Hillary Clinton gave her big speech last night. I watched as much as I could stomach, but I confess I couldn't quite make it all the way through. My general impression is that she was pretty clear in her support of Barack Obama as the nominee. She stressed party unity a lot, and cited the need to get Republicans out of the White House as her primary motivation for running. While I have no doubt that she is still bitter about losing to the rookie, she appears to be towing the party line.
The key, I believe, is that she appears to be doing it. I wouldn't be surprised if she was going to follow the plan I briefly mentioned yesterday about playing nice, undercutting, and then running in 2012 on the see-I-told-you-Obama-couldn't-cut-it line. Victor Davis Hanson sums it up nicely:
Rich Lowry adds this:
Time will tell, of course, but I would guess that most of the remaining pro-Clinton push at this point is going to be done largely by her supporters acting on their own. Too bad...it would have been tremendous fun to watch the explosion! Still, I don't think anyone expects we've seen the last of the Clintons.
Anyway, much of the reaction that I've seen so far has been lukewarm positive. She didn't inspire or save the world, but she did what she needed to do: point her people toward getting in line with Obama. If she accomplishes that goal, her speech will have been a solid success, both for getting her off the hotspot (and ensuring future political viability) and for giving Obama at least a minimal boost.
She also spent considerable time bashing Bush and attempting to connect McCain to Bush. The thing that both amuses and infuriates me is how the Democrat party is in constant disconnect with reality. For example, Clinton said Obama would restore the economy, and that got a big applause from the crowd. Here's the thing...Obama's plan is to raise taxes on everything in sight. History, basic economics, and common sense all show us that raising taxes restores the economy about as well as pouring water in a car's gas tank restores the engine's performance. This is not a policy that can be debated - it is a fact that has been proven time and time again for as long as history, basic economics, and common sense have existed! And yet, the Democrats still trumpet it as a winning strategy.
The thing that saddens me is that so many people are so ignorant that they believe them.
That's just one example, but Clinton hit on many others, including nationalized health care, the war on terror, and America's position of leadership in the world. The same disconnect is plainly evident in all of these areas, but still people will follow them blindly over the cliff. Facts and reality are too important for me to ignore, but I guess that's not the case for everyone.
There's my two cents.
The key, I believe, is that she appears to be doing it. I wouldn't be surprised if she was going to follow the plan I briefly mentioned yesterday about playing nice, undercutting, and then running in 2012 on the see-I-told-you-Obama-couldn't-cut-it line. Victor Davis Hanson sums it up nicely:
Bottom line: she remains loyal Democrat, dissed victim, the should-have-been nominated candidate, senior healer ready to clean up the mess of 2008, and savior in 2012. Note well Chelsea's ubiquity, the slick Hillary infomercial, Bill's wide grin, and the Clinton triad everywhere.
And the reaction of the Obamanics? They will belatedly seem like the baffled victims who discover their picked pockets, know full well who did it, but can't quite tell the police when, how, or by whom it happened.
And the reaction of the Obamanics? They will belatedly seem like the baffled victims who discover their picked pockets, know full well who did it, but can't quite tell the police when, how, or by whom it happened.
Rich Lowry adds this:
What wasn't in the speech—anything remarkable, personal, or truly warm about Obama—speaks eloquently of how she still feels toward him. Consider this passage:
And when Barack Obama is in the White House, he'll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before. And President Obama and the Democrats will do it again.
If revitalizing the economy, etc. sound like pretty impressive accomplishments, the reason Obama will be able to do them is because he's a Democrat. And in the same breath she's bragging about the Clinton presidency. What so great about Barack Obama? He happens to be a member of the same party as Bill Clinton. Nothing she said tonight will be incompatible with what she'll want to say if Obama loses in November: "Told you so."
Time will tell, of course, but I would guess that most of the remaining pro-Clinton push at this point is going to be done largely by her supporters acting on their own. Too bad...it would have been tremendous fun to watch the explosion! Still, I don't think anyone expects we've seen the last of the Clintons.
Anyway, much of the reaction that I've seen so far has been lukewarm positive. She didn't inspire or save the world, but she did what she needed to do: point her people toward getting in line with Obama. If she accomplishes that goal, her speech will have been a solid success, both for getting her off the hotspot (and ensuring future political viability) and for giving Obama at least a minimal boost.
She also spent considerable time bashing Bush and attempting to connect McCain to Bush. The thing that both amuses and infuriates me is how the Democrat party is in constant disconnect with reality. For example, Clinton said Obama would restore the economy, and that got a big applause from the crowd. Here's the thing...Obama's plan is to raise taxes on everything in sight. History, basic economics, and common sense all show us that raising taxes restores the economy about as well as pouring water in a car's gas tank restores the engine's performance. This is not a policy that can be debated - it is a fact that has been proven time and time again for as long as history, basic economics, and common sense have existed! And yet, the Democrats still trumpet it as a winning strategy.
The thing that saddens me is that so many people are so ignorant that they believe them.
That's just one example, but Clinton hit on many others, including nationalized health care, the war on terror, and America's position of leadership in the world. The same disconnect is plainly evident in all of these areas, but still people will follow them blindly over the cliff. Facts and reality are too important for me to ignore, but I guess that's not the case for everyone.
There's my two cents.
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