Customer Reviews

Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Anyone who has been paying attention to the 2008 election will gaze in awe at Dick Morris's amazing prescience. Indeed, the race between Hilary Clinton and Condi Rice riveted America. And only a woman of Condi's intellectual depth and personal integrity could save us from Hilary Clinton and become America's first Black president.

Dick Morris absolutely loathes Hillary Clinton and makes a career out of bashing her whenever he can. But he is convinced she will win the Democratic nomination in 2008 and that she will be a formidable opponent. The only person he thinks can beat her is Condi Rice. I have been saying this for months.

All over America, black leaders are wondering how in hell they are going to explain to their constituents that voting for a white woman from Wellesley will advance the cause of blacks more than voting for a black woman from Birmingham, Alabama. To their credit, many of these leaders will realize that this argument is untenable, a dog that just won't hunt. They will drop Hillary like a hot potato and throw their support behind Condi.

Ironic. The Dems have spent the last 40 years cultivating the black vote. They now get 9 out of 10 black votes. If Condi runs, it could go 9 out of 10 the other way. Think that's an exaggeration? Think again. Recall the jubilation that took place in the "black street" when OJ, a real scoundrel, was acquitted of murder charges. Now imagine the jubilation that will break out in the black street when Condi, a national treasure, is elected the first black President of the United States. The following consideration will be weighed in the mind of every black voter standing in the voting booth on Election Day in 2008: "By my vote I can put the first African-American in the White House; am I going to pass up this opportunity and vote for Hillary instead???"

And then, think about how women will vote. First off, Condi's views on abortion mirror precisely those of the majority of women in America today: she is pro-choice, but in favor of reasonable restrictions on abortion. Second, Condi is living, breathing proof that women can shatter the "glass ceiling" and reach the highest levels of executive power. Finally, as a professional educator who implemented major reforms in undergraduate education at Stanford, Condi will appeal to all the mothers for whom the quality of their children's education is a major concern. Many of Hillary's female supporters will start off vehemently opposed to Condi, but they will quickly realize how hollow their arguments against her sound. They will undergo a sudden conversion and defect to Condi in droves.

And then, think about how the intellectual elite will vote. All we've been hearing for the last 8 years is how "dumb" Dubya is. Well, that argument won't work with Condi. PhD in international affairs; faculty member and provost of Stanford University; concert pianist playing recitals with Yo Yo Ma. This girl's got it goin' on! You want intellectual elite? Condi makes Dominique de Villepin look like a bumpkin from the French countryside. The last time we had a candidate with "intellectual credentials" like this was Woodrow Wilson.

So, it's obvious that Condi can make significant inroads into traditionally Democratic voting blocs. And it's also obvious that she's got the support of libertarian, neocon white males like myself. And it's also obvious that, as 1.) the daughter of a preacher and herself a woman of faith and 2.) a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, she will do well in the red states. One way to sum up Condi's broad-based appeal is to say: Condi is the moderate Hillary pretends to be (see Morris' "Hillary Brand"). She is the Democrats' worst nightmare.

Whom would Condi pick as her running mate? How about another moderate like, say, Bill Clinton? Come on, Bill, dump the ice queen and hook up with a real woman! In all seriousness, the bipartisan choice of someone like Joe Lieberman would be a master stroke.

Condi, you are a person that men and women, blacks and whites, intellectuals and people of faith can stand behind in unison. Your candidacy has the potential to heal many of the divisions that have torn America apart for decades. Run, Condi, run!

This is proof positive that anyone can write a book. Mr. Morris' analytical skills are on par with those of Inspector Clouseau. Highly recommended it you what to have a good laugh. Otherwise not so much.

I'm not sure that I agree with Morris' premise that Condi Rice is the only person who can prevent the long, national nightmare of a Hillary Clinton Presidency. Hillary has a lot of weaknesses that have yet to come to the surface, but must in a national campaign. She is hated by a great plurality of the electorate, and not just on the right either. The moveon.org/Howard Deaniac wing of the Democratic Party does not find her support of the Iraq War very appealing or very credible.

