Thanks to rikyrah over at jack and jill politics for stating what most of us are feeling today.
Hillary Clinton won through race-baiting, fear-mongering, smears and lies. That's who she is. She has no character, and she showed her true self, and the true self of those that she surrounds herself with. She claimed MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA in her speech last night. Michigan - where she was the only one on the ballot, and Florida - where no one competed. Well, if you can't win fairly, then I guess you lie and cheat and try and change the rules in the 4th Quarter of a 4 Quarter game. Thus is Hillary Clinton. THIS IS WHO SHE IS - FACE IT.
Something was torn beyond repair this past weekend. It was the Clinton's relationship with African-American voters.
more below the fold...
Quite a few people are saying that Hillary Clinton's comments on 60 Minutes over the weekend were the very last straw. Before her weak denial that Obama is a Muslim, many were ready to sigh with resignation and vote for her if she should become the nominee. But not she has crossed the line into being someone who cannot get support no matter what.
And thanks also to nezua at the unapologetic mexican who puts the whole problem of last night into its proper context of progressive politics.
Mostly, it just disgusts and saddens me that Clinton pulled out her fear wand again in speeches last night (and if the election becomes about "Nat'l Security" as she's framing it using the 2001 - 2008 Bushian Fear Frames, why is McCain not at a great advantage?) and that she is using fake Bushian newscasts and that even with no real numerical chance to pull this off, her campaign sees such means as acceptable. I don't think we have any doubt that the Clintons will take it as far as they have to. Chase that Sweet-treat of Power until nothing is left standing and the "Left" splits irrevocably into smaller factions that care more for warring with each other than changing what our nation has become. Oh well. Should I even care?
Why does she not see how distressing it is to hear the "Left" running and succeeding using the poisoned memes and thinking that Bush has used to molest our nation and psyche for most of the last ten years? Why do the Clintons not see that nothing could be more dispiriting than watching the continuation of these ugly methods and smallish views? Even (and especially) when they continue to be effectively employed and hailed as "success"?
(emphasis mine)
This party is in trouble.
I know that many here would like to believe that all will be forgiven once someone becomes the nominee, even if that someone is Hillary Clinton. I know that there is a strong message here and other places that anybody who does not feel that way is not a real Democrat. And I am not going to disagree with that at all. Because what I am saying is that Hillary Clinton is making many, many people question whether they are, in fact Democrats if being a Democrat means voting for Hillary Clinton. I believe tha as far as African-American voters are concerned it is going to come down to a choice between us and the Clintons. And to be honest, given what I have been seeing these last two months, I think African-Americans are being shown the door. But, I am not sure that there are quite enough people with Spanish surnames dispersed in such a way as to guarantee electoral success yet.
In short, the party needs to be willing to throw this election if Clinton is the nominee. Because more and more and more of us are saying that we will never, under any circumstances vote for Hillary Clinton. Here's rikyrah again...
She already goes into this with HALF THE COUNTRY SAYING THAT THEY WILL NEVER VOTE FOR HER.
HALF THE COUNTRY.
And, she's been working on adding Democrats to that pile too, like my family. There are 12 of us in my immedate family.
Only 2 will vote for Hillary.
The rest of us haven't figured out what we're going to do, but we do know this much:
WE WILL NEVER EVER VOTE FOR HER.
They just assume that Black folks will come around and be Good Darkies and vote for Miss Hillary, because where else will we go? Isn't that what Harold Ickes said last week?
This primary election season has amazed me. I have seen conditions go from widespread skepticism on the part of black voters about Barack Obama and widespread openness to other candidates, especially John Edwards to vituperative hatred of Hillary Clinton. And Clinton brought this on entirely by herself.
For the record, I'm one of the African-American voters who will never, under any circumstances vote for Hillary Clinton. As I have diaried before, my dissatisfaction with the Democratic party made me switch to the Greens after the last presidential election. With Barack Obama's candidacy, I began to think my decision might have been a bit hasty. But if the plot to steal the nomination away from him gains traction, my feeling that the democratic party does not want voters like me will be confirmed.