Again, to Jay's point, the polls right now dictate the chatter, but they hardly give any indication about where we're headed. Let's take a quick look back at the trajectory of the '04 race in Iowa. In late October 2003 - still another four weeks from where we are in this year's race - Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt were running neck and neck, with John Kerry a distant third and John Edwards a very distant fourth. The race remained frozen in that position through the beginning of January as shown by an Iowa Poll taken just two weeks before the caucuses. Another Iowa poll taken just days before the vote picks up on the significant movement occurring as people focused on the race. And we all know how the final results looked...That certainly is true, in 2004 things did shift enormously, at least two times on the Democratic side. We had the collapse and rebirth of John Kerry, we had the collapse of Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt.
But my argument is not based on the idea that Hillary is unassailable because she is so far ahead. Rather she is so far ahead because her challengers are fatally flawed candidates. In other words. She's unstoppable because there is no one running who can stop her.
Both Edwards and Obama have a huge experience gap with the potential Republican nominee. They both have gotten where they are through good messaging and hard work. I don't want to shortchange that, but it can only get you so far. Earlier this year I speculated that Richardson might rally the anti-Hillary vote. But he is just too goofy, to put it nicely. Whatever it is that defines being "presidential" Richardson does not have, not even an ounce. Which is too bad for the Democrats, but that's another story.
Both Edwards and Obama have a huge experience gap with the potential Republican nominee. They both have gotten where they are through good messaging and hard work. I don't want to shortchange that, but it can only get you so far. Earlier this year I speculated that Richardson might rally the anti-Hillary vote. But he is just too goofy, to put it nicely. Whatever it is that defines being "presidential" Richardson does not have, not even an ounce. Which is too bad for the Democrats, but that's another story.
But back to my argument. Hillary is not unstoppable because she is so far ahead in the polls. She is far ahead in the polls because the Democrats realize they have no other real choice. I just don't see that changing.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 5)
16. Hillary will win the democratic nomination cuz GW said so. Vetoe that be-otches!
just kidding. I was hoping for a fresh face but I forgot the richest people get to become president.
David McCool at 5:16PM on Oct 3rd 2007
17. She will be stop in the democratic Primaries,it's between Edward and Obama Hilliarys machine is starting to come apart.
KaM at 1:47AM on Oct 4th 2007
18. I just google the articles about Clinton and cocaine. The only real news article was from Solom and it stated "Newsreal: Behind the Clinton cocaine smear"
"Behind the Clinton cocaine smear Conservative Billionaire funded secret investigation of Clinton's alleged durg connection."
Nothing was found. Just like Ken Star found nothing about the Clinton's. You do remember Ken Star, well Mr. Star is backing Mrs. Clinton. A conservative himself who on the orders of the Rep's in congress to find anything about the Clinton's could NOT find a thing. Cost American tax payers 650,000 dollars and 5 year. Again Star found nothing. And this other Conservative billiaraire couldn't find NOR PAID ANYONE TO say Clinton's had a cocaine problem.
LOL--why do conservatives believe they are going to heaven? LOL All I see conservatives do is lie. And lying is a sin.
Veterans Group Launches Anti-Limbaugh Ad
The veterans group spent $60,000 on a national as condemning Limbaugh on cable news othlets last Wednesday and Thursday. They also aired a radio version of the ad during the Rush Limbaugh show in Washington, D.C., and in Palm Beach, Fla---Limbaugh's home market.
"Maybe Rush Limbaugh hasn't heard, but there's a new sheriff in town---American's troops and veterans, who are not going to sit idle while he and his ilk demean the service of those who oppose the president's Failed policy in Iraq", said Jon Soltz, chair of VoteVets.org and an Iraq War veteran. Votevets is going to back Mrs. Clinton.
Dancerpl2 at 1:40AM on Oct 4th 2007
19. I was listening to Rush Limbaugh show on Friday 9/28/07 at 9:00AM and I couldn't find anything that offend anybody while he was explaining the truth about the phony soldier story.I think it just the political hype as we near the 2008 election and people of both Party seems overwhelm with excitement.Yea its Tis the Season for sure and political pundits running around looking for Santa Clause this early.Candidates gotta be careful of the presents Santa is bringing them for the season.
