As a Democrat in NYS, I was not happy to learn that Clinton was moving here to run for the Senate. I thought she wouldn’t have any idea of what the issues were and wouldn’t especially care to learn. While I admired her for her intelligence, and while I agreed with her on most issues, it really rubbed me the wrong way that she would move here and try a Senate run. It was just real easy to see her coasting on her name and fundraising abilities. (And it hadn’t been that long before that Mario Cuomo, who had started off as a very responsive governor, apparently lost interest in the state, started spending large amounts of time on the road and pontificating about “big issues”–and lost to George Pataki.)
That’s not what she did. She began, as has been mentioned, with an extended “listening tour” of upstate (this is a big deal because lots of Dems come from NYC and rarely if ever venture north of Westchester and Rockland counties–and if they do they complain about it). She talked to, and listened to, newspaper editors and TV reporters and congresspeople and held town halls, and was clearly interested in learning about the issues, and was clearly a quick study.
In general, she was an extremely hard worker. From where I sat she seemed to be putting a lot more energy and interest into the race than Giuliani (and it is really important to remember that she was leading Giuliani in the polls when he withdrew). We should also remember that Lazio was not a joke at that point; he was considered one of the GOP’s rising stars in the state. In retrospect it’s easy to say Giuliani would’ve taken her down and Lazio was a nothing, but that’s 20-20 hindsight.
Yes, they both made missteps: in particular, they assumed that their “local” status would outweigh Clinton’s efforts to turn herself into an echt New Yorker, and didn’t do what they needed to do to counter what she was doing. My recollection is that both of them pretty much took upstate for granted–it always votes Republican, right?–and made few appearances outside NYC and its suburbs.
But Clinton really ran a great campaign, one of the best I’ve ever seen. She did exactly what she needed to do, she was smarter, she worked harder, and she won over many people–including me–who were doubters when she first announced.
Biden’s speech at J-Street, a bunch of self-hating Jews and Islamophiles, was precisely what I don’t like Obama. That crap has got to go. Biden’s comments there epitomize why I’m a swing-voter this year.
You really should get into your head that describing Jews who complain about Israeli policies as “self-hating Jews” is disgustingly racist and full of shit presumptuous as you prescribe what Jews should be thinking. “Hey look at me! I like Jews better than these Jews do!”
Hey I’m a self-hating Jew now! Whoo hoo! And a Zionist at that. Who knew?
Along with a large number of other American Jews of course and some Israelis too who find Bibi and policies under Bibi to be sometimes reprehensible and often not in Israel’s own longer term self-interests. And also recognizing that those of the other side are also being idiotic over and over again as well.
Then I was a self-hating American for being critical of GW Bush too.
Why do you continue to repeat this claptrap after you are told many times by many posters, in this and other threads, that you are abysmally incorrect?
Obama has absolutely not treated Israel poorly, yet you seem so invested in the position that he has, that you are seemingly immune to facts.
Let me repeat what I and others have said: Obama’s disagreement with Netanyahu (justified, I might add) does not translate to him treating Israel poorly. It is right to disagree with Bibi, for Americans and for Israelis.
I am pretty sure you are not Israeli yet how an Israeli leader is treated seems to be more important to you, and an infinitely more important litmus test, than how your own country’s leader is treated, which seems very unpatriotic and strange to me.
I can only assume the argument is that they were all Sanders supporters who were removed in an amazing display of prescience by the elections people.
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It goes deeper than that: The Clinton campaign has such detailed knowledge of the voting patterns in Brooklyn that they were able to pull strings to have all of the Bernie voters selectively purged, contributing to that massive Brooklyn vote in her favour.
To do that required a lot of planning, data-mining, knowledge of local retail politics, and the long-sighted view of making sure her people were on the Elections Board over a year in advance, ready to take her instructions, all with a stealth shield that made the Osama kill look like it was planned on the village square.
Damn - someone that smart and organised deserves to be President!