Pugnacious Hillary Clinton
This is the picture that keeps coming into my mind whenever I hear about Hillary Clinton’s self-proclaimed battle for the Michigan/Florida delegates. A Google search on the combined terms “hillary pugnacious” yields over 35,700 results, so I guess I’m in good company.
What she’s doing now is worse than pugnacious. How is it that we try to teach our kids to tell the truth and treat others the way we want to be treated, and then turn on cable news so that we can be treated to snippets like this:
The men and women who knew their Constitutional right to vote meant little when poll taxes and literacy tests, violence, and intimidation made it impossible to exercise their right, so they marched and protested, faced dogs and tear gas, knelt down on that bridge in Selma to pray and were beaten within an inch of their lives.
Yes, Hillary Clinton is now equating herself with abolitionists, suffragettes, and civil rights leaders. The woman who made an agreement with regard to the Michigan and Florida delegations, yet left her name on the ballot in Michigan when the other leading candidates removed theirs, now has the unmitigated gall to stand before voters in these states and claim equality with abolitionists and civil rights leaders?
While she gives lofty speeches about the foundation of democracy, she is willing to exclude 237,762 voters who chose to vote “uncommitted” in Michigan, and countless others who demonstrated their uncommittedness by not casting a ballot at all.
In Florida, many Democrats simply stayed home. I know this because I had conversations with friends in Florida where I encouraged them to go vote because I’d heard rumors there would be efforts to seat their delegations later. (These voters, by the way, were Hillary voters).
Yet, in her arrogant, pugnacious, incredibly dishonest fashion, she stands before the Florida voters and dares to compare the self-created problems of the Florida and Michigan delegations to the recent debacle in Zimbabwe?
Further, she suggests that because there has been no resolution to the question of seating those delegations, the Democrats are hurt because “We have allowed ours to go on” while the Republicans wrapped their primaries up early.
EXCUSE ME? WHO has “allowed” the Democrats to go on? WHO stood before the Kentucky voters just last night and said she was in it until the end? WHO has dug herself deeper and deeper into debt, and is now digging deeper and deeper into division, claiming that EVERY VOTE HAS TO BE COUNTED?
To be clear here, the only way that Hillary Clinton gets to her specious claim that she’s ahead in the popular vote (despite Nancy Pelosi’s reiteration that the currency of the realm at the DNCC is delegates and only delegates) is to exclude the caucus states and credit ZERO VOTES in Michigan to Barack Obama.
Let me summarize the arguments that have spilled from Hillary and Bill Clinton’s lying mouths about these delegates and I’ll leave it to you to decide if these are representative of someone who purports to call themselves a Democrat, if they’re representative of a LEADER, if they’re intended to serve voters or serve Hillary, if they’re worthy of giving her even ONE IOTA of credibility within the party. I have my opinion. Let’s hear yours, after the highlights:
- “It’s clear this election [Michigan is] having is not going to count for anything.” – Link
- “And we believe the DNC’s rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role. Thus, we will be signing the pledge to adhere to the DNC approved nominating calendar.” – Link
- “More people voted for me.” – Link
- “If we were under the Republican system, which is more like the Electoral College, she’d have a 300-delegate lead here,” he said. “I mean, Senator McCain is already the nominee because they chose a system to produce that result, and we don’t have a nominee here, because the Democrats chose a system that prevents that result.” – Link
- The people of Michigan must be counted and their voices finally heard. What the people of Michigan need now is just action, not just words. – Link
- “I’m more electable” – Link
- “I’ll exercise the nuclear option” – Link
There are many more, but these are representative of the talking points. I’ve listed other examples of similar comments here.
Is this REALLY leadership?
These are feminists?
Because you know, it’s all about Hillary Clinton and how victimized she’s been.
Before Clinton Voters Vow to Switch to McCain, Consider…
- The possibility of a Supreme Court appointment that guarantees an overturn of Roe v. Wade
- Privatized Social Security, which will hurt working women more than men, since women tend to undercontribute to 401(k) plans
- A serious deficit in the area of economics. By his own admission, he is not as informed about economic policy as he is about military and security policy. Given that, he is spouting the GOP talking points without regard to any grounding in reality.
- An attitude toward women that dates back to pre-feminism days. He has no compunction about bullying women in order to dodge their concerns. If you don’t believe me, listen to his response to Erin Kotecki Vest when she asked a reasonable question during his open conference call. And as much as I utterly despise Michelle Malkin, she’s not the only blogger who has been hostile to McCain, but she is the only blogger on his side of the aisle that’s been excluded from blogger conference calls.
- A complete lack of moral compass in exchange for the realization of ambition. The thing about McCain that has been most shocking to me personally is how he has turned his back on issues he was always solid about and instead embraced the Republican party line, even if it is worth less than a bag of dog food aging on the shelf.
I totally understand how Clinton voters feel, because every time I hear her claim she’s won the popular vote, can attract working white voters, calls the dog whistle for racism, and chooses to ignore caucus states, I feel the same thing. When I discovered that the madrassa story could be traced directly back to her campaign, when her campaign released the photo of Obama that had been in the public for 2 years prior of him in African garb, reinforcing ignorance, when she squandered an opportunity to categorically clear the record with regard to Obama’s religion, when she pushed Reverend Wright, when she pushed Ayers at the press, when she danced around after winning those “swing states” as if there hadn’t been a clear effort to feed into people’s dark fears that a black guy might be dangerous, yes. I get it. I totally know how they feel.
When that happens, I start chanting. Supreme Court. Social Security. Iraq. Economy. Military-industrial complex. $4/gallon gas.
After awhile, I calm down. Clinton supporters, I hope you’ll start chanting too, because 4 more years of the nonsense we have now will surely ruin this country for us, for our children, and for their children at a minimum.
