Alienating Right, Left, and Center
In a shocking betrayal of character, Sen. Hillary Clinton is showing the world just how she feels. Instead of well-scripted, calculated image construction to help her appeal to center and right-ish elements within America, she lashed out at Republicans, lumping them into the same camp as "slave-era plantation owners". But I'll let you read for yourself...
From the New York Daily News:
WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton's painstakingly crafted campaign to soften her limousine liberal pedigree for 2008 hit a speed bump in Harlem yesterday.
Ever since being elected to the Senate, New York's junior senator has strived to persuade moderate and independent voters she's not just another Hollywood lefty.
But her likening of House Republican leaders to slave-era plantation overseers at least momentarily complicates her move-to-the-middle blueprint.
"The use of the word 'plantation' is terribly unwise," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "It will just reinforce the view most Americans have of Hillary Clinton as being very liberal."
It could have been worse, Sabato added: "At least she didn't mention Hitler."
She is really trying to remold her image from the one constructed during her husband's tenure as President. While Bill was in office, she spearheaded the (thankfully) abortive attempt to standardize and socialize health care in the US, as well as being an outspoken advocate for pet causes. Don't forget her cuddling up with Hollywood liberals like Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and her ilk. (There's that word again! I love that word!)
Her image makeover was always calculated and had shown very few cracks:
Like President Bush in 2000, the senator aims to win the White House by pulling off a tricky centrist makeover. Her rightward tilt includes backing the Iraq invasion, calling abortion "a tragic choice," sponsoring a bill to make flag-burning a crime and pushing for a crackdown on violent video games.
It's no accident that she has also co-sponsored legislation with many of the GOP senators who voted to remove her husband from office - including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C), an impeachment manager as a House member. She's even teamed up with former nemesis Newt Gingrich to push computerized medical records reform.
From her high-profile perch on the Armed Services Committee, Clinton is a hawk on many national security issues. The National Journal last year ranked her one of the most conservative Democratic senators on foreign policy.
I think what gets me the most is that Bill Clinton was the master of never saying a word that wasn't cleverly scripted and false. To have Hillary lashing out like this is inconsistent with what I saw as the 'Clinton character'.
Will this incident be the outing of a non-reformed liberal? Or just a speed bump in her road to the White House?