General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The demands for Hillary loyalty are loud and clear on DU. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Hillary has 75% party support now. But what will happen over the next year or so before the primaries are over? And then what happens during the election cycle when Republicans start the most vicious part of their predictable attacks?
We have a long way to go, and we need to make sure that all voices are heard. That is my point. I've been observing campaigns and participating in campaigns for many years now. And we should not take anything for granted at this point. We should not assume anything. We have lots of good possible candidates.
I am reading a lot of posts from people who feel that Hillary is the only possible choice. Too soon to say that. Far too soon.
She is going to have to run the gauntlet of criticism. Already Chris Christie has attacked her for claiming to oppose Citizens United while gathering up a huge cache of campaign funds taking advantage of the largesse of super-rich donors that Citizens United has enabled.
I remember McGovern and the Eagleton factor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Eagleton
I remember Dukakis in a tank.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/01/17/the-photo-op-that-tanked
I remember Carter and something about a gun. Was he holding it? Or was he fishing? It was a trivial photo shot that became the subject of ridicule. Maybe someone else remembers it.
All of those Republican negative campaigns were very effective. Hillary will be subjected to horrible attacks. The Republicans have been attacking her for years and are not going to stop. She will need to be a Buddhist monk and practice meditation for hours a day to deal with it without losing her temper.
Hillary's campaign will be long and arduous. Don't take anything for granted.