems to be an almost mathematical correlation between the achievements of the Clinton campaign and the depths to which some will sink to attack her. The higher she rises, the lower their blows.
First the highs:
The week's news has confirmed Hillary Clinton's status as the Democratic frontrunner. The latest polling in New Hampshire reflects the national trend, showing her widening her lead over her primary opponents. This week's Washington Post ABC News poll demonstrated the depth of voters' trust in her leadership:
"On major issues, Democrats are far more likely to trust her than her main competitors -- 52 percent trust her most on Iraq, compared with 22 percent who trust Obama most on the war and 17 percent who trust Edwards most. On health care, 66 percent trust her most to handle the issue, compared with 15 percent for Obama and 14 percent for Edwards. Half see Clinton as the candidate who best reflects the "core values" of the Democratic Party."
In the money primary, Clinton also demonstrated her strength this week. The recently released 3rd quarter fundraising results show her not only raising the most money, but also acquiring more than 100,000 new supporters -- the most of any candidate.
These highs, however, are accompanied by corresponding lows.
I can't decide if Hillary Clinton should be flattered or offended by the media's continuing obsession with every detail of her personal appearance and presentation? Having exhausted the topics of cleavage, pantsuits, and hairstyles, they've now turned to her laugh. Howard Kurtz's extensive review of the media's current obsession points to the root of this particular evil.
"Senator Clinton is being depicted in the press as the inevitable Democratic nominee and, therefore, a good bet to become the 44th president…. Journalists are examining her personality quirks precisely because she is doing so well, and because it's more fun than analyzing her health plan."
Maybe Howard's right. I think that when presented with so much depth and command of the issues, her detractors retreat to dishing out the shallowest and most sexist of attacks. In the face of this continuous barrage against Hillary and other women candidates, I sometimes find myself discouraged and in danger of losing my own sense of humor. It's at these times that I'm grateful for one of my favorite source of philosophy: the fortune cookie. This week's take-out order gave me this reassuring bit of wisdom:
"Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause."
The tiny strip of paper is now taped to my computer screen – a reminder to see the true motivations of these past attacks and a buttress against the low blows that are sure to come as Hillary continues her strong and steady rise to the presidency.
Have a great day!
Ramona