Via the NYT: Clinton Says ‘I’m In to Win’ 2008 Race:
“I’m in,” she says in a statement on her new campaign Web site. “And I’m in to win.”
Mrs. Clinton, 59, called for “bold but practical changes” in foreign, domestic, and national security policy and said that she would focus on finding “a right end” to the Iraq war, expanding health insurance, pursuing greater energy independence and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.
The question becomes, of course: how? To be fair, of course, all candidates tend to start out with nice big, vague promised.
On the electability question:
In her statement, Mrs. Clinton also squarely confronted an issue that concerns many Democrats: Whether she can, in fact, win the presidency. Some voters still associate her most with the controversies of the Clinton administration, and Republicans have long attacked and caricatured her, and plan to brand her as indecisive on Iraq.
“I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine,” Mrs. Clinton said on the Web site. “After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.”
I must confess, I get tired of one side calling the other a “machine”–if anything because it evokes a specific era of our politics when “machine politics” were the hallmarks of especially large urban areas. Also, it is cliche. Mostly, it is just a pet peeve.
In regards to citing her triumphs over Republicans in NY, that really isn’t as impressive as it sounds–especially in the recent cycle when she ran against essentially nobody.
Still, what see has demonstrated in those campaigns is the ability to raise a great deal of money–a key skill as she looks towards 2008.
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January 20th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Hillary Clinton Launches 2008 White House Bid
After nearly eight years of speculation, Hillary Clinton has announced her candidacy for president.
Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton embarked on a widely anticipated campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady intent on becoming…
January 20th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I’m amazed at how much coverage this “news” has received today. Not surprised, but amazed. You’d think that Americans weren’t expecting Hilary to run or something.
January 20th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Knowing your audience is half the battle. The other half is crafting an honest, relevant content. I like the honest voice and and think the launch of her website and online community was a smart move. read more at http://joannapenabickley.typepad.com/
January 20th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
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January 20th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Of course we knew we always knew that one day a woman would run for President. Futhermore it’s been more than evident to anyone eith their eyes open that she has been persuing this appointment for years. My feeling is not against a woman in office just this woman. I think it has as much to do with the moral character of her husband. I am proud of President Clinton taking an active part in world issues and I see he has changed . I myself have gone through the same kind of transformation. If the table was turned would a man be able to run with a woman of questional background as myself, NO NOT AT ALL! I can’t see her taking the position of honor. She is not ready to run our country and may never be. Obama is looking like the pheniox rising from the ashes.I want a President that cares about the people I think she cares about the position more.
January 21st, 2007 at 12:08 am
I think it is fair to characterize the Republicans under Tom DeLay as a “machine,” since a political machine is an arrangement whereby the political rank-and-file–the foot-soldiers–agree to “go along to get along,” i.e. to support their leadership consistently even when they disagree, in exchange for being taken care of with repect to patronage, pork for their districts, etc.
Of course it is also fair to argue that since the fall of DeLay, the Republican machine has broken down and indeed may no longer even exist.
January 21st, 2007 at 9:54 am
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