[This article continues a series begun a few months ago, where I looked at all the Democratic candidates for president who weren't in the top three. In this article and two more like it, I will examine the three frontrunners, giving them the same treatment. This is mostly a critique of their web pages, at this point, for informational purposes. Campaign tactics and strategy will be addressed later. The three frontrunners are being profiled in alphabetic order, as I used for the other five candidates. You can read about the other five in my previous articles (Part 1 and Part 2).]

Hillary Clinton

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/

Hillary Clinton needs no real introduction to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past fifteen years. Her campaign is stressing her overall experience, past accomplishments, and her vision for the future. Since she is seen as the frontrunner by many (at this point), she is also carefully looking ahead to her general election campaign as well as addressing Democratic primary voters. This is a tough tightrope to walk for anyone, as in primaries you appeal to the party's base, and in the general election you appeal to the centrists and independents.

Her stances on the issues are more detailed than I would have thought, since I've only paid attention to her campaign through the eyes of the mainstream media so far. One of their major complaints has been that Hillary is using vague, unspecific language in order to walk that tightrope between the primaries and the general election. There is indeed some truth to this, as some of her positions appear very carefully thought out and detailed only for the least controversial aspects, with a few vague platitudes covering the hard choices which need to be made. Her issues page on health care is a good example of this, although (as she loves to state on the campaign trail): "This is a battle Hillary has fought before -- and she has the scars to prove it," so it is perhaps understandable.

[Editorial note: the use of just her first name by the media to refer to her has been criticized by some as anti-feminist, but she herself uses it all over her campaign website, so I have to assume it's OK to call her just "Hillary."]

But there is indeed some "meat" to the bare bones of her stances on the issues, much more than I had been led to believe. A common complaint from people who are not fans of Hillary (from both the left and the right) is that she is too "handled" -- too close to the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), too poll-driven, and all her issues are focus-group tested to death. This may well be true, but I found myself agreeing with just about everything she was proposing, and noticing only a few things which were conspicuous in their absence (like repealing "Don't ask / Don't tell," or how she feels today about the flag-burning legislation she sponsored, for instance).

Her Iraq war stance has so far gotten her in the most trouble with Democrats, since it has... how shall I say?... "evolved" over time. She now supports canceling the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) which was the original bill she voted to pass to give President Bush the authority for the war, capping troop levels (this is kind of outdated, as Bush already successfully rammed the "surge" idea through), supporting the Jack Murtha troop readiness goals, and (importantly) stating that she is definitely not in favor of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. But it must be pointed out, she spent today on the campaign trail -- and not in the Senate -- as the Iraq war debate begins anew.

She comes out very strongly for women's issues, not shying away from supporting Roe v. Wade and family planning. She sees the road to the White House paved with women's votes, so this isn't too surprising. She comes out less strongly (more niche issues than broad support) for minority rights and gay rights.

The one that pleasantly surprised me was her support for an idea I've been championing for years now -- tying minimum wage increases to congressional pay raises. From her site: "She has introduced legislation to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage, because she believes if America's working people don't deserve a raise, neither does Congress." I couldn't have put it better myself.

Her website, not surprisingly, is polished, professional, and very informative. It has lots of video footage and transcripts of her recent speeches, and more press releases than you can shake a stick at. There are also lots of bells and whistles -- this website cost some money, and it looks it. All around, it's pretty easy to navigate and answers (most) of the questions you may have about her and where she stands.

Washington Post stories mentioning Clinton this year : 233

"Contribute" buttons on main web page : 4 (counts one for her "store," and one for "Be a Hillraiser")

Money raised in the first quarter of 2007 : $26 million

Money raised in the second quarter of 2007 : $27 million

Biggest weakness : The media's focus on the gender issue. Hillary has to walk not just one tightrope, but many. It's all about how the media sees her -- if she is aggressive and decisive they scream "cold, calculating, dominating" and all of that -- and if she tries to show her human side or exhibit any charisma whatsoever, the media focuses on "she's appealing to the woman vote, she looks awkward, she'll never eclipse Bill." Seems she can't win. No wonder she hires so many consultants -- her campaign is "under the microscope" more than any other candidate, with the possible exception of Obama and the race issue. But this winds up (no matter which way she plays it) as a "weakness" to the media. Maybe not so much to voters.

Her other gigantic weakness (and this one is real, not so much media-driven) is everyone already knows her and for the most part has made up their mind about her. She has some of the highest "negative" numbers in the race. This will be an enormous hurdle for her to overcome in both the primary and general elections.

Interesting quotes from her web page :

[Usually I can find some humorous or just interesting stuff from a candidate's web page without too much trouble, usually in their personal bio story. It's a measure of how tightly this campaign is run that there are only a few things even mildly amusing. Make of this what you will. The first two show how she's trying a little too hard to appeal to the middle class, and the last one is just funny -- don't they make budding politicians attend "how to create good acronyms" class when they get to Washington?]

Hillary was raised in a middle-class family in the middle of America.

. . .

The life that Hugh and Dorothy created for Hillary and her two brothers was a classic 1950s middle-class suburban childhood. Park Ridge in those days was the kind of place where everyone left their doors unlocked and the neighborhood kids all played on the block together. Hillary was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. She started her political life as a Republican, like her father. She even volunteered as a Goldwater girl!

. . .

Promoting programs, like Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, that provide new parents with support and guidance in caring for their children. As First Lady of Arkansas, she helped bring HIPPY to the U.S.