Art Machine
Just another former infatuation junkie

Back when Obama made a comeback after Hillary supposedly beat him down, I received a rambling e-mail in my inbox. It had misspelled words, no paragraph breaks, and a line of logic that made no sense to my poor Earth-bound, reality-based brain. Basically, it said that Obama should bow out of the race following his wins because his campagin was a “distraction.” From what, I really couldn’t tell. But since that time as Obama has gained more and more momentum, I’ve seen Hillary supporters screaming that asking Hillary to bow out of the race is unfair.

The fact is, however, that the longer Hillary has stayed in this race, the less I have liked her. It was hard enough back when she was part of the pro-censorship lobby in the Senate, but her campaign practices at first made her seem slightly spoilt, then un-democratic (either big “D” or little “d” democracy – take your pick), and now she seems to be bordering on full-blown megalomania.

For starters, the argument of “experience” has never washed with me. One: She is unwilling to speak up and name her experience for what it truly is – wife of a governor and First Lady. Frankly, I think she should be proclaiming it loudly and proudly, and explaining to the American people how, exactly, that prepared her for office. It would make for a compelling argument and a stirring debate. However, time and again she has shown that she desperately wants to claim the experience without actually having to talk about how she got it. This is moot, however, since it’s not experience that equals leadership, it’s judgment. If experience equaled leadership, then Dick Cheney would have ensured that the last seven years would have gone smoothly.

Second, she campaigned in Florida. I know, I know – she didn’t land in Florida until after the polls had closed. The fact remains, however, that both Edward and Obama signed pledges along with Hillary not to campaign in Florida, and she was the only one who promised to show up for a victory party at the close of voting. Making that promise is campaigning.

Third, she has downplayed the power of the written and spoken word. Her constant refrain against Obama has been that he makes “pretty speeches.” It’s not an implication – she outright states that Obama talks pretty while she acts. However, Obama has acted, has a plan, and can make the speeches that get people rallying behind his plans. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a President who can both talk and play a good game?

Fourth, she has demonised hope. ‘Nuff said, really, but honestly – whose bright idea is it for the wife of Bill “Keep Hope Alive” Clinton to go out on the stage and proclaim that it’s ridiculous to hope for things to change in Washington?

Fifth, she wants to count Michigan and Florida after the DNC decided not to seat them, and has suggested that she will be at the convention not only schmoozing superdelegates, but Obama’s pledged delegates, as well. In other words – screw what the people actually want. Nominate me anyway!

Sixth and finally – CBS News reports that Clinton has endorsed McCain.

Hillary Clinton told reporters that both she and the presumtive Republican nominee John McCain offer the experience to be ready to tackle any crisis facing the country under their watch, but Barack Obama simply offers more rhetoric. “I think you’ll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say,” she said. “He’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.”

Of course, the quotes don’t explicitly endorse McCain, and CBS News doesn’t proclaim it to be an endorsement. However, Clinton’s statement clearly suggests she is saying, “If I’m not the Democratic nominee, you should vote for McCain.” After all, she says McCain has the experience – but Obama just has speeches.

The Democratic party needs to recognize that at this point, the Clinton campaign is out of control. Her rhetoric is unhinged, and her statements are damaging the party in what should honestly be a “gimme” of an election. After eight years of Bush, people want a change in our leadership – but Hillary is ready to make sure that the White House remains in Conservative control if she can’t be the one running for it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.