An emotionally disturbed individual invaded one of Hillary Clinton’s campaign offices in New Hampshire, taking several staff hostage. Fortunately, the episode ending peacefully, with no one harmed and the suspect taken into custody. However, in the context of an increasingly bitter struggle for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillaryland must view this incident as not only news, but also a campaign opportunity.
“It’s been a difficult, but eventually gratifying day the way it worked out,” Senator Clinton informed reporters after the suspect surrendered. Next thing, her campaign announced a major change in Hillary’s campaign schedule. Hillary Clinton is now off to New Hampshire, to thank the police who ended the standoff, and to meet with her campaign staff. What should have been a minor episode in now being transformed into a major media event by the Clinton political machine.
Dragging out the media focus on the incident shines the spotlight on Hillary Clinton while diminishing the presence of Obama and Edwards. There will be photo opportunities with law enforcement, to “show” that Hillary Rodham Clinton is really the “friend” of the police. Meeting with Clinton staff in front of media cameras will also heighten sympathy for Hillary’s campaign in New Hampshire.
Some may call this cynicism, but it is also the raw efficiency of the Clinton political machine at work, which never misses the opportunity to create an opportunity.
Sheldon Filger, Author
HILLARY CLINTON NUDE
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
It had to happen. Barack Obama announces that Oprah Winfrey will campaign for him, only to be countered by Hillary Clinton informing the world that Barbra Streisand endorses her presidential campaign.
The 2008 presidential race is increasingly being dominated by celebrity advertising and endorsements, in lieu of serious exploration of the issues. Many in the political establishment are to blame for this depressing devolution of our political culture, however, the Clintons are the masters of this descent into inanity.
Hillary Clinton’s whole political persona is based on celebrity approbation, starting with her husband. Her election to the Senate in 2000 despite being a carpetbagger in New York only happened due to her husband being the current president, the ultimate form of celebrity endorsement. The continuing presence of Bill Clinton as a vital political star among Hillary’s celebrity troupe personifies the superficiality of her campaign.
We are now witnessing star wars between Hillary Clinton and her opponents, while the nation slides into economic chaos and geo-political uncertainty. This may be injurious to the national interest, but it’s a wonderful context for Hillary Rodham Clinton to campaign in. After all, why spoil Hillary’s attempt to “make history” with anything as mundane as substance and seriousness.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude: Naked Ambition, Hillary Clinton And America’s Demise.”
Some of the most savage criticism of Clinton ethics has not always emerged from political conservatives. Consider the following.
Bob Herbert, the eloquent and passionate columnist with The New York Times, can never be accused of being part of Hillary Clinton’s “vast right-wing conspiracy.” He is as liberal as journalists come, a consistent and vehement critic of the Republican Party and President George W. Bush. That is why his column of February 26, 2001 should be required reading for every American of voting age seriously considering casting their ballot for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
That column of Herbert’s, “In America; Cut Him Loose,” was written in the midst of the pardongate scandal. For those who have forgotten, and it is challenging to keep track of all the Clinton scandals, this was Bill Clinton’s parting gesture of contempt towards the American people during literally the final hours of his sleazy and philandering presidency. A host of last minute presidential pardons were granted to a host of shady characters. They included a fugitive billionaire who had once been on the FBI list of ten most wanted, as well as a quartet of swindlers who had stolen tens of millions of dollars in tax payers money.
The connection between both Bill and Hillary Clinton and those pardoned prompted Herbert to write the following in his column: “The Clintons can spin this however they want. But the simple truth is that the way in which some of the pardons were granted seems to fit neatly with the standard definition of a bribe, which is the promise of money or gifts — something of value — to influence the action or behavior of an official.”
Pardongate generated so much outrage in America, it appeared that the Clintons were finished as a political couple. “Bill Clinton has been a disaster for the Democratic Party. Send him packing,” Bob Herbert warned the Democratic Party. He added that, “As neither Clinton has the grace to retire from the scene, the Democrats have no choice but to turn their backs on them. It won’t be easy, but the Democrats need to try.”
