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Source: Bonnie Goodman at HNN's History Buzz
Historians in the News
1-22-07

Historians' Comments on 2008 Race

  • Andrew Polsky on"Hillary Clinton launches trailblazing presidential bid":"A woman candidate could find it easier to run in peacetime, rather than wartime, but Sen. Clinton's tried to position herself as a serious person on national security. But that means she's staked out difficult position on the war that won't make it easy for her to get Democratic nomination." - AP, 1-20-07

  • Richard Norton Smith: Says it would be better"for Obama's sake, not to mention for the country's" if he had more experience. It would also be better if the campaign season were long enough for voters to fully gauge his character and aptitude for the presidency, Smith says. As Obama's supporters often point out, Lincoln was a former member of the Illinois Legislature who had served briefly in Congress before becoming president. But the parallels in the men's careers are no indication of success for Obama, Smith says. Sometimes the election of inexperienced candidates whose charisma is their greatest asset"produced great presidents, and sometimes it produced decidedly mediocre ones," he says. - USA Today, 1-16-07

  • Garry Wills"Are Voters Ready For A Woman Or African American In The White House?":"They talk about 'judicial temperament ,' somebody who's able to weigh things fairly, I think he probably has that, perhaps more than she does. She has, a reputation anyway, of having very strong emotional reactions to people." - CBS2 Chicago, IL, 1-16-07

  • Jonathan Sarna on"Does a McCain-Lieberman ticket make sense?":"The 2006 election in Connecticut demonstrated that Lieberman still commands a significant Jewish following, but not as strong a following as he enjoyed in 2000. Lieberman's support of the Iraq war, his views on religion in public life, and his endorsement of Republican efforts to prevent the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube distanced him from some Jewish voters." - MSNBC 1-8-07

  • Julian Zelizer and Robert Dallek: Talkin' 'Bout My New Generation - U.S. News & World Report, DC, 12-31-06

  • Robert Dallek: He's making a connection to Kennedy, and Kennedy also represented a new generation–young, vital, dynamic, very bright, articulate, and upbeat, a new face on the scene. What also serves Obama well is the tremendous frustration and disappointment with Bush." - U.S. News & World Report, DC, 12-31-06

    • Read entire article at Bonnie Goodman at HNN's History Buzz