Hillary’s Bounce And The Game Has Changed

Hillary Clinton bounced back in New Hampshire- sort of.

In the ancient past (say 30 days ago) New Hampshire was a supposed to be a coronation for Hillary Clinton. Polls had her leading Barack Obama by 12 to almost 20 percentage points. Her victory in the state primary by 3-4 percentage points is hardly indicative of forward momentum or a ‘Great Victory’ of mythological proportions.

A New York Times story headline read Clinton Escapes To Fight Another Day. Pointedly, nowhere does the word ‘comeback’ appear.

With every bounce the ball loses energy, until the ball bounces no more.

We noted yesterday in Snowballs And Quiet Revolutions that there appears to be a shift in the compact the American voters have with their elected representatives. Every pundit has recognized the American voter is now demanding to be heard and not just lectured to. Mainstream candidates are responding- the word ‘change’ is the new political mantra.

Unfortunately for the mainstream candidates, what they have to say is of little consequence. They have a record of behavior that is deplorable, and if that weren’t enough, many have aligned themselves with some of the most outrageous and politically divisive characters to be found anywhere. Jane Hamsher is a perfect example. Almost singlehandedly, she ensured the reelection and rehabilitation of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut after she squandered the forward momentum of Ned Lamont. To this day, her vicious vitriol directed at Lieberman can barely be concealed.

Some of the most beautiful words ever written are contained in the Constitution of the former Soviet Union. It is ironic that in a place where oppression, persecution and the gulag were the pillars that supported that portal to hell, there are those who still believe that words and not deeds are sufficient and the right words justify the most vicious behavior.

The same is true of the many Muslim leaders or their supporters in the west who fund, support, apologize for, or justify terror. One cannot talk about a ‘Religion of Peace’ and moral equivalence when they engage in the most reprehensible behavior and bigotry.

When candidates pander to the likes of Hamsher, Kos, Atrios, et al, what they have to say is irrelevant.

There are no words that can undo the damage many have wrought and continue to do.It is no surprise that none of the Democrat candidates want to Pelosi, Reid, Feinstein or any other Democrat ‘luminaries’ near them. To come within close proximity would be a kiss of death. The same is true of the Republicans. Delay, Abrahamoff and the DC petri dish that allowed corruption to flourish are reminders of the DC wholesale rot.

Think about this without the spin. A Congressman is recorded taking large sums of cash, hiding it in his freezer and then has the audacity to say he’s a victim. Another Congressman gets busted in a bathroom stall soliciting sex and he say’s he’s a victim.

Well, this has been going on for decades. It appears as if for a long time neither the American people or their elected representatives had enough sense or shame to demand better for themselves.

All the right words cannot undo the damage or corruption that generations of DC thieves have brought upon the nation. It will take more than words. It will take real, concrete action and a rejection not only of the words of the past, but a rejection of the actions of the pass.

That is why Obama and Huckabee are so appealing to so many Americans, notwithstanding their lack of substance or political ideology. They are talking about bipartisanship, that which is anathema to mainstream politicians. After almost 8 years of a Congress bound and determined to ‘get the president’ at any cost, the nation is tired of the hubris of their representatives. Even the most unsophisticated voters understand that bipartisanship is is what makes government work.

The fact remains that most Americans expect the same kind of behavior from their representatives they demand from each other. They expect them to find a way to get along, because neighbors who get along make for a better neighborhood. If the average American behaved like the average Congressperson, we’d be living behind walls and armed to the teeth, our only objective being to ‘get’ or eliminate those who disagree with us, at all costs, truth be damned.

That may work for Hamsher, Kos, et al, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us, no matter how they want it to be so and that’s bad news for the ideologues. Americans are not only listening to what is being said, they are examining past behaviors. That’s the nightmare scenario for the ideologues of all stripes.

In Orchestrated Circuses And Clowns, Dr Sanity notes:

That’s why a candidate’s history is so important. Because the best predictor of future behavior/performance is past behavior/performance. We simply can’t trust what we are being shown now during carefully arranged and cleverly manufactured circus events.

In observing the selection process, I can’t help but feel we are going about it the wrong way. The likability factor seems to wash out every other factor. A pretty face or glib words lull people into false hope and mindless support for candidates that promise them the moon.

We seem to be pleading with the candidates, “Make it all go away! Tell us anything to make us believe that everything will be wonderful if we elect you!” And, of course, the candidates oblige willingly.

There’s a lot less bounce in the political balls than the mainstream candidates would like- and no amount of words can change that. No matter who wins the upcoming elections, the game has changed.