Sadly, seven years later, the Democratic Party has not turned its back on the Clintons. It has welcomed Bill Clinton back on the altar as the rock-star among Party stalwarts, and is on the verge of handing Hillary Rodham Clinton its presidential nomination, virtually on a silver platter.
George Santayana, the Spanish-American philosopher, once warned that those who forget the errors and sins of the past are condemned to repeat them. Is this the “change” the Democrats are promising in 2008? It may prove to be a fatal flirtation with deja vu for the American people.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude: Naked Ambition, Hillary Clinton And America’s Demise.”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
The media pundits are at it again. One of several polls shows Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton by a mere 4 points in Iowa (within the margin of error), and now these experts proclaim Baracks’s ascendancy while Hillary Clinton is supposedly in trouble. The problem with this analysis is that we have all been there before.
Except in one or two recent polls, for most of the summer and fall Hillary Clinton was not leading in Iowa. Obama has been ahead of Hillary in polling data going back months. This so-called Obama surge is missing the point.
Hillary Clinton and her political gurus were always skeptical about the unpredictable and capricious Iowa caucuses. According to a memo leaked during the summer, senior advisors within the Clinton political machine actually wanted to withdraw from even participating in the Iowa caucuses. Obviously, they believed Hillary Clinton had a good chance of losing in Iowa, so they preferred to deploy their resources elsewhere. Why then did Hillary Clinton and her political team decide to participate in Iowa?
Not being privy to the inner sanctum of Hillaryland, here is my best guess. I think there are two reasons for Hillary’s participation. In the first place, by being in the Iowa caucus, she convinces her two chief Democratic opponents, Obama and Edwards, to squander much of their time and money on this small state. While this is happening, Hillary Clinton has been busy as a bee building a powerful campaign infrastructure in the key states that trumps that of Obama & Company. Hillary Clinton is focused not on Iowa, but on mega-Tuesday, February 5, when more than 20 states are conducting primaries. On that date, if not earlier, the Democratic nomination will be decided.
The second reason for running in Iowa is that Hillary Clinton probably thought it would tarnish her front-runner image to be absent from the first electoral contest of the 2008 campaign. That is probably more important as a campaign concern than the short-term and limited damage of coming in second or third, which would be made quickly irrelevant by winning in the New Hampshire primary, which follows the Iowa caucus by only a few days.
Of course, given that the race in Iowa is a dead heat at the moment, there is always the chance that Hillary Clinton will win in that state. Should that occur, it is probably all over for both Obama and Edwards.
Sheldon Filger, Author
HILLARY CLINTON NUDE
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
Hillary Clinton continues to bash chief Democrat opponent Barack Obama for his inexperience. This tactic not only diminishes Obama, it also deflects voters from scrutinizing Hillary’s own lack of relevant experience. Ironically, her campaign is based on bringing about “change through experience.”
The massive Clinton public relations machine is seeking to convince the American public that Hillary Rodham Clinton is the epitome of presidential experience. Yet, objective scrutiny shows Senator Clinton as being experienced and highly competent in only one area: playing the nepotism card.
Hillary Clinton may not have made it to senior partner of her law firm without being married to then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. Ditto for the special help she received from the leading outside counsel of a major corporation that benefited from Governor Clinton’s policy, which contributed to Hillary receiving a $100,000 windfall in commodity trading on an investment of a mere thousand bucks.
From Arkansas to the White House, Hillary Clinton used her marriage and Clinton name to create a national political image. Yet, despite her campaign rhetoric, there is not a single major accomplishment that occurred during her husband’s presidency that she can legitimately take credit for. However, she does get points for her clever attempt to cover-up Bill Clinton’s lies about Monica Lewinsky by falsely blaming conservative Americans through her diatribe about a “Vast right-wing conspiracy.”
