(I apologize on the display of the photos, WordPress is not a fan of simplicity. Click for bigger versions)
With heavy campaigning and a rough February, Sen. Hillary Clinton was on the ropes and it was possible that her campaign was in trouble while Sen. Barack Obama’s was moving full speed ahead.
All that changed last night with her winning primaries in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. For the amount of campaigning she has been doing in those states her momentum and passion clearly made an impact on the voting public. There were some scary moments these past weeks. People were scared about the “Saturday Night Live” comment during last week’s debate, but that comment threw the press right where she wanted them all along, on Obama’s tail.
On the note of “SNL” she also made a “pop-culture-blitz,” as I like to refer to it. First, making a quite funny cameo on “SNL” she then made it on Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” the night before the primary. She’s getting out there and just going.
When I was covering the debate I spoke with one of the friendly volunteers—she is a college student, a Marlboro Light smoker and “not a Hillary person” which meant she was an Obama-ite. Like many, she didn’t give me the clearest answer on the matter of why she is a fan of his, but nonetheless she has echoed the point that regardless who gets the nomination she’ll be happy. A familiar phrase I remember hearing from Super Tuesday in Buffalo.
It was all about Hillary, though, on Saturday at the Ohio Women Make History Rally. With 11 prominent women including several congresswomen, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actress Melanie Griffith, Chelsea Clinton, former Lt. Governor of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, among others. A crowd of more than 400 people showed up to the event, with a women to men ratio of 7-1 according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said, “Like all families we have fights. But Hillary Clinton is the choice of my brother Bobby, my sister Kennedy and me!” While Madeleine Albright spoke of personal experience with Hillary and how this is going to be the “Most important presidency of any of our lifetimes.”
When you have Albright on your back for foreign policy, can you really say Obama has a better background? Well sure you can, but you can’t.
Regardless of who says what all of these endorsements, campaign criss-crossing and charisma took Hillary to the level she needed. She’s showing her true colors and hitting an Obama-like stride that she has needed. She’s getting above it and doing the things she needs to get people to vote for her.
My roommate Joanna, an Obama person, didn’t vote for him yesterday and didn’t want to admit to it, but when she did she said, “I just thought of what he would be saying at his State of the Union Address in two years and it didn’t seem to fit.” Is the Obama movement losing steam? Don’t look at the man behind the curtain! Regardless, the Democrats are pumped and the Republicans have a sweet candidate, endorsed by the worst president in history. Can’t wait for the fall debates! This has been your chief political photographer for Kent State Gavin Jackson.
March 6, 2008 at 6:29 am |
I somewhat understand why so many support Hillary Clinton. Before she went to Wellesley and later Yale, I think that Hillary expressed and believed in so much of what I hoped to be possible, i.e, help for the ‘trodden’ – whether they were children, women, the under-privileged, etc.
A desire to help everyone have a better life; I (and my friends) fervently wanted that life for everyone and we wanted to help achieve a Better America. We thought it possible. We longed for it . . . and worked for it . . . and hoped for it.
That is what I believed Bill Clinton intended when he was campaigning for the office of the President of the United States (twice) and what Hillary was working to do. I no longer believe this.
About the time Hillary went to Yale and met Bill, there seemed to be a Combustbile Force at work (Bill – charismatic and intelligent; Hillary – idealistic and even then a very ardent feminist — both very ambitious) which ignited the negatives in each of them. Their ideals were overshadowed and overpowered by their personal ambitions. It goes without saying that this is my personal opinion.
I believe that character and trust and integrity matters. Whether these qualities be in our elected officials, those with whom we daily interact, or ourselves – these are important characteristics. We need to be accountable to ourselves and to others and most certainly to the Nation if one happens to be the President or First Lady (or President and First Laddie/Black President [I just don't understand this 'title' of "First Black President' for a white Arkansas Governor/U.S. President - forgive me] . . . and truly mean what we say – if we are truthful and trustworthy.
I do not think that either of the Clintons possess those qualities. It saddens me – especially because I would very much like to know that a deserving and capable woman could be president of our United States. I do not think that Hillary Clinton is that deserving woman.
Character and integrity and trustworthiness do count for something and should be qualities of a President of our United States. A resume of accomplishments can be impressive, but without the qualities mentioned above can be diminished.
I have lost trust in Hillary Clinton. And Bill Clinton (who would CERTAINLY be a co-president if Hillary is elected to the presidency – you can bank on it – and God help us all).
I voted for Bill Clinton in his first campaign as president; I believed what he was saying (shame on me).
I was obviously fooled (like so many others) yet I didn’t give him my vote when he ran for president again (and as we know he was elected for a second term – elected, disgraced, impeached, and revealed). Hillary Clinton has claimed these years (of Bill Clinton’s presidency) as her 35 years of experience and I am sure that is true. What does that tell us?
Do we want to to through another Shameful Clinton period again? It was so painful and I certainly hope that we don’t endure it again.
March 6, 2008 at 6:21 pm |
I don’t think anything has been as painful as the last seven years though, making a “shameful Clinton period” look like heaven sent. Bill would do so much good as First Gentleman (title?). It was interesting that you didn’t plug Obama in any of that comment, because I think his campaign is all air and no experience. Talk about what a let down a presidency would be under her, his would be even worse. With all these promises and hope for change, I think Barack would realize that in the bureaucracy there is no hope.
Hillary has what it takes to get things done and if she has to be abrasive to get it done so be it. But she knows what she has to do when she gets in there and what she has to do to stay in there.