Why Do Republicans Want Sen. Clinton to be our choice?

[berni_mccoy]

I have my own theory for this (related to Zogby's latest poll results), but it is clear to me that Republicans have succeed in manipulating the Democratic perspective on our candidates. Republican candidates and pundits refer to her the most whenever attacking Democrats and it seems low-posting lurkers here tend to be extremely pro-Clinton (again, refer to the thread on Zogby's poll on Clinton vs. Repub candidates).

This makes me extremely suspicious. I am suspicious that they are taking a perfectly great candidate and making the Democrats not like her. If she is the most likely to win, then they've succeeded in changing that. If she really would be the worst candidate against the repubs, then they're doing the wrong thing in attacking her (she's no longer a clear front runner).

Anyone have any ideas,theories as what their strategy is with Clinton?

And while I'm not a Clinton supporter or hater, I feel that the Democratic party is being manipulated on this issue. I plan to support the Democratic candidate whoever that may be.

[JackORoses]

1. Because that will yield less Senate losses for them

and it gives them a cheatin' shot for the Presidency

[MadBadger]

2. Shes like gay marriage in 04

There is nothing Republicans fear more right now than Hillary in the WH. I think they are relying on the fact that there would be an enormous movement by Republican voters to make sure she doesnt win the WH. I mean they hate her. They absolutely hate her.

[JTFrog]

25. Yeah there is something they fear more.

A candidate who isn't owned by corporate interests. That is their nightmare.

[AndyA]

3. The GOP knows she will be a catalyst to drive Republicans to vote,

which they aren't as likely to do now since their candidates are all so bland. All they need is the fear factor to motivate them: and Hillary is IT! She's got a lot of baggage, and they will dredge up all the old bullshit all over again. It worked before, it will work again.

The other Dem candidates all have less baggage, so there's less to pick on. Freepers really don't like Hillary, and the GOP knows if she's the Dem nominee it will be easier for them to spin stories, motivate their base, and steal the elections. (Again.)

I will vote for Hillary if she's it, but I do not think she will bring about the change we really need. It will be better than having a Republican in office, but not the clean sweep and fresh start we desperately need at this point.

[MadinMo]

7. This is it exactly! nt

[Individualist]

21. Absolutely

A Hillary nomination would bring out the anti-Dem vote like no other candidate would.

[EFerrari]

22. Nobody could get them out like she will unless Bill ran again. n/t

[MyNameGoesHere]

33. How does that work?

Do you remember flip-flopper and swift boating? Kerry seemed a very agreeable candidate even her on DU, yet he was skewered by the right wing.he came out of the election being a lying, waffling, unpatriotic man. Do you think just because _________ <insert dem candidate name here> may be the nominee they will fare any better from the attack machine?

[AndyA]

37. Obviously they're going to try it with any Dem nominee.

But we need to be smart and give them less to work with in the first place. With Hill, Monica will be a celebrity all over again. It will be the Clinton Administration under fire all over again: the blow job, White Water, Hillary's days as an attorney, Bill's pardons, etc.

Nevermind what Bush II has done - look at those awful Clintons! We surely can't risk having THEM back in the White House again!! :sarcasm:

[Chulanowa]

52. Their treatment will be equal among the dem candidates

Thy will stretch as hard, yack as loudly, and lie as much. Hillary might even have a better chance because, well, everyone already knows all the skeletons in her closet. There's no "new material" and will result in people going "so what" and changing the channel

Freepers will be outraged, but freepers are always outraged. Fuck 'em

[SammyWinstonJack]

54. Which sucks! nt

[Canuckistanian]

69. You are CORRECT, sir

FSM knows, they have little to vote FOR.

Voting AGAINST Hillary will make them feel relevant.

All 30% of them.

[leftofthedial]

4. like her husband,

much of her agenda is the same as theirs

[mikelgb]

5. people love to hate

would you rather our nominee ran against Dick Cheney or Rudy?

[cali]

6. people here need to stop worrying about this stuff

support your candidate. vote for your candidate. If Clinton gets the nomination, support her if you can, and if you can't do whatever.

[waiting for hope]

10. Okay... I hear you....

Want to comment on Edwards' house?

[cali]

16. not really. If he's the candidate I'll vigorously support him.

What will you do if Obama or Clinton is the candidate?

[waiting for hope]

20. I'd happily vote for Obama -

and hold my nose for the other. I'll vote Dem either way.

[NNN0LHI]

8. She has never lost an election before

The Republicans are terrified of her.

Goes back to that people mock what they fear thing.

Don

[riverdeep]

23. She's only been in two elections.

And the second one was a joke, a mere formality.

[DemKR]

9. Why did they want Howard Dean to be our choice? n/t

[orleans]

14. who do we want to be the republicas choice? they're all a bunch of bozos

[davidwparker]

17. a different reason ... because Dean would have won. With Dean, it was a

psych out and the Dems fell for it.

With Hillary, it's not a psych out. It's because she'll loose. If she is the nominee, I'm probably going to write in someone else. I live in a historically red state that is starting to trend blue. But, Hillary will never carry it. Another nominee may. With the all-or-nothing electoral votes, it wouldn't matter if I wrote in my vote.