Without being Mrs. Clinton, Hillary would never have stood a chance of being elected Senator from New York. And without all of the above, there would never be a Hillary presidential campaign.
It is only through nepotism and effectively exploiting her spousal relationship to philanderer ex-president Bill Clinton that Hillary Rodham Clinton has emerged as the 2008 presidential front-runner. If the election were really based on relevant experience as opposed to clever public relations spin and image fabrication, Hillary Clinton would be running dead last in all the polls. The fact that the reverse is the case is testimony to how broken and dysfunctional America’s presidential electoral process has become.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
Barely had the sun shone anew after Hillary Clinton denounced Obama and Edwards for “slinging mud” at her when a conservative columnist reported that the Clinton camp had “scandalous material” about Barack Obama that they did not plan on releasing. Well, if that report is true, they don’t have to release it; the doubts have already arisen, along with the rumors.
Hillary Clinton’s political machine denied that they had any damaging material about Obama in their possession. Senator Obama in turn denounced Hillaryland for being “too slow” in issuing its denial. One senses a hint of panic, irrespective of whether or not Obama has anything to hide.
Despite Hillary Clinton’s staged protests about “slinging mud” at her, there exists no team of politicians as attuned to playing dirty pool in politics as Hillary and Bill Clinton. It may be half-true what the Clintons are saying; they have nothing on Barack Obama. However, a confidential source in their campaign could have approached the columnist, knowing this would start the rumors flying.
One thing is for sure. The Clintons will stop at nothing to wrap up Hillary’s coronation in Iowa. Expect the remaining weeks before the Iowa caucus to become steadily more mean-spirited and rough, as Hillaryland and Hillary Clinton wage full-scale war to win the first electoral contest of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
Some of the most savage criticism of Clinton ethics has not always emerged from political conservatives. Consider the following.
Bob Herbert, the eloquent and passionate columnist with The New York Times, can never be accused of being part of Hillary Clinton’s “vast right-wing conspiracy.” He is as liberal as journalists come, a consistent and vehement critic of the Republican Party and President George W. Bush. That is why his column of February 26, 2001 should be required reading for every American of voting age seriously considering casting their ballot for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
That column of Herbert’s, “In America; Cut Him Loose,” was written in the midst of the pardongate scandal. For those who have forgotten, and it is challenging to keep track of all the Clinton scandals, this was Bill Clinton’s parting gesture of contempt towards the American people during literally the final hours of his sleazy and philandering presidency. A host of last minute presidential pardons were granted to a host of shady characters. They included a fugitive billionaire who had once been on the FBI list of ten most wanted, as well as a quartet of swindlers who had stolen tens of millions of dollars in tax payers money.
The connection between both Bill and Hillary Clinton and those pardoned prompted Herbert to write the following in his column: “The Clintons can spin this however they want. But the simple truth is that the way in which some of the pardons were granted seems to fit neatly with the standard definition of a bribe, which is the promise of money or gifts — something of value — to influence the action or behavior of an official.”
Pardongate generated so much outrage in America, it appeared that the Clintons were finished as a political couple. “Bill Clinton has been a disaster for the Democratic Party. Send him packing,” Bob Herbert warned the Democratic Party. He added that, “As neither Clinton has the grace to retire from the scene, the Democrats have no choice but to turn their backs on them. It won’t be easy, but the Democrats need to try.”
Sadly, seven years later, the Democratic Party has not turned its back on the Clintons. It has welcomed Bill Clinton back on the altar as the rock-star among Party stalwarts, and is on the verge of handing Hillary Rodham Clinton its presidential nomination, virtually on a silver platter.