Condi, on the other hand, has one weakness, despite her considerable talent and intelligence. She has never run for office before. The Presidency is rarely an entry leval job, with the exception of successful Generals like Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower.

Still, what a wonder race Condi vs Hillary would be. I agree with Morris' premise to this extent--Condi would almost certainly beat Hillary. An African-American, Conservative woman who has risen on her own talent becoming President would just be too potent an idea to resist. But a man with political experience on the bottom part of the ticket--say George Allen or Mitt Romney--and Condi would win by a landslide, changing the face of American politics forever and extending the Democrats' stay in the wilderness for many more years.

Condi Vs. Hillary is a well thought out analysis of one possible matchup for the upcoming 2008 presidential election.

Dick Morris contends that Hillary Clinton is almost certain to be the Democrat nominee. He reviews several of her possible opponents and makes a strong case for why each one will not be nominated.

Morris' analysis is that either Rudi Guiliani or John McCain might have the broad appeal to win the election, but that neither one is conservative enough to win the Republican primary. The authors also analyze several other possible Republican candidates and demonstrate why they probably could not beat Hillary.

After dismissing several likely candidates, the authors contend that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is the best bet to both win the Republican nomination and defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election. They analyze voting demographics in making their case and show how there would likely be huge shifts away from Hillary among Blacks, women, and Hispanics if Dr. Rice were the candidate.

The place where this scenario falls apart is that the Secretary of State has said that she has no interest in running for the presidency. Unlike with Ms. Clinton, if Dr. Rice says it, she likely means it. Also she is currently serving in a more than full time job which would make campaigning very difficult, if not impossible. The authors take care of this 'small' problem by showing how she could be drafted for the job by a spontaneous grass roots movement much like happened to Dwight Eisenhower 50 years ago.

Although I think such a movement is very unlikely to just happen, the book makes an interesting read and certainly gives one food for thought. The authors also show how the political power base made a major movement away from the major media/powerbrokers in 2004 and toward the bloggers, talk radio, etc. This chronicle of several major events that discredited the establishment media was very compelling. The authors also give a rundown of the Dr. Jekyll/Mrs. Hyde transformation of Hillary Clinton.

Even though this is probably a very unlikely finale for the 2008 presidential race, the book is fun to read. It is a worthwhile purchase.

The supposition of this book is interesting but what I found fascinating is an analysis of how the electoral process turned out in 2004 and how this possibly foreshadows the future. That, to me, is the great worth. That being said, there rest was interesting too.

There is no doubt that Dick Morris is biased against Hillary. He details many of her failings but, if such a thing could be said, he does so fairly. He points out her strengths and her real dedication to a few causes. Even while disagreeing with those causes, I can respect the viewpoint. In the end, though, this is not somebody I want.

Morris shows a preference for Condoleezza Rice. He enumerates her strengths but he is also honest about some of her failings. Missing something like the breakup of the USSR while being the NSC representative responsible for the USSR is not a minor glitch.

The contrast in characters between these two possible candidates is worthwhile but the real interest is in seeing an insider's view of how the system works. That made the book worthwhile.

I know this is a book written by (at least) two people, but you can see Dick Morris' influence throughout. Here is the deal on this book. I think this is a nice analysis of the 2008 presidential race, and the issues involving these two amazing women candidates, Condi Rice and Hillary Clinton. I learned more about them, and I liked the head to head comparisons. This analysis suffers from two things, however. First, Dick Morris knows Senator Clinton much better than he knows Secretary of State Rice. That is obvious, and that influences the balance of this analysis.

Second, Morris doesn't seem to like Hillary very much. This also is obvious, and affects his analysis.

Nevertheless, for folks interested in these two potential (real for Clinton, possible for Rice) presidential candidates, this book will warm you up.

For me, I hope both decide to run.

While this is indeed another volume in the Morris-McGann library of books on the Clintons, it is really more about Condi than Hillary because it is a book discussing her merits as a candidate for President in 2008 and assumes, along with almost everyone else, the likely Democrat nominee will be Hillary. The book does handicap the leading possible candidates in both parties and, not surprisingly, comes down to these two as the most able to win the Presidency.