KaM at 3:56AM on Oct 4th 2007
20. KaM--I quess that the War Vet's are just making things up right. No--they are tired of all the lies that come out of the months of conservatives. There are more Iraqi war Vet's that are against this war and have said nothing until now. Rush did call all vets that are against the war phoney. They are going to have there say and no one and I mean no one is going to stop them.
VoteVets.org will now go after Ann--because she said the same thing today.
Dancerpl2 at 11:49AM on Oct 4th 2007
21. Dancerp12 at11:49AM
Rush Limbaugh has been and always a staunch defender of Veterans and Military men an women and the reason I know is I listened to his radio programm often and he always make positive comments about the military when it's part of the discussion.
KaM at 1:21PM on Oct 4th 2007
22. Can I just go through a blog that does not mention Rush Limbaugh.
David McCool at 4:28PM on Oct 4th 2007
23. People are going to be so sick of that cackling bitch by election time that they would vote for a cheese sandwich instead of her.People wake up, Hillary would be the worst president in History with her socialistic views and her ambition to bring corporations to their knees. Scares the bejesus out of me. Thank God most people with common sense will flush her down the toilet where she belongs come election time.
audrey hobbs at 4:42PM on Oct 4th 2007
24. The so called experience gap argument is total nonesense. First of all its not true that Hillary has more experience than her Democratic rivals. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden have far more experience in Washington than does Hillary and Ambassador Richards has far more experience and substance in the area of foreign policy. To simply dismiss Richards as being too goofy before any one has cast a vote in a primary is interesting. Maybe what you really wanted to say is that the country isn't ready for a latino president.
Secondly, I would be interested to know which likely Republican nominee enjoys such a huge advantage over Edwards or Obama when it comes to experience. Is it republican front runner Giulani whose major claim to fame is that he was the mayor of New York City? Or perhaps it is the great conservative hope Fred Thompson, the on again off again senator whose record in Washington is hardly distinguished. But lets say that the Republicans did nominate an experienced candidtate(John McCain). Would the election then be a forgone conclusion? Hardly, remember in 1960 the overwhelmingly experienced candidate was Vice President Richard Nixon. Yet Nixon lost to a young inexperienced Senator named John Kennedy because the country was yearning to move towards the future and not the past.
In my opinion, Hillary's experience as a Former First Lady is much over blown. And even in that capacity she was apparently out of the loop(no pun intended). A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for the politics of the past. Lets move on. Lets move towards the future. Obama or Edwards or Richardson is our only hope.
randy at 7:00PM on Oct 4th 2007
25. KaM---well why don't you email votevets.org or familiesforvets.org and tell them that. Or why don't you write to homelessvets.com they would love to here from you and they will tell you have they feel. Don't be afraid because they aren't afraid of you and they will tell you so. 100,000 vets and counting.
Dancerpl2 at 12:10AM on Oct 5th 2007
26. #25 Dancerp12 at 12:10AM
You know you can fool someone else but not me.Why would I email Vets.org what have they done don't drag the vets to this it has nothing to do with those honorable war veterans.This is about a single persons story.
Kava at 3:00AM on Oct 5th 2007
27. The thought of Hillary being president scares me.
Indoor Tanning Lotion at 12:14PM on Oct 5th 2007
28. From: Indoor Tanning Lotion at 12:14PM on Oct 5th 2007
27. The thought of Hillary being president scares me.
V -"You have nothing to fear but fear itself."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Ventrue at 2:45PM on Oct 6th 2007
29. For the Clinton's its coming back full circle when her husband was president.Just last month we have the Chinese involved in another campaign cash dealings with the Clinton's and the latest one has been a felon for the last 15 years,and now we see Sandy Burghlar being hired by the Clinton's is this payback for Sandy stealing classified documents before they went to the 911 commission to show that Clinton's didn't do anything to prevent 911 and now he was given a slap on the wrist and this convicted felon going back to where he got his start.Even in the '04 elections when Kerry found out about Burghler he fired him.
robert kennedy at 1:30PM on Oct 8th 2007
30. Richard Nixon lost to Kennedy because of the pact his father Joe signed with Mafia and they rigged the vote in Chicago,and paying off the coal miners in West Virgina,but to Nixon's credit he didn't want the county to go through what would have been voter fraud.
robert kennedy at 1:37PM on Oct 8th 2007