Truth time: I have long had an intellectual crush on Lévy. He is an odd mix of philosopher-journalist, and his logic is always superbe! Speaking with Eliot Spitzer on CNN’s In The Arena tonight, he said that we should listen more to Mrs. Clinton. He said that she was right from the beginning and that he was witness to that. (Starts at 02:31.)
On the show tonight because he is the one who convinced Sarkozy to take up the free Libyan cause, he said that he told the French President that there were French flags flying in Benghazi, and if Sarkozy did nothing, there would be blood on the French flags. What a dramatic image! Uncomplicated and true.
That same Mrs. Clinton has come up in recent polls with her highest approval ratings to date. According to Gallup, 40% among Republicans, 62% among Independents, and 92% among Democrats, It seems to me that it might be time for the DNC to do what I long have said they would need to do and should do: get on their knees and beg her to run in 2012 for the top office which they wrongly prevented her from doing in 2008. While they are kneeling, they should pray that she will say yes. Side note: HRC is certain to have plans for domestic troubles about which she currently cannot speak.
Yes, I think it is high time for a woman to shatter that glass ceiling, and the woman who has always been meant to do that is Hillary Rodham Clinton. DNC, talk to her.
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Even if they asked and even if she said yes, there is still an incumbant presidential candidate. They can’t just ditch him.
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Oh yes they can! And if they are smart, they will. That’s why elections are held every 4 years and not every 8. Incumbency should NEVER mean you automatically get renominated. That’s why they are going to spend big bucks on a convention, isn’t it? What an idea! Just because he’s the incumbent everybody should fold?
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Amen Still, I am getting really tired of people saying you can’t challenge an incumbent of your own party. Last time I checked, this is America, and we have elections to you know, vote for who we want to be President.
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Right! Every FOUR years. Not Every eight!
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Well, obviously they can – it’s how the system’s designed – but it’s messy and, unlike 2008, the momentum is not with democrats. Unless he chooses not to run (unlikely), it’ll be so ugly it’ll make 08 look like the Summer of Love.
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If Obama had to do a primary and lost the democrates probably would not win the white house in 2012. I am trying to be real as an african american I know many in my community and other minorities wouldnt be happy with him losing a primary, and while unhappy people may not necessarily go vote republican they would just stay home and the dems have a hard time winning with out the minority vote it’s what happened in 2010 and now my state WI, and many others are in a heap of mess with crazy governors.
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I agree. Sharon Angle looked like she was going to win against Harry Reid until she mad a few comments and ran an ad that made hispanic voters uncomfortable (rightfully so, IMO). She went from ahead by a couple points to losing in the span of a few days. American generally don’t like discrimination, so if someone says that they lost a primary election because of what they are rather than who they are, that would be a big obsticle for the winner of that primary to overcome.
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Yo, I just noticed who made that “Most Respected” quote – Jon Huntsman. The same Jon Huntsman that’s pondering a run for the Republican presidential nomination. Intriguing.
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The very same. Which is why I was surprised when Obama and Hu did their presser and a journalist remarked that the ambassador might be challenging him. Yes, the very same Jon Huntsman.
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Why on earth am I spending tax dollars on a primary if it is just to promote Obama? Why? If it’s a done deal? That is not going to happen on my vote, I will write in HRC if I have to. Democracy. The right presidential candidate, Give me a break.
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What reason do they give for dropping him? Historically, it doesn’t happen. Also, while your girl is more popular than he is, democrats are tolerating Obama. If he chose not to run, ok, but dropping him for Hillary will set off a lot of infighting and it would be the Republicans race to lose whoever their nominee ends up being.
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That comments highlights exactly what is wrong with the Democratic Party today. And the reason they give for dropping him? Obviously, he is incompetent. And for another thing, there is proof that he cheated in the primaries. Illegal activity was rampant in the caucuses and it all came from his campaign.
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The Democratic Party’s goal is to get democrats elected. The best way to do that ( from my unprofessionial, unemployed, not-connected-to the-party-workings viewpoint) is to avoid giving people a big, emtional issue – like the allegations of racism and strange “Clinton Machine” conspiracy theories that would be bound to be raised – and keep the focus on the candidate and important campaign issues. If the general election becomes about whether or not the Clintons are racists (as bogus a claim as that is) it is a gift for republicans because not only will people be grilling Hillary about it all the time and just refusing to accept her answers, but they’ll go after Bill too and this is an issue that pushes his buttons in a big way. Unless the republican nominee has their own problems in the equality department, this would be a goldmine.
