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Of Witches and Angels —

The pundits have done their mischief. Like the witches of “Macbeth,” they’ve stirred their pots to a boil, pitting the candidates against each other and hoping for a murderously good time. Ignoring the meaty issues of the stew, the talking heads have focused on the spice of “he said, she said” and the cat-fights that inevitably follow.

The Republican candidates flail away at each other, doing their best to distance themselves from the current occupant, yet clinging to the fear-mongering and tax-cutting for the rich that is the badge of their tribe. Meanwhile, the three Democratic finalists anointed by the media present a more interesting scenario.

Certainly Obama and Edwards appear more idealistic than Mrs. Clinton. Portraying themselves as agents of change, they both claim to eschew the dirty money of Corporate America. Hillary’s been through the ugly mill that is Washington to a far greater degree than they have. She understands that such a pretense will surely come back to bite her on the hand, if not elsewhere, when it comes to actually getting something done. She grasps the reality of getting bills passed and programs moving much more than the boys do.

Remember that Jimmy Carter was perhaps the most idealistic and honest president of the twentieth century, yet he was hopelessly ineffective at getting anything accomplished. Voters elected him in an exuberant display of optimism and hope in the wake of the Nixon debacle and Watergate crimes. Then, in four short years, Washington chewed him up, spit him out and consigned him “to the dustbin of history.” How mercilessly the Republican powers mocked Carter! Sadly, the voters bought it, lock, stock and barrel. The ensuing election ushered in Ronald Reagan’s “new day in America” that doubled the size of government, sent the national debt into the stratosphere and emasculated the union movement that had created the greatest middle class in history.

Like it or not, governance is a mean and nasty business. Wall Street and the Republican Party will stop at nothing, will spend whatever it takes and will take no prisoners to keep their hold on the wealth and resources of the U.S. While many Dems have concerns about the Clintons — Bill more than Hil — Mrs. Clinton clearly has the moxie, the iron will and the courage to stand up to the enormous pressures of the job, pressures that any Democrat will face from the incredibly wealthy and determined Republican Party that is bound to oppose any kind of progressive reform. She has banked dozens of international payback chits in her travels as First Lady and U.S. Senator. And she enjoys the recognition and goodwill of world leaders who have been at a loss for seven years, wondering what in the world these Americans have allowed their nation to become.

Hillary is the most vetted politician ever. Nobody has undergone more scrutiny in the last half century than she has. No matter who gets the Democratic nomination, a billion dollar Battle Royal will be waged by the Right, and truth be damned. The way they savaged John Kerry in ’04 and what they did to Al Gore before that was child’s play. The Republican Party — along with Wall Street and the Fundamentalist Right — is a wounded animal. Does anyone doubt that they will launch the “mother of all battles” this time around? Simply put: Obama and Edwards don’t have the coalescing power or the bare-knuckle strength to stand up to the onslaught ahead. Nor do they have the ability to put together the compromises with Corporate America necessary to get health care, tax reform, military budgets and human rights issues dealt with in a constructive and progressive way. Of all the candidates, Hillary has the best potential to get it done.

If Bill Clinton is seen as a loose cannon at the moment, look for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy and the rest of the party leadership — and Hillary herself — to take Bill in hand and cool his jets. Watch for beloved Bubba, with his 83% Democratic approval rating, to retire to the background for a respectable period, likely to re-emerge as head of the UN or as a sort of roving ambassador on the world stage. In spite of our own puritanical “shock” at his off-duty behavior, Bill Clinton is the most recognized and respected figure in the entire world. That can’t be too awfully bad for the U.S. or the Democratic Party in these dark times.

Finally, Democrats must elect a veto-proof Congress. Otherwise, Republicans will thwart everything the Democratic president tries to do. Hillary’s husband had to compromise too much — NAFTA, GATT and human rights issues come to mind — because he didn’t have sufficient Congressional support without cutting sometimes scurrilous deals. At the moment, Mrs. Clinton won’t burn any bridges with Wall Street and Corporate America until she gauges how much strength she has, if and when she wins the White House. If Edwards or Obama wins, they’ll have a Herculean chore to gain the ear of the opposition, let alone build any constructive models to solve America’s problems. Yes, to some the Clintons appear to be corporately-connected, and that can’t be a good thing. But it’s unrealistic and futile to be foursquare against such power and wealth. As evidence, recall that Hillary brazenly presented an innovative health care program for consideration during Bill’s first term. It was shot down immediately by Wall Street, the Corporate Media and the Republican Party, and she was wildly vilified for overstepping her bounds as simply the wife of the president. Mrs. Clinton learned a lesson in power.

Democrats and Progressive Independents also must learn that lesson. As Jimmy Carter did, Obama and Edwards are attempting to appeal to America’s finer angels and our natural optimism. Sadly, we cannot go down that road again. LEFTY, Jan. 26, 2008