Quote of the Day

"When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. When people feel uncertain, they'd rather have somebody who's strong and wrong than somebody who's weak and right." --Bill Clinton

This is from a speech last winter by Clinton, more of which can be found here. (Original link via Silliman's Blog--see sidebar.)

Whatever you think of our former president, he does have some valuable insight into politics. The quote above is not a flattering comment about the US electorate and its aversion to complexity, but its an accurate one I think (fear). As Silliman points out, the right wing has simplicity on its side, which is why attempts to counter "conservative" talk radio and Fox News with a "liberal radio network" or some such media entity are doomed to failure. What progressives need more than anything right now, it seems to me, is a leader (and, realistically, it would have to be a white male) with both dynamic public-speaking skills and the ability to project sincerity: a Clinton without all the baggage or a bullet-proof Robert Kennedy.