The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

Hillary Knows Best Scares Me

Totally agree that the Bradley Effect is a bogus explanation. Also that the racism vs. sexism competition and one-upsmanship is ick and should end now.

That's about all I'm sure of today, though, because mostly I'm busy feeling torn. On the one hand, I love this from the inestimable Andrew Sullivan:

 [P]art of me is happy to see two candidates forced to battle it out in a long slog. We find out more that way. They grow more. More people get a say. That's a good thing. ... I also feel little compunction in recognizing that Clinton did have something of a personal breakthrough in the last few days. The brittle exterior cracked. What was beneath is more human and less calculated. She was forced to explain from the heart why she really wants to win. People responded. As they would. ... Nothing worth winning comes easily. But Clinton is learning from Obama as he has from her. And both are growing as a result. This is a good thing.

On the other hand, I'm worried about what Clinton is going to do next. If Julia is right, and Hillary's authenticity quickly calcifies, then she'lll need to do something else to win. And that could mean going on a racism vs. sexism tear, or in some other way going after Obama in a way that will make the party as a whole come out looking terribly. This I fear. Especially because of the Hillary-Knows-Best arrogance that you nailed, Rachael. I get that presidential candidates have to convince themselves that they are utterly necessary to the nation, because of their egos and the hell of campaigning. But Hillary's sense that she and only she among the Democrats will make a good president reminds me of the worst of the first Clinton era—the sloppy self-aggrandizement, the embittered bunker mentality, the wasted opportunities and screw ups. Spare us.