Clinton Can't Seem to Stay Positive

Well, in the week since the New Hampshire primary, I had hoped to see a new, more personable and spontaneous Hillary Clinton. But so far the results are mixed at best. This whole race kerfuffle is really disappointing.

Hillary and Bill have both said some dumb things in the past week and a half. Hillary's comment about Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon Johnson in particular was ill-considered. Just explain what you meant and move on. Claiming Barack's campaign is stoking the race issue, rather than moving on, is silly. It just keeps the ill-considered comment in people's minds all that much longer.

And Bill's comment about Barack's previous statements about the Iraq war was disingenuous. And while Barack may be trying to build up his initial opposition while downplaying the fact that, once he got into the senate he was as unable to change things as those he was criticizing, branding that as moral superiority and then calling it a fairy tale was another poor choice of words. While I understand Bill was upset at how his wife was being treated and at what appeared to be the imminent end of her political aspirations, he is a former president, and must act accordingly in public.

Now the whole thing is blowing into incriminations about using the race card. Drop it, all of you. Please! I really don't care to hear any of this stuff, and whichever one of the two, Barack or Hillary, does the most negative stuff is going to lose a lot of votes and probably the campaign.

Here's what I do want to hear from Hillary -- how is she going to be DIFFERENT than Bill? I liked Bill Clinton well enough, he did some good stuff, but he spent too much of his presidency triangulating and playing to the perceived middle. I don't want another eight years of that triangulating bulls__t!!!! Nor does anyone. I hope somebody tells that to Hillary. I do want something different. Bill was good enough, but I want GREAT!

From Barack, I'd like to hear that he is taking the criticism of his policy initiatives into consideration. Paul Krugman in particular has been taking Barack to task for ill-advised and unworkable economic platforms. And I trust Krugman's analysis. So let's hope Barack lets us know his policy platforms are continuing to evolve, that he's hearing and reconsidering. Best of all would be if he showed he knew how to draw experienced, intelligent people to him and -- most importantly -- that he can listen to their analysis and act on it. That is what a President needs to do.

And Bill, your complaint that Barack has been getting a free pass is crap. Krugman, who is no small voice, has been repeatedly raking Barack's platforms over the coals. You want to add pizazz to your complaints, just echo Krugman's analysis.

I remain undecided between the two. Today, though, I'm leaning more Barack. And if he can show that Lincolnish ability to recognize greatness and draw it to him, then he'll secure my vote. Maybe yours too?