Hillary (Will Not) Go Away

Should we get used to Hillary? Yes, I think we should. Much as pardon troubles and Obama troubles and donor troubles and financial faux pas (don't forget past campaign problems that will sprout again) and her husband's sleaze and greed plague her, Hillary is here to stay. She is nothing if not driven and there is, alas, a certain inevitability to Hillary.

Why do I say this? I believe that a lot of American women want a woman President and will take her no matter what. The cynical, "well, they're all corrupt anyway" will go part of the way to dismiss concerns about Hillary's situational ethics. Only true believers will abandon Hillary on principle and there aren't enough of those on the left to outweigh the average woman's decision. Women want to see a woman in charge. Women go to work, bring home the bacon and run their home lives, they are sick of going to church to be preached at by a man and they are sick of being bossed by male politicians. This emotional undercurrent already sways national politics.

While researching this topic, I stumbled over a great piece by David Frum at the American Enterprise Institute called Remember Soccer Moms? He says:

Clinton's achievement is not unique. Similar trends could be seen in every advanced democracy, often even more dramatic trends. In the United Kingdom, for example, women had strongly backed the Conservatives in every election since 1945, while men almost equally strongly backed Labour. In the 1980s, that old preference reversed itself (ironically under a female prime minister).

Political scientists offer many explanations for women's move to the left and men's move to the right. Female workers are much more likely to hold public sector jobs than male workers, and the left is the party of the public sector. Parties of the left recoil more from war and conflict than parties of the right, and that too appeals to women voters. Women live longer than men and so end up depending more on government-provided health services. You can probably add half a dozen explanations of your own.

All the fawning press over Nancy Pelosi's historic rise to power should serve as a harbinger of things to come. While Democrats are sick of Hillary and Bill, or more specifically, sick of giving them all this money and getting no love in return, they will rally behind her to be part of history. Obama has given them an alternative, but can he win the presidency? No. The public griping, the money to Obama before the primaries send Hillary a message: Don't forget who took care of you.

Don't worry, she won't. She will grit her teeth and through them make Lincoln bedroom promises and play Fleetwood Mac music. The taste.... that luscious taste... What is it again? Oh yes, it's power. Hillary has it via Bill already and she holds the promise of it tomorrow. For women, the power is symbolic. For leftists, the power will be real. And Barack Obama will make a fine Vice President.