First Steps to Unity
California leads the way at the State Convention:
For those on the far right hoping for blood in the streets of Denver, Sunday’s meeting of the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention was very bad news. Because of its size, California is sending even more Hillary Clinton delegates to Denver than her latest putative home state of New York. But Sunday’s meeting made it clear that both the Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns are ready to turn their swords into plowshares behind the impending nomination of Obama for the greater cause of defeating John McCain.
At the Nevada state convention Saturday, Twitter user ursulas reported that even Bill Clinton was singing the party unity song.
However, on NewsGang Live, we’re still divided…over the VP nomination and whether it will go to Hillary Clinton. I argue that it cannot, will not be Hillary Clinton, for two reasons. First, because she represents the politics he is turning away from; and second, because she (and her most ardent supporters) would not want to settle for second seat.
Unity is the most important goal. While NewsGang unity may depend upon what happens at the Democratic convention, let’s hope the candidates can pull their supporters in and begin to mend fences. It seems that it may be beginning.
This election is bigger than race and gender. Seriously. Race and gender feel big because they’re so personal. But what will really feel personal is a Supreme Court that bans abortion, sets back women’s rights 50 years, while President McCain leads us into privatized Social Security and another 100 years in Iraq.
Tuesday will end it. Let’s start figuring out how to begin the pathway to a Democratic landslide in the administrative AND legislative branches in November. There will be much for all of us to do. Hillary Clinton will remain a force to contend with and a voice for women across the country.
Best of all, George Bush will be dispatched to Texas with his tail between his legs, and at long last, we will not be subject any longer to the secret authoritarian regime known as the Bush Administration.
Sphere: Related ContentLarry Johnson, Sen. Clinton, and Gutter Politics
What do you get when you put a former CIA operative and the trailing candidate for the Democratic nomination together?
A steaming, rolling pile of shit. I debated about whether to even write about this, but I think it’s important to talk about the bigger implications of the politics of personal destruction that sleazeball Johnson is now floating to the top of the bowl.
Let’s go back for a minute and think about who Larry Johnson is, what he represents, and why he isn’t believable.
- His history of failures in the intelligence arena is chronicled here. This is a guy who didn’t get Osama bin Laden right, yet loves to proclaim himself the king of the political smear.
- Johnson claims to be a Clinton supporter. If that’s really true — and I somehow don’t think it’s REALLY true, just sort of in-name-only-true in a disruptive, smarmy kind of way — then it is the goal of Hillary Clinton to forever fracture and destroy the Democratic party.
- Larry Johnson has been credited with the ‘madrassa’ smear back in the early days of the campaign. 1 Of course, Johnson denies this vehemently, but one would expect him to deny it. After all, CIA operatives are not well-known for stepping up, raising their right hands and admitting all truth with no hope of ‘plausible deniability’. Think back to the Iran/Contra days for shining examples of CIA “honesty”. I’m willing to take a preponderance of the evidence: Clinton operative + CIA clandestine officer + abject hatred of Barack Obama + blogger = opportunity and motive for perpetuating lies on the Internet. Credit where credit is due here. What I’m willing to suspend is the conclusion that Hillary Clinton herself supports such activity
Okay, with the background out of the way, let’s get to the current round of rumors. According to voila over at Daily Kos, Johnson is having an orgasm over a secret Republican video of Michelle Obama railing against “whitey” in church. And sure enough, if you’re willing to roll up your electronic cuffs, take off your shoes and wade through a lying sack of shit, you can see it for yourself over on Johnson’s blog, where he’s also got the video of the Tennessee GOP Michelle Obama smear commercial. My, my, what a thing for a loyal Democrat to have playing on their site!
This style of politics is exactly what Barack Obama’s campaign is turning against. The power churners of the past don’t like that very much. They especially resent the possibility that the new kids might open the doors and let light into the dark corners of our very ugly backroom dealings over these many years.
These are the days of doctored video, faux journalism, and shrill end games. Don’t be fooled. If this were something worth considering, it would have been released in time for the three special elections handily won by Democrats. The GOP would have pulled whatever they could out of their asses in an effort to retain their death grip on the southern states, and that tape would have been all over the airwaves.
What Johnson is selling is snake oil, wrapped in a generous helping of bullshit. Don’t buy it.
1 McClatchy, 5/8/2008
“One practitioner in Virginia, who hates Obama like a dog hates cats, led a reporter through his efforts. Because the man is a retired clandestine CIA officer, identifying him could endanger officers or operations that remain classified, so McClatchy will not reveal his name”
Technorati Tags: Larry Johnson, Michelle Obama, smear politics, Hillary Clinton, death gasps
Thanks to Hugh McLeod at gapingvoid.com for the cartoon
Sphere: Related ContentThe Voter is Always Right?
This gal has a bit of a selective memory, but the drubbing she gets from Bill Clinton in public was just…well, over the top.
To be clear, there is no question in my mind that Hillary Clinton did work hard to make health care reform work during Clinton’s first term. She was unsuccessful, largely because of her style. The lack of consensus building, team building and discussion with various constituencies in the Congress and in the industry killed it.
The lady’s bottom line is right: Hillary Clinton didn’t get it done after promising it. But her accusation goes a little too far when she suggests that she didn’t TRY. or WORK ON IT.
What has bothered me about Senator Clinton’s health care plan this time around is the same point this woman makes. It plays well on the campaign trail, but will it get done?
At any rate, the public drubbing was something I would not have taken well. Not at all. This lady did a better job than me, because being called ‘crazy’ in public by the former President of the United States would have really pissed me off. On the other hand, he makes a case for McCain’s temper. McCain looks like a pussy cat next to Bill in full dudgeon.
Real classy, Bill.
Technorati Tags: health care, Bill Clinton, West Virginia, video, temper
