WHY THE FASCINATION WITH HILLARY CLINTON?
Posted by Tim Bryce on April 2, 2014
BRYCE ON POLITICS
– What precisely has she accomplished as First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State?
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Without a doubt, the 2016 Democratic candidate for President of the United States will be Hillary Rodham Clinton. At age 66, she may have made token rumblings she will not run, but the temptation to become the first female president will be too irresistible for her to resist. In his book, “This Town,” author Mark Leibovich describes how the press fawns over the Clintons and treats them like royalty. The media will once again go to bat for the Clintons as opposed to “Uncle Joe” Biden. Today, most people have forgotten her husband was impeached for sexual misconduct during his term as president. The Democrats have forgiven him, blamed the Republicans, and now treat him like as a rock star. Go figure.
After narrowly losing to President Obama in 2008, the presidency is now within Hillary’s grasp, but you have to wonder if she is up to the task. Certainly her husband will become the Commander-in-the-Shadows, and will try to run things behind the scenes, but the big question is whether Hillary can stand on her own two feet. As a public office holder, she has served in various capacities, e.g., First Lady, Senator from New York, and Secretary of State, but you have to wonder what exactly she has accomplished during this time.
There is no question, she is well educated, graduating with distinction from Wellesley College, and earning a law degree from Yale Law School. Her senior thesis at Wellesley was a critique of the tactics of Saul Alinksky, the well-known radical community organizer. It is during her years at Wellesley where she switched political philosophies and became a Democrat, and campaigned for George McGovern in 1972.
Professionally, she was the first female partner at the Rose Law Firm where her earning power sustained the Clintons for several years.
She served two stints as “First Lady”, starting in Arkansas when her husband was governor, and of course in the White House from 1993 – 2001. During the White House years, her big initiative was the Clinton health care plan which failed to pass Congress, representing a major defeat. During this time, she was plagued by several investigations, such as the Whitewater controversy, Madison Guaranty, Travelgate, Filegate, and the apparent suicide of White House counsel Vince Foster. All of this, coupled with the president’s Monica Lewinsky scandal, which led to his impeachment, left a dark cloud over the Clinton administration.
After leaving the White House, Mrs. Clinton replaced Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Senator from New York. She began her tenure by building relationships and serving on a variety of committees. Following 9/11 she voted to support military action in both Afghanistan and Iraq. She was also instrumental in obtaining funding for redevelopment of the World Trade Center in her home state. Domestically, she voted against President Bush’s tax cut packages, which passed in spite of her objections.
During her second term she voted against the 2007 troop surge in Iraq, which was passed, and favored a war-spending bill that tried to set a deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq, which failed.
In 2007 she campaigned for president and narrowly lost the Democratic candidacy to Barack Obama. Following this, she was appointed Secretary of State under Obama where she served during the president’s first term. In the early days, she contacted several world leaders to inform them changes to foreign policy were in the offing, “We have a lot of damage to repair.” This was tied to the perceived Obama “apology tour.”
It was on her watch, in 2011, when the “Arab Spring” began which ignited political tensions and upset the balance of power in the Middle East. It also led to the Libyan Civil War where America was accused of “leading from behind” in deposing the Gaddafi dictatorship. Her career in the State department essentially came to an end following the 2012 9/11 attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi where four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
In the Benghazi aftermath, during the U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing on May 8, 2013, Mrs. Clinton was evasive and combative in her testimony, leading to the regretful comment, “What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?” This smacked of arrogance and defiance of Congress and will certainly haunt her on the campaign trail.
Mrs. Clinton may have had a colorful career in politics, but the question remains, “What exactly did she accomplish?” The Clinton Health Care program failed on her watch. She made no significant contribution as Senator, and her career in the State Department will forever be mired in Benghazi. I think the voters are looking for something a little more substantial than her book, “It Takes a Village,” which she wrote as First Lady using a ghostwriter. After twenty years of public service, you would think there would be some major contribution she could point to with pride. Sadly, there is nothing. Her contributions can be described as negligible at best.
So, why the fascination with Hillary? Feminists will, of course, push for Hillary to become the first female president. The Democrats have alleged the GOP is conducting a “War on Women.” This was likely crafted with Hillary in mind and, as such, it is intentionally fallacious.
There is an alternate reason though, the Democrats want to slip Bill Clinton into the White House through the back door. As much as the feminists love Hillary, the Democrats want to put a match set into the White House. So, Yes, Bill Clinton’s legacy during his first term still matters, warts and all. However, one cannot help but wonder if the country can withstand any more Clinton controversies.
