The Dynastification of American Politics

Ken AshfordElection 2008Leave a Comment

Like many, one of my chief problems with Hillary isn’t Hillary per se, but the whole idea of politics in this country being headed by only two families in the past 20 years.

Last night at Dartmouth, a student raised this issue with Bill Clinton:

Moments later, Clinton — his voice hoarse, sometimes cracking — took arguably the toughest question of the night, courtesy of a tall, blond 19-year old freshman wearing a bright red sweater. "My main concern is, if Hillary were elected, it would create a dynastification of American politics. Bush, Clinton, Bush. What do you think?" asked Sebastian Ramirez, standing less than a hundred feet from the former president.

Clinton responded, to rolling laughter across the room, "I’m not responsible for the 12 years that the American people gave to the Bushes."

That’s actually not a bad answer.  Why should it be held against Hillary if the country put the Bushes in office?