"Let's Get Real"....What Is She Thinking?

Hillary Clinton's attempt to revive her campaign for the presidency already faces daunting organizational, financial and mathematical challenges. But her fundamental message is the biggest challenge of all.

Barack Obama has captured the imagination of America with his appeals to hope and possibility -- his focus on change -- his "yes we can" optimism. He has tapped into people's innate need for meaning and purpose and the overwhelming desire to change the status quo in Washington. Inspiration, after all, is about giving people the sense of empowerment -- that they can make change.

Her new mantra: "let's get real" might as well be "no we can't."

Hillary Clinton is trying to persuade the voters of Ohio and Texas that she is the candidate best equipped to lead the party into battle in November with a battle cry of "let's get real?"

What America needs is a progressive political movement for change: to pass universal health care, to change our tax system, to provide universal access to higher education, to end corporate special interest domination of Washington.

You don't inspire people to be part of that kind of movement by telling them what they can't do -- to "get real."

Clinton's attempts at a comeback in Ohio and Texas are complicated further by two other key factors.

In Texas, she has counted heavily on the Latino vote. But the Texas Latino population is very young, and young people of all types have gravitated to Obama's message of change and hope.

Obama was slow getting off the blocks mobilizing his many Latino supporters. But that has changed over the last month. When Latinos hear about Obama's long history of standing up for Latino interests -- from his early days as a community organizer to his unwavering support for comprehensive immigration reform -- they break increasingly into his column.

In Ohio, Clinton's attempts to hang onto her working class base runs smack into the Clinton administration's North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA is like kryptonite for blue collar Ohio families who heard first-hand the sucking sound of their US manufacturing jobs flowing overseas. NAFTA was a trade deal that did nothing to protect the rights of workers.

Trade is at the top of the agenda for Ohio blue collar workers. They want a president who supports trade policies that protect the rights of workers, not just the people who own stock or patents. They want a president who understands that people are not commodities like beans or corn, whose value is determined solely by the laws of supply and demand. They want a president who understands that people are the purpose of the economy, not simply factors of production intended to make money for Wall Street.

Clinton may yet hang on to win Ohio and Texas. Even if she does, her ability to overtake Obama's pledged delegate lead faces very long odds.

I'm guessing that with every passing day, more and more Americans will come to understand that we don't need just another campaign for president. America needs a movement to convert this historic opportunity in the fundamental, progressive change in America. And Barack Obama is the person to lead it.

Comments

[Dahveed]

Another excellent thoughtful column! It is so embarassing to witness Hillary try on one persona after another, one slogan after another, and one strategy after another. Jeez! Enough already. And this is an example of her providing "leadership?" Yikes! She's paid $8,000,000 to Mark Penn, her chief strategist? Yikes! As others have said, her loss is actually due to the tragic absence of "character." Like a female "empty suit," Hillary has been unable to sufficiently connect with voters enough to motivate them. Her speeches are painfully dull and hollow because there is no "person" attached to the "politico" words. Besides being Bill's wife, who the hell is Senator Hillary Clinton? Oh well, at least one positive note: all the millions (150) she's wasted on her campaign may help boost the economy! Audacious!

[outnow]

Hillary is trying to "serve two masters" - one, is the so-called free trade agenda that drops protective tariffs and encourages outsourcing of manufacturing jobs overseas; and ,two, promoting the interests of union members and labor.

These are two diametrically opposed ideas.

Hillary is a corporate lawyer. Her Wall Street friends and her MIC buddies are what she is all about. She is not a Democrat in the true sense of the word.

Obama is the lesser of two evils. I'd rather roll the dice on the devil that I don't know than see the pseudo-Democrats take the country to ruin on their outmoded platform of triangulation, deregulation of capital, consolidation of telecommunications, and the anti-labor and anti-social safety net in favor of more MIC and Pentagon spending.

Hillary is speaking out of both sides of her face at the same time, as she has done on the war in Iraq. In effect, her post-Iraq war Authorization statement was a "signing statement." She trusted Bush, a neocon of the first order. She wants it both ways. Let's give her neither unless she fesses up and admits that she was wrong.

[editrix66]

This anti-hope message is ridiculous. We are facing hard times, and one candidate has built a candidacy on a message of unifying the country with a goal of making real changes for the poor and middle classes by trying to get beyond partisan squabbles to make political change and motivate ordinary people to work hard to improve their own communities. The other candidate is saying, "Get Real. You can't do that. No real change is possible." Any real change has required imaginative leadership (FDR, MLK, Jane Addams, Lincoln). I know HRC would be a workhorse, but could she motivate others to work toward something greater than the status quo?

[mhopgood123]

I couldn't agree with you more. This anti-hope message delivered constantly by all the cynics of this country is what is wrong in this country. This are the people that don't want America to do better. They really want status quo.

[Rule Of Law]

I'm predicting this:

Hillary Wins both Texas and Ohio, two states known for being easily--um, handled? Then the rules re Florida and Michigan are rescinded and those go to her as well. Lastly, the Super Delegates, (why do I see Wiley Coyote at that phrase?) being DNC apparatchiks, flock to her new found momentum. and Obama is a footnote.

The Clinton's are, on some issues, liberal Dems, but on the economy, the war, and most of all, their own sense of entitlement, they are Repblicans, and they play this game by Repubican, scorched earth, winner take all, Carl Rove "I will eat your children" rules.

