If you’re tired of the endless campaign, relax.
Howard Kurtz (link via Pajamas Media) thinks that the longer it drags on, the more it will help Hillary Clinton:
The endless campaign, in my view, could wind up helping Hillary Clinton.
Put aside all the other questions about her record, her divisive image, Bill’s role, the alternating Bush-Clinton dynasties. There remains one immutable fact, the reason why John Edwards (lamely) made fun of her coral jacket: she is a woman. (Or what Post columnist Ruth Marcus calls a “person of cleavage.”) And in that capacity, she would break the ultimate glass ceiling.
That’s where the length of the campaign comes in. With most people thinking Hillary is the inevitable Democratic nominee–and believing as well that the Dems are more likely to capture the White House this time around–we have plenty of time to get used to the idea of HRC as commander-in-chief. After awhile, it no longer seems so foreign. If she stays ahead in the polls, she almost starts to feel like an incumbent. So by the time the actual voting starts, the notion of a female president is practically old news, factored into the stock price, as Wall Street would say.
OTOH, I don’t think Hillary Clinton’s status as a woman is all that much of an issue, at least in terms of the bigger picture. Maybe it will be a good thing to get it out of the way so people can focus on things that matter. You know, questions involving her character. And principles.
With sex out of the way, the focus may shift.