posted by Heretic
A lot of the progressive left has a real problem with Hillary and will work to prevent her victory in the primaries. But what would her presidency be like? Probably a lot like her husband's. He left things to be desired, for sure, but can we actually do better? And despite the media hype on all sides, she is indeed electable. She has the highest favorables of all the major candidates in both parties. It matters not that 44% do not like her. Those are the folks who vote republican anyway.
1. She is pro-choice; no more draconian court nominees.
2. She supports due process; POWs will be treated fairly, no more spying on citizens, etc.
3. She is a multilateralist on foreign policy; no more cowboy diplomacy; bye-bye neocons.
4. She is environmentalist, not to the degree much of the progressive left is, but pretty much in line with the public on key issues. She will support greenhouse gas caps and research into alternative fuels.
5. She would repeal the Bush tax cuts.
6. She is pro-stem cell research; time to catch up with the rest of the world.
7. She will support free speech and net neutrality. She has even backed off from her recent tirades about video games, pushing instead for more parental oversight. (Progressive Gore supporters should remember that Tipper led the charge against the music industry way back when—so no higher moral ground on that account. Sometimes even liberal moms freak out about their kids—the test is whether they come to their senses in time.)
8. She will end the Iraq war and not start another one. (It is convenient for Obama supporters to point out that he did not vote for the war. Well, he was not in the Senate at the time and he has shown a tendency not to take strong positions, either, so its empty rhetoric for him to say now he was always against it and would not have voted for it. He also declined to filibuster Alito, calling that an extreme move. He has demonstrated quite clearly that he is not even remotely a leader.)
8. She will work to replace no child left behind with something that works.
9. She has demonstrated her ability to work with members of both parties and is actually widely respected amongst her senate colleagues.
10. She will support immigration reform.
I could go on with this list, but these 10 alone are a pretty decent agenda. Personally, I would prefer Edwards, but I doubt he has a chance. Same with Wes Clark, my other fave. Obama, OTOH, does nothing for me. Great speaker, good looks, no gravitas. That's right. While none of the major Dem candidates have significant experience in elected office, some have gravitas and others don't. She may have led less than she should have these past six years, but Hillary does have gravitas and will be able to get things done.
Finally, let's say that someone more truly progressive got the nod. First, I actually don't consider any of the majors to be much more progressive than Hillary, all issue considered. Kucinich and Feingold; those guys are progressives. But let's get real here. And even if one of them could win, the fact is that neither the public nor congress would not support an agenda that is more socialist or green than what Hillary would give us. Such a president would spend four years either pushing legislation that failed or end up compromising in the middle where Hillary would be from the outset. And that leftwing president would probably not get re-elected if he or she failed to accomplish anything that made real changes in the life of middle-class Americans. Bill did that and Hillary could, too.
Clinton/Clark in 2008.
P.S. One last word for the Cenk and the other Gore afficionados. If he is so wise, how come he picked that sniveling little toad, Lieberman, to be his VP? Bad advice? A president needs to be able to make the right decision when the pressure is on. The fact that he has been so impassioned and right on during his "retirement" just shows me that he does the public a better service in that role.
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