Hillary Clinton, in a sense, entered the race for President with an attitude of a self proclaimed heir apparent to the White House. While in the White House as First Lady, she thrust her way into the national forefront as equally capable as her husband, Bill, to be President of the United States of America.
Shortly after her departure from the White House as First Lady, she began to construct her road back to the White House as President. New York was envisioned as the State to propel her to the U.S. Senate. Bill Clinton continued to garner the support of the black community by locating his office in the Harlem section of New York.
From the time of leaving the White House the murmurings, gossip, snippets, bits and whisperings were whether Hillary had plans to make a run for the White House. Denials, denials and more denials were forthcoming as she made her way to the Senate from New York. She absolutely denied her quest to make a run for the White House.
In seeking a second term for Senate, again the people of New York were assured their Senator had no aspirations to run for President and would fulfill her duties as the Senator from New York.
However, as soon as the Democrats re-gained control over the House of Representatives, Hillary Clinton publicly launched her exploratory committee to test the waters as to whether it was time for her to run. Focus groups, polls and fundraisers were the forerunners of her soon to be campaign. Then at the urging from friends, "run Hillary run"- the country is ready for its first woman President - and that might be YOU!!
Early on, Hillary appeared to be poised to be the heir apparent to the Democratic nomination. Husband and former President, Bill's, popularity was seen as a plus and key to her successful campaign. Running on the prospect of being a "first' at a time when there was a need for change against the backdrop of a nation in trouble; the Iraq war raging on out of control; a tanking economy; a health care system in need of an overhaul, historically high trade and federal deficits, she launched her bid claiming to be experienced and able to hit the ground running once she arrived at the White House.
The field of contenders for the democratic primary grew to include Biden, Edwards, Richardson and Kucinich. Also looming in the background was Al Gore and his Inconvenient Truth. Still this did not appear to shake the unshakable Hillary Clinton. Then, Barack Hussein Obama appears, the Senator from Illinois. His entry into the race and emergence on the national scene was greeted and treated as "rock star fame". At the same time, the media and mainstream were not prepared to deal with the seriousness and promise of Obama's candidacy and neither was Hillary Clinton.
Obama's entry into the race rocked the political landscape in ways it had not been rocked in years. Just as a 150 year storm event causes major geomorphic changes, the Obama candidacy caused a geomorphic jolt to Hillary Clinton.
The first geomorphic jolt was her running on being a first. Being a first raised the significance of her candidacy from a historical perspective. Hillary was the first former First Lady to seek the office of President. She could not rightfully claim the title as first serious female contender because of the previous campaigns of Shirley Chisholm and Geraldine Ferraro. However, if successful, Hillary would be the first women candidate to receive the Democratic nomination. But enter Obama, who is a larger first as "firsts" go in this country.
The next geomorphic jolt was the Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina primary results. Iowa and South Carolina were one of those kick butt sweeps by Obama and the narrow loss in New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton was by only two percentage points.
Another geomorphic jolt is racial. Obama is by public definition a black man despite having a white mother and black father. This has created a schism in the Clinton camp regarding the so called black vote. Inasmuch as Bill Clinton has been described in some quarters as the first black president, this very notion has also brought some problems to the Clinton camp.
The race issue has added a dimension in its own geomorphic regard. Obama did not get the overwhelming support of the black political establishment and civil rights pioneers due to their perception that he could not go the distance in white America. The prevailing view was that Hillary on the coat tails of her 'first black president' husband stood a better chance to go the full distance to the White House.
The most recent geomorphic jolt became apparent in the wave of endorsements from key Democrats such as John Kerry, Pat Leahy and Ted Kennedy, family clan leader. The impressive endorsement of Caroline Kennedy Schlosberg passed Camelot's gauntlet to Barack Obama.
Just as a 150 year storm event brings about major geomorphic changes, the Obama factor seems to have knocked the wind from the Hillary sails. In observing her body language as an indicator of her "chi", it appears she senses the synergy and danger of a rising tide. This could very well be the rising tide of geomorphic change that will carry Barack Hussein Obama to the White House in 2008.
By Joy C. West
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