[Beelzebud]

11. Because she'll mobilize republicans to vote.

Possibly mobilize them, more than Democrats.

[davidwparker]

12. The party is definitely being manipulated and want Hillary because she will

loose. Besides, the GOP and the MSM have invested a lot of money in their canned anti-Hillary ads and these would be for nothing if someone like Edwards, Biden, or Obama were the nominee. :)

Hillary needs to take Reid's position where her triangulating skills can be put to good use.

[rAVES]

13. Because its Win Win.. either way their War will roll on.

[davidwparker]

18. If you want to end the occupation, Iowa and New Hampshire, vote for

Kucinich. He'll also take are of NAFTA too. Kucinich can't get elected if people don't cast votes for him. Admittedly, the pace gets set by IA and NH, so, if you are in one of those states, think about it.

Tired of the same old same old, You can change it.

[MadBadger]

24. I'm sorry, is that what this thread is about?

I didnt realize it was about Kucinich.

[davidwparker]

26. It was a comment to the one who posted a comment about Iraq being

inevitable. It is not, if we choose leaders who will end it. If we the people want to end this occupation, we can, by nominating and then voting for those who are on record as stating they will unconditionally end it.

Does your candidate bob and weave about the Iraq occupation?

[MadBadger]

28. Nope, Ive heard the same thing from Obama for months now.

[bullimiami]

15. they dont.

[Quantess]

71. Oh yes they do.

Many do!

[Quantess]

72. dupe

[Teaser]

19. Because she gives them "hate stiffies"

Some people enjoy hating things.

[riverdeep]

27. I don't think it's that complicated.

She's not 'a perfectly great candidate'. She's miles away better than anything the Repubs could hope to dredge up, and I'll support her for that reason. But, she's a centrist. And being in the center these days means being a corporate shill, for the status quo. No thanks.

If the pubs weren't so full of hate, they'd see that Hillary is actually closest to their own beliefs out of all the nominees. But they can't see past it. And nothing will excite the Bubbas of the nation than getting to pull the lever against Hillary. Bubba ain't coming out for Rudy. That's why.

[guitar man]

29. because they have years

and millions of dollars already invested in smearing her. They don't want to see that investment go to waste. I think that they assume they have brainwashed enough people into hating her "just because" to insure a repub win should she get the nomination.

If they are wrong and she wins the presidency, it will be highly entertaining to watch them swallow their tongues...

[moez]

30. She's the only Democrat that can lose.

Any other candidate would win walking away. Hillary's high negatives give the pubs a fighting chance.

[Toasterlad]

57. Bingo. And Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[moez]

61. Thanks for the welcome!

....but.... psssst..... I've been here since 2003!

[Toasterlad]

63. You're Older Than Me!

You must be shy.

[Marr]

31. There are two major factions of the Republican Party, and two reasons.

The Limbaugh wing of the party wants a Clinton nomination because they know she'll energize the disillusioned Republican base. They've got 15 years worth of hate in storage, just waiting to be used. She's the only one they can beat, and they know it.

The corporate wing wants a Clinton nomination because she really is their perfect candidate. She's GW Bush in every way that matters, and seemingly benign in every way that *doesn't* matter. In other words, they know she'll continue the "government exists to serve business" philosophy they love so much, without empowering all those annoying religious wackos.

[OHdem10]

32. Two reasons--

1. She rallys the "cultural base" for them yet there is a contradiction.

2. They also prefer her as President if it impossible for GOP to win.
While they love to throw the "librul monniker" at her, they believe
she is the most conservative of Dems running. Therefore they
believe they could best work with her.

This is in no way to disparage Senator Clinton or her views.
It is an effort to honestly answer the question.

Pure and simple GOP prefer DLC and Blue Dog Democrats.

[MadHound]

34. Rather than trying to outguess the 'Pugs, and read the tea leaves concerning various posters here

Simply vote and support the candidate that you like, for whatever reason that you like him/her. In your post you sound like you're trying to outfake yourself, I could vote for A, but maybe that's who they want me to vote for, so I'll vote for B instead, but maybe they're really one step ahead of me, so no, I'll vote for A:shrug:

Vote for who you want to vote for and the rest will fall as it may. Personally I'm voting for Kucinich, simply because I feel that he's the best person for the job. I'm not voting for Clinton because I feel that she's the worst person for the job. I haven't come to these conclusions by being swayed by the MSM(I consume little of that) or because of posters on an anonymous internet chat board. I did my own research, mulled it over and came to my conclusions. Perhaps you should do the same.

[KingFlorez]

35. They really don't want her

It's all manipulation, they know they can't beat her, so they want to try and cause the Democrats to nominate someone else they could have a chance in beating.

[zbdent]

36. So they don't have to make up new lies ...

I love the fact that, all through the 90s, Repukes were saying that she was the real power behind the White House, that she was running things ... now that she says that she has the experience, the Repukes are saying "What experience? Being First Lady is not running things!" (Of course, allegedly boinking a Senator was enough experience for Elizabeth Dole to run and win a Senate seat, just really on name alone ...)

