Hillary...loved or hated at YearlyKos

The Democratic presidential candidates descended to Chicago this weekend to attend the YearlyKos convention. For those who are unfamiliar with YearlyKos, it is an annual convention featuring left-leaning liberal bloggers who collaborate and write for the DailyKos website. Today, Senator Hillary Clinton took to the stage at YearlyKos and this was not just another speech for her. It is no secret that the more liberal bloggers have not been the biggest fan of Hillary and have criticized her plenty...especially for her initial support of the Iraq war. However, the Hillary Clinton campaign knows the importance and impact that the internet and bloggers have become and so she has been slowly, but surely, trying to gain their respect and show that she does listen to what they have to say. To show her slight unpopularity with DailyKos, this article from The Politico shows a poll taken in July which has Hillary in 3rd among their choices for president with only 9% (John Edwards came in first with 36% followed by Senator Barack Obama with 27%). Taking the stage today, Hillary was probably expecting to be booed and heckled.

And yes...that did happen. But only TWICE and the first one didn't really count because it was a comment about the Chicago Cubs vs. the Chicago White Sox. People always get worked up about sports! Anyways, now that reviews are pouring in from Hillary's performance, people are either completely loving or hating her speech. Most agree she did well. According to Roger Simon at The Politico in this article, "she went on for another 40 minutes and nothing was heard in the room but cheers -- and applause. It was, in fact, a tour de force performance, though she started with defensive humor." Watching her words carefully because she knows that only one misstep can potentially be disastrous, she continued her conversation with none of the other candidates present at the forum taking any shots at her. Regarding Iraq, Hillary was applauded for saying, “We must withdraw in a careful and responsible way...We can’t just wake up and say we will move 160,000 troops. That is dangerous." This was in contrast to Governor Bill Richardson saying that we can withdraw a majority of the troops by the end of the year. I agree with Hillary and don't think Richardson's withdrawal plan would be possible or safe...especially with President Bush still in office.

Now came time for Hillary to receive some boos. When the topic of special interest groups, lobbyists, and money came up, Roger Simon says this is where Hillary received "the only substantive negative reaction of the day." John Edwards made it known that he and Senator Obama do not accept money from Washington lobbyists (though Democratic contender and former Senator Mike Gravel says Barack Obama does in fact collect money from lobbyists) and now it was time for Hillary to respond. Hillary said, “I have been saying that based on my 35 years of fighting for what I believe in, I don’t think anybody will think I will be influenced [by lobbyist contributions].” I couldn't agree more. She didn't shy away from the fact that she accepts money from lobbyists but she made it clear they don't have as much influence on her as she is portrayed. Yes, the health care industry sends money to Hillary but let's not forget how hard Hillary worked as First Lady to reform the health care system. She failed the first time around and she has been very vocal about trying again. When the boos broke out, Clinton responded with "“I have been waiting [for that],” Clinton said with a smile. “It gives me a real sense of reality in being here. I have a good idea about bringing about change. I wish it were as simple as doing this or that. I will take money from lobbyists, because some represent real Americans like nurses and social workers, and they represent businesses that employ a lot of people. And I ask you to look at my record. I do want to be the president for everybody.” Defending lobbyists won't get Hillary anywhere at YearlyKos. Think again if you think Edwards and Obama don't except money from other corporate interests besides lobbyists. Let me remind you that in spite of taking money from lobbyists, Hillary has always been a champion for the causes of people who are less fortunate, specifically women and children, having grown up in middle class America with not a lot of money. After Yale, Hillary worked for Marion Wright Edelman (her mentor) at the Children's Defense Fund. People who say Hillary is a cold woman really need to take a look at her past and do some research.

Another writer at Politico, Ben Smith, focused on only the negative response that was given to Hillary in this article and says she bombed. Roger Simon's article refutes that but Smith's article is still an interesting read. Regarding the lobbyists, Smith writes, "Clinton’s defense of lobbyists may have aimed at adding nuance to a debate in which Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama have cast federal lobbyists as dangerous influence peddlers while continuing to take money from corporate executives and state lobbyists. But instead, it seemed to solidify the perception of Clinton as a Washington establishment figure in a year when Democrats are eager for change. Her words drew jeers from the audience and invited sharp responses from Edwards and Obama." This was the opportunity that Edwards and Obama were waiting for. It's rare they are speaking somewhere together that Hillary is not the most popular candidate and they know they had to strike at her at some point knowing they had a sort of home-court advantage. Smith also writes, "Obama’s advisers, however, were jubilant, joking with reporters about how quickly they would be able to turn her words into a television ad. There goes Obama's politics of change once more down the drain as his campaign seizes an opportunity to join the Clinton offensive. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard a more fulsome defense of lobbyists before,” deadpanned Obama’s main adviser, David Axelrod. “It certainly stood out.” Listen, I don't mind if you are going to attack any candidate. Unfortunately, it is a part of American politics. However, I do mind if part of your entire campaign is running on a platform that you will run a clean campaign without attacks. This is part of the reason why I continue to distance myself from Senator Obama more and more each day.

In conclusion, I'm sure a lot of what all the candidates and Hillary said today was more of the same old stuff we have been hearing for months now. I am glad that Hillary attended the YearlyKos convention and has been making progress with bloggers. While not a stellar performance, Hillary Clinton was not knocked down and continues to perform better than people could ever have anticipated. People continue to underestimate her and keep waiting for this to all come apart...guess what people? It won't. This woman fights for what she believes in and she'll continue to fight regardless of whether or not she wins the nomination and the presidency. Roger Simon's article sums up my feelings pretty well with a quote from Markos Moulitsas on Hillary's performance today. He says, "She did a good job in reducing hostility. Half the battle is getting the proper respect, and she got that. She doesn’t have to get total agreement.” I agree. We've come so far and we still have got so far to go.

-John Oliveira