George Santayana, the Spanish-American philosopher, once warned that those who forget the errors and sins of the past are condemned to repeat them. Is this the “change” the Democrats are promising in 2008? It may prove to be a fatal flirtation with deja vu for the American people.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude: Naked Ambition, Hillary Clinton And America’s Demise.”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
Hillary Clinton already has the Democratic nomination locked up, even if she loses the Iowa caucus. Now her priority is to grab a win in Iowa, and end the Democratic primaries early. The key to this is positioning her two main Democratic rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, as bullies picking on the lady. On November 15 in Las Vegas, these two rivals charged remorselessly into a trap laid by Hillaryland.
From right out of the same creative laboratory as the “vast right-wing conspiracy,” Hillary Clinton accused Obama and Edwards of slinging mud, “right out of the Republican playbook.”
That line, obviously non-spontaneous, was rehearsed and designed for the opening that the Clinton political machine knew would be offered. Edwards and Obama were gracious enough to willingly oblige. Obama compounded his error by repeating Clinton’s mistake in her waffled answer on granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants in the previous debate by doing his own tap-dancing on the same question.
Each candidate’s corps of spin-masters will present to the media their explanation as to why their paymaster won the debate. This is really irrelevant. Few American voters are actually watching these debates. Far more important are the images that flow from the debates onto follow-up news coverage and YouTube videos. In Iowa, Hillary Clinton will now be able to focus her campaign on her being the inevitable nominee who is above the fray, while her bad-boy Democratic opponents are behaving like mud-slinging Republicans.
Obama and Edwards, welcome to the vast right-wing conspiracy.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
The decision by a prominent evangelical broadcaster to endorse Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid underscores a calculation being made by growing segments within the Christian conservative core of the Republican Party: Hillary Clinton is the inevitable Democrat nominee, and must be defeated at all costs. In the current political context of America, these circles, in many cases, are deciding to go with Giuliani, despite their strong disagreement with him on many values issues, such as abortion. The sole reason is one of expediency; they are convinced that the former mayor of New York City is the only GOP candidate that can defeat Senator Clinton.
In my opinion, they are making a flawed calculation, based solely on political expediency. There is a myth floating in Republican circles that Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican that Hillary is fearful of running against in the general election. I don’t know where this myth originated, but it is contradicted by the evidence.
When Hillary Clinton launched her political career path to the White House by running for New York senator in 2000, her opponent at the time was Rudy Giuliani. Hillary Clinton and her political machine fully expected to beat mayor Giuliani, having assessed what they saw as his vulnerabilities. In fact, it was Giuliani who dropped out of the race, due to health reasons, though he may have stayed in the race with a weak opponent.
Rudy Giuliani’s sole ace in the deck in opposing Hillary Clinton is his performance related to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. This is his claim to superior leadership ability. As someone who was living in New York City on September 11, 2001, I give Rudy Giuliani full credit for the courage and resolve he displayed on that dark day and the weeks that followed. His example inspired many New Yorkers to overcome the fear and uncertainty that gripped the city after 9/11. However, in a fight to the finish with Hillary Clinton, there are many flaws in Giuliani related to 9/11 that the Clinton political machine will exploit with absolute ruthlessness. For one thing, prior to 9/11, Giuliani made the decision to install New York City’s emergency command post, designed to insure command and control in the event of a major terrorist attack, right underneath the World Trade Center. He made the decision despite strong advice not to place this vital installation underneath the most likely terrorist target. This explains why on 9/11 there was a catastrophic loss of command and control capability, which added to the frightful human causalities on that day. Any Republican who doesn’t think these details will emerge if Giuliani is the GOP nominee is sadly mistaken.
In my book, I make a case for a Third Party as the best means of defeating Hillary Clinton in 2008. However, the Republican Party can become that Third Party, by learning the lessons of its past mistakes, and avoiding new ones. In picking a nominee based on who they think will defeat Hillary Clinton even if it means compromising on principles, they will enter the trap of political expediency, a recipe for certain and total defeat. However, if the GOP were to pick the candidate who displayed the highest standards of leadership excellence, this would establish the only criteria that can defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Sheldon Filger, Author
“Hillary Clinton Nude”
www.hillary-clinton-nude.com
