When Richard Mellon Scaife has kind words to say about Hillary Clinton you know either the sky is falling or something very strange is afoot. After an editorial meeting with his Pittsburgh newspaper, he wrote:
“I have a very different impression of Hillary Clinton today [than in the 1990s],” he wrote in an opinion article published Sunday…”And it’s a very favorable one indeed.”
I suppose you could say Scaife has seen the handwriting on the wall and realizes the Democrats may take the White House and strenthen their holds on both Houses of Congress. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be out in the cold for the next four to eight years. Or perhaps he thinks he can build up Hillary in order to tear down Obama, who he thinks is a more formidable candidate.
But if the Clintonites think a Scaife encomium is going to help their candidate they’re off their rocker:
“I never thought I would utter these words, but I would like to shake his hands for keeping his mind open despite the predisposed prejudice toward her,” said Lanny Davis, a longtime Clinton supporter who served as President Clinton’s lawyer during the late 1990s.
What Democrat will be impressed by kind words from one of the hardest and wealthiest of the hard-right Republican ideologues?
Hillary’s spokeswoman made an even more daft statement:
Hillary Clinton is in the solutions business and has demonstrated the ability to bridge old divides and get things done. Winning over Mr. Scaife is just another example.”
I don’t know of many Democrats who want to “win over” Richard Mellon Scaife or bridge old divides with him. For many of us this guy personifies the enemy. The fact that Hillary touts him as a fan does more harm than good to her cause.
