The Little Rock Dynasty

James Fallows:

I think the most underrated emotional fact penalizing Hillary Clinton is the pernicious dynasty issue -- the potential Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton sequence. In their bones, I think most Americans just don’t like this idea, even if the people involved were Lincolns and Washingtons reborn.

Look, if Hillary becomes President, perhaps the word "dynasty" would technically apply. But I think it's a stupid application of the word. To me, a dynasty is one built on intergenerational transfers of wealth and the accretion of social and political power as a result of that wealth. The Kennedys are a political dynasty. The Bushes are a political dynasty. The Clintons? Remind me who Bill and Hillary's ancestors were again. Any Presidents back there? Any old money? Hell, any money at all?

Okay, so she wouldn't have the name recognition if he hadn't been elected first. She wouldn't have had the loyalty of party insiders. What do you expect in the case of the first woman to ever be in striking distance of the top job? You think a woman was going to make it to the Presidency all on her own in this society? The reason why she's leading in the Democratic race is because people know (a) she can do the job and (b) this seemingly is the only way a woman is going to get elected President for the first time. If women could run and win on the merits she wouldn't have needed to be married to the President to be a contender. It's not a dynasty partly because people from the beginning talked about Bill and Hillary being a package deal, so her candidacy feels (to more or less irritating effect) like that of the incumbent. But it's also not a dynasty because her standing in the polls is an expression of the desire finally to break through the sexist bullshit, so that other women can compete for the White House without having to ride in behind their husbands or fathers. Perpetuating a dynasty is about maintaining the status quo; electing the first woman President is not.

Comments

[Meph]

The annoying thing isn't the pseudo-concern Fallows expresses here (or the projection of his concern on to the American people), it's that none of the people now complaining about a "dynasty" showed the least bit of concern about it eight years ago.

[Bob]

I would like to see the Democratic nominee be in this order: Kucinich; Richardson; Edwards; Obama; Clinton.
That being said, the absurd sexism, "dynasty" hand wringing and "experience" trollism routinely thrown Sen. Clinton's way keeps pushing more and more into her camp.
Enough of this shit already. Judge her on her merits.