Well, I’m considered a conservative on this board so I’ll chime in with my two cents worth, though I wouldn’t vote for Hillary unless someone REALLY bad was running against her (say if Bush somehow got a 3rd term…even then I might close my eyes, flip a coin and let fate decide), and only then if all the other third parties were somehow wiped out.
That said I can see how some conservatives COULD support Hillary…especially those who are more toned down on the rhetoric. Hillary has her good and bad points after all…some one her own, some brought to her from her dear hubby (again, both good and bad). Some of her stances on economics, while I wouldn’t rate them as conservative by any stretch, come off as quite centrist and reasonable. It will be a good contrast to Bush’s handling of the economy I think. I’m not going to get into the bad things that would turn off conservative (there are several) but focus on why I think she could grab some waverying conservatives and bring them over to the dark side.
Her record on the war has been a good one. Its going to be pretty hard to seriously attack her stances there except by her own party. Once she wins the nomination though it will be a serious asset.
Return to memory lane. A lot of folks of our generation (you kids back there…go outside and play ball or something!) have fond memories of making boatloads of money in the 90’s, of all that hope and energy happening, when it seemed for a brief time that the US would rise up above the other nations of the world and assert itself, striding back up the hill to reclaim what was ours and pushing that damned Asian kid at the top right off (and trampling on the back of the France as we stride to the top). All joking aside it was a time of both peace and prosperity. The old Soviet Union had finally packed it in and folded up shop, and the other communist governments out there were either taking steps to not LOOK like communists anymore or were keeping a low profile. To make a long post short, I think there is a lot of political capital to be had for Hillary by fiscal conservatives who long for those days of freewheeling capitalism.
She’s a woman. I’m hearing a lot of ’ :smack: ’ and ‘Well Duh!’ out there. Bear with me (his name is smokey). She is a woman and I think that it appeals to certain types of concervatives…especially the young ones who I hang out with. Why? Well, it doesn’t matter so much that she is a woman, per se, it sthat she is different. Something that breaks the standard mold of ‘Rich White guy number 1’ running against ‘Rich White guy number 2’. Many of my conservative friends (many of who, like me, aren’t republicans’ would LOVE to see a shake up where we get a minority president of some kind: Hispanic, Black, Oriental, religious (Islamic, Catholic, Hindu, Shinto, The Hair Shirt Brothers who Follow the Sacred Shoe, etc), Native American…and a Woman (preferable a black/hispanic/oriental woman who has tried out all the various religions but is currently in THSBwFtSS,e.
I think there is a big difference between wanting Hillary to run because you think that whoever the Republicans put up will crush her like an empty beer can, and genuine republicans who are dissatisfied with where the party is going (I have been in this boad since Bush I’s re-election…and the boat is gettnig a might crowded these days). Putting aside political claptrap and partisan screeching, HC actually does have appeal with certain republicans. She has Bills ability to decide on a course to take not based on political ideology or who amoung your supporters you will be screwing over, but on what will work…or at least what will SEEM to work the best. Conservatives seeing some of the thing Bill did and wistfully looking back on the 90’s could certainly be swayed to support a Hillary presidency. I’ll just have to hope the Libertarian party’s candidate is someone I can vote fore. Course, if I could vote Badnarik I can probably vote just about anyone.
-XT