Hillary Clinton's seemingly odd actions in the presidential primaries are exposing the existence of an unofficial third party. The right wing bi-partisan coalition that has been befuddling the progressives for years is, in effect, an unofficial party. Time and again I have had conversations with fellow left leaning people confused over the votes of Democratic politicians regarding such issues as the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq invasion, the Iraq oilfields being put in the hands of American Companies, and various other far right wing bills.
Traditionally, a group of center right wing democrats has sided with the far right on substantive issues, then retreated to the left on minor social issues. They claimed to reject right wing policies as their cohorts in the far right wing and the media attacked them on those minor issues and helped conceal their true leanings.
The existence of a true populist progressive threat to their system has forced the far right wing bi-partisan coalition out into the open. Bill Clinton opened the door by playing the race card after South Carolina and making it clear that he was separating himself from the African American community. This was a significant coded signal to the far right that his people were officially lunging to the right. Hillary had taken her first thumping and it was clear that the gloves were coming off. Consider the following actions:
1. Richard Mellon Scaife, the far right wing financier who funded the "Arkansas project" which resulted in Bill Clinton's impeachment has become a Hillary supporter (Scaife pictured above in a recent meeting with Senator Clinton) . He wrote in a recent column "I have a very different impression of Hillary Clinton today than before last Tuesday's meeting -- and it's a very favorable one indeed."
2. Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton (The two are pictured above together at the fundraiser). They have forged an odd alliance over the last year in which she has rejected Fox News debates but pocketed cash from both he and his son.
3. Hillary surrogate extraordinaire Ed Rendell told Fox News anchors "I think during this entire primary coverage, starting in Iowa and up to the present, Fox has done the fairest job, has remained the most objective of all the cable networks," Rendell told host Steve Doocy. "You actually have done a very balanced job of reporting the news, and some of the other stations are just caught up with Senator Obama, who is a great guy, but Senator Obama can do no wrong, and Senator Clinton can do no right."
4. Bill Clinton appeared on the Rush Limbaugh show on the day of the Texas Primary days after Rush had urged his supporters to vote for Hillary.
Couple these tidbits of information with the Clinton's repeated praise for John McCain and it becomes crystal clear whose side they are on. As it becomes more and more apparent that Senator Clinton has no legitimate chance of overtaking Senator Obama, it also becomes apparent that her strategy is to stay in the race and inflict as much damage as possible to him. In the spirit of both Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman, when backed into a political corner she chooses the far right regardless of the personal political consequences. This primary has created an atmosphere where democrats are forced to reveal their political position. After this race, it should be quite clear to observers why some democrats repeatedly side with the Republican party on substantive issues. Take note of the Clinton supporters, then observe their future positions on partisan issues. You will likely find the followers of the Miller/Lieberman/Clinton and ideology.
No comments:
Post a Comment