Hillary v Jeb: the grudge match for 2008?

[emad]

The Times
By Tim Hames


AMERICAN politics has come to resemble a never-ending episode of Dynasty. The current President is the son of a former President (and the grandson of a senator). His predecessor now serves as the political consort to a wife who is the Senator for New York. One of her colleagues and opponents in that chamber is a woman (Elizabeth Dole) who is married to the man (Robert Dole) who ran against Mr Clinton in the presidential contest eight years ago. America is fond of family businesses. This arrangement, though, looks positively incestuous.

It may be worse come the 2008 election. For the two big winners from this epic presidential battle, besides George W. Bush himself, are Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the President’s brother and Governor of Florida. In a development that would make those who write soap opera scripts blush with shame, America may well be a mere 1,465 days away from a showdown between the Bush and Clinton tribes.

Mrs Clinton has proved how easy it is to win an election by losing one. Had John Kerry been elected, then any chance of her running for the White House in 2008 would have disappeared entirely. His pain is, without doubt, her gain. But the outcome is even more delicious for the senator. There had been real fears among her supporters that even if Mr Kerry lost, the seemingly charismatic Senator John Edwards would do well enough in the course of the campaign to establish himself as a serious rival to her.

As the contest evolved, it became obvious that Mr Edwards was not all that he had been cracked up to be. He did not outperform Dick Cheney in their one debate. His home state of North Carolina was easily captured by Mr Bush. The senate seat that he rashly chose to abandon was seized by the Republicans. Nice hair and teeth. No future.

More:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1342978,00.html

[Drifter]

1. If Hillary runs ...

or even hints at an attempt.

I will never vote again. I won't have to, and it won't help either.

Cheers
Drifter

[lancdem]

2. Jeb said he wasn't running in 2008

I don't care if Hillary runs, but I think a southerner would be better.

[Township75]

3. If Hillary runs...

it is obvious that the Dem leadership is more about putting up candidates that belong to a clique than about who belongs there.

She hasn't been in politics by herself long enough to deserve the shot. Many other worthy Dems have been fighting longer than she has, and they deserve their shot first.

I won't vote for her either

[lancdem]

4. The voters will decide in the primaries

It has nothing to do with "who deserves it." It's who earns it.

[Township75]

5. It is true that it is decided in the primaries...

but the DLC decided to gang-up on Dean, and even raised money to attack him in the primaries.

I also heard that other Dems in NY were told not to run in the primaries once Hillary announced she would try for the senate. That is the stuff I am referring to.

If the grassroots of the Dem party truely want her to be the pick, then so be it

[lancdem]

6. I'm sure we'll have a strong candidate in 2008

no matter who it turns out to be.

[sadiesworld]

18. I would assume that Diebold will decide in the primaries.

:shrug:

[Ardee]

13. Huh?

again:
HUH?
Got a problem with intelligent women?

[OneBlueSky]

7. Hillary v. Jeb would, unfortunately, result in . . .

a Republican landslide . . .

[lancdem]

8. Jeb's not running

He said so.

[daa]

9. He is more stiff and boring than Kerry

[Anakin Skywalker]

12. Uh-Huh.

If a Bush says something, take it to mean the opposite. :)

[YDogg]

14. Jeb is a liar ...

... his pants are on fire.

[ixion]

19. Chimpy said the same thing

so I wouldn't put too much stock in that.

[Larkspur]

10. Hillary would lose in a landslide in the general election

Hillary can motivate the Reichwing base better than Karl Rove and they would come out in droves to make sure she never saw the White House again.

[FeelinGarfunkelly]

11. exactly. Hillary may be *our* star, but I don't think she can win.

We've got to look at our developing talent. Perhaps a Dem governor? right or wrong, Senators don't get elected Pres. very often these days.

[Ardee]

15. I must disagree

We have tried Bush-lite (twice actually though Gore hid his true nature)now maybe it is time to understand that, to win an election, the candidate must separate herself from her opponent.

Certainly the religious right would blow a fuse but to think that they actually swayed this last election is to fall directly into Rove's trap!

[hangloose]

16. Don't count out the terminator there's a push to have the 22

amendment repealed.

[bemildred]

17. How about "none of the above". nt