A lot of stuff got passed on Obama’s watch – the Fair Pay Act, S-CHIP, the repeal of DADT just to name a few. Now that had a lot to do with having a highly organized, democratic-held congress, but he can still take the credit. If the Libyan thing doesn’t come tumbling down around his ears, he’ll have that to crow about too even though I think his Secretaries of Defense and State as well as his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are the ones who have been delegated that task. He has enough to campaign on that I don’ t think the incompetence argument would work on its own.
Digging into corruption and unethical behavior is once again messy and will take out too many people because, if it’s true, pretty much anyone of importance either knew about it and helped or knew about it and looked the other way. The whole party could probably be gutted to the local level in some areas if you could connect enough dots and at that point the burden of proof is barely there. Its no longer an investigation, but a purge pitting anyone who supported Obama against those who were for Hillary. Who’s going to vote for a democrat then? The republicans would win in a landslide as the democratic party implodes. Bad idea.
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So we should just ignore this.
http://wewillnotbesilenced2008.com/video/index.htm
Everything you said is what we saw in 2008 and it came out of the Obama campaign, not the Clinton campaign. Is that supposed to be some reason simply to rubber stamp him again?
People have been disenfranchised by this behavior, but that’s OK and we should overlook it because God forbid a sitting POTUS should face a challenge? Not on my dollar!
We PAY those poll workers. I was angry enough that we ran a primary here and my vote was deep-sixed the first time around. I will be damned if i will support another primary with one name on the ballot. That reeks of totalitarian thinking. In a democracy, challenges are healthy.
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Trust me I was heated at the alligations thrown at the clintons and what took place in Obama’s campaign, not only their campaign’s behavior but his pandering on issues. I will never forget the lies he told about the healtcare mandate against Hillary and then turned around and supported it. I won’t forget his crew making fun of Hillary on a church pulpit no less just because she had the audacity to stay in the primary till the end, but her or any other democrate challenging him at this point during a primary won’t bold well for a dem white house in 2012 and if the what the republicans are doing on a state level is any indication of what they want to do on a national level then I fear a republican white house.
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I agree with Rachel. I, too, am not endorsing all the foulness that was flung Hillary’s way, but I do not want the Republican agenda taking over at the federal level as it has in many states. If not wanting to endanger all the gains that my mother’s generation secured for mine to start a big fight over stuff that should have been dealt with years ago and will turn into a purge in which a lot of good people lose out because that’s how purges end up working makes me of a totalitarian mindset, then so be it. I think it makes me a realist – politically underemotional perhaps, but a realist nonetheless – with a decent grasp of her political strategy and history.
If the party higher-ups sit Obama down and have a talk with him and he decides not to run and Hillary does, great, it would be wonderful, but I fail to see the benefit of graceless infighting.
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Isn’t that what I said?
I thought so! But I do think it is very dangerous to reject out of hand a challenge. If he does not drop out (and he should), he will be challenged. You can count on that. And there is nothing bad or dangerous about that.
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Obama has overplayed the race card hand and I’m sorry, but it will not continue to work, especially against the Clintons and especially since his staff members have admitted that it was all politics in the media- dirty ass politics I may ad.
A lot of stuff got passed on his watch? You’re kidding, right? He won this time because he took advantage of a moment in history where a lot of people were frustrated and he took advantage of it. he promised “change” and he has delivered none. He has absolutely nothing to run on, because while he may have some small accomplishments to his name, his biggest issues, like Health Care are viewed disapprovingly by the public.
It’s not about Democrats winning, it’s about what’s best for America. Grilling Bill and Hillary is a joke, they have been grilled day in and day out for the past God knows how many years and their accusers have always come up short. The American people get it. Look at the Clintons’ approvals. That tells the right story.