Her "Comeback" will be stunning, and the dream stuff of the MSM and HuffPo for many many news cycles! The fix is in.

[mhopgood123]

I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU. tHE VOTERS HAVE RECOGNIZED Obama'S GOOD INTENTIONS AND WILL TO HELP THIS COUNTRY move forward and they wont back our. Hillary will be the footnote. Too many people dislike her and she will ever win the general election

[Rule Of Law]

I hope yer right mhop, but there are a lot of smoke filled rooms between now and November...

[michigan500]

I wish she would get real and support Obama. "Lets get real?" boy thats a motivator, almost as inspiring as her first one "vote for me I'm vetted??????"

Clintons - please spare us all and just stop.

[michigan500]

I wish she would get real and support Obama. "Lets get real?" boy thats a motivator, almost as inspiring as her first one "vote for me I'm vetted??????"

Clintons - please spare us all and just stop.

[realitytrumpsbull]

I disagree, I don't think we need 'movements', I think we need honest accountants and to be effectively IMMUNIZED, not against exotic diseases, but against the Florence Nightingale reflex. Hand up, not handout+run-amok government-helpy-happybuddy deficit-inducing CRAP.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Reason for my rant? Witness the Iraq war. Here was an attempt to fix a bad situation, and all resources were brought to bear on it, and in that lies the pitfall. Attempts to over-control Iraq have brought disaster. Government 'help' sometimes doesn't, and should be applied wisely and sparingly. 'You're free', followed by the
manifestation of nazi jackboots, and a thinly-veiled oil grab has probably done a dirty on our global reputation. The desire to help is noble, comma, must be tempered with the wisdom of the ages, which hasn't been applied very effectively in this circumstance, which should serve as a fair warning to the next Occupant.

[Ides]

Clinton just don't understand.

[DennyCrane]

Imagine where the human race would be if we had leaders that were constantly telling us our hopes and dreams are unrealistic. I wonder how Hillary would've reacted if as a kid someone told her that her dream of being President someday was unrealistic and that she shouldn't waste time pursuing something like that.

[slg]

precisely

[shm259]

Words do matter for this reason- Words can inspire people to do things that they might otherwise reject, words may inspire republicans to cross over to our side, words HAVE inspired young people to get involved.
http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5040

Over 2000 young people in Texas walked 7.3 miles to cast their early votes- the article doesn't directly say who these young people voted for- but in the words of Hillary Clinton "lets get real"- I think it's safe to make that assumption

[jungpatawan]

Sister Mary Buzzkill - yeah, that's JUST the persona voters love. I can't imagine why she's losing ground in every demographic except white women over 60.

Maybe she's hoping to capture the "Nun of the Above" vote.

JP

[slow2]

jungpatawan...

Let us let you in on a little secret; there are a hell of a lot of white women over 60 who would not, will not vote for Hillary Clinton.

The word is not getting out; maybe the msm and the Billary campaign think that all voters over 60 are in the Bide a Wee Home and are just waiting to cast absentee ballots for her.

I can tell you that is not reality. Some of those in the group you have selected are working 24/7 to elect Obama.

So, ease up on the old ladies and old men. They ain't dead yet and they won't vote for Hillary.

[jungpatawan]

Oh, I fully understand and applaud that! I'm just saying that of the people in that demographic - which includes every American nun I know - that Hillary does hold, she's not losing ground there.

I apologize if I implied otherwise, and to them I say, a la the Beach Boys: "Go granny, go granny, go granny, GO!"

JP

[TuffPosh]

I could say a lot about "his unwavering support for comprehensive immigration reform", but let me zero in on just one issue.
Perhaps Creamer would like to tell us how Obama is going to do background checks on 10 million people. At the current rate that would take 5 to 10 years:
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007470.html
That means that, under BO's scheme, we'd have millions more new illegal aliens by the time we finally did checks on the current ones. Or, there would be minimal checking and plenty of criminals and even terrorists would be able to become citizens.
So, perhaps in a future post Creamer could explain *exactly* how that's going to work. If not, well, then I suggest not trusting anything else he says.

[genmalia]

Um, have you actually read the immigration bill? As I understand it, you have to pass a background check to become a US citizen legally. That is precisely why it takes so long to become a citizen, there is lots of red tape. At least those undocumented would be able to get in the back of the line to become a citizen after paying a fine - which is not amnesty.

If given an opportunity to apply for citizenship without harassent or facing deportation, some still choose not to get their documents, that would raise a red flag, so to speak.

[wm1066]

When I think of the Obama campaign I am reminded of a song by Peter Yarrow,
"Weave me..weave me a sunshine, out of the falling rain.
Weave me hope for tommorrow and fill my cup again"
Ms Clinton forgot the Hope! How ironic.

[AnninCA]

Hey, I like it!

[dianaluisa]

I don't like the way Hillary tried to usurp Al Gore's power during the Clinton administration, as well as during the 2000 election. She's a power-mad egomaniac; what does she even stand for except herself.
If Al Gore isn't running, then Obama is my choice; Hillary should fold up her tent and go back to the Senate, along with her irritating voice and mannerisms.
P.S. I'm a baby-boomer, college-educated, liberal woman...and won't vote for Hillary!