May 1, 2008

HER IMUS:

The Clinton Factor?: Senator Hillary Clinton Enters “The No Spin Zone." (Doug Heye, 5/01/08, National Review)

[C]linton has needed to try something different — including reaching out to conservative Democrats, NASCAR fans, and military families (North Carolina is home to the fourth-largest population of military personnel in the nation), especially those in eastern North Carolina — from small tobacco towns to military installations such as Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg.

These have not been dependable voters for Democrats in past federal elections. Many of those who voted for John Edwards in 1998 also supported Jesse Helms.

They also watch Fox News.

So, in what may be the most anticipated television interview since David Letterman finally landed Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton appeared on Wednesday night’s edition of The O’Reilly Factor. It’s shocking, yes, but should not be terribly surprising.

Predictably, the Far Left is howling — how could Hillary Clinton sit down with Bill O’Reilly?! (Funny, the Left did not offer such strenuous objections to Senator Barack Obama’s willingness to sit down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.) And while it may cause their collective head to explode, just as only Richard Nixon could go to China, perhaps only Hillary Clinton could pull off an interview on The Factor.

Except those hoping to see Clinton fail, liberals and progressives most likely did not tune in. Of North Carolina Democrats watching last night’s interview, many are those suffering from buyer’s remorse on Obama. They are votes she desperately needs.


Her husband's appearances on Imus in 1992 made him the kind of Democrat white men could tolerate.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 1, 2008 11:04 AM
Comments

It is jaw-droppingly remarkable that Hillary has been able to plausibly portray herself as a "woman of the people" and draw blue-collar voters to support her so strongly. One almost has to speculate that Obama is actually a Clinton plant (rather than a Rove plant, which he actually is, bwahaha!)...

Posted by: b at May 1, 2008 1:38 PM

In the primaries, Hillary is running as the Republican.

Posted by: Ibid at May 1, 2008 2:28 PM

You know, I've said for a long time (since W's first election) that the right will do all it can to ensure at least one Hillary term as president. But even I've been amazed at the lengths both Rush and O'Reilly have gone to ensure the continuance of their careers.

Posted by: Brad S at May 1, 2008 3:15 PM

O'Reilly has been bending over backwards to be fair to the two Dem candidates on his radio show, I guess it's paid off...

BTW, I think the "real" O'Reilly is just a typical blue collar Catholic guy and not a right-winger at all. He, just like Reagan, has watched the Democrats abandon him, and would be very comfortable with a socially conservative/ economically liberal Democrat in the White House.

Actually in that sense, he's much like our own host, OJ, but without the, you know, incredible eccentricities and Asperger's...

Posted by: Benny at May 1, 2008 3:45 PM

My Dad has the same problem. His politics have stayed the same, but the Democrats just keep moving away from him. Dad's Catholic too, and Senator Obama's recent comments on abortion have really ticked him off. He was even more angry when I told him about Obama's vote on BAIPA.

Thank God for Orrin's "eccentricities" though, eh? I hope Mrs. Dr. Judd never starts slipping Paroxetine into his cheap coffee.

Posted by: Bryan at May 1, 2008 4:55 PM

I have no idea what Paroxetine is, but I'm sure they don't make enough for the purpose you have in mind....

Posted by: Benny at May 1, 2008 6:15 PM

I kept checking to see if Hillary was packing a holster during the interview.

The funny part of the whole Dem fiasco is that the hard Left will now race to bury Hillary before even the GOP, presuming Obama wins NC. Of course, her coming double-digit wins in WV and KY will be sneered at by the billionaires in San Francisco.

The other funny part will be watching Howard Dean try to bring healing and peace. Only LBJ could handle what will happen in Denver. Nobody in the party today knows how to squeeze the short and curlies.

Posted by: ratbert at May 1, 2008 6:46 PM
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