Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., January 06, 2008 Tevet 28, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:45 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Magazine

Last update - 23:09 01/01/2008 Race for the White House/ Between anger and moderation By Shmuel Rosner Tags: Clinton, elections, Obama  Edwards is the angry candidate. Obama prefers conciliation. Clinton is admired by many as smart and strong, but she is not particularly beloved. WASHINGTON - Almost every American knows something about Hillary Clinton. Israelis also know her well. The Israel Factor - the panel of experts that has been tracking the U.S. presidential campaign for Haaretz - was asked this week to name the candidate they know the most about, and almost all chose Clinton. That does not mean there will be no surprises if she becomes president. But it is hard to think of another candidate who has been as much in the public eye as she has. Thus those who like her do so already, and it will evidently be hard to convince those who do not. The candidate about which the Israel Factor's experts knew least is also the one most unknown to Americans: Republican Mike Huckabee. Clinton is admired by many as smart and strong, but she is not particularly beloved. Those Democrats who will vote on Thursday for one of her main rivals, Barack Obama or John Edwards, are seeking a candidate who can speak to their hearts, and not just to their heads. Advertisement Obama and Edwards are now busy trying to sharpen the differences between them. Both know that there is no room for two "anti-Clintons." For one of them to have a real chance, the other must be wiped out. Therefore, they are cautiously trying to elbow each other aside. Obama is trying to rebut the argument that "the only way to bring about change is to be angry." Edwards, who attacks the establishment with angry zeal, counters that "you can't nice these people to death." The question at the heart of these disparate approaches is whether the anger in the Democratic camp will be the dominant factor of the campaign, or whether the dominant emotion will be fatigue - with the strife, with the controversy, with the need to be angry at the Bush administration all the time. Edwards is the angry candidate. Obama prefers conciliation. "We don't need more heat, we need more light," he said in Iowa this week. Edwards was recently compared to a famous populist of the early 20th century, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan lost twice to William McKinley, but his campaigns remain etched in America's popular memory for the anti-establishment anger that lay behind them. Edwards, wrote commentator Stuart Rothenberg, is waging "a classic populist campaign that would have made William Jennings Bryan proud." Interestingly, another commentator compared Huckabee to Bryan. So what do Democratic voters want, anger or moderation? Edwards knows that primary voters are generally dedicated and enthusiastic party activists, not the general public. And such activists are naturally angrier and less compromising. In the Democratic Party, many primary voters are also not exactly big fans of Israel - but as a counterweight, Jewish Democrats also tend to vote in the primaries in large numbers. The Israel Factor's experts concluded this week that it would be better for Israel if Clinton won in Iowa. The worst would be if Edwards won. But in any event, there are signs that anger is giving way to a feeling that it is time to stop thinking about Bush and to start looking forward. That is one of the reasons for the feeling that there might be room for an independent or third-party candidate in the race - someone like current New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Click here for The Israel Factor Bookmark to del.icio.us   Remembering Anne Replica of Anne Frank annex opens in Liverpool church. After Iowa Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani's campaigns?   1.   I am looking forward to see the (sore) faces on CNN..... 10:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/01/08   2.   The American people will be looking for a safe pair of hands 11:11  |  Clickfool 01/01/08   3.   US DEMOCRACY IS DYING 11:23  |  indrajaya 01/01/08   4.   Israel - the Self-Important Nation of Panhandlers and Wheedlers 11:53  |  Clickfool 01/01/08   5.   LOL, these posters aren`t Americans 13:53  |  Petra 01/01/08   6.   # 5, PETRA 14:33  |  indrajaya 01/01/08   7.   The more "humane" face of Clinton. 15:23  |  Stephen 01/01/08   8.   Benito Bloomberg 16:28  |  dan farrell 01/01/08   9.   # 3 Indy .... A lesson in "Democracy" ! 