Bill and Hillary: Joined at the Base
By Rhodes Cook

Bill and Hillary Clinton may not be joined together at the hip, but they
are connected at the base. For if the former First Lady is to win the
Democratic presidential nomination next year, it most likely will be by
resurrecting a coalition of voters quite similar to the one that propelled
her husband to the Democratic nomination in 1992.

The irony is that it is not the base of support that one would suspect two
of the "best and brightest" of the baby-boom generation to fashion.
Rather, the heart of the Clinton's base is a "downscale" coalition of
minorities and the elderly, the less educated and the least affluent, as
well as the most partisan Democratic voters. Bill rode this coalition to
the Democratic nomination in 1992. Early polling this year shows that
Hillary is reassembling it.

To be sure, in chasing the Democratic nomination in 1992, Bill showed
strength across the demographic spectrum--as has Hillary in polling thus
far this year. But the greatest strength of both is their appeal to voters
who are living lives much different than the Clintons.

That was evident at the very start of Bill Clinton's presidential run in
1992. His campaign nearly ran aground during the New Hampshire primary
campaign, buffeted by allegations of draft evasion during the Vietnam War
and strong hints of a lifelong penchant for womanizing. But it was not in
the affluent suburbs of the Granite State or its liberal academic
communities that he earned his moniker as "the Comeback Kid." It was in
the blue-collar mill towns of New Hampshire--places such as Berlin,
Claremont and Rochester--where he won the votes necessary to score a solid
second-place finish and earn the right to fight (and win) another day.

Hillary, thus far, has yet to be tested in any Democratic primary. Both of
her successful New York Senate runs were launched with virtually free
passes to nomination.



Read More...


--
What we find is that the surge has troops going into areas, where for 4
1/2 years we have not seen our military in action. Naturally, they are
routing out al Qaeda in those areas. That's a good thing.
-- Sen. ***** Durbin

Bill and Hillary: Joined at the Base
By Rhodes Cook

Bill and Hillary Clinton may not be joined together at the hip, but they are
connected at the base. For if the former First Lady is to win the Democratic
presidential nomination next year, it most likely will be by resurrecting a
coalition of voters quite similar to the one that propelled her husband to
the Democratic nomination in 1992.

The irony is that it is not the base of support that one would suspect two
of the "best and brightest" of the baby-boom generation to fashion. Rather,
the heart of the Clinton's base is a "downscale" coalition of minorities and
the elderly, the less educated and the least affluent, as well as the most
partisan Democratic voters. Bill rode this coalition to the Democratic
nomination in 1992. Early polling this year shows that Hillary is
reassembling it.

To be sure, in chasing the Democratic nomination in 1992, Bill showed
strength across the demographic spectrum--as has Hillary in polling thus far
this year. But the greatest strength of both is their appeal to voters who
are living lives much different than the Clintons.

That was evident at the very start of Bill Clinton's presidential run in
1992. His campaign nearly ran aground during the New Hampshire primary
campaign, buffeted by allegations of draft evasion during the Vietnam War
and strong hints of a lifelong penchant for womanizing. But it was not in
the affluent suburbs of the Granite State or its liberal academic
communities that he earned his moniker as "the Comeback Kid." It was in the
blue-collar mill towns of New Hampshire--places such as Berlin, Claremont
and Rochester--where he won the votes necessary to score a solid
second-place finish and earn the right to fight (and win) another day.

Hillary, thus far, has yet to be tested in any Democratic primary. Both of
her successful New York Senate runs were launched with virtually free passes
to nomination.

Read More...

--
What we find is that the surge has troops going into areas, where for 4 1/2
years we have not seen our military in action. Naturally, they are routing
out al Qaeda in those areas. That's a good thing.
-- Sen. ***** Durbin