Clintons, Paris, the Purple Heart stamp and a Frenchwoman ahead in the polls

Bill Clinton was in Paris yesterday. He met with Jacques Chirac and the model/blogger Anina met him at the Hotel George V/Four Seasons. Right in my "village"! She is one of the many people who thinks Hillary Clinton has a serious chance to be the U.S. president.

It makes my heart sink. I have met people all over the world who earnestly believe that Hillary will win. In Mumbai, India, two months ago, I met an important gentleman who is inviting her there on behalf of his organization because he firmly believes she will be President one day.

But being from the South, and having spent a lot of time in the "Heartland" outside the east and "left" coasts, I don't think Hillary has a chance. If she's the Democratic nominee, the South and midwest and blue-collar workers-- votes the Democrats desperately need-- will vote Republican again. Heck, a lot of people even think she had Vincent Foster murdered. I've met these people and some of them are my relatives. They might vote for another Democrat, someone like, say, Barack Obama or Tim Kaine in a few years (even Democrats think they are too inexperienced).

I met her once. During a holiday in October, we were doing a patriotic pilgrimage up the Hudson Valley, which is stunningly beautiful when the leaves change. After visiting West Point and the C.I.A. (Culinary Institute of America! best croissants in the USA!), and Roosevelt's home, I decided to drag everyone to the site of Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters in Newbergh. It was a surprisingly run-down little town and I was even a bit nervous about leaving the car, with all the luggage. But the little park where Washington's HQ had been was well-maintained. To my surprise, there were guards at the gate telling us to hurry, and after we passed they let no one else in. We took an unguided tour of the old stone house, which is perched high above the Hudson. It was small, so that didn't take long. I liked thinking that Washington had walked in those rooms, not at all sure he would win the war and not be hanged for a rebel. We were coming downstairs when a dressed-up old man came up and said in my ear, "You might want to stay a few more minutes."

I could see something was about to happen. There were a bunch of white-haired men from the Veterans of Foreign Wars limping their way into a room full of chairs lined up facing a window, and official-looking people milling around in the entrance. Then I saw some Secret Service men with their special little buttons and earpieces. Then Hillary Clinton walked in!

It turned out that this was an inauguration ceremony for the Purple Heart stamp. Senator Clinton had been one of the people responsible for pushing it through, and the old men (who didn't look like her natural constituency at all) were very pleased. We stayed for her speech. The man before her read off a piece of paper, but Hillary Clinton, looking very chic, just spoke without notes, naming many names and looking around the room and waving as she said them. An impressive performance. I have heard from upstate New Yorkers that she is quite popular now in the state even with people who were initially against her, as she has been a good senator at the ground level, responding to individual problems.

I once had dinner with someone who was on a board with her just before her husband became president. He was upset because she was going to have to quit the board, and he said she was formidably smart and useful to them.

She certainly is the front-runner, and I am more and more sure she will be the candidate. All that doesn't change the fact that the Democrats will lose if she's their candidate.  Too many American voters actively loathe her.

Here in France, the Socialists are also seriously considering a woman for their candidate. Ségolène Royal is the favorite présidentiable (the great French word for Presidential candidate!) in the polls, which must be a shock to the politicos. In France politicians can still make mother-in-law and women-driver jokes with impunity, so you will not be surprised to hear that the old guys aren't too happy about a woman candidate; but the polls may force their hand.

She and her long-time partenaire François Hollande are not married, but are PACSed. It seems odd to me. I mean, they have four children together. I guess for a politician of her generation and her political leanings, it is too right-wing to get married.

I can't help liking her. It would be good for France to have a woman in charge for a while.
 

Comments

[Laza]

great blog!
I think change and diversity are important... it's about time the present global empire gets a woman at the top.

[pam]

I found your blog via the expat-blogs and am enjoying it tremendously, thank you.

And sadly, I agree with you. I think that Hilary can't win. She'll be slapped with the same elitist labels were John Kerry's undoing.

Thinking about who the Dems are going to run against John McCain, the would be savior of the Republican party makes my stomach hurt. Though watching the hearings, I'm developing quite the school girl crush on Joe Biden.

[gmc]

that will not change anything but after 30 years of a fascism ideology called feminism, that could happen: remember it happened once in england with maggie and what did change for english people?

From Sedulia:

Well for two things the constant strikes of the 1970s stopped and the British economy improved.

You won't like that comment so I will tell you a joke too.

Question: How many feminists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Answer: That's not funny.

[Claude]

It takes a lot of guts to be a woman in politics in this country. We had a Prime Minister once, Edith Cresson, and I wouldn't like to experience what she had to get through. Politicians are always targets, but woment politicians!!!! You need a lot of nerve. Maybe Ségolène has it?