Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless . . . [Hardcover]

John Podhoretz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2006

Our Worst Nightmare—and How to Avoid It

It’s the ultimate nightmare scenario for conservatives: to awaken on the morning of November 5, 2008, to the news that the last swing state has been colored bright blue and Hillary Rodham Clinton is the President-elect of the United States.

Could it really happen?

Frighteningly, yes. In fact, as bestselling author and leading conservative commentator John Podhoretz reveals, this is not just a scary “what if” scenario; it will happen . . . unless conservatives take immediate action.

Sounding the alarm bell with wit and verve, Can She Be Stopped? shows that Hillary’s plan to capture the White House is much further along than her enemies fear. Podhoretz uncovers the host of reasons why—many of them counterintuitive. He also destroys the comfortable myths about Clinton that conservatives cling to: She’s saddled with too many “high negatives.” She’s too liberal to get elected. “Clinton fatigue” will keep her out of the Oval Office. You’ve heard them all, and they’re wrong on every count.

After shaking Republicans out of their complacency, Podhoretz lays out the precise strategy conservatives must deploy to stop Hillary dead in her tracks. His groundbreaking ten-point plan of action reveals:

• How to expose the real, ultraliberal Hillary

• How to "smoke her out" and prevent her from hiding on key issues

• How to make her denounce popular Republican programs—and defend unpopular liberal ideas

• How to use her Senate seat as a weapon against her

• How to overcome the Republican Party’s own problems

• Whom the Republicans should nominate (and the choice may surprise you)

Conservatives can’t avoid the Hillary problem any longer, or else the nation will be forced to endure another Clinton in the White House. Fortunately, John Podhoretz is here with the detailed blueprint that will spare the country from that disastrous turn of events, in a book as puckishly lively as it is sobering.

Can she be stopped? Yes—but only if we get to work . . . now.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this conservative manifesto, New York Post columnist Podhoretz feeds the partisan flames with this splash of gasoline: not only is Hillary Clinton intent on running for president in 2008, but she has every chance of winning. Claiming that Hillary's presidential aspirations represent "a colossal threat to the nation's economic viability and its national security," Podhoretz lays out a plea and a plan for conservative action. With a blunt style and a knack for clear-eyed examination of the political horizon, Podhoretz stirs up conservative panic by explaining how Hillary's "high negatives" can work in her favor (employing the old "there's no such thing as bad publicity" angle), and how her distasteful feminism (as well as her distasteful husband) effectively innoculate her from criticism. Podhoretz offers a "Ten Point Plan" to beat Hillary in 2008, a strategy that involves forcing Hillary to go on the record in defense of unpopular liberal positions, resisting the splintering of the Republican party over delicate social issues, and nominating for president a moderate Republican with broad appeal-namely, Rudy Giuliani. Strident but incisive, Podhoretz warns that "Bush's triumph in 2004 may be unduplicable," a statement that should mobilize conservatives to assure that the Clintons don't get back into the White House.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for John Podhoretz’s bestselling Bush Country


“A book that comes barreling into the arena spraying sawdust in all directions and itching for a fight . . . An important corrective . . . Refreshing.” —New York Times


“Utterly convincing . . . An accurate, well-written, and inspiring account.” —National Review


“Carefully and urgently reasoned, with a number of deserved ‘dope slaps’ administered along the way.” —Washington Times


“A fun read, filled with telling political observations . . . The combination of immediate political smarts and longer-term understanding studs Bush Country with moments of real insight into our current situation.” —Weekly Standard


“Podhoretz’s book truly shines . . . [A] brief, engaging, and very impressive book.” —Commentary

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown Forum; First edition (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307337308
• ISBN-13: 978-0307337306
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,495,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is this an anti-Hillary or pro-Rudy treatise?, May 28, 2006

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless . . . (Hardcover)

Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless . . .

