Was it smart of Hillary to say: "I'm running on 35 years of change"

[Apollo11]

I guess Hillary is trying to say that she has been an agent of change since she graduated from law school. But it also means that she is running on her record as First Lady of Arkansas and as First Lady of the US. But First Lady is not a cabinet position, so how can she argue that she has been an architect of change for the past 35 years - without a break?

It sounds to me like maybe someone is exagerating.

[maddiejoan]

1. Do you honestly feel

she ever "took a break"?

[Apollo11]

3. Should we thank Hillary for the achievements of the Clinton-Gore administration?

Watching last night's debate, it almost sounded like she was the one who balanced the budget and wiped out the deficit.

[maddiejoan]

8. where do you get that from?

wholly manufactured --she said nothing of the kind.

[dipsydoodle]

2. I thought she meant

nickels and dimes.

[Apollo11]

4. That would explain how she has raised so much money!

She has been putting aside small amounts every day for the past 35 years!

[ElizabethDC]

5. No, she isn't running on her record just as First Lady of Ark and the U.S.

she's running on the things she did while she happened to be First Lady. For example, while she was First Lady of Arkansas, she was also working full time as a lawyer, and she also helped organize things such as the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, was on the national boards of the U.S. Legal Services Corporation, the Children's Defense Fund (which she had previously worked for), and the Child Care Action Campaign, among many other things. Look deeply into her record - there's a lot there.

[CK_John]

6. Her law briefs for the Watergate Commission sealed Nixon's fate. They never forget or forgive. n/t

[aquart]

7. Thank for your concern.

We'll all sleep better now.

[Fredda Weinberg]

9. Actually, she's a few years older than I am, but no ... community activists

give their lives to causes for an extended period of time ... not just for political expediency.

Hard to believe? Well, I'm here to tell you I'm not alone.

[dailykoff]

10. More like 43 years -- of changing her positions.

She was an intern for Rep. Gerald Ford and the Republican National Caucus in 1965, not to mention president of the Wellesley Young Republicans in 1964.

[DemCam]

11. So...seems like she changed for the better. Kudos

[dailykoff]

12. Unfortunately I'm not so sure it took.

:shrug:

[Sparkly]

13. Read her bio.

She did more than just be Bill Clinton's wife.

(That's why the hate first started.)

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/about/mom/
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/about/firstlady/

[Apollo11]

14. Thanx for the links

But I'm just not sure it is a smart way for her to campaign for the Presidency.

Clearly, being President is a whole different ball game to being First Lady.

But I guess Hillary does have more relevant political experience than Obama or Edwards.

Talking about 35 years of change sounds a bit like "Haven't I already done enough for you people?"

[Skip Intro]

15. Yes.

[Cameron27]

16. Yes

it was smart, but no matter what she said, it would have been considered stupid.

[Bad Thoughts]

17. Depends on the meaning of the word "change"

She wants us to think of change as progress in social justice, which is different from how Edwards and Obama have used the word. They tend to refer to a different way of conducting politics. Clinton wants a narrower definition that excludes the somewhat more transcendent and activist understandings the others employ.