Advice To Hillary

Run Early

Spring 2007 is the time to launch. Any later is too late. January is fine. February is fine. March is fine. April is getting late.

Any time in 2006 is too early. Nancy Pelosi will deserve the time to celebrate. Go on another listening tour before you announce. Get "permission" from your constituents in New York. They will be better off with you as president than as Senator.

Go on a nationwide listening tour.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker

Campaign Slogan: This Is A New Century

It is the American dream, stupid sounds too much like 1992. Let's try something new. This should also appeal to the policy wonk in you. There is a need for a rethink on education, a rethink on health, a rethink on most everything. Let there be a flood of new ideas.

Three Pillars, Draft 2

Don't Shake Too Many Hands, Save That For 2012

Some lefty looney described Secretary of State Colin Powell early in his term as a "house slave," and Powell said the critic was referring to "another era." JFK was the first non-WASP president, but that was another era. I don't think the first woman president needs to worry about her physical safety along the same lines.

But your style is not Bill Clinton's. Don't change. Your style works. Your style is different. Your style is yours. Don't shake too many hands. There are other ways of connecting. The best way is delivering on the promises.

Give the country four years to adjust on the first woman president thing. Then shake as many hands as you might want during reelection.

A Different Kind Of Campaign: A Scientific Campaign

Yours Is Not A Gender Campaign

The idea is to best harvest votes. Gender is important. But it can not be allowed to overshadow all other concerns. Gender and other social issues need to take their rightful space. That also applies to gay rights. If the social issues drown out the mainstream economic issues, the progressives lose and the progressive causes get hurt.

If I am fiercely progressive, it is for social reasons. Don't get me wrong. But making all the right noise is less important than getting hold of the levers of power to get things done, also on social issues.

Even if gender is an issue, your best contribution will be to win. So don't let gender policy drown out the rest of your message. Hillary Clinton as president can have only so much positive gender impact on the system. But that impact can be much greater if women get organized at the grassroots. The masses of women will have to take responsibility and respond.

Strong On Defense Is A Plus

Can't win without it. War On Terror. Long War. Whatever you call it, it is the same magnitude as the Cold War. And it will only conclude after every country in the Arab world is turned into a democracy. There has to be a progressive way to spread democracy that competes with the wasteful, ineffective neocon way.

The First Major Revolution Of The 21st Century Happened In Nepal

The military option can not be ruled out, but it has to be minimized as much as possible, and when it is used, it has to be used smart. You go in lean and thin, you go in smart. You use human intel to penetrate their organizations.

Education, Health, And The Information Age

There is a need for a fundamental rethink here. The country needs help, needs leadership that will take it to the Information Age. The Information Age beckons. That is good news.

You are looking at an era of a billion college graduates on the planet. You are talking free, online, ad-supported textbooks.

Health care reform is about introducing market forces into the sector. Prices would go down like for computers if the health care sector were being driven by market forces. You instead have oligopolies, these bizarre matrix of niche monopolies, ossified corporate bureaucracies.

Soviet Health Care In America

You were right in 1993 on health care. Now the rest of them will need to catch up with you. Only this time I urge you to keep the debate open, public at all stages. Invite in the opponents. Let them make their case publicly. Invite in the people. And ultimately take the tough decisions.

The Information Age asks for lifelong education and universal health. Because the Information Age puts the onus on human capital.

Dot Com Boom Part 2

I was part of part 1 in a small way. I still can smell the fever. I call it progressive market zeal. Progressives are not only pro choice, and anti racism and for the environment, and all that, progressives also are the ones who dream up the companies of tomorrow, create the jobs of tomorrow.

Stay Pragmatic On Gender And Race

Delegate. Let the spectrum gurus work these two big social issues.

The Spectrum Concept: Wide Applications
The Spectrum On Gender
The Spectrum/Dialogue Concept Is Key To Power

Bill Clinton Is An Asset, That Guy Is Elvis, Pele, What Have You

Al Gore made the mistake of not using Bill Clinton in 2000. Don't repeat. And he does not always have to be in the foreground, although he is always eager to be unleashed on crowds.

Noone can give you better advice. And you know it. He is your guy for all twists and turns. He is the ultimate political animal.

Know On Day One, You Will Win

Rather McCain than some rabid right winger. I respect McCain. He deserves an honorable defeat.

But have the confidence. Exude the confidence.

Obama Is Not Too Young, He Is Not Too Black, He Is Not Too Senatey

I recommend him for running mate. He is half white. He is whip smart. He has your kind of charisma.

You represent the Mid West, the South, the North East. He represents Hawaii, the Mid West, and Kenya. And Left Coast is a piece of cake. You are white, you are a woman. He is half white, half black, he is a man. The arithmetic looks great to me.

He is not baggage material. He is presidential material. That is the number one thing you want to look for in a running mate.

And Mark Warner would make into a great Education Secretary. He has done some good work with the schools in Virginia.

Barack The Glass Walls, Ceilings, Smash 'Em
2008 Countdown: Hillary-Obama
Obama Votes Nay
Obama, Ethics Reform, And White Dems
Obama Was In Town And I Missed It

It Is Still The Economy, Stupid

People are going to want to know, how will you help them make more money. And that is only fair of them to do. This is extra true for people in the income brackets most likely to vote for you.

The 1992 people can come in handy.

This Is Not 1992

Get a new team. Get your own team. Keep most of the 1992 bunch in the background. They pulled a classic win in 1992, one for the textbooks, and you were part of it, a big part, but this is time for a fresh start, a fresh team.

Hillary's Formula For 2006
Three Pillars, Draft 2
Hillary 2008
Karl Rove, Hands Off Hillary
Hillary In Person
Primitive Liberals Need To Stop Attacking Hillary
The Israeli Wall Is Wrong, Hillary
Dean-Hillary-Obama Ticket
Hillary Speaks Up For NYC

On The Web

Hillary Rodham Clinton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hillary Clinton For President
"Hillary Clinton President" : Anti-Bush T-Shirts, Anti-Bush Bumper ...
How Hillary Clinton Won the Elections of 2008 and 2012
TIME.com -- Joe Klein: Hillary in 2008? No Way!
Hillary Clinton in 2008
Hillary for President in 2008
PollingReport.com - Election 2008
Rasmussen Reports Sign up now for ElectionEdge 2006. The most ...
RingSurf: Join Ring
Hillary Clinton's Possible 2008 Presidential Campaign
CNN.com - Clinton: Hillary hasn't decided on 2008 - Aug 11, 2005