Hillary Speechifies.
Hillary was chosen at the last-minute to speak at the convention, but, despite its failings, her speech introducing her husband was very well received and will apparently be remembered for some time. She was originally scheduled to speak for five minutes, but with all the extended applause lines, she talked for eleven minutes. Despite the unanimous praise she received from her fellow Democrats and the media, her speech was full of clich???? ©s and empty platitudes. She actually said: "We meet at a moment of great peril, but also of great hope." It didn't get any better as she continued: "Together we can widen the circle of opportunity for all Americans, transcend our differences and divisions, and give our children a safer and more secure future. That's the promise of America, and John Kerry will renew that promise." She said things that everyone, Republicans and (most) Democrats alike could agree upon: "We need to take care of our men and women in uniform who risked their lives for our country. These brave Americans deserve better. We need to increase our troop strength, raise their pay and provide veterans, the National Guard, and Reserve with the benefits they're entitled to." She really went out on a limb there. She also reiterated the stale list of liberal grievances against President Bush, saying that John Kerry "will lead the world, not alienate it. Lower the deficit, not raise it. Create good jobs, not lose them. Solve a health-care crisis, not ignore it." Eventually, she closed her speech by introducing her impeached husband to the crazed crowd, saying that "I am very optimistic about this election because I think I know a great leader when I see one."
Bring...It...ON!
The day after her speech, Hillary bragged that she would be re-elected New York senator in 2006. "Maybe they'll think better of it because I'm going to win," she said in an interview with The Associated Press. While the state's junior senator has not yet formally announced she is seeking another term, she said that she would begin raising money for the 2006 race immediately after the presidential election. "I will raise whatever money I need to raise," she said, and, considering her incredible success in raising funds for her fellow Democrats, no one can doubt this. Mrs. Clinton said she raised about $45 million to win her Senate seat in 2000, and feels like she needs at least that much for 2006. Since the GOP outspent her in 2000, she expects the Republicans to again to pony up tens of millions to defeat her in 2006. But, warns Hill, "They should spend their money elsewhere" and focus on places where they have a shot of being victorious. There has been speculation Hillary could face a challenge from either Gov. George Pataki or former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Republicans are prepared to heavily fund whoever it is who runs against her. "You don't have to know how to raise money to beat Hillary-just how to count it," said New York GOP Chairman Alexander Treadwell. "We won't be able to count all the money pouring in fast enough to defeat a junior senator who cares more about advancing her own political career than delivering for New York." For her part, Hillary said that she takes GOP disdain for her as "a perverse form of flattery."
Same Place, In Four Years.
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention already know who they want to run in 2008 should Kerry/Edwards fail: Hillary. They would favor Sen. Clinton over John Edwards as their next nominee by 70% to 17%, according to a survey of 3,000 delegates by the AP. Ohio delegate Jennifer O'Donnell says that "It's time. A lot of people tell me, 'She's a sure loser.' It's time for us to try. Women have got to try for that seat... we still don't have the access." Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf says that Hillary "has a jump" on Edwards even though the North Carolina senator has been in the news quite a bit since he was chosen as Kerry's running mate: "The field could be wide open, but Hillary has an edge coming in." When the Edwards camp was told about the results of the survey, spokesperson Mark Kornblau merely said "Very interesting...We're looking forward to accepting the [vice presidential] nomination," and Hillary's spokesman Philippe Reines said that "Sen. Clinton will be working hard in 2008 to re-elect John Kerry and John Edwards."
