 |
|
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Dec. 29, 2006
/ 8 Teves, 5767
It's an up-Hil battle
By
Michael Goodwin
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The 2008 presidential election is a long way off, but the first tea leaves raise an intriguing question: Is Hillary Clinton the new John Kerry?
Clinton has been the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but she's suddenly looking tired next to two surging opponents. Recent polls from Iowa and New Hampshire, two of the first states to cast nominating ballots, show Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards either ahead of her or tied with her.
The early results recall Kerry's tortured path to the 2004 nomination. He was flying high in the preliminary jockeying, then sagged like rotting fruit as the voting drew closer. He got his groove back only with a dramatic comeback victory in the Iowa caucus.
Clinton would be happy with such an outcome, but she can't be happy at the recent turn of events, which count as the first surprises of the 2008 race. It's bad enough that Obama is the hot ticket after his stunning decision to test a race. But even more surprising is that Edwards, Kerry's lackluster running mate in 2004, is doing so well in both states.
Having two formidable opponents ahead of her is not a good omen, for it reveals that many Dems don't want Clinton. They know her and, so far, they're rejecting her.
The latest Iowa poll was certainly an attention-getter. A survey of 600 likely party voters there put Clinton a distant fourth. Edwards and Obama both scored 22%, and the state's governor, Tom Vilsack, got 12%. Clinton scored only 10%.
Clinton did better in a New Hampshire survey, where she scored 22%, a virtual tie with Obama's 21%, while Edwards got 16. As in Iowa, Al Gore and Kerry followed.
In both states, Obama and Edwards did better against most possible Republican nominees than did Clinton.
Because those two states' impact can be out of proportion to their size, the party has scrambled the calendar for 2008 to get more regional and racial diversity. Iowa's caucus on Jan. 14 is followed by one in Nevada five days later. The first primary remains in New Hampshire on Jan.22, followed a week later by one in South Carolina. By March, the whole thing is essentially over.
That first month should give Clinton some advantages in that she'll have money to compete everywhere. Yet each state and each opponent present different problems. Edwards, for example, has focused on Iowa for a long time, aiming for early momentum. I saw his strategy at work back in the spring in New York, when I challenged him by saying that "Clinton will be your party's nominee in 2008."
"Not if she loses Iowa," he answered firmly. It was clear he would make a stand there, where he finished second to Kerry in 2004, and hopes to slow down her juggernaut. The addition of South Carolina to the early schedule could also help him.
Obama presents an odd threat to Clinton almost everywhere. On paper, he's just another liberal senator with little experience, but his charisma and biracial lineage, combined with the advantage of an outsider's image, have created a sensation. He is drawing the largest and most enthusiastic crowds, much as Howard Dean did in the early goings of 2004.
In that sense, Dean's example could offer hope to Clinton. While the former Vermont governor is well-known for his bizarre screaming act in Iowa, many people forget that Dean's scream followed his dismal third-place showing there. Kerry's win restored him to the top of the heap, giving Dean good reason to freak out.
Clinton can only hope that history repeats itself in Iowa, this time in her favor.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2006 NY Daily News Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services
|