Who will read this book?: 1) People who despise Hillary Clinton and what she stands for, 2) activists who despise Democrats, 3) Republicans who are looking for a victory in 2008, and 4) Democrats who want to understand what the fuss is about. Jane and Joe public will NOT read this book. That is not a problem, because this book really is a recipe for defeating not only Hillary Clinton in 2008 but defeating her ideas. It is meant to be read by political strategists, and perhaps secondarily by those who donate funds to political campaigns.

For a number of reasons, author John Podhoretz thinks that defeating Hillary is a good idea. Half the book explains why.

John Podhoretz also recognizes that Hillary Clinton is a powerful and viable candidate for the position of President of the United States. He doesn't find this an attractive possibility, and thus presents his list of 10 ways Hillary can be defeated:

1. Smoke her out... she is neither a centrist nor a moderate. "... A transparent Hillary is probably an unelectable Hillary." Note: isn't this true for all candidates?

2. Make her vote... get her to cast ideological votes.

3. Make her criticize tax cuts.

4. Talk up free trade (like NAFTA and CAFTA). "The public likes free trade. Democratic interest groups don't. There's a canyon there. Toss her into it."

5. Talk a lot about health care. Note: Look at what potential Podhoretz candidate Mitt Romney is saying and doing here. Perhaps Podhoretz will rethink this.

6. Suggest a pullout from the UN.

7. Fight the culture war, but with delicacy (gay marriage, stem cell research).

8. Run a reform campaign. Note: And this separates the parties how?

9. Go outside Washington for a candidate.

10. Nominate Rudy (Giulianni). Note: oh, is this an anti-Hillary or pro-Rudy treatise?

John Podhoretz concludes by stating "Okay. I've done my bit. Now get to work." As I said, this book is his proposal, plan, strategy, and his recipe for detracting from a Democrat candidate, and promoting a Republican one. What it is missing is an analysis of alternatives that differ from his view, and a similar analysis of his favorite candidates.

This book will make some people squirm, some sing Podhoretz's praises, and others wonder if Podhoretz is positioning himself for an election year job.

Thank goodness a presidential election comes along just once every four years!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could He Be More Wrong?, February 14, 2008

By 

Todd and In Charge (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless . . . (Hardcover)

Wow, I came across this in a used book store over the weekend, and had a chance to evaluate John's hypothesis.

He pretty much got the entire 2008 race wrong. First, John overestimated Hillary's strengths, engaging in classic "Clinton panic." Then he underestimated Obama's strength as a campaigner. Finally, he got Rudy badly, horribly, embarrassingly wrong.

Has John come clean on how he got things all messed up?

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Misunderestimating" Hillary Clinton, October 3, 2006

By 

Erik Eisel (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Can She Be Stopped?: Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless . . . (Hardcover)

If "Bush Country" demonstrated that George W. Bush came to power as a result of being "misunderestimated" by his opposition, "Can She Be Stopped?" argues that Hillary Clinton will use the tactic in 2008. Whether one likes her or not, it must be admitted that Hillary is the Queen of Coyness -- with Bill playing right along in the game. How many interviews with Bill have we seen in the past few weeks, in which he pretends not to know whether Hillary is running in 2008? Make no mistake, Hillary is running and she will be a force to be reckoned with, as John Podhoretz reminds us time and again.
Moreover, Podhoretz insists that in addition to being coy, Hillary will try to slide into office as a "stealth" candidate, overcoming her high "negatives" with the hope that the MSM won't press her to state her positions on major issues. Thus, Podhoretz counts down 10 strategies that Republicans can use to pin her down on major positions in the coming months before the mid-term elections, upon which the real 2008 campaign will begin.
While many will discount Podhoretz's warnings as part of a Republican scare campaign against Hillary and the chaos she will supposedly wrought once in office, it remains to be seen whether his predictions will be right. But, then, it will be too late.
In this book, Podhoretz, who, it seems to me, is probably one of best-educated writers on current events, keeps a light-hearted tone throughout the book, just as he did in "Bush Country." This book never bogs down.
Not everyone will like his conclusion, however, that Rudy is poised to be the Dragon-Slayer. But, that too, may be an eventuality we will need to prepare for.