Get Real

"It is time to get real -- get real about how we actually win this election," Hillary Clinton told an audience in New York this week. "it is time to get real about the challenges facing America."

"Get real," is her new mantra.

The unspoken subtext is "don't get your hopes up, don't let charisma carry you away, don't fall prey to that inspirational elixir Obama is selling."

"Get real." How lame is that as a rallying cry for a struggling campaign? It is such a downbeat, eat-your peas message. Which of her highly-paid advisers came up with that? It reinforces her negative image as an admonishing, lecturing, know-it-all.

Hillary Clinton may still pull off victories in Texas or Ohio on March 4. It is always a mistake to count out a Clinton in a campaign before the votes are in. And the reporters who are writing her political obituaries are getting dangerously ahead of the story.

But this much is already true about Clinton-for-president in '08: it was her bad luck to have to compete against a candidate whose story is even more remarkable than hers.

She stood out against the Bidens and Dodds and Richardsons -- all credible, conventional candidates -- as the first woman frontrunner in a presidential race. But Barak Obama stands out even more, as a symbol of the nation's deepest division and as individual who can help bridge that gap.

Obama is more than that, of course. He is enormously articulate and blessed with a dignified composure and inner calm that has carried him through 19 debates without a serious stumble. He also has a sense of humor, which helps.

He seems to have a near-perfect pitch when it comes to gauging the public mood. He senses, for example, that voters are sick and tired of the politics of character assassination. When Clinton attacks, striking out in last night's debate with a crack about "change you can Xerox," he shakes his head and turns the other cheek. Smart politics. She looks tough; he looks presidential.

It is Hillary's fate that when she finally gets her chance at the brass ring, a truly different candidate is there to take it -- and her specialness -- away from her.

Terence Smith is a former media correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. His website is terencefsmith.com.

Comments

[Ides]

"Get Real," Hillary, you can't win get ahead in pledged delegates unless you win Texas, Ohio, AND Pennsylvania by landslides. So far you've won...Arkansas.

[earnesttruthseeker]

What the hell is wrong with people? Have we become so cynical that we could turn up our noses at the spectacular candidate that is Barack Obama? Brilliant, inspirational, able to connect with other humans in a meaningful way, his judgment proven on important issues like the war. Why WOULDN'T we want this man as our President?

Obama '08!

[altohone]

Hillary wouldn't know real if it climbed in her lap.

Her current rhetoric doesn't match her earlier rhetoric or her voting record... what's real there?

[SevenLevels]

Oh, ya know, its impossible for us "impressionable elites" to get real. We're far too mesmerized by Obama's oratorical skills to select a proper leader. Maybe we should turn over our electoral responsibilities to those who know what's best for our country, like the Superdelegates and MI and FL voters. Obviously the nation just isn't ready for our own best interests.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/178377.php

Peace,

Kelly

[msmaggie]

As opposed to "Yes We Can"--all originality there huh?

[ndolomar]

"yes we can" is a rallying cry that nearly every major, progressive politician has utilized in some fashion; however, i suggest you go on youtube (since hillary often recommends it as a source of information) and look up a video of her husband speaking in nov. 1992 -- then compare the "the hits i've taken" remarks she gave last night to bill's "the hits i took" speech. even if hillary wins the nomination, she's opened herself up for a great failure by blowing this thing out of proportion simply to get back in the white house. desperation is not a characteristic i want in my president, and her display is offensive.

[HowardRoarke]

We've already had one president gifted the presidency by a network of political insiders and money men.

We don't need another.

She was the spouse of a governor and a president. She was gifted a Senate seat in a state she never lived in - all the Democrats stayed out of the race to give it to her, and her real opponent Guiliani backed out leaving her with no real challenger.

The first time she's had to use her "experience" and demonstrate leadership is her current run for President. Through her husband's reputation and connections she started with a $50 million dollar lead, the support of the existing party machine in every state and the automatic blessing of 260 superdelegates - and she's behind a guy no one heard of 4 years ago.

Her campaign is an unabashed disaster by every measure.

She has no "experience" for this position.

[moda31]

he was great when he turned this on her in last night's debate.

[HowardRoarke]

Get Real Hillary.

It takes a village. Don't destroy the village in order to save it. Bow out now.

[jstock]

Hilarious, HowardRoarke! Well said. LOL.

[Countess]

It must be shocking to the Clintons that this inspirational young man is beating them. I assume that when he announced they probably believed he was running for 2012 and that they would easily defeat him and now they themselves are up against the wall. He has run an intelligent and inspirational campaign and I hope he will be elected president.

[horacekent]

Hillary's new slogan, "Let's Get Real", will end up on the same dung-heap as:

- 'The Hillary I Know'
- 'Experience vs. Change'
- 'Change You Can Count On'
- 'Ready on Day One'
- 'Action vs Rhetoric'
- 'The America I See'
- 'Solutions'

Those worked wonders - Real Home Runs!

~HK

[mcfried]

I beg to differ "Let's Get Real" will prove to be incredibly ironic.

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

I do need to get real. I had this warm as well as fuzzy notion that Hillary was being gracious and conciliatory last night. I must have been delusional!

Because today she's telling the _Texas Monthly_ that the Florida and Michigan delegates should be seated. Take that, Nice Hillary! The cameras are away, the lights are off, and now it's cutthroat time.

Meanwhile, Obama is ripping off lines from the book _The Audacity of Hope_-- lifting whole sentences, xeroxing paragraphs, from that Grammy-winning author.

It's almost as if Obama has had the same message for years and isn't original enough to have a heart-warming message one night on CNN and a gut-punching message the next day. When there aren't any cameras, and the lights are off him, he's revisiting these thoughts on reclaiming the American dream (Three Rivers Press, c2006).

[standforpeace]

No matter how this turns out, I think it is important to acknowledge that Clinton did herself in with her vote to authorize Bush's war and her continuing refusal to admit that that is what she did (the name of the bill itself -- not to mention the content-- condemns her despite her denials). Obama got an early fundraising and public opinion support from the antiwar (from the very beginning) left wing of the Democratic party. This charismatic candidate took that opening and ran right through it with a brilliant, disciplined campaign. However, had Hillary Clinton not made that vote in 2002 or at least been willing to own up to it and apologize in 2006, then she would likely be the hands down nominee of the Democratic party right now.