Is Hillary Fighting Too Close To The Ropes?

Yesterday, I posted a piece on the prospects of Gore getting into the race. In the comment section I linked to this latest Rasmussen poll, which shows Hillary and Obama tied for support. According to this poll, both are currently at 32%. What was once a double digit lead has now evaporated, in just a few short weeks.

I suspect that transparency has been and will continue to be a problem for Sen. Clinton. Part of this may be because she creates the perception of being a chameleon. Her words and the way she says those words are as fake as a diamond from Wal-Mart.

For example, Hillary has never had a southern accent. Despite that fact, she seems to find one, each and every time she appears before a group of blacks. One was awhile back down in Selma, but this one was in front of the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by Rev. Al Sharpton.

Now let's get one thing clear here. I have known many black people from NYC over the years, and I have to tell you, not one of them had a southern accent. If they had any accent at all it was African or Brooklynese. So, either Hillary has been receiving bad advice from her handlers or she reads the NY Times, specifically this article right here.

Only a few months ago, the vast majority of black elected officials in New York were expected to support the presidential candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. But no longer.

The officials described themselves as impressed with the strength of Mr. Obama’s campaign in recent weeks, saying it reflected a grass-roots enthusiasm for Mr. Obama that many noticed among black voters in their own districts. And that could signal trouble for Mrs. Clinton, forcing her to devote precious attention to her home state, where blacks made up 20 percent of the Democratic primary vote in 2004, just as she has had to scramble to keep black support nationwide.

Note the second paragraph. Anytime a politician has to concentrate on his/her home state, there is trouble for that candidate. In the 1992 election we saw that play out, when Dan Quayle spent and inordinate amount of time in his home state of Indiana.

This has to be disheartening for Clinton supporters. She has waited patiently for her chance. And with the administration's numbers looking like they are right now, one would have to figure this is the best chance the Dems will have to recapture the White House. But from the sounds of things, she is going to have a real primary fight on her hands.

As a person that has been involved with campaigns before, one thing should sound clear to Hillary (and all politicians for that matter):

Do not repeat the mistakes of those that failed before you.

Both Kerry and Gore blew their chances to solidify the support of the common people, because they both were champions at vacillation and condescending speeches that ultimately end up alienating common sense people.

In short, the chameleon strategy does not work. You cannot be all things to all people, therefore to try only insults the intelligence of those you need to win over. And right now, she is insulting the intelligence of many blacks, by trying to sound like she is a "down home" kind of gal.

By the latest polls shown and the the tone of the NYT article, it very well could be that she will blow her one and only opportunity to be the first woman President. If she wants to have any chance at all, she needs to stay away from the ropes, so that she can stick and move more effectively. Not everyone can be a Muhammed Ali and use ropa-dopa as a strategy. At times, it may work for a boxer. But it almost never works for a politician.