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Hillary: "I'm in"
Breaking via The New York Times: Hillary's in the 2008 race.
Six years after making history by winning a United States Senate seat as first lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced this morning that she was taking the first formal step to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, a journey that would break yet more political barriers in her extraordinary and controversial career.
“I’m in,†she said in a statement on her new campaign Web site. “And I’m in to win.â€
Mrs. Clinton, 59, called for “bold but practical changes†in foreign, domestic, and national security policy, and said that she would focus on finding “a right end†to the Iraq war, expanding health insurance, pursuing greater energy independence, and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.
Here's the web site; take a first look at that 'Hillary Clinton for President' graphic.
[Update]: Here's the screenshot.
[Update 2]: Prominently on the site, Mark Penn pens (I'm sorry) an article about electability.
People are always asking, can Hillary Clinton win the presidency?
Of course she can. In many of the polls out today, she is already winning.
Show me, Marc, 'cuz I haven't seen those polls. More:
The people who have come to know Hillary the best love her the most. Hillary won a huge victory in New York, with 64 percent of the vote, after getting 83 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. In addition to her strong base in the city, she won over the highly Republican areas in upstate NY, where she has been strong since 2000, and went up 17 points this election in the Republican-leaning NYC suburbs.
What republican-leaning NYC suburbs? As to her primary results, perhaps now is the time to point out, again, that Jonathan Tasini ran perhaps the crappiest campaign in memory.
[Update 3]: More Penn, in a masterful example of spin; you have to admire the man's handiwork:
Even before announcing her presidential campaign, Hillary has already proved wrong all the pundits who say that people already know her and that voters won't change their minds. In the last year, the percentage of people who have a favorable impression of Hillary Clinton in the CBS poll rose 34 percent (from 32 to 43, the highest of any Democratic contender). [emphasis added]
Quick translation: with name recognition above 95%, she polls at 43% favorable, 38% unfavorable. Not bad, but not the stuff of symphonies.
[Update 4]: Here's an overview of poll numbers. Newsmax goes crazy, and asks "Can Hillary Clinton save the GOP?".
[Update 5]: Republicans are gleeful. Linked above, here's what they're saying:
"Clearly Hillary will be the best thing that ever happened to Republicans because she represents everything that we're against."
— Republican strategist Brad Blakeman"Yes, she will galvanize the base . . . that's for sure."
— GOP strategist and political guru extraordinaire Mary Matalin"It's the ultimate nightmare scenario for conservatives: to awaken on the morning of Nov. 5, 2008, to the news that the last swing state has been colored bright blue and Hillary Rodham Clinton is the president—elect of the United States."
— John Podhoretz, conservative commentator and former Reagan and George H.W. Bush speechwriter.
[Update 6]: Blogospheric reaction: DailyKos pretty much hostile, America Blog just-the-facts. RedState, My Left Wing, others, haven't noticed, it seems.
Hillary's In
I saw the announcement and I thought it was a valiant attempt by our Senator to sound folksy and familiar. But it did not ring true to me.
Good news - she used the wording "end the war in Iraq". Bad news - she was uninspiring.
If she can run against the War,
which will take a moderate degree of Chutzpah, it'll be great. If she continues her past formula that Mr.Bush is conducting the war badly, I think she be toast (Or, at least, I'll be working to fire up the toaster).
I'm not personally a big fan
But has anyone ever done a real study of the psychosis Hillary triggers in right wingers? I mean, she's a competent centrist Senator, formerly a first lady who made a couple of missteps, but to the right she's the Holy Grail of political hate. I've really never understood it.
My theory
With nothing to back it up, is that it's because she's a walking embodiment of a 1970s feminist (and was a 1970s feminist), one of the things they hate and fear more than anything else. Feminists turned their world upside down.
Yawn
This is the least breaking of breaking news since the announcement of Saddam's verdict right before the election.
Not a criticism of this diary mind you, just an obersvation about the hoopla. The only time I questioned whether Hillary was running was when I heard someone talk about some top known Hillary supporters at a Warner fundraiser who, when asked, said Hillary had no plans to run so they were backing Warner. That was the only rumor of her NOT running that rang at all true. Then again, perhaps there was a deal at the time that if Warner ran, she wouldn't and visa versa.
Hillary...someone I find completely underwhelming given how much promise I once thought she had for real leadership. But as Senator I have seen little leadership.
For the Hillary-Bottery view, see here.
Yeah.
The drooling of the banned HillaryBot notwithstanding, I just don't see it happening.
And if it does, we'll see the Rs more energized than ever before. Oh well.
I find it intriguing this was annouonced over the weekend
Why?
Also, check out the blossoming BlossomGate the wingnuts have already concocted :
http://newsbusters.org/node/10266
Unfortunately the Hillary camp gives them the ammo they need. The video looks like it was indeed taped months ago.
True enough
...probably taped over the summer, back when she was still telling everyone that she was 'focused on New York'. Or, she could have taped it on her recent Bahamavention - which would make this the first time any major contender for the top spot has basically been overseas for the announcement. Either way, doubleplusungood.
Probably released on a Saturday to a) mark two years until the next inaugural (it's January 20th) and to dominate the news cycle on Sunday and next week.
About those pesky blooms...
The video was shot in either Chappaqua or Georgetown. It's always springtime in Chappaqua and Georgetown.
There's a sheepish update
at the end of the piece you linked to. It says it was taped in DC last week, and I find that perfectly plausible. Tom (Why Won't The White House Listen To Me?) Friedman did a piece last week about how his daffodils were in bloom; those blossoms behind HRC weren't left over from last summer, they're this year's global-warming spring flowers. But if it's an issue of spontaneity, it really doesn't matter when it was taped. It's not in her portfolio.
It would be pathetic how obsessed the right is with her, if they weren't already drooling over the effect of a Clinton nomination on their base. Oh, how I wish the first viable woman Presidential candidate were someone else.
My theory on the announcement timing: I'm sure Obama pushed her into declaring a week or two earlier than she wanted to, and you're right vis-a-vis the weekend. Too bad for her, she's getting buried from the other side today, since Richardson declared this morning. Not as important as Obama, but it still shifts the spotlight for however long.
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HILLARY
I've decided that I'm not getting involved with any Presidential races unless Al Gore runs.
Rosaie907,Obviously you're
Rosaie907,
Obviously you're waiting for Al. Do yourself and the country a favor and check out Wes Clark for '08. He stands head shoulders above the rest.
Even above the former Vice President.
We need fresh new leadership to deal with these ever changing times. Check out the General and get to know him well and you'll be convinced.
David
I don't get it
I have never really understood the pro-Wes side. Don't get me wrong, I think he'd make a perfectly decent president, much, much MUCH better than the crap we have now. But his luke warm personality, former ties to the Republicans (not by any means a deal breaker, but...) and the fact that his main experience is military, not civilian representative government, leave me flat. Again, as with Hillary, I'd support him if he got the nomination barring any Lieberman moments on his part, but it is unlikely I will support him in the primary.
Having said that, I remain open minded. No one has become my ideal candidate and none have done anything that completely leave me unwilling to support them. And, of course, by the time NY votes the field will have narrowed down considerably. I also will say that I think quite highly of President Gore and really would like to see him get his chance to serve the term he was elected to. I don't agree with you that Clark is better than Gore given Gore's considerable experience, knowlege of environmental issues, connections with world leaders, etc. But there have been very few indications that Gore will run and many indications that he prefers what he is doing now.