Let's be clear, I'll vote for whoever the nominee is come November. Till then, I'm going to work hard for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. I've vascillated between both candidates for quite some time, one day for Hillary, the next for Obama. I've read their platforms, and I've given thoughtful consideration to their flaws and dirty campaigning--and, both do partake in the dark side at times in terms of campaigning...
But yesterday I came across this TPM article that pushed me over the edge firmly into Clinton camp.
More over the fold.
The article's title reads: "Obama Directly Attacks Bill's Presidency, Blames It For Massive Dem Losses," and involves a mailer sent out by the Obama campaign to selective locations. Here is the jist of the article:
"8 years of the Clintons, major losses for Democrats across the nation," reads the mailer, which goes on to list the post-1992 losses suffered by Dems among governors, Senators and members of the House of Representatives. The mailer was forwarded to us by a political operative who told us it was sent to Alaska, though it was probably sent elsewhere, too. (And a photo of the mailer here).
In the mailer, Obama is pointing to Dem losses in the 1990s to bolster his core message that a Hillary candidacy would polarize the nation and cripple efforts to build a long-term progressive majority. Obama argues that he'll be less alienating than Hillary to independents and Republicans, due to the fact that he's unencumbered by the baggage of the 1990s.
The mailer could signal that Obama plans to press this argument about the Clinton presidency more aggressively in the days ahead. View the full mailer after the jump.
Okay, I know that politics is dirty. I know that this is a hot race, with two brilliant and talented people. I'm down with the idea of change--we f*****g need it. But this, by any standard, is sleazy.
First, Hillary Clinton's husband is not running for President. This is a very slick chauvenistic ploy to imply that Bill is still the dominant figure (he is the man after all, isn't he Senator Obama?) and will rule/taint/control Hillary's presidency. As far as I can tell, Hillary is a distinct person with her own resume, and most of that resume is incredible--and liberal. She has stepped over to the dark side, ie, WalMart and corporate donors, but the majority of her life has been devoted to the progressive agenda, namely to enhancing the lives and health of children. Hillary Clinton is not Bill Clinton. That Obama has chosen to sink to this level in his campaign tells me a lot about him as a person.
Second, Bill Clinton's presidency will not be Hillary's presidency. I'm tired of Obama's continual pandering to the GOP by saying Clinton was the cause of the loss of seats. This is patently dishonest. The man had the most successful presidency in recent history, smashing the defecit, protecting the environment, excellent foreign relations. But he had a blow job by an intern (while Gingrich was getting a blowjob by his intern), which gave the GOP the ammunition to attack all his successes and demonize the progressive agenda. I'm a little younger than Obama, so if I am aware, I know he is as aware as I am about this: the GOP, through their malevolence and dishonesty and control of the press, manipulated pubic opinion away from the Democratic agenda by capitalizing on Bill's blowjob. Obama is fully aware, yet he is now ratcheting up the rhetoric to gain Republicans' votes. Which is precisely why he has lost mine.
I will not vote for anyone who will not hold the GOP accountable for their reprehensible hypocricy. I will also not vote for anyone who chooses to abandon the noble fights of Dems in that era, and who says these fights were somehow caused equally by both parties. Bullshit! The GOP are a pack of wolves, who care nothing about the common citizen or person for that matter. I realize Obama wants to make the jump to gain Republicans' votes, but he is either doing it cynically--not unlike Bush lying to gain the evangelical vote--or he is doing it at the cost of a small part of his progressive soul.
Last, I will not vote for a man who ties in Hillary Clinton's exemplary record of public service to the presidency of her husband. As a woman, this really makes me angry. It has been discussed that the two were a team, so she should be accountable for that alliance and the consequences. When you break it down, what Obama is furthering in this mailer, and in his rhetoric, is that Bill Clinton's affair and the negativity it generated will carry over to Hillary's presidency, as every other part of his presidency is viewed favorably. Hillary shouldn't have to deal with her husband's indescretion and consequent crucifiction, much less be held partially responsible for the GOP hate machine (which was incredibly successful), for one more day.
So, in summary, Obama has lost my support for now. I am going to work for Hillary. Obama is pandering too hard to get the Republican vote by dishonesty and chauvenistic cheap tricks. I know Hillary will probably not get the nomination, but I don't care. What matters to me is my integrity as a progressive, and where my heart lies, as well as my head. If he gets the nomination I will vote for him, but I will not do it with a smile on my face.