Opinion Forum

Paglia: Clintons vs Obama

December 12th, 2008

Camille Paglia writes a jewel of a column once a month at Salon.com, usually long and on various topics. Her column on December 10 is headlined, “What do the Clintons have on Obama?” She says,

As for Obama’s appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, what sense does that make except within parochial Democratic politics? Awarding such a prize plum to Hillary may be a sop to her aggrieved fan base, but what exactly are her credentials for that position? Aside from being a mediocre senator (who, contrary to press reports, did very little for upstate New York), Hillary has a poor track record as both a negotiator and a manager. And of course both Clintons constantly view the world through the milky lens of their own self-interest. Well, it’s time for Hillary to put up or shut up. If she gets as little traction in world affairs as Condoleezza Rice has, Hillary will be flushed down the rabbit hole with her feckless husband and effectively neutralized as a future presidential contender. If that’s Obama’s clever plan, is it worth the gamble? The secretary of state should be a more reserved, unflappable character — not a drama queen who, even in her acceptance speech, morphed into three different personalities in the space of five minutes.

Given Obama’s elaborate deference to the Clintons, beginning with his over-accommodation of them at the Democratic convention in August, a nagging question has floated around the Web: What do the Clintons have on him? No one doubts that the Clinton opposition research team was turning over every rock in its mission to propel Hillary into the White House. There’s an information vacuum here that conspiracy theorists have been rushing to fill.

A good question, indeed. Read the whole column. Other topics include the surprisingly muted reaction to terrorism in Mumbai, despite the magnitude of the attack; criticism of Dick Cavett’s criticism of Sarah Palin; gay marriage and “the adolescent tantrum phase of gay activism;” music and suffering divas; and more.

One of the most interesting things about Camille Paglia is her willingness to step outside the normal bounds of expectations. She’s a Democrat and an established feminist, but she questions all the normal orthodoxies. She’s an academic who criticizes academics. She’s an Obama supporter and contributor, even though she listens to and enjoys right-wing talk radio. A sampler of things she’s said:

A serious problem in America is the gap between academe and the mass media, which is our culture. Professors of humanities, with all their leftist fantasies, have little direct knowledge of American life and no impact whatever on public policy.

Heaven help the American-born boy with a talent for ballet.

If civilization had been left in female hands we would still be living in grass huts.

It is capitalist America that produced the modern independent woman. Never in history have women had more freedom of choice in regard to dress, behavior, career, and sexual orientation.

Leaving sex to the feminists is like letting your dog vacation at the taxidermist.

My thinking tends to be libertarian. That is, I oppose intrusions of the state into the private realm – as in abortion, sodomy, prostitution, pornography, drug use, or suicide, all of which I would strongly defend as matters of free choice in a representative democracy.

There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper.

Though men may be deep, mentally they are slow.

We need more Americans like Camille Paglia.

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: Clinton, Israel, Obama, Paglia, Palin, terrorism
Categories: Arts, Life, Media, Politics | Comments (2) | Home

2 Responses to “Paglia: Clintons vs Obama”

doris | December 12th, 2008 at 7:12 am

Seems like a smart lady,I also am an Obama supporter ,who listens to and enjoys right wing radio,it opens up your mind to listen to the other side’s opinion,she is right on about men.I think it is a hormone thing with men,making extreme swings of passion for good or evil possible.Hillary was paid off for her support.

Clinton On Best Political Blogs » Blog Archive » Paglia: Clintons vs Obama | December 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm

[…] Paglia: Clintons vs Obama Camille Paglia writes a jewel of a column once a month at Salon.com, usually long and on various topics. Her column on December 10 is headlined, “What do the Clintons have on Obama?” She says, As for Obama’s appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, what sense does that make except within parochial Democratic politics? Awarding such a […] […]