About a year ago, I heard comedian Jackie Mason make the comparison of Mrs. Clinton to an airline pilot’s wife. He asked, if the pilot becomes indisposed and cannot fly the plane, does it make sense to ask his wife to captain the plane in his place? In the case of Mrs. Clinton, she may know the ropes, but she hasn’t proven herself behind the wheel. She certainly hasn’t delivered anything of substance which would lead us to believe she is qualified to be president. Then again, we elected a community organizer to the White House and we saw what happened to the country.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Tim Bryce said
A B.A. of Newtown, Connecticut wrote…
“The bigger question is – why is she not in jail?”
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Tim Bryce said
An A.V. of Oldsmar, Florida wrote…
“Well said. Hopefully people will vote based on merits rather than emotions in the upcoming elections. “
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Chris Payne said
I can’t wait to hear of your responses. CF
Sent from my iPhone
>
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Tim Bryce said
A B.D. of Hammonton, New Jersey wrote…
“She will be the next president, unfortunately. The same people who voted for our current usurper based on his skin color so they could feel good about themselves, will do the same here. The media will make her president the same as they did the current one. It doesn’t matter what the track record is. I think trying to analyze it in the context of a race based on principals, stance on policy, etc is a waste of time. We probably haven’t had a legitimate election in a long time. The corporate entity known as the US government already knows who is next.”
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Tim Bryce said
What has Hillary accomplished?(video) – http://www.mrctv.org/sites/default/files/embedcache/125803.html
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Tim Bryce said
A G.B. of Kansas City, Missouri wrote…
“Not sure accomplishments have anything to do with getting to the White House, including the current resident there. It is inevitable that soon there will be a woman President, but what scares me more than President Hillary, is First Hubby Bill, roaming around the White House with nothing to do, and all those interns with plenty of time on their hands to help him do it.”
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Tim Bryce said
A B.F. of Houston, Texas wrote…
“Thanks for the article and the video says all. Hillary’s staunch supporters cannot point to one major accomplishment. One fellow didn’t think there was much done on the foreign policy side of things with possibly an insinuation there was no need….
From my perspective there was a lot done or undone – We no longer are respected and are being laughed at by other Countries. I’d say she’s done quite a lot…”
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Tim Bryce said
A J.M. of Los Angeles, California wrote…
“She got Bill elected ..haha”
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William Achbach said
Why Hillary? What has she accomplished? Same answers potentially, really, as for Barack Obama in 2009: a man who won the Nobel Peace Prize on the strength of the expectation that he would weaken the U.S. and reduce our role in world affairs. In a word: NOTHING.
Today symbolism seems to count for everything and substance (so far as the past five years would indicate) for nothing at all. Our current Chief Executive’s greatest accomplishment must, even after a term-plus in the Oval Office, simply be that he, a man who identifies himself as an African-American, achieved the nation’s highest office. Purely as a political accomplishment, this is a tremendously important milestone for the country; so the day he became President he realized the most significant event of his tenure. He has consistently been given a pass from the mainstream media, in terms of any expectation that he actually achieve anything of particular merit while in office, and one must wonder if the media pundits realize that their apparently low expectations for his administration smack of precisely the sort of race bias that they so readily allow to be heaped unchallenged upon his opponents.
So, more of the same (or perhaps more properly ‘variation on the theme’) during a Rodham Clinton administration? Why not? Promising vaguely and producing results aimed at dividing the nation along racial and economic lines (while belittling and reducing American exceptionalism), all the while undermining our position in the world community…all of that seems a formula for success in electoral politics in America at present. After all, why shouldn’t the representative of another downtrodden minority have the same opportunity to spend four or eight years bemoaning the plight of the 99% in America, getting their pound of flesh from the institutions of the establishment (a.k.a. “transform America”) by moving the country still further in the direction of the European social democracies?
Perhaps those who really care for our nation will find the fortitude to answer that last question, “Because we say you shouldn’t!” but I’d not bet the farm on that outcome.
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Anastasia Boyd said
As a Canadian, I grew up in awe of the power of the people of the United States; their unwavering belief of democracy, freedom and economic astuteness. Today I am disappointed at the propensity of navel-gazing in the ‘greatest country in the world’. Perhaps I was mistaken in my youth. Please enlighten me.
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Tim Bryce said
An S.L. of Maine said…
“She has buried bodies all over the place and some are coming to the surface. Once the first cadaver comes to light many more will follow. Make no mistake that she has real enemies in her own party…one of them will eventually drop a dime on her!”
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Tim Bryce said
A C.V. of Lansing, Michigan wrote…
“I could NOT have said it better myself Tim! Keep up the drumbeat!!”
