The Heat Is On Hillary

What can poor Hillary do? She may or may not be up against an unstoppable force in Barack Obama. Oprah Winfrey has a pretty good track record and seems to have sprinkled her magic dust upon Obama and his photogenic wife, Michelle. The mantra is CHANGE and the young people seem to be running with it. Who would not love to see the tall lanky Senator who holds such refined oratorical skills? Who would not come away touched by meeting his equally resplendent wife? And who would not want to embrace the entire family after seeing his two charming daughters? Black, Mexican, Asian, White - it does not matter. Obama has the Winfrey feeling that supersedes race and other politically calculated demographic data.

So what can Hillary do against such a force of nature? She already has freshened up her personal appearance and is looking more poised and fresh than she has in years. She tows her mother and daughter around to rallies to appeal to old and new alike. She continually adapts her message to reach those who seem to be moving towards her opponent - calling for change, an end to the war, universal health coverage, and now openly admitting that she too can help the young.

So what is her problem? Plenty! Perhaps there really is a "Clinton Fatigue" and there is nothing she can do to stop that. Maybe Bill is getting a bit gray haired and his appeal is only to the AARP generation. But if she does not allow her husband on the stump what will the media make of that? She takes money from unions but also from Washington connected insiders. But without their money, where would she be. She has to stay viable through February 5th when two dozen states will have their say in this nomination process. How can she get the money for ads if not from the party establishment. You would think that women would be rallying to her side but at least in Iowa that did not happen. Could there be a hidden female vote that calls for a man to be the nation's leader.

So, finally, what can Hillary really do? Wake up early and go to sleep late. Reach out to as many people as possible. Meet the press and answer the questions. Stand firm in the seat of turmoil and wait for the media and public to question Barack Obama's true credentials. Be strong, be encouraging, be positive, and be yourself. If that does not work, she should still be proud of reaching this far into the campaign and realize that it was more of an Oprah-Obama year than a rejection of herself.