Five Years Late

Prosecutor.  Member, state House of Representatives.   State auditor.  United States Senator.

And in January of 2008, with such a breadth of political and fiscal experience, Claire McCaskill of Missouri endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President, though she

called Clinton "a smart woman...a strong leader" and acknowledged that she had faced strong pressure from her women's group allies to support the former first lady, or at least stay neutral. But she added, it's"important we look forward" and said of her decision, "I feel very strongly about it." The senator said it was her 18-year-old daughter, an Obama supporter, who ultimately urged her off the fence.

Back then, the Senator exclaimed

A lot of people talk about his ability to give a great speech. And there’s no question that he is truly gifted by God with an ability to speak to people in a way that touches them.  To me, that is the whip cream in the cherry. To me, this is a man who has incredible intellectual heft, he’s a very smart guy with a wide soul who is not afraid to figure out a new and different way to tackle problems.

That "new and different way to tackle problems" apparently referred to the continuation of the bank bailout, No Child Left Behind, drone attacks and spying on the American people.  Even President Obama's signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, fails on this count, having built on a plan earlier proposed by the Heritage Foundation and bearing a resemblance to the health care program implemented in Massachusetts by Governor Mitt Romney.

Four years ago, McCaskill believed Barack Obama was God's chosen candidate.  But apparently taking cues from her daughter was too deliberative a process.  On Saturday, the Washington Post reported

Sen. Claire McCaskill endorsed an outside political group encouraging Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president in 2016, saying it was important for Democrats to build a groundswell of support for the former secretary of state.

The Missouri Democrat’s support of the Ready for Hillary PAC on Tuesday marked the first time a member of Congress has endorsed the group. The organization does not have official ties to the former first lady, but it’s trying to lay the foundation for another Clinton campaign.

It is now 38-39 months before the Democratic National Convention and over 32 months before the Missouri primary is tentatively scheduled to take place.  And Claire McCaskill has decided that the likes of Andrew Cuomo, Martin O'Malley, and Mark Warner are not worthy to succeed such a glorious president as Barack Obama.  Nor does Joe Biden, the individual selected by the man who sent a tingle up McCaskill's leg in 2008, quite measure up.

It's too late for Claire McCaskill to rectify the mistake she made in 2008, endorsing a seemingly liberal Senator who became a center-right president and betrayed the principles of his supporters while craving the approval of Republicans.  And that is unlikely her motivation for endorsing a candidate who is not yet even a candidate, for there is a similarity to her decision in 2008.

As in her endorsement of Senator Obama, she has made a sexy choice without apparent regard for what the individual stands for.  One- but apparently not Senator McCaskill- may wonder what Hillary Clinton believes about comprehensive immigration reform, availability of the morning after pill, the FISA court, stimulus spending for an under-achieving economy, the drug war, destruction of Medicare, Medicaid, and public education by "reformers" tax incentives for corporations bringing jobs back from abroad, dissolving huge financial institutions, agriculture policy (especially in light of a potential reduction in food stamps), or even U.S. intervention in Syria.  We don't know, because the former Secretary of State is not yet a candidate.  Nor is it likely that the Missouri senator know, either.

Five years ago, Claire McCaskill opted for the guy who could "make history" (and to whom God singularly gave the gift of eloquence).  Now, she apparently lusts for election of the first female President.  Hopefully, if Mrs. Clinton runs, is nominated, and is elected, that presidency will turn out far better than this one has.


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