The anvil of conservative malfeasance has walloped the average American so many times now that it's perhaps understandable that pollsters find so many voters crying not "uncle" but "Hillary." The tentative "Anyone But Bush" slogan of 2004 crescendoed in 2006 and now, gathering momentum every news cycle, is poised to launch the famous first lady back into the White House. After eight years of wars, lies and corruption, the electorate doesn't seem to mind much who rescues them as long as it happens soon.
But it is important to recognize that not all lifeboats are created equal. In fact, Sen. Clinton's boat in particular warrants a closer look before jumping in.
For one, the same hands responsible for so much of what's wrong with Washington today built it. Conviction takes a back seat to calculation; courage is trumped by ambition. Mark Penn, long a fixture on the Clinton scene and now the candidate's top strategist, wastes little time asking what is right.
When not preaching his brand of poll-driven politics, his consulting firm Burson-Marsteller also works on shielding corporate criminals (such as the Blackwater mercenaries) from justice. Penn, who signed onto the odious Joe Lieberman for President 2004 campaign, is notorious for cajoling Democrats into supporting the Iraq war because it would supposedly prove politically popular.
Terry McAuliffe, another Clinton insider (whom Students for Hillary are bringing to AU), is part of the same problem. Channeling Republican bigot Tom Tancredo, McAuliffe's been on an anti-immigrant harangue - these people shouldn't be coming in this country, he says - just as the demographic has swung back into the Democratic fold.
While Sen. Clinton may be a genuine progressive, bringing in these triangulating, corporate consultants is not what is going to heal this country. When she can't give a straight answer on torture or war with Iran, when leadership is reduced to ducking hard questions on Social Security and taxes, one can't help but insist we do better.
Another Clinton presidency would be substantively bad for Democrats. Under Bill Clinton's watch, the party lost seats in both chambers of Congress while piling up huge debt and letting state parties decay. And while I don't doubt Hillary Clinton would make a strong general election candidate, I am also convinced that down-ticket Democrats in competitive districts would be at a disadvantage with her as the face of the party.
Luckily, though the media bigwigs may argue otherwise, primary voting has not finished, let alone started. Democrats have fielded an array of candidates rich in experience, judgment and character (not something to be taken for granted given the GOP lot).
Let's make something of it. With not just individual Republicans but now the whole of conservative ideology thoroughly discredited by reality, this election can be a giant leap for both the Democratic Party and the United States of America. Let's not, for the third cycle in a row, nominate the establishment candidate whose inner progressive charisma has been smothered by Beltway consultants and convention.
This time, in the words of Paul Wellstone's progressive battle cry, vote for what you believe in. Vote for a candidate who refuses lobbyist and political action money because their voices are already loud enough. Vote for a candidate who wasn't too timid to take a stand against the war when it first began. Vote for a new standard of leadership, a higher standard of leadership.
Whatever you do, don't let anyone tell you the coronation is over. As Barack Obama warns, "Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare 'Mission accomplished' a little too soon." There is still time to decide if we want to turn back the clock or turn the page.
Jacob Shelly is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a liberal columnist for The Eagle.