16:30  |  Stephen. 01/01/08   10.   fuggitabutit 18:32  |  margaret 01/01/08   11.   US Democracy is thriving 18:56  |  uncle sam 01/01/08   12.   Stephen 9 19:00  |  Uday 01/01/08   13.   There is a political trend to watch 19:06  |  Morris Valentine 01/01/08   14.   Ron Paul will be the next US Prez. 19:08  |  POP 01/01/08   15.   Clickfool-Warm and Fuzzies for the Jews 19:08  |  Jane 01/01/08   16.   indrajaya-So Today it`s 600K, right 19:11  |  Jane 01/01/08   17.   There is no such thing as "democracy" 19:22  |  Boris 01/01/08   18.   Indrajaya what does a Sharia loving Muslim know about Democracy? 19:48  |  Eli 01/01/08   19.   Hillary, Queen of the Jews 20:04  |  hollingsworth 01/01/08   20.   the race 20:26  |  Shmuelshachor 01/01/08   21.   To Uncle Sam #11 21:10  |  Serenity 01/01/08   22.   #4 Clickfool Re Israeli 21:10  |  Labhras 01/01/08   23.   A white Christian male will win, so if the dem wants to win... 21:30  |  Scott Hunter 01/01/08   24.   To Labhras (#22) 21:44  |  Morris Valentine 01/01/08   25.   The Candidates 21:54  |  J K 01/01/08   26.   For Labhras # 22 22:08  |  Clickfool 01/01/08   27.   #19 22:32  |  Henry Golberger 01/01/08   28.   #4 22:35  |  Veronica P. Toots 01/01/08   29.   The beauty of Buddah 22:38  |  Nishimato Miranotush 01/01/08   30.   In England We Support Obama 22:44  |  William Charles Ford 01/01/08   31.   #11 uncle sam 22:48  |  Labhras 01/01/08   32.   Anger? 22:49  |  P. J. Casey 01/01/08   33.   Labras 22 plays the ugly card 22:58  |  Uday 01/01/08   34.   Don`t worry 23:19  |  Colin Wright 01/01/08   35.   It doesn`t really matter who`s 23:22  |  Kris 01/01/08   36.   JImmy carter - Hero of Labras27 23:24  |  Uday 01/01/08   37.   To Mr Goldberger on #23 23:45  |  Shmuelshachor 01/01/08   38.   Nice or knife? 23:55  |  Jim 01/01/08   39.   When it is over 23:59  |  Brod 01/01/08   40.   #3 Indrajaya 00:05  |  Jim 02/01/08   41.   #30 uday bad reading comprehension again 00:14  |  Labhras 02/01/08   42.   AMERICANS TIRED OF DYNASTY,LAWYERS, AND WILL NOT ELECT A BLACK . 00:18  |  OLEG 02/01/08   43.   #33 uday re Jimmy Carter 00:22  |  Labhras 02/01/08   44.   Jewish priorities 00:43  |  Joe 02/01/08   45.   American priorities 00:48  |  Yossi 02/01/08   46.   To Oleg on @38 01:23  |  Shmuelshachor 02/01/08   47.   To Mr wright on @33 01:33  |  Shmuelshachor 02/01/08   48.   #22 Morris Valentine Us support/Aipac 01:51  |  Labhras 02/01/08   49.   What`s going on here? 02:03  |  GI Joe 02/01/08   50.   Margaret # 10 02:29  |  William 02/01/08   51.   A walk through the puddle of Rosner`s soul 04:15  |  Mark Lincoln 02/01/08   52.   One thing is certain 04:17  |  Mark Lincoln 02/01/08   53.   realism and NOT anger 04:37  |  Paul 02/01/08   54.   NO To REPUBLICANS, BLOOMBERG & Anti-M.E. PEACE Democrats!!! 05:29  |  Proud Pal Defender 02/01/08   55.   To Labhras (#47) 05:49  |  Morris Valentine 02/01/08   56.   #25 Clickfool 06:00  |  leo 02/01/08   57.   #3 indrajaya 06:02  |  leo 02/01/08   58.   #34 Colin Wright 06:08  |  leo 02/01/08   59.   #48, #49 Quite some politicians 06:16  |  JOJO 02/01/08   60.   # 2 Clickfool .. On Hillary Clinton 07:51  |  Natallie Durson 02/01/08   61.   # 43, JOE 08:09  |  indrajaya 02/01/08   62.   For Leo # 52 09:15  |  Clickfool 02/01/08   63.   Clickfool 13:26  |  Steve 02/01/08   64.   # 5 I did not vote for Bush many others did 14:47  |  Petra 02/01/08   65.   # 16 Jane AMEN LADY! AMEN! 14:49  |  Petra 02/01/08   66.   Hillary has a proven track record 14:50  |  Robert 02/01/08   67.   # 23 Scott Hunter you`re probably right. 14:52  |  Petra 02/01/08   68.   Pop is delusional 15:00  |  Petra 02/01/08   69.   # 30 In England your vote doesn`t count here. 15:02  |  Petra 02/01/08   70.   # 57 Leo TOUCHE` Fab answer! Thanks 15:18  |  Petra 02/01/08   71.   # 16 Jane Bravo!!! Way to go Lady! 15:20  |  Petra 02/01/08   72.   # 18 EliJews make up apprx. 2% of the worlds population 15:24  |  Petra 02/01/08   73.   do the democrats have an electable candidate? 15:53  |  victor hardman 02/01/08   74.   #4 the yelow streak writes about the uk and the eu. 15:56  |  victor hardman 02/01/08   75.   #72 the proportion is 0.002% of the world 16:02  |  victor hardman 02/01/08   76.   #31 labarseof arabia 100% wrong on every point 16:05  |  victor hardman 02/01/08   77.   # 64, PETRA 18:09  |  indrajaya 02/01/08   78.   #18 - Eli 19:12  |  MichaelF 02/01/08   79.   #2 - Clickfool 19:15  |  MichaelF 02/01/08   80.   Israel in the Heart of America 19:19  |  S.L. 02/01/08   81.   Clickfool is an appropriate name 19:39  |  S.L. 02/01/08   82.   This is Democratic Jews promoting this. 19:40  |  Salty 02/01/08