Well, let me try this again... and I won't assume some kind of Vast Conspiracy had it in for me erasing my last attempt at writing this post.
Red beat me to it, anyway: apparently we will have to contemplate a Hillary Clinton Presidency.
Having finally seen the video of her announcement, I think we're starting out with both her strengths and her flaws on display: I like the notion of the "conversation," and her "restoring America's basic bargain" rhetoric - though I think this question of "play by the rules" invites some unpleasant discussions judging who's doing it right and who's not... but those positives come with her line about the conversation having been "just a little one-sided" and "we can all see how well that works." There's a deep sarcasm in those two lines, and I think it's why, for all the charming folksiness she's mastered (what a cute, chatty couch-bound conversation we're having...), there's an edge to how she talks that will set off opponents.
The thing about Hillary Clinton for me is that she's not just in favor of some things, she's not afraid to say what she's opposed to, and what that opposition represents. Unlike Edwards and Obama - never mind the others thus far - she's going to be willing to talk tough and say some not nice things about Republicans. But it's also the case that this level of sarcasm, and the "us vs. them" tilt of her politics has been driving the national discourse... since, oh, at least 1992 when the Clintons first started getting into it with those who opposed them.
People need to take the notion of a Hillary Clinton win seriously, and I'm not sure everyone does just yet, whether because they see her as carrying too much negative baggage or because they're sure a woman can't win. I think she can win... and I'm not necessarily happy about it. I don't think most of us have any idea where she stands on issues, or what policies she plans to pursue; and given her penchant for talky non-answers that dance around serious topics, we're not likely to get much more clarity anytime soon. That's what a front-runner does. And while it's wonderful to see a calm, confident woman take center stage, it's reasonable to ask what sort of Clintonian centrism comes attached to it - a centrism that Denocrats may no longer need quite so much of anymore. But in order to close the deal - at least for me - Mrs. Clinton needs to be much more clear and direct about what she wants to do, and less into making this yet another "us vs. them" battle, as much as like her willingness to jump in and mix it up.
But I know a number of my regular readers are much more enthusiastic. And I'd love to hear you talk about why.
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