It looks like Jim Webb will be the next United States Senator from Virginiaassuming the Republicans dont find a box of 7000 or so ballots lying around. So with the Senate in control by the Democrats, its time to write about what has been rumored for a few months, if this event happened.
Lets elect Hillary Clinton as the next Majority Leader. For those of us who are afraid that Hillary is unelectableor those who feel she is a DLC sell outthis would solve a lot of problems.
Harry Reid has done a great job as Minority Leader and deserves some of the credit for the recent win. But sometimes life aint far and the stars align against you.
Making Hillary Majority Leader of the Senate is a perfect solution for many of us. While she is clearly the 08 Democratic front runner, I dont know of one Democratic activist who is excited about supporting her for President particularly some of my friends in New Hampshire. Sure, they all recognize she is the front runner and will work for her in the General, but nobody is excited about her in the primary.
Her people know that and Majority Leader will give her a graceful exit from the Presidential race. I certainly can think of some Senators (Bayh, Biden, Dowd, Kerry, Obama) who would serve as her campaign whips and work tirelessly to secure the job for her (assuming she pledges to not seek “another office”.
Trying to give someone a “graceful exit” from the Presidential race is not a particularly compelling reason to elect that person Majority Leader. To be done well, the job requires incredible political skills and effective leadership both on-camera and off. Reid clearly has these skills, did (I believe) a commendable job as Minority Leader, and is a strong asset for the new Senate Democratic majority — especially since we’re in the majority by only one vote. It will be difficult to keep all our people in line on key votes, but I believe Reid can and will do so.
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I’d much rather have an effective legislative captain leading Senate Dems than someone else simply to get them out of the way in ’08 (plus, Hillary isn’t nearly as bad as the emerging blogosphere verdict dictates).
Let the presidential chips fall where they may (at least for now). Reid has done a surprisingly excellent job as minority leader, and if he wants the top job, it should be his as far as I’m concerned.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ couldn’t stop Hillary from running for President, let alone a gig as majority leader.
Always nice to send up a trial ballon and see where it goes…but if I could probe a little more…is Hillary your first choice to vote for President?
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We’ve seen where having all the money and establishment support has been geting candidates lately, but I’m still looking for my first Democratic that has Hillary as a solid #1 choice to be the nominee.
She is 3rd or worse for me right now. I really do not want either her or Kerry to be our nominee.
I worked for Wes Clark extensively in 2004, where I got to know him and his wife Gert quite well. Should he decide to run again I will be with him. Period. I see some promise in Obama, but don’t think it is the right time for him so he is my number 2. After that it is a sea of people that really do not spark my interest.
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PS So far 43 of WesPAC’s endorsed candidates have won their elections, 26 of those were Democratic pickups!!!
But it’s not because she’s “Establishment,” I don’t have a problem with lifelong politicians. It’s because she still supports this utterly pointless war that is getting worse by the day.
My first choie is John Kerry.
Second Wesley Clark.
After that I’m not so sure, but until she changes her tune on the war, Hillary is nowhere near the top of my list.
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On a somewhat unrelated note, I know that we saw a lot of fresh faces emerge successfully last night, which is fine. But for the office of President, a lifelong public servant with military experience is generally a prerequisite for me. Whoever it is will be in charge of the most powerful military in the history of the world, and I don’t think that should be a first term Senator in his/her forties, or a Governor with no foreign relations experience.
Ugh, Kerry is too polarizing and Clinton is even more so. And that’s in addition to the fact that Clinton is a hawk and that’s the last thing we need in power. Hilary Clinton used to be quality, but she has supported this war too long and too often. She is running for president, and I believe she will lose.
Let’s give someone else a chance. By 2008, we’ll have had twenty straight years where either a Bush or a Clinton was president. Twenty-eight if you include the vice president. That’s enough.
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I like Hillary, but I still haven’t quite forgiven her for botching up health care reform in 1993 so thoroughly.
Gerald Collins staked out the proper liberal stance to the question of that uppity woman:
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blockquote>I think it’s about time we had a female president of the United States. I don’t care what anyone says: Women can be just as smart and qualified as menespecially the clowns we’ve had in Washington lately. But Hillary Clinton? She’s just a little too ambitious to do what no woman before her has ever done.Read the whole thing.