The writing of the obituary of the Hillary Clinton campaign for the Democratic nomination for president began in earnest on Wednesday morning. Her narrow win in Indiana coupled with the loss in North Carolina has all of the pundits weighing in.
I don’t think anyone can deny that the path to the nomination hasn’t narrowed. The argument that remains, and has been a consistent theme of the campaign, is electability. It is what drew me to her candidacy in the first place. Pragmatic? You bet. A win in November has always been what I wanted.
I never had any intentions of being involved in a national campaign. As time has gone on, though, something changed. Somewhere along the way, I became personally vested in this campaign. Maybe it was NH and her “finding her voice.” Maybe it was the knowledge of what it’s like to run a campaign when it seems that so many people – particularly the media – are aligned against you. Maybe it was the attacks that I have gotten for my support of Hillary, ones that have come face-to-face and via emails. Maybe it was the the email from the 76-year-old Alaskan caucus goer who felt completely disenfranchised by the process. Whatever it was, the effect was a strengthening of my support for Hillary, and an increased willingness on my part to do what I could to help her succeed.
That willingness has put me in a position that I’m sure others have experienced when working on a campaign. Probably the biggest thing is that you become privy to information that you cannot share, some of it things you’d just as soon not know. Yep, like watching sausage being made. I’ve seen sausage being made, both for real and in campaigns. It ain’t pretty.
In 2006, there was a great push to get Democrats in control of Congress. We did that and what has it gotten us? Are we still in Iraq? Have we rolled back the Bush tax cuts? Has the deficit gone down? In other words, are we better off today than you were before? Only the most biased among us would say yes.
Oh, I’ve heard all of the excuses. And that’s all they are – excuses. There is no political will in Washington to do the right thing by the people of the United States. It is business as usual, only the characters have changed.
We all want to believe that changing the president will change things in Washington. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As Hillary has been vilified in the press and on the blogs, one of the major memes has been that she represents the “old” way of doing things. Well, doesn’t saying one thing while doing another represent the old way? Isn’t having your surrogates do your dirty work the old way? Isn’t blaming your opponent for your own behavior the old way? And isn’t trying to not count votes that favor your opponent, most notably FL, the old way?
The old way can never be changed at the top until we change it at the bottom. More than 29,000 people (pdf p. 457) voted in Norfolk in February’s primary while just over 8,000 bothered to vote in last Tuesday’s council election. In a city that has more than 105,000 registered voters, that is pathetic. Given the chance to influence those politicians closest to us, the people punted. It is no wonder, then, that those in Washington, far removed from the accountability to the people, don’t give a damn.
The blame lies with us. Ours is a populace that fakes concern for what goes on in Washington, because we fail to look beyond the soundbites. Our opinions are not shaped by the facts – what exactly are the differences in the platforms of the candidates? – but by fear and innuendo. Lies and distortions spread faster than truth – no, Obama is not a Muslim – helped in no small part by the echo chamber that was once the independent media.
The choice of new versus old is a false one, because the political process is stacked against it and there is no will at any level to change it. So for me, I’d rather have someone who knows how to negotiate it (like LBJ) than someone who will be stymied by it (like Jimmy Carter). As long as she’s willing to run, I’m with Hillary.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Gene is right that, whether the reasons were right or wrong, we are now in Iraq. Vivian is also correct that the Democrats in Congress have the power to pull the troops out, and have not done so. Both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton have voted to fund the war. At least McCain’s votes match his words.
If it were a matter of Iraqis’ killing each other, I would probably agree with you, Gene, that we need to get out. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Leaving Iraq would give terrorists a haven, and they would have oil revenue in abundance.
If, as you say, that our troops “were never told before hand that they could lose their lives based on big lies,” then their high school history professors were delinquent in teaching about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that Johnson used to get us mired in Vietnam.
BTW, our nation wasn’t threatened by the Kosovo conflict, either, nor by Somalia, but Pres. Clinton sent them there. If Sen. Clinton wants to claim her time with Bill in the White House as “experience,” then she should answer for the deaths of our soldiers there.
NND, if your assertion is correct, why did Clinton vote to fund the Iraq War for FIVE YEARS? Her words, and yours, do not match her votes.
Furthermore, WMD and the return of the inspectors was not the sole intention of the Resolution. More than half of the WHEREAS clauses of the resolution were NOT related to WMD or inspectors.
