excellent WSJ piece on HRC and Obama

[MBS]

See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120241915915951669.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today
It's by Peggy Noonan (ouch!!)

Some of my favorite lines:

If Hillary Clinton loses, does she know how to lose? What will that be, if she loses? Will she just say, "I concede" and go on vacation at a friend's house on an island, and then go back to the Senate and wait?

Is it possible she could be so normal? Politicians lose battles, it's part of what they do, win and lose. But she does not know how to lose. Can she lose with grace? But she does grace the way George W. Bush does nuance. . .

. . ..
We know she is smart. Is she wise? If it comes to it, down the road, can she give a nice speech, thank her supporters, wish Barack Obama well, and vow to campaign for him?

It either gets very ugly now, or we will see unanticipated--and I suspect professionally saving--grace.

I ruminate in this way because something is happening. Mrs. Clinton is losing this thing. It's not one big primary, it's a rolling loss, a daily one, an inch-by-inch deflation. The trends and indices are not in her favor. She is having trouble raising big money, she's funding her campaign with her own wealth, her moral standing within her own party and among her own followers has been dragged down, and the legacy of Clintonism tarnished by what Bill Clinton did in South Carolina. Unfavorable primaries lie ahead. She doesn't have the excitement, the great whoosh of feeling that accompanies a winning campaign. The guy from Chicago who was unknown a year ago continues to gain purchase, to move forward. For a soft little innocent, he's played a tough and knowing inside/outside game.
. . .

The Democrats have it exactly wrong. Hillary is the easier candidate, Mr. Obama the tougher. Hillary brings negative; it's fair to hit her back with negative. Mr. Obama brings hope, and speaks of a better way. He's not Bambi, he's bulletproof.
. ..
The Democrats continue not to recognize what they have in this guy. Believe me, Republican professionals know. They can tell.

[Inuca]

1. I liked it too

Noonan may be right-wing, but she is smart and a good writer. Speaking of smart: "We know she is smart. Is she wise?" - that's an excellent observation IMHO. And the answer is obvious. About both Clintons, incidentally, probably more so about him than about her. Also "she does grace the way George W. Bush does nuance". Nasty claws but :rofl:. And "He's not Bambi, he's bulletproof" - nicely put.

[MBS]

2. those were also my favorite lines! n/t

[ginnyinWI]

3. a great post to read first thing in the morning!

What hits me is that her most fervent followers at DU are just like Hillary--they don't know how to lose. They probably signed on with Hillary for precisely that reason--they mainly wanted to be on the winning team, and she looked like "it" for them. Now there's a formidable challenger and they are going ballistic. They throw a tantrum, flinging accusations and insults, name-call and generally make a disgrace of themselves. (I wonder how many of them were Deaniacs last time and never got over their resentment toward Kerry for taking Dean's "victory" away from them?) They are partisans who don't care if they tear down and divide Democrats, so long as their candidate wins. (Of course I know some are probably paid operatives, too.)

[City Lights]

4. I read this yesterday in GD: Cesspool and thought it was very good.

Certain people dismissed it because of who wrote it, but I thought Noonan made excellent points. :thumbsup: