In a comment to What's a Liberal, What's a Conservative on my blog, http://parodieslost.typepad.com, Poldark Maximus made a comment and then asked a question at the end:
Interesting comment that the Clintons are not to be confused with every-day, wash-and-wear liberals. Both of them are just so damn good at the political game that you really don't know who they are — its all issue-by-issue politics. Hillary will throw a lot of lib dems for a loop with her hard-nosed war banter. Equally, she will continue to irritate those moderate Republicans who, in a moment of weakness, suggest they "could vote for her" under duress (i.e. their party chooses some neocon who can't cope with the 21st century). If you can put hand on heart and swear you understand her, please advise Poldark Maximus and the rest of your readers WHO SHE REALLY IS.
O.k., hand's over heart, and I swear my fingers aren't crossed. Hillary Clinton is much like her husband Bill--no, not in that way, you disgusting, gutter-minded trolls. In fact, she belongs to a class of politicians so infrequently found that it's no wonder she confuses some people. To add to the problem, Republicans dance around the Maypole, drinking martinis and waving flags that proclaim, "Hillary's a liberal, Hillary's a liberal."
Well, she ain't a liberal--at least by this left-wing, unrepentant, 60s liberal's standards. And, as much as I hate to say something nice about any politician, she ain't a weatherman (that's a cute play on the Dylan song and the 60s weirdo group, but it means she doesn't just follow any which way the wind blows.)
So, you ask, what the hell is she, then? Answer: A centrist. Mr. Maximus is absolutely correct that she's a superb politician, but he probably means that as a negative, while, done correctly, it can be an valuable skill, particularly given the shark-infested, chum-filled waters that we laughingly call Congress these days.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - fos
WHY SHE'S THE HILLDABEAST YOU FOOL. fos
2 - Mark Schannon
OMIGOSH. A Hilldabeast? You must be joking. I don't think my heart can take it.
What the hell's a Hilldabeast...and are they tasty and expeditious?
In Jamesons Veritas
3 - gonzo marx
nice piece as always, Mark
unfortuantely, i don't give her as much credit for the virtues you've listed...
a professional politician, yes..she is, and good at it too
someone with an inner core of Integrity?
i ain't seen it yet, but what the fuck do i know, eh?
Excelsior!
4 - Mark Schannon
Ah Gonzo, as always, thou makest light of your wisdom and sagacity. I never said she had those virtues (nor do I know she doesn't)--I just suggested that we'd be a lot better off if we used those to judge candidates than who can scream louder over aborted fetuses or deep-fried criminals.
In Jamesons Veritas
5 - Howard
You said,"...that's the price we pay for continuing to elect outsiders to the presidency. Admittedly, I'm going off issue here, but why do we continue to elect governors--who have no understanding of the Byzantine labyrinth of Washington..."
The answer to that question, I think, is that we dream of a day when someone can change the absurd culture that is Washington. We cry for term limits to force displacement of career politicians. Should we ever get term limits, I fear we would discover the real problem is the entrenched bureaucracy of civil servants that are the true rulers of our government.
Hillary certainly knows the ins and outs of Washington by now, but she has a tough row to the presidency. She reads much better than she sounds. Her "handlers" should make her write but never speak. Let Bill do the talking.
6 - Howard
[Different Howard]
Who is Hillary Clinton?
Who cares?
7 - gonzo marx
silly Mark me boyo..i didn't say you claimed such, just that you listed such
heh...ain't i sneaky?
but i digress...
i agree that such traits are to be desired, but it has been my Observation that such folks don't tend to either...
a)get into politics
or
b) stand a chance of getting elected
we NEED another alternative to the two "gangs" we have today, unfortunately none of the current attempts at third Party forming are even close to hitting the mainstream as an alternative
too bad, really
Excelsior!
8 - Silas Kain
She's going to become the 44th President of the United States.
9 - Scott Butki
Well, I wouldn't go that far. I think people have had enough Clintons for a few decades.
But I do think she is more centrist than people believe.
10 - Bing
She's the runner up in the next presidential election.
11 - Dave Nalle
She's the next ambassador to the vanishing island of Tuvalu.
Dave
12 - Justin Berry
It is my sincere hope that Billary is nothing more than than Ed Kennedy lite.
I personally will never vote for her because she flushed 225 years of history down the toilet when she took the Marines in the white house out of Dress Blues and put them in suits because the uniform didnt match the decore. Also, if you guys elect her let her know that uniformed service-persons are not waiters or any other household help.
Not much chance of a Hillary presidency as she will never clear the NRA.
13 - Mark Schannon
LOL, Dave...let's hope she can tread water.
Howard #1: I agree we have to change the absurd culture here in D.C. but that's up to us a voters--presidents can't do it. I forget the exact statistic, but well over 90% of representatives get reelected and almost as many senators--the fault, dear Brutus, lies with ourselves. (Was it Brutus or Horatio? sigh.)
Howard #2: Hillary Clinton owns the largest chain of "R" rated lingerie in the country. Women flock to her stores like geese to a duck. Men hang around outside just to stare in the windows.
And Gonzo, lad, but yer know it ain't nice t'fool wit' me like t'at. But, as always, yer fergiven & correct...the good die young and the ethical go into business and make millions. screw the vox populi.
14 - bloggem
what are you guys smoking? her picture is in the dictionary next to liberal!
15 - Mark Schannon
Mr. Bloggem, I haven't seen you here before, which doesn't mean much, since, at this time at night, after my Jamesons, wine, and framboise, I'm not sure I'd recognize myself....
