Fund-raisers on the left and right are salivating now that Sen. Hillary
Clinton has declared, "I'm in" the 2008 presidential race. On the left,
feminists will likely hail her as the reincarnation of suffragette Susan B.
Anthony. On the right, conservatives will portray her as a cross between
Lady Macbeth and Bonnie Parker.
Conservatives should be careful. The nonstop attacks on Bill Clinton did not
keep him from winning in 1992, nor did his personal scandals prevent his
re-election four years later. Using similar smear tactics on Hillary Clinton
will only turn her into a victim and cause many not predisposed to vote for
her to support her.
Men can't run against a woman the way they run against other men. Former
Republican Congressman Rick Lazio learned the double standard voters apply
to a female candidate when he challenged her in 2000 for the New York Senate
seat she now holds. During a debate, Lazio left his lectern and invaded her
personal space to make a point. Many voters saw a man trying to physically
intimidate a woman and Lazio lost the debate and the election.
Some conservative Web sites are already claiming Sen. Clinton will unite the
Republican base like no other Democratic candidate. Maybe, but that base is
too small to counter what surely will be a surge in female voters. A recent
USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll found that six out of 10 women were likely to
support Clinton in her run for the White House.
A major advantage for Republicans is that Hillary is not her husband. She is
aloof and calculating, while he can be warm and engaging. We have seen his
temper - most recently in an interview with Fox's Chris Wallace - but we
have only heard about hers. Will the public accept this kind of behavior
from a woman who wants to be president? Will such behavior be seen as
strength or character weakness?
In an interview with the London Sunday Times, Clinton's campaign manager,
Terry McAuliffe, compared her to former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher. "Their policies are totally different," McAuliffe said, "but they
are both perceived as very tough." Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher are
as different as Phyllis Schlafly and Gloria Steinem. Toughness in the
pursuit of bad ideas is as unhelpful as weakness in pursuit of good ones.