Who is Hillary Clinton?
If she has anything to say about it, your answer will be that she's a hard-working American woman that understands the needs of working mothers and children. She is a loving mother and wife, who could pass the federal budget in the afternoon and prepare a lovely family meal in the evening. Her whole life she has been destined to be a US Senator, and yes, President of the United States.
I'm sure many of you are nodding your heads as you read this, maybe even practicing your 2008 campaign battle cry. (See: Howard Dean.) Is this the real Hillary, or is it what she wants you to believe?
When Hillary announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, the banner adorning her stage did not read Hillary Clinton or Hillary Rodham. No, this speech marked the emergence of a new persona: HILLARY.
So who is HILLARY? Or better yet, who does HILLARY claim to be?
She claims she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous New Zealand born explorer that conquered Mount Everest. The problem is that Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Everest in 1953. When HILLARY was born, five years earlier, Sir Edmund Hillary was a humble beekeeper, well known perhaps to the people in his village, but certainly not to the world.
In HILLARY's book, "Living History," she writes, "We use the kitchen (in the Residence) for breakfast every day and for lots of dinners when we are not entertaining. My husband might come home from a golf game and I throw something together for him." This is HILLARY's attempt to relate to the average working mother. She desperately wants you to believe that she understands the needs and concerns of working women.
Dick Morris refutes this in "Rewriting History," when he describes how the White House chef wouldn't allow HILLARY to prepare her own meals and often rushed to prepare special food upon request. Perhaps they were concerned that HILLARY would re-enact the war of 1812 and burn the place to the ground.
Then there is HILLARY, the concerned mother who can relate to all the families affected by Sept. 11, 2001. She claimed Chelsea was in lower Manhattan that fateful morning, taking a jog when the towers were struck. Chelsea herself refuted the story saying that she was miles north of Ground Zero, in her friend's apartment when she heard the news.
So what? Who cares about these small details? Well, the last two Presidential elections have shown that the American people care. When you're a U.S. Senator, or a Congressman, it's not a necessity to have a public persona or a strong personal connection to the voters. Could you name the spouses and children of your U.S. Senators and Representative? When running for President you need to have a personality that the voters can relate to as if you were their neighbor or friend.
In the 2000 election, Al Gore - the self-proclaimed inventor of the Internet - was so inconsistent in the three televised debates that you wondered if he forgot to take his lithium. One debate he was a bully, interrupting Bush and scoffing at his responses. The next debate he was calmer, laughing playfully at his opponents remarks. Americans couldn't grasp the real Al Gore.
Then in 2004, John Kerry single-handedly revived the flip-flop industry. Was it not painful to watch as he awkwardly adorned his Red Sox hat in his living room, watching the ALCS, proclaiming that his favorite player was Manny Ortez? (No, I did not spell that wrong, and yes, that is now the name of my brother's cat.) He bragged of his accomplishments in Vietnam, but was on record saying that he and others committed war crimes during the conflict. Kerry was a walking contradiction, and never accurately introduced himself to the American people.
HILLARY's campaign for the Senate in 2000 could have illustrated that her public image was contrived, calculated, and ultimately fake. New York had the choice of either the ultimate New Yorker, Mayor Guiliani, or the ultimate carpetbagger, HILLARY. Luckily for HILLARY, this epic battle never took place due to Guiliani being diagnosed with cancer. Her new opponent, Rick Lazio, looked more like a hung over backup quarterback then a viable candidate for the U.S. Senate. New York - and America - never got the chance to peel back the layers of HILLARY and expose her paranoid, vengeful and self-righteous nature.
So as the 2008 campaign begins, I admit, Hillary looks like a good candidate. She'll mostly likely win the Democratic nomination. Then the hard part begins. Campaign managers will have to decide if they mention, invite or involve Bill. Which sports teams should she support? How did she come to get her name? What is her family life? What does she think of Monica Lewinsky? Has she committed financial crimes? Is she really a successful trial lawyer?
When you are the First Lady, or even a senator, you can be insulated from these questions. When you are a Presidential candidate, the gloves come off.
Just ask her husband, he knows all about it.
Todd Bohannon is a senior majoring in Economics.