That notwithstanding, what we're smoking is none of your damn business...particularly because I'm convinced the NSA/CIA/FBI/DIA/PETA/ALFL conglomeration is monitoring this site. Therefore, all I'll admit to is a pipe and a few cigarettes...the rest I leave to your imagination.
However, I would in all respect suggest you ditch that moronic dictionary you're using. Any dictionary that would put Miss Hillary next to the word liberal has no concept whatsoever what a liberal is. I AM A LIBERAL, I HAVE KNOWN LIBERALS, AND SHE, SIR, IS NO LIBERAL.
We liberals may have taken nobel purposes and inadvertently distorted them until they became bull's eyes for conservative "fuck the poor" banner wavers, but the nobel purposes remain pure.
She, meaning Mrs. Clinton, rather Senator Clinton, is a centrist. That is not a bad thing...but it's a far cry from liberalism, the great pursuit of equality, nobility, respect for all humanity, being kind to dumb animals (unless we want to eat them), the pursuit of freedom, a passionate commitment to the Bill of Rights, a refusal to submit to dictatorial rule by the Bush Bubble Machine....goodness gracious, we liberals sound like conservatives.
Rats...oh well, that's my primary thesis anyway. Values, ethics, morality, decency, and the pursuit of fine Irish whiskey are the foundations upon which this country was built.
What was your point? Oh yeah, Hillary and liberal in the dictionary. Balderdash, sir. Read more and ponticate less. Leave the pontification to Gonzo and I--we at least, or I at least (I have no idea what propels Gonzo to such unassailable heights) rely on the grain the good Lord provided to be turned into intoxicating drink.
Unless you're willing to join me in a drunken revelry, keep your dictionary under lock and key...and then burn the building in which they're stored.
and that's the truth
In Jamesons Veritas
16 - Mark Schannon
Mr. Bloggem...one more point....neener, neener, neener.
In Jamesons Veritas
17 - chantal stone
i love an eloquent drunk
18 - David, Nairobi,Kenya
If she was to come for elections here in this precious part of Africa I would not hestate fvoting for her. You guyz talking negatives dont know what you have until you lose it.
19 - Mark Schannon
Chantal--who you callin' eloquent? Whatzat mean?
David--you're right. There's an old 50s song:
You don't know what you got, until you use it.
You don't know how to pee, unless you booze it.
All around this foolish world, people stop and grin,
Just because our politicians are wallowing in sin.
Altogether now. You don't know what you got, until you lose it. Oh well, you get the point.
Mr. Kenya, we ain't had a prezident I missed when he left office since FDR--and I wasn't born when he died. Sorry.
In Jamesons Veritas
20 - Bing
Anyone who thinks Hillary is a centrist is crazy.
David, the sooner we lose her, the better.
21 - Mark Schannon
Bing...Bong...Boom
Who you callin' crazy, you wild-eyed, conservative, neo-commie. If Hillary ain't a centrist, what would you call her? Look at her record. If she's a liberal, I'm a pomogranite--a delicious fruit, I admit, but not one I particularly want to be identified with.
Let us compare facts.
Bing=part of Bada Bing, i.e. the trite punchline of a tired joke. Ergo, sir, you are a tired joke...or at least part of the punchline of one.
I may be nuts, but I'm not crazy. As I said in an earlier post, I know liberals, I am a liberal (whatever the hell that means) and Hillary, Senator Clinton, is no liberal.
Please, Mr. Crosby, present facts, not insults. The former are worth of discussion--the latter are only worth of scorn.
So there.
In Jamesons Veritas
22 - Silas Kain
Hillary is the papabile of Presidential candidates. Folks, like it or not, she is the one to beat. The press love her. The liberals love her. The majority of women in America love her. Hillary Clinton is far more centrist than the right wing would have you believe. Let's not forget that she was raised a conservative Republican. She knows both sides of the aisle. And, any Capitol watcher who is well informed can testify that Senator Clinton is one of the hardest working Senators Congress has seen in a century. She has had to prove herself every step of the way and has gained the admiration and respect of colleagues from both sides of the aisle. While the praise is heaped upon her behind the scenes, make no mistake about it, she is revered and feared. Hillary is a force to be reckoned with. Don't be fooled by the right wing hyperbole. And don't be fooled by the Bush clan. They'd love nothing more than a new Clinton Presidency. It will open the way for Jeb four years later.
23 - Scott
"It will open the way for Jeb four years later"
Sweet Lord, please no. I think this country has had about all the Bush we can stand.
That...err...uh...nevermind...
24 - Scott
I hope Ted Kennedy runs...
Bing, what say you??
25 - Silas Kain
Anyone who thinks Hillary is a centrist is crazy.
OK, I flew over the cuckoo's nest.
Bing=part of Bada Bing, i.e. the trite punchline of a tired joke. Ergo, sir, you are a tired joke...or at least part of the punchline of one.
Now, when I see the moniker "Bing" I think of Mr. Crosby, the misogynist, child beating , neo-conservative who was a complete hypocrite. His public personna was in direct opposition to his true form. Hmmm, a great role model for today's right wing, wouldn't you say? Maybe we should brand extremist right wingers as "bingers". That way bada bing, bada boom would have some meat to it.
Sweet Lord, please no. I think this country has had about all the Bush we can stand.
Now, if I said that, I'd be branded a heterophobe.