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Tim Bryce said
A J.S. of Skidway Lake, Michigan wrote…
“Maybe most Americans have no experience with someone who has no conscience. Are we waiting to see a sign of repentance? Ambition is the sin by which the angels fell. Evil is fascinating in its own way.”
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Tim Bryce said
A D.T. of Jamestown, New Jersey wrote…
“Glenn Beck thinks she is too ill to run for President, he has said that more than once. Must be he knows something we don’t know.”
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Tim Bryce said
A D.F. of New York City wrote…
“Just one little correction Tim. President Bubba was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. He eventually worked out a plea agreement in which he acknowledged that he lied under oath in a court proceeding.
I would go and anoint her so fast. It’s a long way to even the primaries. All this hype is unnecessary and if she was such a great candidate what happened last time? It also presupposes that no one else in the Democrat party wants to run. I find that hard to believe.”
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Tim Bryce said
An L.S. of Tampa, Florida wrote…
“Your article on Mrs Clinton was great”
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SOCIETY PAGES « THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! said
[…] WHY THE FASCINATION WITH HILLARY CLINTON? […]
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Tim Bryce said
Hillary Clinton bails on San Diego appearance after Benghazi protest scheduled – Apr 4, 2014 –
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2014/04/04/hillary-clinton-bails-on-san-diego-appearance-after-benghazi-protest-scheduled-110491
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Tim Bryce said
A B.M. of Los Angeles, California wrote…
“Hi Tim, Great breakdown of the Hillary factor. She has done nothing that makes her anywhere near viable for the presidency. In fact she has proven her lack of leadership skills during the Benghazi horror. She also revealed that she is lacking in the critical ability to discern the climate of events taking place in real time by her refusal to provide security for the Benghazi consulate when the people with boots on the ground asked for it. Then the big scramble to cover-up her incompetence with lie after lie after lie, is very revealing of her total lack of integrity and character. As far as I am concerned, This push is all about stroking her own ego and allowing Billy boy more access to the young interns.
I forget to mention that about 6 billion dollars came up missing from the State Department while she was in charge of it as Secretary of state.”
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Tim Bryce said
A B.J. of Illinois wrote…
“At Benghazi – the point I would be hammering on, were it my call – Hillary managed to (a) leave a bunch of her people where they could get shot at; and (b) did not protect them when they needed it. She hung them out to dry. She should have been SEEN rushing between her house, the State Dept. building, the White House, and the Pentagon, demanding that the man in charge send help for her people. She had all afternoon. I would be sure to use the “What difference does it make !?” footage and point out that this is what she said she knew about what was going on that day.
“What difference does it make” part 2: I question whether she has the kind of character that will come to the aid of other people in distress. (Show the footage of her, then show a long line outside the unemployment office.)
A Republican candidate could also point out that the Democratic Party must think itself to be short of talent, if they can find only one person to support fervently. There really isn’t anybody else?”
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Tim Bryce said
A W.A. of Pennsylvania wrote…
“It really shows how little progress USA women have made when out of over 150,000,000 females there seems to be no more viable female presidential choice other than Mrs Bubba.”
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Tim Pleiman said
This seems to be the question on everyone’s mind these days. So, when you search the internet trying to find out what she has actually done that makes her worthy of the presidency, you find pretty much a lack of qualification. There are a few bills she introduced as Senator, mostly insignificant. There was her early work on healthcare which would certainly have qualified her over and above our current President in that regard back in ’08, but Obama stole that one, and then proceeded to make healthcare worse. As Secretary of State, she has a legacy of shuffling the bureaucracy at State, with pretty much abject failure at statecraft itself, perhaps also due to the incompetence of her boss. So, there’s nothing worth mentioning there. It’s been pretty much straight downhill for her since her ’08 candidacy.
There are so many more women, even in the Democratic Party that have better leadership qualifications than she does, all of whom would make better presidential candidates if they had presidential ambitions and were considered electable, Dianne Feinstein, for example. But they don’t and they probably aren’t electable.
Hillary’s time appears to have come and gone, which is probably why she hasn’t announced her candidacy yet. She may have made a better president than Obama if she had gotten elected in ’08, as a democratic centrist. However, the party has swung so far to the left now that she can no longer run to be the president that she may have been then.
She’s got a beautiful daughter with a new baby. This is great accomplishment in and of itself. Perhaps it’s just time to recognize that family is more important than an endless career in politics. Her fans and even history may ultimately reward her more for such a choice. No doubt, she’d be happier for it.
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HILLARY CAN BE BEATEN « THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! said
[…] nagging question is in all her years as First Lady, Senator from New York, and Secretary of State, “What has she accomplished?” Unfortunately, nothing of […]
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