The opening chapter is a nightmare or a beatific vision depending on how you feel about Senator Clinton becoming President Clinton. The second chapter describes how a Condi candidacy will weaken enough of the standard Democrat base of women and African-Americans to make it possible for Condi to win with an almost comfortable majority.

The authors then provide short biographies of their subjects and side-by-side, Condi's is more impressive in personal achievement and character. The one surprising thing I learned about Hillary is that she failed the Washington D.C. bar exam. And I did not know that Condi lived in the heart of the South during the tumultuous years of Civil Rights activism, and though she grew up in a comfortable family situation, she experienced racism first hand.

They point out Hillary's dependence upon Bill for her success, including her present job as Senator. Her supporters will vehemently deny this, and that is their right. Morris-McGann also portray Hillary as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Not that she is anything less than an able and very talented person, but that the public brand of Hillary is much different than the real person. However, that is a truth about many to most public figures. The authors caution that the difference is so great in this case that if she is elected the public might be shocked to find out how she might attempt to govern if she releases the authentic Hillary.

Several of the arguments against a Condi candidacy are raised, including the important fact that she has never held any kind of elective office. The core of their answer to that objection is that she has been a successful administrator and that seems to correlate more to being a successful President than winning previous elections. It is up to you whether you buy their argument or not. The fact is, most Americans don't want to elect someone who has not been vetted by the pressures of getting elected or winning a war.

An interesting part of the book is their description of how the election of 2004 changed the campaign process for President. The Internet changed both fund raising and information flow through the blogs and its watchdog on what the elite media does or does not report. And, finally, the book presents a scenario of how a grassroots would have to be started to draft Condi because it is very unlikely that she will decide to run on her own. The one aspect of the upcoming election that they don't deal with is that strange portion of the electorate that simply votes for the other party because "we need a change". They are certainly going to be a benefit to any Democrat candidacy after eight years of Bush 43.

This book is an interesting thought experiment. Reality will likely work out differently than the author's predictions, but just going through the ideas presented in this book can be quite helpful in seeing the broader scope in the coming 2006 election and the critical open race for President in 2008. Just beware that Dick Morris, though a very able political handicapper, is also known to say things to be provocative and for hidden political motives. Read the ideas and think about them for yourself, just don't take this book at face value.

What I liked about the book is it's so interesting to read. And Dick Morris has usually been proven right over the years with his predictions and analyses.

I would have given the book 5 stars had Morris simply mentioned the facts about Hillary's strenghths and weaknesses, as he did with Condis, and not let his personal falling-out and subsequent dislike of the Clintons influence his comments about Hillary. Just look at the cover -- it speaks volumes: a flattering photo of Rice, an unflattering photo of Hillary.

If any nonfiction book is to be accepted it must present both sides of an issue fairly. I'm no Hillary fan, but if I am going to swallow Morris' analysis whole, I need to be convinced that he has no personal axe to grind. Morris' premise may be proven correct, but how he arrived at it doesn't flatter him.

I just finished this book Condi vs Hilliary and found it very fascinating. I had thought of Condi as the next President some time ago and when I heard of this book I had to read it.

Dick Morris and his wife Eileen McGann paint an interesting tale of what a presidential election would be like if these two women were primary candidates for President. They also give much background on each woman. This is when you realize how different each woman lived leading up to this stage of their life.

I realize that Dick Morris has had his problems with the Clinton's before but I belive he is the only one who knows them best. He points out Hillary's good points, her steadfast determination to become the first woman President. He also points out her bad points, as her volitile personality that erupts if not kept under control.

I enjoyed reading of Condi's education and development as she pursued her interest in foreign affairs. Part of this book dealt with how to start a grass root campaign for Condi as was done for Eisenhower before his election as President. He also states her negative points are that she has never been elected to office and has had no experience in domestic problems.

After reading some other reviews here I am sure many of them had never read the book. They are just against it because Morris must hate Hilliary and wish her defeated. All I can say is read the book then decide.