Friday, August 24, 2007

Conservatives, Islamic Fundamentalists, and a Hillary Presidency

I have been pondering something quite intriguing about a potential Hillary Clinton Presidency. Let's say Hillary Clinton wins the next presidential election. What do U.S. conservatives do when Islamic Fundamentalist regimes throughout the world begin to hurl the inevitable aspersions at the United States for having a female President? An even more intriguing question is what do U.S. conservatives do when the male leaders of such Islamic Fundamentalist regimes and other fundamentalist movements like the Taliban and Al Qaeda inevitably attack President Hillary Clinton as a weak and worthless leader for no other reason than that she's a woman, and a socially degenerate woman at that because she wears pantsuits and makeup? Do conservatives defend their President from such attacks, do they stay silent because they are loathe to defend Hillary no matter what kinds of indignities she suffers, or do they basically voice their agreement with such assessments of their President?

You know how conservatives like to declare that liberal opposition to Bush and his policies emboldens the enemy? You know how conservatives like to sometimes even go so far as to declare that opposition to Bush on his war policy and his anti-terrorist programs equals support for terrorists? Ever heard conservatives casually throw out the term "Defeatocrats"? Well, I wonder whether conservatives have set themselves up for an unpleasant dichotomy if Hillary Clinton is the next President. Do they swallow their pride and declare their patriotic support for a President Hillary Clinton's war policies and anti-terrorist programs because not to do so will "embolden and serve the interests of the enemy" as it divides and weakens a unified American resolve? Or do they swallow their pride and take a cue from Democrats, and publicly oppose President Clinton, seemingly reinforcing our enemies' perceptions of our weak, ineffective, female leader in so doing, and defend their opposition on the grounds of a patriotic duty to oppose what they think is a wrong-headed leader with a wrong-headed policy?

I think the support-the-wartime-President-at-all-costs-lest-you-be-a-terrorist-fifth-columnist attitude of conservatives will become an embarrassing conundrum for conservative rightwingers if faced with a Hillary Clinton Presidency.

This scenario is a thought that, I must admit, amuses me and even gives me a bit of smug satisfaction, especially when I think of what this will inevitably do to blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. Imagine Ann Coulter having to say something in support of Hillary Clinton (or to remain damnably silent) when Osama bin Laden says that Hillary Clinton is an affront to civilization and to God, and that the American people are a Godless people who can elect a woman to be their leader.

I hope to see that day when conservatives have to declare their unconditional loyalty to President Hillary Clinton in the face of insults by misogynistic Islamic fundamentalists, or else be labeled traitors to America if they don't.

3 comments:

jkim said...

I share your amusement in this hypothetical (or perhaps not quite so hypothetical) situation you propose. But personally, I don't think that sort of conundrum will arise. I don't think that they would support Osama bin Laden laying the verbal smackdown on Hillary. She would be, after all, the president of the United States (don't they say that the enemy of an enemy is a friend? I wonder if that applies to a mutual enemy of an enemy). If anything they would ignore much commentary on the statement by bin Laden.

In the end, it comes down to how to reposition rhetoric that supports America and institutions that comprise it without supporting the specific the president in office. But it isnt too hard for me to imagine conservatives defending the presidency on the grounds of "a patriotic duty to oppose...a wrong-headed leader with a wrong-headed policy".

peace!

Anonymous said...

Don't worry, they will get around it with puff of faerie dust and the magical incantation "9/11 changed everything" criticism of the president will once again become every real American's patriotic duty.

Anonymous said...

Huck

It will be interesting to see how the Islamic world reacts if Hillary becomes the President. And that is aside from her political affiliation. It would be the same if a woman became President on a Republican ticket. No matter the political leanings of said President, the Islamic leaders will not respect (though they may tolerate) a woman in such a position.

As far a conservatives go, they will support her against terrorists as long as she does in fact resist the terrorists. Domestic social issues are another thing.

The Military is the key to this potential situation. The Military will continue to do the job. Though they may not approve of Hillary, they will do their duty. So as long as Hillary employs the Military properly, you will see most (there are always some exceptions) conservatives will concentrate on bashing Hillary’s social tyranny.