An Op-Ed was too good not to share regarding the balance Hillary shows in her ability to dig deep into the grass roots of a country to bring people up from the bottom, and the ability to frame policies at the top that create the opportunities that allow these people to succeed.

Christy Macy writes this in the Baltimore Sun today: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion /oped/bal-op.hillary11apr11,0,4026731.st ory?track=rss

A few excerpts that are stories from the trail, this first an account of visiting women in China:  "Mrs. Clinton's visit - up five flights of stairs - to a small women's legal clinic in Beijing. It was hot and stuffy, but the room was packed with women eager to meet with the first lady of the U.S. In a totalitarian country, where women's rights were still marginal at best, these women lawyers worked tirelessly to help others claim their rights on such issues as divorce and housing - often at some risk to themselves. They were stunned at Mrs. Clinton's knowledge of the issues they faced. After a lively discussion, one woman stood up. "You have no idea," she said, "what it means that you are here today with all of us. We will never forget this." And she began to weep."...

This was not the only time she got off the beaten track to explore local problems and the reasons behind them.

"In Morocco, she used a visit with local teachers to explore the reasons why girls were so unlikely to attend school. Were the barriers economic, cultural or both? What could be done to improve the situation, and could our government help? These discussions informed her efforts with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other organizations at work in poor countries."

and finally, a story from Central America:  "Before delivering a keynote address on domestic violence in El Salvador, she spent hours meeting with leaders across the political and economic spectrum - elected officials, heads of nongovernmental organizations, mothers and human rights activists. It was the kind of gathering she always convened whenever she visited a country. Creating a space for honest, open talk, and recognizing the role of ordinary citizens, were distinctive ways she brought people together around their common concerns and aspirations."

This kind of work--at the grassroots and at the policy-framing level--gives her incredible insight that no other candidate shares.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/edit orial/outlook/5584383.html

Not your usual endorsement, this article plays up the importance of being able to deliver on promises, and contrasts Hillary's proven experience with Obama's lack thereof in terms of reaching out to others--being other centered, rather than I-centered.  A promise of change is not enough:

"Yet change alone is not enough. George Bush changed peace into war, surpluses into deficits and the respect this country enjoyed around the world into contempt. That was not what we had waited for."

"While it is tempting to think we can achieve change but avoid conflict if only we believe enough, we know, deep down, that real change requires more than hope. It always has. César Chávez devoted his life to that fight. That is why the union he and Dolores Huerta pioneered endorsed Clinton. Bobby Kennedy gave his life in that fight and his children have endorsed her, too. They showed us that fighting together for meaningful change is noble, not passe.

Like them, Hillary Clinton has fought for positive change all her life. Millions of children have health care because of her tireless work in the face of special interest opposition. Thousands of soldiers and veterans have the services and dignity they deserve because she fought for them when they could no longer fight for themselves.

To achieve real change as president, she has done her homework and earned the deep respect of military leaders here, world leaders in 80 countries and of Republicans and Democrats alike. Unlike Obama, she can use this critical political capital, established trust, staggering depth and breadth of knowledge and hard-won wisdom to deliver on the promises she has made while keeping America and the world safe.

Hillary Clinton, as America's first woman president, will boldly fight for you and with you to deliver meaningful change that will make your future, that of your children and grandchildren, and of this country and the world not just different, but better.

It is what good mothers and great leaders do. That is why Texans should cast their vote for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.

Every media pundit seemed to miss the main point of the last debate question last Thursday night.  Who is able to handle a crisis?  Obama's answer was that he'd never lived through one.  Hillary's implied answer was, you know what a good crisis manager I've been because I've lived through handling 9/11 to handling the hostage crisis in my own campaign headquarters in New Hampshire, to dealing with my constitutents' crises and my own personal crises.  And everybody in that audience knew that, if there's anything that Hillary is famous for, its pulling people together in a crisis and dealing with it well, and then, even more remarkably, bouncing back and becoming stronger for it.  And then she skipped right to the follow up question, how do I do it?  With the prayers and support of her family, friends, and constituents.
I've really been trying to understand the inspiration people feel for Obama.  I lived through the inspiration of JFK--a war hero, who'd written "Profiles in Courage" about the political courage it takes to be the only person voting for the unpopular but right side, who was both funny and bright, and had a wonderful way with the Press--and I look at Obama for something like that, and I just don't see it.  Where is his backbone?  He's never been to war, never served in the National Guard?  How does this person go up against McCain?  He is a person passionate about the broad concepts, who knows nothing about the details of living life when you're up against it.  To me, he is a Pretender, someone who talks a good game, but its a sham.  

