The reality-based community died a little bit last night when two diaries on the dailyKos rec list, not to mention post after post around the blogosphere, asserted that (or at best wondered whether) Hillary Clinton "picks McCain over Obama." The concern trolling over Hillary Clinton's true partisan allegiances were based on a response she made to reporters about whether she or Obama would be best to go up against John McCain. While clumsy to be sure, her response is revealed to be merely the same electability argument she's been advancing in various forms since McCain became the presumptive GOP nominee.
Hillary Clinton told reporters that both she and the presumtive Republican nominee John McCain offer the experience to be ready to tackle any crisis facing the country under their watch, but Barack Obama simply offers more rhetoric. "I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say," she said. "He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002."
We can argue whether her words were well-chosen and whether she should be advancing arguments against Obama in the primary that McCain can use against him in the general if he's the nominee, I get that, but the idea that this is somehow Clinton betraying Democrats and expressing a preference for the Republican over the Democrat is ridiculous. Of all things one can say about Hillary Clinton, questioning where her partisan leanings lie isn't one of them, as many speeches she's given have made clear.
Here's just one of them, Hillary Clinton's speech to the Iowa Jefferson Jackson dinner in November:
You know, on January 20th, 2009, someone will stand on the steps of the Capitol and raise his or her hand - [Applause] - to take the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States of America. And we are here tonight to make sure that that next president is a Democrat. [Applause] Because, we know, after seven years of George W. Bush, seven years of incompetence, cronyism, and corruption, seven years of a government of the few by the few and for the few. We, as a nation cannot afford any other choice.We have to have a Democratic president because we have big challenges to meet. We have a war to end. We have an economy to revive. We have a 47 million Americans to insure. We have an energy crisis to solve. We have a homeland to protect, we have alliances to rebuild and we have a world to lead. So, we are ready for change. [...]
You know, you listen to the Republicans who are running this year, they see eight more years of George Bush. They see a nine trillion dollar debt and say let's spend trillions more. They see that we had one rush to war and then say, wait, wait, why have one more? Well, I think we are going to tell them, in the course of this campaign, that they do not have any more time. America is done with the Republicans and their failed policies and their refusal to give America back the future that we deserve. But we Democrats, we have to decide what we are for. We Democrats believe that the middle class is the backbone of our country and the guarantor of the American dream. so, when the Republicans stand by and watch rising gas prices and rising health care costs and increase in college tuition and falling housing prices, and struggling families, and they have turned china into our banker, what are we going to do?
Turn up the heat!
And we Democrats, we believe that every child has a god-given potential that we want to help unlock. So, when the Republicans cut Head Start, and refuse to fix No Child Left Behind? What do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And when we Democrats fight for universal health care and the Republicans veto health care for child and the let the insurance companies and the drug companies undermine health care for the rest of us, what do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And we Democrats, we believe in labor rights and women's rights and gay rights, and civil rights.
[Applause]
And we believe in a department of labor that is actually pro labor, and a Department of Justice that delivers justice. So, when the Republicans tried to turn the clock back on women's rights, when they tried to stomp out labor unions, when they try to undermine civil rights, what do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And we Democrats, we believe in protecting the environment and we believe in solving the energy crisis. So, when the Republicans turn over our energy policy to the oil companies and deny global warming, what do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And we Democrats, we believe in a government that works for all Americans again. We actually believe in appointing qualified people to do the jobs in the United States Government. So, when the Republicans stock the government with their cronies, when they give no-bid contracts to Halliburton and legal immunity to Blackwater, what do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And we Democrats, we believe in the power of science and innovation. We know it can lift up lives and grow the economy, so when President Bush declares a war on science, when he bans stem cell research, when he tries to turn Washington into an evidence free zone and put ideology in front of facts. What do we do?
Turn up the heat!
And finally, we believe that our country is both great and good. And as president, I will end the war in Iraq, end the era of cowboy diplomacy and restore America's standing and leadership in the world.
[editor's note, by Todd Beeton]Edited to make my own post more consistent with reality. Sorry for carelessly jumping to conclusions, JEDReport.
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