In today's New York Times, Gail Collins writes an op-ed piece, "Never Trust Anybody Over 49." She expresses her dissatisfaction with the likelihood of Hillary Clinton becoming the Democrats' nominee for president.
As Democrats begin to sense the inevitability of Hillary getting the nod, they're getting restless.
Collins' assessment is that Hillary is not really what the voters want, nor can she ever be what they really need -- change.
Collins writes:
Hillary is too old.
She isn't about change.
She's status quo.
I guess the thought of Hillary as the first ever woman to be nominated by the Democrat Party for president isn't earth-shattering enough.
Calling Hillary's campaign "historic" doesn't refer to breaking barriers and boldly going where no woman has gone before. Apparently, she's "historic," as in same old, same old, boring.
That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Hillary.
Comparing the inevitability of Hillary as the nominee to the proverbial frog unaware of being boiled to death is not pretty.
If Collins is correct about the Dems' sentiment for Hillary, then Hillary is in trouble.
She has to succeed at a difficult balancing act. Hillary has to appear experienced and trustworthy. For voters to put the country in her hands, she needs to give off the gravitas vibe.
That's a problem. If she's viewed as the gravitas candidate, then she also is likely to be viewed as a stodgy old coot.
Barack Obama may be naive and inexperienced and an empty suit, but he certainly has the age advantage over Hillary.
Obama's face doesn't need to be freakishly puffed out with collagen or paralyzed with Botox.
Collins discusses the '08 presidential field:
In short, Hillary is a disappointment.
Although there may be an inevitability about Hillary's candidacy, not all Dems are prepared to accept it.
As Democrats begin to sense the inevitability of Hillary getting the nod, they're getting restless.
Collins' assessment is that Hillary is not really what the voters want, nor can she ever be what they really need -- change.
Collins writes:
Obama’s campaign is the revenge of Gen XYZ — an inconvenient reminder to the 50- and 60-somethings that they’ve become part of the system they used to decry. His big rally this week in Greenwich Village was an event that Hillary could never have pulled off — politics as a dating scene. Thousands and thousands and thousands of mostly young people swarmed into Washington Square Park where they were warmed up by a 25-year-old Asian-American rapper named Jin, who announced that Obama was going to be getting “my first vote ever.”
To this crowd, Clinton is what you hope you won’t have to settle for at the end. Better than Bush, of course, but not a real agent for change. “There are competent people who will manage the system the way it is,” said Obama about you-know-who, and, of course, the crowd cheered that no, they wanted someone braver and better and maybe even ... younger.
Hillary is too old.
She isn't about change.
She's status quo.
I guess the thought of Hillary as the first ever woman to be nominated by the Democrat Party for president isn't earth-shattering enough.
Calling Hillary's campaign "historic" doesn't refer to breaking barriers and boldly going where no woman has gone before. Apparently, she's "historic," as in same old, same old, boring.
The Democratic Party seems to be gradually acclimating itself to the idea that Hillary Clinton is going to be the nominee. It’s a little like that frog in a beaker of water that Al Gore talks about in his global warming speech — the one who won’t notice he’s being boiled to death if you turn up the heat ever so gradually. Day by day, debate by debate, poll by poll, the sense of Hillary’s inevitability seems to be seeping in.
That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Hillary.
Comparing the inevitability of Hillary as the nominee to the proverbial frog unaware of being boiled to death is not pretty.
She thinks she’s got it nailed as long as she doesn’t make any mistakes, and that can be a trap. It is possible to be so careful that you drive everybody crazy, make them so itchy for adventure, for a noble mission instead of a winnable hand of poker, that they’ll be willing to undo all your hard work just to juice things up.
During the latest Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton was exactly that kind of candidate.
If Collins is correct about the Dems' sentiment for Hillary, then Hillary is in trouble.
She has to succeed at a difficult balancing act. Hillary has to appear experienced and trustworthy. For voters to put the country in her hands, she needs to give off the gravitas vibe.
That's a problem. If she's viewed as the gravitas candidate, then she also is likely to be viewed as a stodgy old coot.
Barack Obama may be naive and inexperienced and an empty suit, but he certainly has the age advantage over Hillary.
Obama's face doesn't need to be freakishly puffed out with collagen or paralyzed with Botox.
Collins discusses the '08 presidential field:
The Republican debates have become an ongoing suspense drama in which viewers try to guess which of these unlikely suspects will actually become a presidential nominee. The Democratic ones, meanwhile, are becoming less about the competition and more and more focused on how Hillary performs. That’s bad for the Clinton camp, since her strategy is all about not losing. She never gets caught in a disaster, but if you’re waiting for her to say something unexpected or pointed or forthcoming, you may have a long night.
In short, Hillary is a disappointment.
Although there may be an inevitability about Hillary's candidacy, not all Dems are prepared to accept it.
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