If not now, when?  That was the question in an article addressing the potential of a woman president.  The article quoted a study saying that women in leadership roles must be much more specific about their credentials than a man.  That's so obvious in this race.  
Chelsea's friends, in another article, describes Hillary's mothering skills when Chelsea was growing up, and why they support her.
Gloria Steinem and friends have written an article that has received a lot of attention asking to protect the rights of women by voting for a woman President.
Should supporting a woman be a priority or even a criteria in the race for the nomination?
Think about these accomplishments of Hillary Clinton's that would only matter to a woman:  it is easier for foster parents to adopt a foster child because of her.  Even Republicans who hate Hillary agree this was a positive accomplishment.  
Universal Health Care was not on the agenda before the Clintons came along.  With Hillary it is likely to become a reality.  She persevered against all odds because she cared.  Ted Kennedy has been trying to get close to this since the late 1960's, but he couldn't convey the urgency and compassion on the subject that has become identified with Hillary Clinton in so many way:  the 9/11 workers poisoned by toxic air were ignored by everyone but her, the Iraq soldiers who were sent without the proper armor and then brought home without the proper medical care were ignored by everyone but her, the parents of autistic children who were seeking help were ignored by everyone but her.

We all want change, but we need someone grounded in the way it works now, and who won't repeat the mistakes of the past.  We all are proud of the Democratic legacy of the Clinton years, although those times and those issues now seem very outdated.  Hillary Clinton has been in the trenches since then and knows the new rules, has thought through the issues that now face us, and has evolved into a candidate who can bridge our past to a new and better progressive future.  She understands the infrastructure of a newly bloated Republican bureacracy, knows where the bones are buried, and can manage that bureacracy back into a progressive tool for implementing needed changes.  She represents the future, also, in a new call for facing global warming, a global economy, and a need for innovation in space, energy, and environmental engineering.  She is our bridge from the past to the future in a way that no other candidate is.  She is also a bridge between the dream and its implementation.  Obama represents hope.  Clinton represents making that hope a reality in a new and innovative way that addresses the very real and upsetting realities of a recession, of a declining health system, of a crumbling infrastructure.  Let's get real.  This isn't about just the past or just the future.  This is about building a bridge and making that future a reality.  Hillary Clinton has the knowledge, experience, and courage to look deep, to find the answers, and she has the hope, courage, and optimism it will take to make it happen.  Her whole struggle embodies that combination of knowledge with optimism that we can count on.    

The Myrtle Beach Sun gave Hillary a powerful endorsement.  Here are some of my favorite parts:

"What we like most about Clinto is the very quality that turns off some voters: Her single-minded, not-always-nice pursuite of what she believes is right, even at the risk of seeming unladylike...Turn her loose on the leadership of the Chinese, the Russians, the Pakistanis, the Saudies, the Iraqis, the Palestinians or the Israelis. Do readers have any doubt that those leaders will come away with a clearer understanding of America's foreign intrests and national security goals and her determination to pursue them? We don't.
"If terrorists strike again at American interests anywhere in the world, does anyone doubt she will retaliate immediately? We don't.
Put her in a room with the Republican senators who likely will retain the power to derail initiatives dear to the Democrats.  Does anyone doubt her ability to negotiate a compromise that works for the American people? We don't."

I love it.

Political parties and partisan politics are suddenly out, and a cult of personality, namely Barack Obama's, is suddenly in.  The danger of personality, charisma, charm, is that it is all facade and no substance.  When the popularity wanes, what are you voting on?  The political parties provide an infrastructure for political partisanship and philosophical platforms that transcend personality, and protect elections from a cult of personality.  (Think Hugo Chavez).  It is exciting to have a charismatic speaker.  Unfortunately, this particular personality, Barack Obama, thinks he is above the party.  Its actually a precarious position to be in as his charisma fades and people see behind the facade. Its also a dangerous position for him to take, because no man (or woman) can win without the party's support in this vast and diverse country.  I think his popularity will last until about Feb. 5th, maybe.

The 12 Days of Christmas:  the gifts Hillary provides:

1.  Renewed friendships internationally, and admiration and respect for our Country again.
   
2.  An economy boosted by new funding for health, science, environmental and space jobs, and renegotiated trade agreements.
   
3.  The ability to communicate, eloquent and informed responses on issues, and obvious competence.
   
4.  Help with home mortgages, sub-prime loans, using a public-private partnership that she's already begun working on.
   
5.  Funding for education at all levels, facilitation of children's health programs, help for foster children, and help for children's educational development at all levels.
   
6.  Universal health care, new pharmaceutical delivery systems and lowered prices, and real compassion for health issues.