A similar post about Obama appeared here on Sunday. Photos Geoff Kenyon.
The Scene
Monday, January 7th Dover, NH: The buffer town between Portsmouth’s bohemian yuppy vibe and UNH’s campus chic. It’s a little before noon, and Hillary Clinton’s making an appearance at an old school gym, next to a Lee Friedlander photo-ready monument. Half a dozen sattelite dish trucks are parked in front of a post-war brick civic center. Out front, some moms holds “Slush Sucks” signs, protesting global warming.
The Clinton media desk is helpful and friendly. In stark contrast to the day prior when I was denied entry to a Clinton event down the seacoast.
Many diva/cougar/borderline-lesbian women prowl about, Blackberries in hand–Clinton staffers. (There’s no question that these women would run America better than any of the men who’ve tried before. Though like black ice on a NH byway, these women hide their cold lethality.)
Inside the gym I hear that same damn U2 song Obama comes out to. But the press is quarantined in the back of the room, and all I can see is a wall of tripods. Wait, a young journo’s laptop is open to the Wikipedia entry for “City of Blind Lights.” PC eavesdropping, I read that Bono calls it, “A song about innocence, naiveté.” Don’t tell that to Obama!
Finally I glimpse the room: a New England classic, with 20-ft wood walls trimmed in Vermont green and white. I guess there’s 400 people on hand. But a fire marshal says they’re at capacity–590. Green “Clinton Country” signs are mixed with Hillary’s campaign poster.
I ask an 18-year-old girl, on a class trip with her high school, why she was there. “Because Obama denied us,” says Emily Gumbelevich. “They said there wasn’t enough room.” Thus I feel a black shadow cast over this event. As Lenny Kravitz plays, the energy level is low, and some look defeated. I go five for five in choosing undecided voters in the crowd. All like Obama but want to hear Hillary out.
From the podium, a young male Clinton staffer, in white button down tucked into dungarees, with side burns and a yuppie spike, is hosting Hillary Clinton Trivia. Glancing at a raised press stand, I notice every face is crumpled by the same smirk. Do they suffer from Ironic Press Face Disorder?
The Speech, Notes On
Hillary thanks all, listing a few important locals. She’s wearing an American flag blue Chanel jacket with pants. Her legs and thighs look in excellent shape for her age.
“New Hampshire is a fiercely independent,” she says. “They take their politics seriously. They do their homework.” Next, when asking for votes, she switches to the collective we, as in “We share America’s hope and dreams, we keep faith in that dream.” Fellow “citizens, Patriots” it’s time to “rise to the occasion. Our country needs us.” Why? Because Hillary offers “forward progress” to “solve problems” and “restore leadership.” She “yearns” twice in one minute, for “change” and “results” respectively. She has 35-years experience.
She says Saturday’s debate finally illustrated the difference between her and her rivals because “they were actually asked some questions,” laughter.
Attacking Obama, she says there’s a difference between “rhetoric and reality.” Adding, “No matter how beautiful a speech is, when the words end, it’s over.” She nit-picks Obama’s duplicitous record on Patriot Act, lobbyist, and Iraq war are funding. Obama’s Not Change is her theme. (”You go girl,” yells a woman in crowd.)
This brief stump speech ends, and she moves straight to questions. (”Obama doesn’t take questions,” says a man to his wife.)
Audience Question 1: How will you partner with non-profits?
Hillary not only supports, “Civil society–the faith groups, not-for-profits–I came out of it. Out of college I wanted to be a child advocate, still am.” Examples of work she did years ago. Then, as President, she says, “We need to give non-itemizing tax deduction on not-for-profit tax donations. We need to encourage more giving. Poor people give a higher percentage of their income to church groups than the wealthy. We need to get them tax breaks.” She says she would further organize national civil society summits.
THOUGHTS: Use of “not-for-profit” instead on “non-profit” was weird, but the answer was strong.
Question 2: Rambling speech: “I worked in Bolivia and saw a democratic sweep by Evo Morales” blah to question: Would you continue to help destabilize the Morales government like the Bush admin? “All US Presidents practice Cowboy diplomacy” in Latin America!!!
“First off, I’m a cowgirl!” Cheers, laughter. “But I have been to Bolivia and understand indigenous rights. I think the US has made a series of mistakes. We should support Morales–Whatever happened to the US supporting education and health care reform?” Broader: “I will fix the US’ troubled relationship with Latin America, our largest trading partner.”
THOUGHTS: Random but good question. Impressed Hillary did not criticize Morales. In fact, she nailed the question, if light on detail.
Question 3: Illegal immigration and the New York license scandal.
Hillary outlines four-pt plan.
- Tougher border security, barriers where necessary.
- Make it clear employers will be penalized for hiring immigrants. Example: post-9/11, much of hazardous clean up done by immigrants, and as Senator she could not help undocumented workers who got sick.
- Help communities-”like Dover”-that are coping with immigration.
- I want to see if we can work with Latin America to create better economic opportunity within their borders.
She closes with: “Rounding up 12-14 million people would cost $200 billion. Imagine how you’d feel, you in “Live Free or Die” state, when a cop comes to your door and says he needs to search your house for immigrants. That’s not America. I would register all immigrants and deport only criminals.”
Question 4: Do you agree going Green is essential to world politics?
“Look at Sudan. Drought has caused people from central and southern Sudan to move to west, mainly to Darfur. The war there is a land grab motivated by climate change.”