Anon,
It is as easy as pulling our troops out. Ask the damn troops how long it would take them to pull back to the Kuwait border. they would be more than anxious. Secondly Anon the Iraqi’s will stop the terrorist from establishing a base their if that is their desire. There was not an established base there under Saddam and once we leave they would have no reason to stay there. We allowed for the terrorist in Iraq. I cannot clearly look my grandkids in the eye if I wasn’t out there pushing to get the hell out of this fiasco. My hope is that my grandkids will not have to deal with an administration that cares so little for loss of life by Americans that they would send them to a foreign land to fight based on lies and revenge. this war was predetermined the day Bush took office and the whole world knew it, but many chose to ignore it. Anybody with any sense could have seen it coming way back in 2001.
Until we change in america I cannot in good conscious encourage my sons, daughters, or grandkids to enlist in the military services. They do not need to be the pawns by which America claims their domination over the world because of an administration that wants POWER. They are living human beings.
MB said,
It consistently amazes me how many really really smart readers Vivian’s site gets….
And it gets you, too.
NND said,
You are too stupid to even know that the Maliki political part is SCIRI, The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq
Someone who thinks himself so knowledgeable would surely realize that SCIRI has changed its name, right?
The troops I know who are there or have been there do not want to surrender.
“There was not an established base there under Saddam….”
Wrong.
“…and once we leave they would have no reason to stay there.”
Yes, they will: oil money.
Unlike you, I encourage my children to go into the military.
So, to summarize:
Hillary’s got some fantastic and dedicated supporters who are going to stick with her.
Mouse has earned some return on his trolling (and reproduced, apparently. Good god.).
And most of the Republicans that show up here still aren’t very bright.
Can we stop now? Kthxbye.
You forgot to mention that BM has nothing but ad hominem attacks.
Yes, God is good.
To a possible take on the original post. Are any of the HRC supporters willing to go McCain in the general if it’s BO v JM ?
Also since there are clearly some devout Dems here I’d like to ask another question somewhat hinting to the original post and the off topic thread. Clearly people are angry at the GOP/Bush policy but doesn’t the Dems due to ineffective leadership since 06 deserve some electoral scorn come Nov. ?
in2 – I’m trying hard to imagine a genuine HRC supporter who would actually vote for McCain, come November. At best, it’s a really tiny group, I think. Really tiny.
The Democratic leadership deserves *loads* of scorn. A full on WTF-are-you-people-doing-!?!-kick-in-the-ass serving of scorn. But given the choices this fall, the ballot box (on that day) is not the place to serve it up. Cutting off your nose to spite your face, and all that. Let’s put a Dem in the White House and increase the majorities on November 4th. On November 5th, we train our sights on our elected Dems, giving them no quarter for excuses and dithering.
I vote for and support Democrats because I want a better country. Not simply because I want Democrats in charge.
“I vote for and support Democrats because I want a better country.”
OK, I’ll buy that. What policies or programs, exactly, do Democrats favor and Republicans oppose that you think will give us a better country?
This is a wonderful post. I too became very invested in the campaign for Hillary Clinton, even though I had a tough time at first making that choice. I do care about electability, a lot, and I don’t think Obama can pull it off. But I also care about principles, and I don’t see that he has anything particularly more principled in his campaign or character than any other politician. And I do not think he is as devoted to public service as Hillary Clinton.
huntingdonpost – thanks for stopping by. You did an excellent job on your post as well.
I fully understand your point about the political process. As for siding with Hillary … that is a matter of choice. One must admit that Mrs. Clinton, at least to the Exit Polls, has a problem with credibility.
“The circumstances by which you live determine your reputation, but the truth you believe determines your character.”
Rather than expound on what I’ve already written I’ll provide the links:
http://bbooth.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/fanning-the-flames-of-discord/
http://bbooth.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/what-if/
What would the outcome of the race be … if Mrs. Clinton had use the strategy of unification as opposed to preying on the fears and prejudices of the nation?
Definitely keep your posts coming. Your thoughts are most insightful and opens up the forum of discussion.
Brian:
You are correct. After spending a few hundred billion dollars and a 30,000 American casualties, the Islamic Revolution in Iraq won and therefore dropped the revolution name from the party.
I bet that makes you bush apologist do somersaults with glee knowing our blood and treasure brought forth the Islamic revolution in Iraq. Good for you!
NND,
I would not have thought it possible, but you appear to have gotten even dumber as this thread has progressed. That’s quite an accomplishment. Congratulations.