The Inexperienced Hillary Clinton
By GOPaisano Posted in 2008 — Comments (19) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
If you didn’t catch it, Sen. Barack Obama was on The Daily Show the other night. The big focus of the night was spinning Obama’s lack of experience as a positive, because the Middle East is a confusing mess—clearly, because our current leaders had too much experience.
Par for the course with the Obama campaign. But then Jon Stewart came out with something interesting.
Jon: The whole meme that Hillary Clinton is very experienced — she's been in the Senate a few years longer than you, and then she was the First Lady. Are they counting that? Does that go on the résumé? 'Cause I'm not sure, I mean, if that's — they keep saying, "She's the experienced candidate," and I keep wondering, man, she's been in the Senate a couple of years, but I don't think First Lady counts. Does it? Or does her husband's résumé somehow —
Sen. Obama dodged the question entirely, which was probably a smart move for him. But Mr. Stewart raises a good point. Hillary Clinton has taken the “experience” label for herself. But does it fit?
Below is a list of all the candidates ordered by the amount of time they spent in public office. It is an imperfect list, because I will not attempt to rate whether it is worth more to be a Senator than a Governor, or worth more to be a Congressman than a Secretary of Energy. I suppose I will be counting Mayor, otherwise Giuliani is listed as “no experience”. However, I will skip on State Legislator, because I think it inflates certain candidates unfairly based on experience that doesn't prepare a candidate for the Presidency in the slightest. (Though I didn’t know Gravel was Alaska Speaker of the House. Kind of cool.)
1. Joe Biden:
34-year Senator (Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee)
2. Chris Dodd:
6-year Congressman.
27-year Senator (Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee)
3. Duncan Hunter:
26-year Congressman (Fmr. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee)
4. John McCain:
4-year Congressman
20-year Senator (Fmr. Chairman of Senate Commerce Committee)
5. Bill Richardson:
14-year Congressman
1-year U.N. Ambassador
3-year Secretary of Energy
4-year Governor of New Mexico
6. Ron Paul:
17-year Congressman (On and off)
7. Mike Huckabee:
4-year Lt. Governor
11-year Governor
8 (tie). Mike Gravel:
12-year Senator
8 (tie). Sam Brownback:
1-year Congressman
11-year Senator
10. Dennis Kucinich
1-year Mayor
10-year Congressman
11. Fred Thompson:
9-year Senator (Fmr. Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs)
12 (tie). Tom Tancredo:
8-year Congressman
12 (tie). Rudy Giuliani:
8-year Mayor
14 (tie). John Edwards
6-year Senator
14 (tie). Hillary Clinton:
6-year Senator
16. Mitt Romney:
4-year Governor
17. Barack Obama
3-year Senator
18. John Cox:
N/A
So there you have it. Out of 18 candidates seeking the Presidency including John Cox, Hillary Clinton can claim to be tied for 14th in experience. (In fact, if we skip John Cox, three of the bottom four candidates are the top three Democrats.)
So the question is posed to Senator Clinton now: In that “35-year experience” you claim, are you counting First Lady of the United States and First Lady of Arkansas? And if so, is the experience you are claiming truly yours, or your husband’s?
At the end of the day, the President of the United States should be making the decisions, not their spouse. For that to happen, we need a President who has a strong resume of their own. Hillary Clinton does not fit the bill.
I would take a 35 year old with zero experience in congress, so long as they understand the exisetence of evil in the world and the necessity for us to defeat it
over an experienced McGovernite any day.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
Or, as Reagan once said, "It's not that liberals are ignorant, it's that they know so well what just isn't so."
Romney/Thompson 2008
The problem is Hillary! is both a very dangerous lib-socialist AND inexperienced. I won't list the lack of qualifications but Rush has done so more than once. It's an eye-opener. But you're right; we have plenty of experienced politicians who would be just as dangerous.
Not that I have any more respect for Obama but I wish he'd answered that question. I'm sure he's hoping for a Veep or other slot.
Thanks for watching Stewart so we don't have to...
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
Gamecock, comparing Hillary to McGovern is unfair to McGovern. McGovern ran on a dovish and it was something hê believed in. Hillary is Whatever the polls tell her to be.
"The nine most dangerous words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'"
Ronald Reagan
catagory of people that are willing to betray allies, lack a basic understanding of evil in the world and the threat it poses to us, and the importance of maintaining a credible deterrance and how to maintain same. I could go on.
What is interesting is that George McGovern himself stated a few weeks ago that he doubted an anti-war dem can win in '08.
What amazes is that anyone doesn't understand that Hillary's votes and statements this year and last make it impossible for her not to be an anti-war candidate.
What else influences my lack of concern for fairness to McGovern are some of the dispicable statements he has made about George Bush over the last 4 years.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
Should she win the nomination, she'll say in the general that she was for the war to bring down Saddam Hussein, but is against being an intermediary in a civil war, and so claim to be the pro-GWoT candidate while pushing for cut and run.
Kerry
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
The problem for Dems, and this comes from one that tried in vain to explain away the weakness of carter, Mondale and Dukakis, is that one can't erase one's record of weakness except over a prolonged period of time and with an express epiphany and repudiation of past appeasing actions. See David Horowitz.
I think Rudy for sure and almost as sure that Fred and Mitt would find exposing this weak spot in any dem quite easy and is why I am so connfidant of victory in '08.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
Hillary uses the BushWeasel response as a catch all. Anything she can't really answer to she blames on Bush. Bush made me do it. A typical liberal who has takes no personal responsibility.
Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you. Washington Elected Elite
Hillary has tons of experience with Bank Fraud, Murder, stealing, and lying. Read the Clinton Chronicles! You don't really think all those deaths were just a coincidence do you?
please get back to substance. I mean we haven't finished up the crawdad mantra
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
the first time I tried to post it I got the message that the post I was replying to did not exist! I thought WTF? so I posted it again with (admittedly) fewer m's and got the same message!
Then, Voila! (that's foreign for WTF?) Both posts appeared at once!
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
stole Bill from a native Arkansas blonde, lied when Bill asked her if she was a Cub's fan and once signed a check Clinton-Rodham.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
that experience in the private sector (a)If they found out they wouldn't hire you. (b) Would fire you if they found out.
In Hillarys case I pray that its (a).