Peggy Noonan points out the trance the Democrats are in right now over the "inevitability" of Hillary! Clinton. She compares the two biggest political families of the past generation, the Bush and Clinton dynasties. And points out the massive problem this is causing.
Some Democrats seem proud they already know who their candidate is, unlike those messy Republicans who haven't been able to resolve the issue. But should it be resolved before people vote?…….
……. That to me gets to the heart of the problem and the heart of The Trance. Mrs. Clinton is so far ahead so early on for the same reason Mr. Bush was so far ahead so early on in 2000, and after only six years as governor, with no previous offices behind him.
It is the nature of modern politics. A political family gains allies–retainers, supporters, hangers-on, admirers, associates, in-house Machiavellis. The bigger the government, the more ways allies can be awarded, which binds them more closely. Your destiny is theirs. Members of the court recruit others. Money lines spread person to person, company to company, board to board, mover to mover.
The most important part is the money lines. Power is expensive. The second most important part is the word "winner." The Bushes are winners; the Clintons are winners. We know this, they've won. The Bushes are wired into the Republican money-line system; the Clintons are wired into the Democratic money-line system. For a generation, two generations now, they have had the same dynamics in play, only their friends are on the blue team, not the red, or the red, not the blue.
They are, both groups, up and ready and good to go every election cycle. They are machines. There are good people on each side, idealists, the hopeful, those convinced the triumph of their views will make our country better. And there are those on each side who are not so wonderful, not so well-meaning, not well-meaning at all. And some are idiots, but very comfortable ones.
The rush to try to be the first primary that the State legislatures have engaged in recently only makes this worse. It has the effect of making the candidate with the most money the sure thing to get the nod. There will be no surprises, there will be no dark horse candidates, there will be no brokered conventions. There will only be the trance of going through the motions to pick the best funded and most visible candidate. Is this good for the nation? Of course it isn't.
Clinton has already been tied to a massively corrupt fundraising figure, Norman Hsu. She has chosen to rehabilitate a convicted thief as an adviser, Sandy Berger. She has serious baggage. But she is "inevitable." And the trance goes on.
‘It is the nature of modern politics’
My question is how come none ever speak about the highly coveted Centrist ‘moderate’ voters and their effect on the body politic?
I mean, is it really possible to be both fiscally conservative while at the same time socially liberal?
Case in point Rudy (whom at this point I’m supporting since during the time he was my mayor had the guts to deny tax-funded government money to financially support Brooklyn Museum’s “Christ Piss’ for which he received from his enlightened social liberal NYer’s a big fat ‘Rudy’s a Nazi Hilter’ poster) yet he seems to maintain the social liberal position that the government should pay abortion cost for poor women. Isn’t this type of Centrist position the opposite of a fiscal conservatism?
Another example, why ddi so many fiscal conservatives demand that the government fund stem-cell research, don’t they believe in free-market capitalism?
I’m thinking the Hillary would be a great boost to the Republicans. Money can only buy so much, but there isn’t enough to buy right-thinking voters. She’s a sham, a crook and a liar – and I certainly don’t want to see her seated on the throne in the Oval office… EVER!