|
Hillary's attempt at a self-definition as a
unifier, as far as she is concerned, her husband tried to unify Americans in
the late 1990’s and that message is historically linked to her campaign and she
is materializing it in these elections. Contrary to the charges of her
Democratic, Republican and Independent opponents who see her differently,
Hillary contends that only the Republicans who opposed her stance on abortion,
feminism, health care and fiscal policies see her as divisive. She argues that
she is an advocate for the working classes in the country and she banks heavily
in their support in
Ohio,
Pennsylvania
and
Texas. This crucial point deserves greater
attention not only between Obama/Hillary distinctions but in the Hillary/McCain
Divide.
Throughout the campaign the Democratic candidates have
engaged in eighteen debates and two more are coming next week. These debates
are supposed to shed some light on the divergent positions of the two
candidates and
Hillary is expected to draw the dividing
lines separating her from Obama. There are five immediate spheres of
distinctions. There is the gender question which
Hillary
has exploited to full capacity to press the hopes and dreams of feminists and
other women who see her as the first woman president of the
United
States. There is also
Hillary
the mother who borrowed the African adage, it takes a village to raise a child,
to press for children rights and to argue for better health services for the
American people. Throughout her campaign she has reminded her listeners that
she worked with the Children Defense Fund in
Washington
and was appointed by her husband to develop a health program for
America
during his presidency.
On this point, there is a fundamental difference between her
and the Republicans, there is also a distinction between her and
Barack
Obama which revolves around their dissimilar ideas of
health coverage and how it could universally or singularly be
administered. To the Republicans, the differences between these two
democrats are too unnoticeable and certainly whitish into insignificance when
compared to their own Republican position. This is where she is separate from
Obama and hopes the voters would notice and shoo in for her.
Again, there is this righteous attitude towards North
American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) and global trade and commerce.
Hillary
is yet to see the connections between her association with
Walt
Mat and the loss of jobs to American labor because of
outsourcing. These divergent attitudes resulted in their exchange at one of the
debates when
Hillary accused Obama of working with slum
landlords in
Chicago. In their competition
in
Ohio,
Pennsylvania
and
Texas, responding to the blue collar workers
and the so-called “hard hats” of
Nixon fame would be a critical
factor. These people from the lower classes of American society would make a
difference in these states and
Hillary is hell bent to
distinguish herself from both Obama and McCain. With respect to Obama, the
distinction is crucial during the final stages of the Democratic Party and with
respect to McCain, it is during the national elections.
The Iraqi war has brought lots of finger pointing from both
camps, however, although Hillary is now firmly opposed to the war policies of
President Bush and is skeptical about the resurgence in Iraq, she would like to
take measures to bring the U.S. troops back home within sixty days after taking
office in January 2009, Obama, on the other hand, is constantly reminding the
senator from New York that she has yet to acknowledge her errors in supporting
the war and to be humbled enough to admit the mistake of contributing to the
loss of lives and property among Americans and the Iraqi people.
Hillary is convinced that she is
better prepared for the position therefore Americans should “send her” because
of her thirty-five years of political activism which makes her a formidable
candidate. Obama and her supporters are not impressed by this logic at all.
Being a First Lady for eight years without any direct participation in her husband’s
federal cabinet and again being First Lady in
Arkansas
state government do not in any way give her governmental or moral superiority
over the other candidates. As far as Obama is concerned, there are certain
threads linking his and her political biographies together and there is nothing
especially about her that makes his candidacy less significant. In fact, I
should say here that
Hillary and
Bill
Clinton have distinguished themselves from their rivals
because of
Bill’s political scandal over
Monica
Lewinsky and the drama of his failed impeachment. She and
her husband certainly fit the African political characters known as Yumpung and
Yampang. Like
Tweedle
Dee
and
Tweedle
Dum they
were used in West African political discourse to describe the coming together
of people or things against a political foe. Apparently, President Clinton
employed the “fairy tale” metaphor which most probably urged many readers of
English literature to search for connections and meanings as in Alice in
Wonderland‘s story and the role of the black crow as contained hereunder:
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle,
Just then flew down
a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar-barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so?
They quite forgot
their quarrel.
Bill
Clinton’s fairy tale
drives a point that spells a clear and present danger about differences between
his wife and Obama , the fairy tale is deathly and undermining. Such an analogy
plus the parallelism with
Jesse
Jackson
in the
South Carolina presidential elections of
early days suggest a major line of distinction.
Hillary
Clinton is power
struck and very desperate at this moment.. Quote me, she taking it up to the
very end of the primaries. Between her and
Bill,
capturing power has become their male child. They will not rest until they get
back to the White House. The obstacles to that goal are the democratic voters
in these primaries and the Republicans casting ballots in November. She will
make it to the White House only when her political identity and her political
campaign are seen as genuine and real. Neither political manipulation nor ugly
propaganda can pave the way to success. Too many Americans are skeptical about
the
Clintons, but many others have faith
in them despite their political failures and accomplishments. According to
Clinton
logic, a blunder with
Bill is an innovation under
Hillary.
I am afraid a
Hillary win of the
primaries will be the Democratic Party’s loss for the 2008 Presidential
election. The drama is still unfolding.
.
|
RSS Feeds | Podcasts
Posted by Robot| 19.02.2008 01:55