Despite having well over a year to go before the 2006 mid-terms, it looks like Election 2006 is already underway in New York. Westchester County DA Jeanine Pirro is challenging Hillary Clinton for her Senate seat, charging that the Senator will be more committed to running for President than she would in representing the people of New York. (MSNBC: N.Y. prosecutor hopes to challenge Sen. Clinton). Note that Senator Clinton has yet to claim she is running for the 2008 Democratic nomination, although current polls show her as the leading candidate.
Jeanine Pirro has the support of state GOP chairman Stephen Minarik, however some of her views are at odds with the party's national platform. Pirro does not appear to be a strong contender for the NY seat and comes with some baggage (such as a husband that spent time in federal prison for tax fraud) that is sure to be a campaign issue. The party's hope is that, even in defeat, she could damage Clinton for her potential presidential bid.
Pirro is relatively inexperienced in the national political arena and will face a strong challenge in the Republican primary. The real question is whether or not she can emerge the primary unscathed. It's somewhat doubtful that she can do much image damage nationally to Clinton. The Senator has been in the political spotlight for decades and survived unscathed through her husband's impeachment procedings and the embarrassing publicity of their marriage challenges.
If Clinton decides to seek the Democratic nomination, the most damage will be inflicted by her own party during the primary season. The best approach for the GOP in 2006 is to avoid strengthening public opinion in favor of Clinton. A GOP attack on her in 2006 is likely to backfire in the presidential campaign in 2008. I've yet to see polls that show Clinton's seat to be up-for-grabs in 2006. Simply trying to tarnish her image 2 years before the presidential election would be a huge tactical mistake.
Technorati: politics Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton Pirro Jeanine Pirro election election+2006
IceRocket: politics Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton Pirro Jeanine Pirro election election 2006
2 comments :
The attack on Kerry was so intensive because of his actions after returning home. Becoming a Vietnam War protester and speaking out against the war is what made him vulnerable.
As CNN reported, "Kerry threw away the ribbons from his medals, along with the actual medals of two veterans who were not able to attend the ceremony" referring to a 1971 anti-war protest event. What made him vulnerable in the campaign was his trying to flaunt the three purple hearts after he had already denounced them.
Hillary Clinton does not have that type of record hanging over her head, but she did participate in a number of anti-war rallies - something many veterans still find repulsive. Whether that will be to her advantage or disadvantage will depend on US war sentiment in 2008. Public opinion changes rapidly, so no conclusions can be drawn there based on attitudes seen today.
I don't think I'd categorize what's happening there as femme power. Sheehan's being used by a number of groups with their own agenda, and that's the real tragedy in all this.
Bush was in a no-win situation with regards to the potential encounter in Crawford. Personally, I think he made the right choice by not meeting with her. The only thing meeting with her again (he met with her already on this topic, remember) does is open the door for similar encounters across the country. Allowing her to continue her protest but avoiding any direct confrontation really is the best approach.
As to 2008, I think the biggest factor is going to be the state of the economy, not Iraq. That will be true in 2006 as well. I would hate to be a sitting congressman or senator up for reelection in the mid-terms. At the rate the price of oil is climbing, I'd expect a very large freshman class in January '07.
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