It's early 2007, and who knows what's going to happen in the next 20 months, but I don't think I can vote for Hillary Clinton.
State Sens. Robert Ford and Darrell Jackson told The Associated Press they believe Clinton is the only Democrat who can win the presidency. Both said they had been courted by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; Ford said Obama winning the primary would drag down the rest of the party.
"Then everybody else on the ballot is doomed," Ford said. "Every Democratic candidate running on that ticket would lose because he's black and he's at the top of the ticket -- we'd lose the House, the Senate and the governors and everything."
Ford and Jackson are playing some long odds here. Clinton's support among black voters is undeniable, but even her supporters are unlikely to be happy hearing "black political leaders" say that black candidate would cost the party "everything."
On top of her Lieberman-esque belief that her Iraq war vote wasn't "a mistake" and that holding that line shows resolve, which Democratic primary voters are sure to love, I am optimistic that a good chunk of her early support will evaporate. It's not a sure thing, though, and I fear the cause of female advancement in American politics will be more set back the longer she stays in. Would someone kindly draft Kathleen Sebelius into the race?
Posted by Aaron S. Veenstra ::: 2007:02:17:21:05