Bartlett’s Misguided Support of Hillary
Thursday, May 10th, 2007In two recent articles for the National Review, Bruce Bartlett recommended that conservatives pledge their support for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming primaries. His rationale is that the Republicans do not stand a chance in the 2008 election, and conservatives should thus focus on ensuring that the most conservative Democrat receive the Democratic nomination. “To right-wingers willing to look beneath what probably sounds to them like the same identical views of the Democratic candidates, it is pretty clear that Hillary Clinton is the most conservative”, he says. Saying that “Hillary Clinton is the most conservative” is like saying that Cindy Sheehan is the most attractive amongst herself, Helen Thomas, and Madeleine Albright.
In principle I would not necessarily disagree with his stance. It may be wiser to promote the most liberal democrat, in hopes that this would dissuade moderates towards the Republican candidate in the general election. However, such tactics are only relevant if you believe that the election has already been won by the Democrats. I do not believe this is the case.
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