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Yes, Bill and Hillary Clinton have been under a media microscope longer than I’ve been a person, but the allegation of racism is something far more toxic. Pretty much anything else, from tax fraud, to drug use, to sexual misconduct, to criminal activity can be disproved with factual evidence to the contrary. How does a person prove beyond all doubt that they aren’t a racist? Answer: they can’t. It’s their word against someone else’s and for every person they bring in that can attest to the good they’ve done for the minority community there will be another who says they had an experience with this person where they made a statement which was obviously “veiled racism” and the cycle goes on. I think this type of thing is bad for the country as a whole because we shouldn’t be developing a callus against discrimination of any kind, but it’s filthily affective as short term strategy because one that charge is out there, there’s no way to get rid of it completely. Somebody will always exhume it.
Yes, Congress did work on other things besides the Affordable Care Act which is all that hated when you read the polls. About a 50-50 split when they’re averaged all together the last I checked, but that was several weeks ago. No, these other things weren’t really Obama’s doing, but he’ll claim them once the campaign gets going and that’s all that will matter when it comes to the voters’ perception.
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Well, this post got me a new Twitter follower: Bernard-Henri Lévy is now following me on Twitter.
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Cool
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Blew me away!
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WIN!
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He won’t step back. He gets peevish when challenged as was exemplified by his speech on the Libya engagement or in this exchange which amused me even though it was rather rude.
I can’t see him bowing out to any level of political pressure. There would have to be a personal reason and it does seem like there is one.
Historically speaking, a serious challenge to a sitting president from within their party helps to get the opposing party elected. It’s not a bad thing for the political system and the way things work, but in terms of what republicans in positions of power are trying to get accomplished I think it is a bad and dangerous thing right now. Call me crazy, but I don’t what to spend the next forty years after a republican administration like the ones we’re seeing in states trying to help regain everything from the last forty years that I stand to lose, from reproductive rights, to the ability to collectively bargain, to the already iffy situation with campaign financing. Barring a big and very foolish action by republicans (which is never entirely out of the question given that they’re threatening a government shutdown and doing some very petty stuff in some sectors) the prevailing political winds seem to not be blowing in the democrats favor this time around. Thus any major shake ups among democrats will only hurt them as things stand now. A shutdown or some other fracas or massive conservative policy overreach could cause that to change, but I’m just going with what’s happening now.
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I do agree with you that a Primary challenge would not be ideal, but I’m saying that to say Obama shouldn’t be challenged because it might hurt Democrats just irritates me. What did they do to protect reproductive rights or anything else when they had a super majority in Congress?
Granted, here in Ohio Kasich is a nightmare, and the thought of a Republican White House does make my stomach turn.
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If my choices on social and cultural issues are between staying where things are now and going backwards several decades, I’m going to do what I can to hold my ground.
Nobody is entitled to the office of President, so everyone deserves a challenger. I don’t think we’d be well served by one this time around, but anyone who’s ever had any issue with the Obama administration can sense his weakness now, so we’ll have one and, and the history is there for people to consult if they wish. I’m just hanging on for the ride from here on out. You all understand the workings of political things better than I do and this time I’m shutting up before I reveal myself to be the biggest jackass on the block once again.
Time for the Greatest Show on Earth: Barnum and Bailey Primary Season! Who’s got the popcorn?
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I do. I also have the huge BJ’s version of the snack pack. All are welcome!
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Ok, I’ll bring a six pack of Blue Moon. Reserve me a spot on the sofa.
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You’ve got it!
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You can then school me.
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We’ll just watch. Oh! BTW, I will also have crudités and low-fat dips of a wide variety. (Cholesterol, doncha know.)
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My previous statements not withstanding, this is one of the nicest “President Hillary” artworks I’ve found yet and needed to be shared.
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OMG! Thank you! My friend J.c. has been looking for Hillary with her hand on her hip! I never had one until this week. (The cell phone one.) I LOVE this! Thank you!!!
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Well, it’s CG, but I’m glad it works for you. Whoever made it has also taken some liberties with her figure – in a positive direction, but it is altered. It’s well done.
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We’ll take it! Thanks!
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[…] of you will remember this post from March 31 of this year: CNN Video: Bernard-Henri Lévy Validates Hillary Clinton on Libya. In short order after I posted it came the email notification that BHL was now following me on […]
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[…] CNN Video: Bernard-Henri Lévy Validates Hillary Clinton on Libya […]
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