Did the Clintons' Hardball Tactics Backfire?
The Dallas Morning News suggests that hardball political tactics on the part of Bill and Hillary Clinton played a part in Ted Kennedy's decision to endorse Barack Obama for President. Perhaps. A lot of pundits are concluding that the Clintons overplayed their hand and a backlash has ensued.
But go back to last summer, when Hillary Clinton was riding high. One of the things she had going for her was her contention that the Clintons were proven winners. She knew how to stand up to the Republicans' own hardball political tactics, in a way that Al Gore and John Kerry did not. If Democrats wanted to win, they needed a tough candidate and Hillary fit the bill. If I remember correctly, this line won Hillary Clinton a lot of favorable press at the time:
"For 15 years I have stood up against the right-wing machine, and I’ve come out stronger. So if you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I’m your girl."Hillary Clinton is demonstrating that her talk last summer was not just talk. But what sounded attractive when directed at Republicans isn't as welcome when directed against Democratic primary opponents. If Clinton wins the nomination and turns those guns back against Republicans again, Clinton hardball politics might begin to look attractive to Democrats again. There's a lot of time between now and the November general election for sentiment to swing again. Pundits and voters are fickle.
No comments:
Post a Comment