Question 5: Int’l global warming again:
She would enact a post-Kyoto treaty by end of 2009.
Question 6:What would you do in your first 100 days?
I will immediately convene the Joint Chiefs, the Sec Def, State to draft a plan for troop withdrawal in Iraq. I will ask Congress to send me all Bush’s vetoes and reverse them. I will sign executive orders reversing Bush’s executive orders. I will send out bipartisan envoys to all the world’s intractable problems. I will convene a climate change group, to meet every 3 months. I will work with Congress to reform health care.
But what about the unforeseen events in her first 100 days? Uses Gordon Browne example: two days after he was elected terrorists struck Glasgow. “You are hiring a President to be there when the chips are down. I’ll be ready!”
THOUGHTS: All this is rapid fire, and, man, she’s still hot.
Question 7: Education, from a UNH professor who says, “My kids just aren’t curious anymore.”
Hillary would end No Child because “it turned kids into lil test takers.” Rather, “more assessments of individual students.”
Question 8: Complex Iran-Middle East question.
Hillary regrets Bush’s ignorance of Israel-Palestine. “You can’t quit, walk away, you must stay engaged.” Uses some Oslo-Camp David examples from Bubba’s reign. Calls now, “Most dangerous time since 1947. With severe threats from Hamas and Hezzbollah, who Iran funds. The Arab neighbors have withdrawn from peace process. Iraq’s destabilized. Iran needs to be engaged-Iran attacks US troops in Iraq! Can Iran change its behavior? Through the diplomatic process, I hope yes. I’d open engagement with Syria. I would be focused on making sure Iran knows that any nation harboring or funding terrorism will be a target. But ignoring it doesn’t fix it.”
THOUGHT: Most dangerous since 1947 is overreaching, I’d say.
Question 9: What if Iran had a deliverable nuke?
That’s a tough question for a candidate to answer. But the US cannot permit Iran to have a deliverable nuke. They are still years from that though.
Question 10: Flat tax?
I like that it simplifies the tax code. (I missed rest of answer.)
Question 11: New Orleans situation disgusting, what would you do?
I would appoint qualified people to run FEMA. I wouldn’t keep FEMA and DHS merged.
THOUGHTS: Lame answer Hillary. The city is still destroyed and FEMA alone is not the answer. Did you not consider it’s also our most violent city by a factor of 2-1? I guess since we’re so far up north you and your advisors agreed to move quickly with New Orleans.
Question 12: Economy is fucked, how would you fix it?
We’re at the edge of a recession: 55 unemployment, oil at $100 per barrel, job growth stagnant, debt, expensive health care-it’s time to move back to fiscal responsibility. To end Bush tax cuts and close tax loopholes for hedg fund/private equity. To create jobs in green sector. To stop home foreclosures for 90 days. Freeze interest rates. Pump up unemplyment funds.
THOUGHTS: Sounds decent, though “fiscal responsibility” AKA balanced budgets are hardly a cure all and should NOT have been your lead.
Question 12: On Bhutto, how would you deal with Pakistan?
I knew Benazir for 12 years and admired her as a leader. She took a risk and paid for it with her life. I believe in an independent investigation. We need to know who killed her. We need an envoy to sit down with Musharraf, to pressure him. The protestors are lawyers, middle class people. We need to engage them. We need to push for elections. It’s tragic because the military, business, and feudal stronghold are playing with fire. Extremism is gaining because of corruption and failure to deliver services. Coalition aid must be accounted for!
THOUGHTS: She doesn’t mention Pakistan’s most popular politician, former PM Nawaz Sharif, who Bubba hated. Still, I like her policy of not calling for Musharraf’s removal until after elections. Really like that she takes the military-feudal-industrial complex to task, saying they fuel extremism. In fact, feudalism is Pakistan’s number 1 issue, and few have been discussing it in the wake of the Bhutto’s death. Bhutto was a feudal titan! Clinton’s fluid on Pakistan, and I love that about her.
Last Question: How do you plan to stress importance experience?
This is an extended job interview and I’m not asking you to take a leap of faith. Words, no matter how beautifully delivered, once said, they’re gone.
Blunt Assessment
By taking questions for over 90-minutes, Senator Clinton offered a variety of policy positions that I largely agreed with. What she lacks in charisma, Clinton more than makes up for with intelligence. And I was very impressed.
Post-Speech Around Town: “Hillary’s Your Guy with Balls!”
Later, down the road in a Dover residential area, we ran in to Jennifer (pic below), a Clinton volunteer canvassing door-to-door. Dressed in a high performance fleece, khaki trousers, and duck boots, with short hair, Julia was the supreme Clinton dyke. She said, “Who would you rather have sitting across the table from Musharraf? Obama or Hillary.” I said I didn’t know. “Hillary has balls! She’s your guy in Pakistan.” Huh? Did you really just say that Hillary has balls? “In that case, with Pakistan, yes-yes I did.”
Having spent the last four days following both Obama and Hillary, I’d have to agree. Obama was slammed by the opening question of Saturday’s debate, about Pakistan and al-Qaeda, saying he’d violate Pakistani sovereignty to hunt terror. Hillary, in response, took Obama to task, saying no strike would be done on her watch without Pakistan’s knowledge. In his rebuttal, Obama back-peddled “Of course I’d alert the Pakistanis,” but why didn’t he say that the first time? From that point on, the tone was set: Clinton was fiercer and smarter than her male opponents were. Intelligent ferocity…Maybe the saying should be changed from “got balls” to “got clit”?
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