User Comments

1. 

   4/23/09

   Agit8r

   nothing says that she won't quit a couple of years in, and run against him.

   [reply]
   1. 

      4/23/09

      PotatoChef

      I always did think that she was more pragmatic and qualified for the job. But most other people came to a different conclusion. Go figure!
2. 

   4/23/09

   greencurmudgeon

   Let's be objective about this: Hillary began in 2008 with the greater name recognition, more money, and more big name support. She subsequently managed to blow these advantages completely; President Obama's organisation was superior to be sure, but she certainly made his path easier.
   
   Under these circumstances, perhaps she ought to realise that presidential politics is not her strength. And perhaps she has realised it.

   [reply]
   1. 

      4/23/09

      PotatoChef

      All of what you said is true. But just because somebody else won the election does not mean she is not more qualified. George W won 2 elections....was he the most qualified?
   2. 

      4/23/09

      greencurmudgeon

      I wasn't talking about qualifications - I was talking about management, organisation and personnel. Say what you will about W - but the managers he had around him were more organised and ruthless than Gore's and Kerry's. Hillary was somehow unable to build that organisation, nor did she appoint help that could build it for her.
      
      On paper, Hillary has a lot of very good skills - the problem is how those skills are applied and how they're best applied.
3. 

   4/23/09

   drjay1966

   Generally, serious primary challenges to sitting presidents only happen when that president is viewed even within his own party as a failure (Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr.) and even then, they lose (Ted Kennedy, Pat Buchanan). So, if Hillary still hopes to become president, she'd have a much better shot running in 2016, ideally after Obama completes two successful terms (in which case, her being part of his administration will be an asset).

   [reply]
   1. 

      4/23/09

      PotatoChef

      In all honesty I'm not convinced that Obama will get to serve a second term.
      
      I think he has upset a lot of people. The blue collar workers in the auto industry, unions, homeowners who are paying their mortgages on time, and people that think it is wrong to bail out the very financial companys that got us into this economic mess to start with.
      
      He seems to want to get other countries to like us no matter what they stand for. I wonder what Jimmy Carter thinks of that. Human rights only seems important to Mr Obama when he wants to use it to obtain a goal he is after.
      
      Hillary will be too old in 8 years. She needs to run in 4 years if she is going to do it. I do not think as president she would have given Castro or Chavez the time of day. She is more or less forced to support Obama's views and policies. I think she is smarter than him when it comes to dealing with the criminals of the world.
   2. 

      4/23/09

      drjay1966

      I'm not saying he will--I'm talking strategically, not in terms of my own politics, and strategically, I think (and am backed up by history) that, if Obama's first term is a flop, a Republican will be elected in 2012, so a primary challenge wouldn't be a good move for Hilary or any other Democrat.
      
      As for Obama upsetting a lot of people--you can make lots of valid arguments against him, but that's not one of them. He's supported by 2/3 of the population--15% more than voted for him. In other words, the people he's "upset" are almost all people who didn't vote for him in the first place.