The Substance of Hillary Clinton

Much has been written about the Clinton campaign, both on The Political Machine and elsewhere, much of it focusing on the horserace, the gaffes, straight-up fluff like her laugh, and Gotcha! issues coverage. She has an image, deserved or not, as a triangulator, shoehorning her politics into the political opinion of the moment. Others would say she's being responsive or building consensus.

To me, there are a few important qualities that a leader must have. First and foremost, they need to have the right goals. There's no point in electing a great leader who's going to run toward the wrong end zone. After that, they need to be able to demonstrate that they can achieve those goals. This is where less tangible factors come in. People know a leader when they see one. I can assure you, likeability is low on the list of requirements for a great leader. Experience, too, is less a factor. Leadership is an innate force. Hillary Clinton is undeniably a leader. Let's examine where she wants to take us. Here are Hillary Clinton's positions, taken from her website, and a brief analysis by me. If you like what she's selling, by all means, look deeper, kick the tires.

Iraq War - "Starting Phased Redeployment within Hillary's First Days in Office. She would direct (the Joint Chiefs) to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration."

This is in keeping with what most Americans think, so the politics on this are sound. The big question is, "What happens when we leave?"

"Securing Stability in Iraq as we Bring our Troops Home.
She would direct aid to the entities -- whether governmental or non-governmental -- most likely to get it into the hands of the Iraqi people. She would also support the appointment of a high level U.N. representative -- similar to those appointed in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo -- to help broker peace among the parties in Iraq."

This and the next point are vital to the success of any such plan. Recognition that the US has lost credibility as a diplomatic partner, and has reduced leverage, is key to understanding the solution.

"A New Intensive Diplomatic Initiative in the Region.In her first days in office, Hillary would convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq.
* Non-interference. Working with the U.N. representative, the group would work to convince Iraq's neighbors to refrain from getting involved in the civil war.
* Mediation. The group would attempt to mediate among the different sectarian groups in Iraq with the goal of attaining compromises on fundamental points of disputes.
* Reconstruction funding. The members of the group would hold themselves and other countries to their past pledges to provide funding to Iraq and will encourage additional contributions to meet Iraq's extensive needs."

This was a surprise to me. It has long been clear to me that any viable solution in Iraq would need to involve turning back the clock on our diplomatic relationships and asking allies to share both the burden and the reward of a stable Iraq. International cooperation has become a dirty word in Bush's America, so I wouldn't have expected this type of political risk from the Hillary of the mainstream media. I'm pleasantly surprised here. Her Iraq plan makes all the sense in the world.

Healthcare - "Hillary's American Health Choices Plan covers all Americans and improves health care by lowering costs and improving quality. It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you're one of the tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don't like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you have, you can keep it."

Basically, this is Universal Health Insurance. The problem with the healthcare crisis in America is that nobody but me understands it. People tar Hillary's and other candidates' plans as "socialized medicine", when in reality, we currently have the very worst system of socialized medicine imaginable. Who pays for care in Emergency Rooms for the uninsured? Who pays medical bills for the chronically ill whose medical costs far outstrip the premiums they pay? The only difference is, under the current system, healthy people subsidize not only care for the uninsured and the really sick, they also subsidize huge profits and administrative costs for everyone in the healthcare industry.

As healthcare plans go, this is not a bad one, it's probably achievable, but any plan that doesn't address the problem of profit in healthcare is a half-measure at best. If you're deciding your vote based on this, just know that this is not socialized medicine, any more than our current system is.

Energy - "Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs."

There's a lot here, so by all means, read through it. What I like is the $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund. I'm no expert, but fifty bill sounds like a lot, and we need an "Apollo"-style research push toward better energy sources. There's the usual "cap-and-trade" boilerplate, which I am ambivalent about, as there always seems to be a way around these rules. Requiring fuel efficiency of 55 mpg is a good thing, but 2030 is an awfully long time to wait for that. Still, if Americans cared more about it, they'd buy only efficient cars. Apparently, the invisible hand of the market is giving Earth the finger.

Government Reform - Nothing Earth-shattering, but some common-sense ideas about transparency and lobbying reform. I like the idea of posting all contracts online.

Immigration - "Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients a strengthening of our borders, greater cross-cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar."

This is a complicated issue that's being dominated by sloganeering simpletons. A balanced approach is called for, and this seems to fit the bill. Read on, and you'll see that she opposes guest-worker programs. This is key. Programs like that simply codify what is already the biggest problem with illegal immigration, the depression of American's wages.

I encourage you to go to Hillary's website and read more on these and other issues. To listen to the media and the blogosphere, Hillary is either the most liberal wacko this side of the Reynold's Wrap factory, or she's Republican-lite, a Bush in Clinton's clothing. I found that most of what she had to say was fairly practical, and her policy goals extremely achievable. Personally, I'd like a candidate who went a little farther in some areas, but she is far from the bogeyman she's been depicted as.

It is still up to you, the voter, to decide if you like these goals, and furthermore, if you think they can be achieved. Cast your vote, but cast it for the right reasons. Do you really want to leave the future of our country up to a bunch of reporters who don't like her "cackle", or can't figure out if she left somebody a tip? Surely, we're all a little more grown-up than that.

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