Hillary Watch

PAPER PRAISE. The endorsements are starting to come from major newspapers in the key caucus and primary states. Hillary won the official support of Iowa's Des Moines Register, which might help as she tries to win the state's January 3 caucuses. The paper seems to think that Hillary is the "best prepared" to deal with challenges regarding the Iraq War, the economy and "gjobal climate change." Meanwhile, Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama won the endorsement of the Boston Globe, which could come into play in the January 8 New Hampshire primaries. The Globe said that, while Hillary "has run a diligent, serious campaign" and "her command of the issues is deep and reassuring," her approach is "needlessly defensive, a backward glance at the bruising political battles of the 1990s."

DISLIKED BY MANY. A new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports survey shows that Hillary is the most popular "anti" pick among Americans. Forty percent of Americans say they would vote to keep Hillary from winning the presidency. Her closest competition is former New York City Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who garnered 17% of the "anti" vote. Hillary's opposition was made up of 64% Republicans, 42% third-party or independent voters and 17% Democrats. Scott Rasmussen, who conducted the poll, said that Hillary's high numbers are because she "is better known than any [other] presidential candidate on either side. She has a lot of people who love her and a lot of people who hate her." Rasmussen also noted that Hillary performed particularly poorly among young voters, which could be indicative of inroads that Sen. Barack Obama has made with American youth. "I think that's some of the generational change you're seeing Obama tap into," Mr. Rasmussen said.

THE HILLARY WE KNOW. A few weeks ago, Hillary brought her mother and daughter to Iowa to help her campaign and, some claimed, to help humanize her with voters. Now Hillary's campaign has launched a new effort to soften her image, including a website called TheHillaryIKnow.com. The new drive will showcase her personal side with testimonials from friends, associates and constituents she has helped. Mark Penn, a strategist for Hillary, says that "It's important for people to understand the depth of Hillary, the way she has helped people." Recently in Iowa, she told a small crowd that "I want you to have some flavor of who I am outside of the television cameras, when all the cameras and lights disappear - what I do when nobody is listening or taking notes or recording it." And a prominent labor leader told an audience in Iowa "about the Hillary I know," saying that "Hillary graduated from Yale with very high honors, very high honors, and she could've immediately been a trial lawyer making millions of dollars like others that we know. But no, she went to work for the Children's Defense Fund to help kids."

BILL'S LOOSE UPS. Hillary's husband says that the first thing his wife will do if she wins the White House is "send me and former President [George H.W.] Bush ... around the world to tell them that America is open for business and cooperation again." Apparently Bill believed that since the two ex-Presidents have helped raise money for tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims Bush the Elder wouldn't mind helping Hillary heal the international damage caused by her predecessor. However, Bush 41 says that he has never discussed such a diplomatic role with either Mr. Clinton or Hillary, "nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy."

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Dec 24, 2007
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