[Perry Logan]

38. They want you to think they want Clinton. They will die when Clinton takes office.

[moez]

39. They dig fat chicks..... n/t

[hatrack]

40. Whitewater, Vince Foster and Monica, Monica, Monica

That's why. None of that time-consuming "opposition research." Instead, we'll just roll the clock back to 1998, lather, rinse and repeat.

[emilyg]

41. They want Obama - this week. Fox news.

[goodgd_yall]

74. That's what I think

[Yael]

42. Their side will be mobilized while our side is all 'holding their collective noses'

I fear that a HRC candidacy will electrify the right and bore the left. She isn't a motivating figure to progressives -- just more of the same old same old that is in power today.

[Mountainman]

43. I don't think they do. She will be the next President and they know it.

[DFW]

44. I think they are terrified of her as a nominee

They will try all their crap on whoever our nominee is, but
she is just about the only one who has had their entire arsenal
emptied at her time and time again already. Their entire gun rack
is locked and loaded against any of the others. That said, if she
is the nominee, they'll just regurgitate what they threw at her
before and hope (probably correctly) that most people have forgotten
that they have heard this crap before.

[CANDO]

45. Republicans HAVE to create a demon to rally their people.

It's what they thrive on and Hillary is the Anti-Christ for them. But I personally don't support her for our nominee of my own free will. Nothing the Repubs can do will make me do one thing or another.

[HughMoran]

46. Has to do with their longstanding obsession with Bills penis

You know how RWers are with their obsessions right?

[BornagainDUer]

47. She gets along well with Bush. Did you see all of those kissy pictures

somebody put up here the other day?

Clinton is a neo-liberal tool.

[graywarrior]

48. They're obsessed with Bill's penis and they love discussing blow jobs

and stains.

[edbermac]

49. She's a lesbo bitch is better than discussing 8 years of Bushco.

You think they'll spend one SECOND defending this idiot?

[JeffR]

50. More importantly, why do Democrats want her to be our choice?

:shrug:

[Raine]

51. Hillary will get the repigs out in droves

we'll lose all around...the presidency, the congress and the senate. :scared:

[Harper_is_Bush]

53. And you know that's the case......how? n/t

[Scriptor Ignotus]

55. I'm not worried about who the Repubs want

I'm worried about who I want. and so should everyone here.

[Toasterlad]

56. Because She Doesn't Have a Prayer of Winning the General Election.

It is so freakin' obvious. Not only is she a woman, which the redneck hicks are nowhere NEAR ready for, but she's Hillary Freakin' Clinton! People HATE her! Even Democrats hate her!

She is a Republican's wet dream candidate.

[TheModernTerrorist]

58. there's the chance

that she'll fragment the democratic vote by being so uninspiring that some progressive democrats will never vote for her, thus ensuring lower turnout during the election... not to mention the Congressional seats they'll pick up from that. How embarrassing will it be if she gets elected, turnout is low because there's a portion of the party that, in good conscience, will not vote for her, and the end result will be Republicans GAINING seats when in all actuality they are disliked even more than HRC?
That's why she's not getting my vote in the primary, that's for sure. When the election rolls around, I'll tell you how I feel then as well.

[Indi Guy]

59. It's all about the politics of hate... n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

60. Because they see her as divisive, which bodes very well for them (n.t)

[dmosh42]

62. She's the ultimate 'corporation' candidate......

and they see a continuation of many of their policies.

[goddess40]

64. They're all about the money - and she'd be good for them

just like Bill was, for as much as they whined about Bill they managed to make lots of money.

[JerseygirlCT]

65. I agree with you. I've been sensing the same manipulation for

quite a while now.

I'm not sure I see where this game is supposed to go, though?

[opihimoimoi]

66. Them Pubs would prefer anyone but Hillary.....they see her as the most dangerous

to their keeping the White House...

They are trying to DIVIDE US....by smearing her, confusing us, and supporting a weaker candidate...that is their plan..

[AnnieBW]

67. Because a lot of people hate her

viscerally. Normal, thinking people hate her with a purple passion. THey'll vote for a total lunatic before they'll vote for Hillary. In other words, a Republican.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

68. Republicans want HRC to be the nominee. They also want to feel that they are in control of

this reality, that they can TELL us she will be the nominee.

It's a bit of a dilemma for them (a small one). As you say, the promotion of the idea that she is the inevitable front runner and nominee requires her name to be mentioned constantly.

The promotion of the idea that she is evil, divisive, a bitch, or whatever the slander of the day is requires them to talk about her in a negative way. Obviously this risks damaging her for the primary contest which raises the risk that she would not even win the nomination, which is the primary outcome they seek (aside from, obviously, defeating her in the general election). Their control over media and people is not so complete that they can orchestrate this exactly as they wish, to have her sail to the nomination yet be so damaged by negative coverage as to get creamed in the general election (or lose another "missed it by that much" close one).

AND, it may well be that she is just not strong enough a candidate to make it to the nomination no matter what spin and manipulation happen.

We will see.

[rucky]

70. You got the strategy right. They just don't have the self-restraint to play it out. n/t

[BestCenter]

73. Read this article

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/11/24/55537/214