WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton jumped into the fray as a 2008 presidential candidate with the words "I'm in" posted on her Web site.
"And I'm in to win," she added in a statement, announcing she has set up an exploratory committee that can gauge opinions and raise money for a presidential campaign.
Should she win, she would be the first woman to serve as president of the United States -- and the first presidential spouse to do so as well. President Bill Clinton served two terms -- from 1993-2001.
On Tuesday, Democrat Sen. Barack Obama announced that he was filing papers to form a presidential exploratory committee, a bid to become the first African-American president. (Full story)
And on Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, also a Democrat, is expected to announce his bid, one that could make him the first Latino president.
Bringing "the right end" to the war in Iraq, reducing the deficit, making the country energy independent and affordable health care were issues Clinton touted in her announcement, speaking on a video posted on her site.
"After six years of George Bush, it is time to renew the promise of America," she said.
"I grew up in a middle-class family in the middle of America, and we believed in that promise," the 59-year-old native of Chicago said. "I still do. I've spent my entire life trying to make good on it, whether it was fighting for women's basic rights or children's basic health care, protecting our social security or protecting our soldiers."
In the video, she invited Americans to join her in a three-night series of live video Web chats beginning Monday.
"So let's talk. Let's chat, let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine, because the conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"
When Clinton launched an exploratory committee for her Senate bid in New York in 1999, she began a "listening tour" around the state to explore views on education, business and health care issues. Her Republican opponent, Rick Lazio, had criticized for being a carpetbagger because she had never lived in New York. But she wound up beating him, becoming the first sitting first lady to win an elected office.
BTW, did anyone see Amy Poehler doing Hillary on SNL last night? It was hilarious. "I'VE BEEN RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT SINCE I WAS BORN!" LOL
I'd love to see a women president, even though I don't really like Hillary. That being said, I also don't think she'll win, that is why I pray she doesn't win the Democratic nomination. Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president.
I'd love to see a women president, even though I don't really like Hillary. That being said, I also don't think she'll win, that is why I pray she doesn't win the Democratic nomination. Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president.
Once again, as much as I love her, you're right.
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jah wrote:I'd love to see a women president, even though I don't really like Hillary. That being said, I also don't think she'll win, that is why I pray she doesn't win the Democratic nomination. Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president
i'm lukewarm about hillary... i definitely think we're long overdue for a female president, but i'm not sure if hillary's the right one. the thing is, there's a high chance that some representative minority, whether it be a racial, religious or gender-based, will be the democratic nominee and that alone may be enough to rule them out of contention with the general population, since the republican nom will most definitely embody some permutation of the rich white old man ideal. as stupid as this sounds, i'm sure there are people who will only see a striking phonetic resemblance to osama and/or hear that his middle name is mohammed and will have a negative knee-jerk reaction. just look at the poor guy who was sworn in to office on the koran, and not the bible. *gasp* people went apeshit.
what i found fascinating was that there was a poll asking whether one would vote for clinton if she ran by the name 'hillary clinton' or 'hillary rodham clinton.' if i remember correctly, the latter won out by a statistically significant margin. her maiden name was enough to distance herself from her philandering, fellated, amoral bastard of a husband. go figure. i'm curious to see who would win the republican nomination... will they go for a social conservative or a more moderate candidate? as vested as i am in the democratic primary, i'm rooting for giuliani, or if he doesn't run, a giuliani-esque candidate.
Hillary scares the living daylights out of me...not because of her political views or anything...she just reminds me of Mommy Dearest or the Kathy Bates character in Misery...
But I love me some Condie!! I never thought i would vote for a woman president (please don't throw things at me, I've been sheltered!!) but i think i could seriously consider voting for Ms. Rice...
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It's pronounced "Johnny," like the boys name....but spelled like an Indian Zuchini.
squishy - on GMA this morning, they were discussing how tricky it will be to run a Hillary campaign. She needs Bill for the money (he brings in lots of fundraising $), and because his popularity is so high. Plus he sort of features in a "2-Clintons-for-the-price-of-1" motif they have going. But they are also very careful about how they word her campaign -- i.e., it's "Hillary for President," NOT "Clinton for President." (Which I think was similar to GW in 2000, no? With the whole "W" thing instead of Bush?) They also said that because Bill is so charismatic in front of crowds, they are concerned to put him next to her for fear he will outshine her.
Jahni - I am sure we haven't seen the last of Condi, though I doubt she will run in thiselection. Did you hear that the Venezuelan president called her "missy"? LOL
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"We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessities." --Oscar Wilde
squishy - on GMA this morning, they were discussing how tricky it will be to run a Hillary campaign. She needs Bill for the money (he brings in lots of fundraising $), and because his popularity is so high. Plus he sort of features in a "2-Clintons-for-the-price-of-1" motif they have going. But they are also very careful about how they word her campaign -- i.e., it's "Hillary for President," NOT "Clinton for President." (Which I think was similar to GW in 2000, no? With the whole "W" thing instead of Bush?) They also said that because Bill is so charismatic in front of crowds, they are concerned to put him next to her for fear he will outshine her.
ack, the w!! i was in traffic today, and i saw a car that had a poorly scraped off W2004 bumper sticker. hee.
you know, i didn't even consider her campaigning difficulties, but that's so true. she needs to distinguish herself from her husband, but not alienate bill's supporters. i'm sure it's a very difficult equilibrium to maintain. her campaign will be an exercise in nuance/sublety.
i also heard something about how the african american leadership isn't rushing to support obama, not only because he's so new on the national political scene, but also because hillary's been courting their vote longer and has a long-standing relationship with them.
ack, the w!! i was in traffic today, and i saw a car that had a poorly scraped off W2004 bumper sticker. hee.
this made me laugh really hard for some reason.
halleybird- GMA sounds like it was really interesting. i hadn't thought of the potential little kinks that being Bill's wife could present, and how the campaign will have to accomodate those.
Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president.
Which is really too bad, especially considering how very conservative her voting record has been since she became a senator. She doesn't win that NY vote (only NYC is liberal) by a landslide for nothing.
dont know much about politics but i do want her to win just so we can have a female president...i think itd be interesting to watch a female run our country..
BTW, did anyone see Amy Poehler doing Hillary on SNL last night? It was hilarious. "I'VE BEEN RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT SINCE I WAS BORN!" LOL
I'd love to see a women president, even though I don't really like Hillary. That being said, I also don't think she'll win, that is why I pray she doesn't win the Democratic nomination. Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president.
We cannot vote based on who we would like to have a beer with, but who can run the country in a direction most closely aligned with our personal desires. We should also not vote based on what we think the majority or our friends will do, but again, vote for someone ideas/beliefs most closely align with our individual ideas/beliefs.
Do you think that ultra conservatives are the only ones who would not vote for her? There are a lot of moderates out there that vote republican as well, and it's not as a vote against anyone, its a vote for someone who most closely aligns with the way the voter thinks.
I will not vote for Clinton, not based on her sex, and not because I'm ultra conservative (because I'm not), but because her idea of the way the country should be run does not align with the way I think the country should be run.
That said, I would vote for Giuliani in a heart beat. His ideas/beliefs align with mine and he is a proven leader, especially in tumultuous times, which is what we need right now.
-- Edited by D at 08:44, 2007-02-16
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i also heard something about how the african american leadership isn't rushing to support obama, not only because he's so new on the national political scene, but also because hillary's been courting their vote longer and has a long-standing relationship with them.
all this, and we're just into 2007!!
I also think that Obama is too Uncle Tom to appeal to or identify with a lot of the African-American voters.
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
Every ultra conservative will come out to vote against her IMO. Too bad, because while I don't really like her, I think she would be a good president.
Which is really too bad, especially considering how very conservative her voting record has been since she became a senator. She doesn't win that NY vote (only NYC is liberal) by a landslide for nothing.
ITA. I used to work for her and she's honestly not that liberal AT ALL. People perceive her to be a lot different than she actually is.
I also want to just say that she is super sweet and very grandmotherly. I her.
i also heard something about how the african american leadership isn't rushing to support obama, not only because he's so new on the national political scene, but also because hillary's been courting their vote longer and has a long-standing relationship with them.
all this, and we're just into 2007!!
I also think that Obama is too Uncle Tom to appeal to or identify with a lot of the African-American voters.
Ok, so I am taking this as my first opportunity to participate in posting on this forum. I am really perplexed by the above comment regarding Obama being "too Uncle Tom." I understand that the media has been pushing this idea but there is also significant evidence to support its inaccuracy. Also, how is it possible to fail to identify with African-American voters when he is an African-American by his own definition? Of course this ability to "identify" is solely based on the experience of being black in America as it would be impossible to identify with the experiences of all African-Americans given that all people are individuals. Sorry for straying from the original topic.
i also heard something about how the african american leadership isn't rushing to support obama, not only because he's so new on the national political scene, but also because hillary's been courting their vote longer and has a long-standing relationship with them.
all this, and we're just into 2007!!
I also think that Obama is too Uncle Tom to appeal to or identify with a lot of the African-American voters.
Ok, so I am taking this as my first opportunity to participate in posting on this forum. I am really perplexed by the above comment regarding Obama being "too Uncle Tom." I understand that the media has been pushing this idea but there is also significant evidence to support its inaccuracy. Also, how is it possible to fail to identify with African-American voters when he is an African-American by his own definition? Of course this ability to "identify" is solely based on the experience of being black in America as it would be impossible to identify with the experiences of all African-Americans given that all people are individuals. Sorry for straying from the original topic.
-- Edited by StellaStar at 09:51, 2007-02-16
I know this is goign to come out wrong, but hopefully you guys will know what I'm sayign and noone will bw offended. Even though Obama is Black, he acts more "white" Its more of a cultural thing than a color thing(I'm tryign my best not to stereotype here!)...a lot of African Americans consider Bill linton to have been the first "Black" president because they could identify with him.
To say African Americans will vote for Obama just because he's black is just as absurd as saying all women will vote for Hillary just becasue she's a woman. We're smarter than that!
StellaStar wrote:Also, how is it possible to fail to identify with African-American voters when he is an African-American by his own definition?Of course this ability to "identify" is solely based on the experience of being black in America as it would be impossible to identify with the experiences of all African-Americans given that all people are individuals
you answered your own question.
race and skin color aren't the largest common identity denominator, and race and skin color alone don't define a cultural experience. not all african americans will support obama, and not all women will support clinton. ideally, people will vote for what they want to happen in the next 4-8 years, not for what minority they do or don't want to place in office.
recgardless of significant evidence to the claim otherwise, people aren't necessarily swayed statistics. they're going to see that he's like condi: although they're both ethnically from africa, a large part of the popuation (whites and blacks) don't see them as culturally african american. obama was raised in hawaii and indonesia, which is a far cry from what we perceive to be the american experience. as stereotypical as this is going to sound, when you think african american, you don't think of obama; you think of someone more like rev. jesse jackson.