Can Hillary Make Her "Comeback" in the Golden State?

She's loved. She's hated. She's brilliant. She's misunderstood. She's stylish. She's shrewd. She's whatever we want to see out of her. Like it or not, she's Hillary. And she's in... To win.

Early on, Hillary Clinton was the unconquerable front runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008. However, no one expected her to win the general election...
Until she began pulling even, or even ahead, of the possible Republican nominees in the polls. However in the meantime, it seems like Hillary's lock on states like California is being called into question as old issues from the past continue to haunt her.

So what can Hillary do? What can she do to stop Edwards or Obama from taking the grand prize of California next February, along with the Democratic nomination? Follow me after the flip for more...

(This is another article in my occasional series on the 2008 Presidential Primary in California. Take a look at my last article on Barack Obama. And no, I am not endorsing Hillary. I'm just taking an unbiased look at her campaign, and what she can do better.)

Ever since the last Presidential Election, everyone had pretty much seen Hillary Clinton as the likely Democratic nominee in 2008. After all, she has the name. And yes, she has the money. And oh yes, she probably has the best political adviser right at her fingertips. Everything seemed to be so right...

Until it all went wrong. For one, Hillary still cannot put her vote for the Iraq War behind her. As long as she continues to avoid explaining and/or apologizing for her vote to put America at war, she will probably only continue to suffer for that vote. But of course, that is not her only problem. In fact, one of her greatest assets may also be one of her greatest liabilities. As the David Geffen incident reminded us all, there's still all that old controversy that the "vast right wing conspiracy" continues to salivate over. I guess if anything, David Geffen's doubts about Hillary only serve to remind us all about her very real vulnerabilities as a Presidential Candidate.

So what can Hillary do? Well, she still seems to have many friends here in the Golden State. Last week, she seemed to do a good job at appealing to Silicon Valley techies. She talked about health care,recruiting more math and science teachers, and investing in alternative energy because it’s “good for the planet but it can also be good for the economy”... And Silicon Valley seems to be listening. Perhaps she can win the same "tech support" that her husband could count on. And despite "Geffengate", Hillary still seems to enjoy plenty of support in Hollywood. After all, Liz Taylor did say, "I like the way she thinks. She is very savvy and a smart leader with years of experience in government, diplomacy and politics." And Liz Taylor is probably not the only one who appreciates Hillary's experience.

So perhaps, this is how Hillary can come back. Perhaps if she finally deals with her Iraq vote while she still has time to do so, she can quell much of the antiwar fervor working against her. And perhaps if she can bring to the table new, fresh ideas on issues like climate change, health care, and the "new economy", then perhaps we in California will give her a fresh start. After all, Californians care about these issues... And Californians seem to like fresh, innovative solutions to tough problems. And as for all the old crap from Bill's years in the White House, she will always have the "vast right wing conspiracy" against her. However if she can break through her Iraq conundrum and take the lead on Iraq, climate change, health care, etc., she can perhaps break through that "vast right wing conspiracy" in the same manner that her husband did with the impeachment debacle.

Perhaps we were all wrong in considering Hillary to be "inevitable". But still, we may also be wrong in counting her out now. Like it or not, she's in...
And she's in it to win.

(Cross-posted at Calitics and MyDD)