As each day goes by, Hillary Clinton reminds me more and more of the Miss Havisham character in Great Expectations.
In the great Charles Dickens’ novel, Miss Havisham, a wealthy and powerful woman, was left at the altar. The disappointment so profound, that she snapped. Miss Havisham never removed her wedding dress and stopped all of the clocks in her house to reflect the exact moment she was spurned.
She was left manic, demented and bitter beyond belief. Unable to forgive her personal disappointment, she vowed only to create pain and havoc in the lives of others.
Which brings me to Hillary.
Hillary came into the Democratic Presidential campaign positive not only that she would win, but would win in a landslide. Her campaign, in fact, had no real post-February plans because the race was supposed to be over by then.
But, her loss to Barack Obama in Iowa was a stunning blow. That blow was followed long streak of defeats in February. By April, the writing was on the wall. Last night, the final stake was nailed through the heart of the Clinton campaign.
You might have expected Clinton to finally concede last night, but she refused to.
She refuses to accept defeat or even act like there is a chance she won’t be our next president. Hillary has stopped all of her mental clocks to the night of February 5, a night when California voters showed her some love.
It was the high point of her campaign and, somewhere in her head, she believes she’s still on top of the world. She talks about all the states she won, she talks about the popular vote, and all the good people who’s prayers she carries on her shoulders.
She can’t deal with the fact that Barack Obama has clinched the nomination. And she certainly won’t be able accept that he is our president... and not her.
You can almost imagine her, locked in the house in Chappaqua, forever wearing the dress she would have worn to her inauguration... and never taking it off.
Like Miss Havisham, Hillary’s dreams may not be achieved until the next generation. Just as Miss Havisham groomed her adopted daughter to Estella to break men’s hearts, perhaps Hillary will take Chelsea under her wing and teach her the cold/hard realities of politics.
Perhaps one day, Clelsea will break some candidate’s heart the way her mother’s heart was broken. And how sweet will the revenge be, then?