The word is that Hillary will “start” going negative against Obama. Bill Clinton says that they are being forced into it by the media, and there’s a kernel of truth to what he’s saying. The press has treated the Clintons unfairly ever since the brief honeymoon period in 1992.
But if this is any indication, Obama will only profit by the negativity:
Hillary’s aides point to Obama’s extremely progressive record as a community organizer, state senator and candidate for Congress, his alliances with “left-wing” intellectuals in Chicago’s Hyde Park community, and his liberal voting record on criminal defendants’ rights as subjects for examination.
The last time I looked she and Obama are competing to win the Democratic nomination for president. It may be true that she is in a position where she has to go negative, but this is a strange way to do it. Republicans go negative by claiming that their opponents are too much like Democrats. Hillary appears to be going negative by saying the same thing about Obama. Why is it that Democrats seem to feel that they can score political points, even in the context of a primary, by attacking their most loyal supporters?
In any event, this particular line of attack, if they follow through with it, looks like a softball pitch right over the plate to Obama. Were I him, I’d reply that indeed I am a progressive, and that I do try to surround myself with smart people. Does Hillary prefer to talk to dumb people? Something along those lines, it seems, ought to work. I think right now that Obama is in a unique position vis a vis Hillary, if not the Republicans. He can only profit from these sort of attacks, and he will profit the most if she insists on attacking the party base instead of him. He can deflect the attacks with humor, as he’s done effectively so far, and she will come across as querulous and desperate.
Speaking of Obama, he appears to be making the right moves. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started picking up more of Edward’s best lines, if Edwards fades. He just stole Richardson’s one and only draw: a promise that he’d withdraw from Iraq as soon as he is inaugurated. He is beginning to look like a very smart politician that is just hitting his stride, while Hillary is looking a little desperate. Of course, if this primary season has proven anything, it has proven that things can change in a heartbeat. Just ask Rudy.
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