Hillary Clinton has begun waging a campaign against Barack Obama that embraces the "politics of destruction." This technique has become a hallmark of Republican campaigns in the modern era and it is often effective (see Bush I and Bush II). That said, it is not America at its best -- to say the least -- and perhaps more importantly here, it hurts the Democratic party and its chances to recapture the White House later this year. Jonathan Alter at Newsweek.com has a good article discussing this tactical choice of the Clinton campaign.
The above issue is very much tied into my increasing displeasure with Bill Clinton. He's acting as both hatchet man and spoiled child. The man is completely incapable of keeping his mouth shut. Still, if he's going to flap his gums, one would hope that his discourse would be more in line with his position. I have no problem with a husband supporting his wife in this campaign. He should be saying all of the nice things that he can about Hillary in an effort to get her elected. What he should not be doing is attacking her Democratic rivals. Besides being Hillary's husband, Bill is also the head of the Democratic party. He has no business tearing down its members. It is hurting the party and it is tarnishing his image as a former president. (Here, George H.W. Bush would be a good role model for Clinton. Bush the First managed to forcefully speak out in favor of his son in the 2000 presidential campaign without ever speaking ill of his Republican rivals, even when he was given the direct opportunity to do so.)
24 January 2008
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