My mother has supported Hillary Clinton from the beginning of this primary campaign. Although she's never said as much, I suspect she's one of the many who has been chomping at the bit for Hillary's candidacy for quite some time. My mom has a lot in common with Hillary - she's in her late fifties, went to law school when it wasn't so common for females to do so, built a successful career and is active in Democratic politics (although, I should note, never as a candidate).
I was home for Easter, and teased my mother at length about her candidate of choice. It can't be easy, because my dad is an Obama supporter as well (he switched from Edwards after Iowa). Although I disagreed with my mother's decision, I respected it, and knew that she had made it for solid and well-grounded reasons.
Imagine my surprise when my father e-mailed me today, and told me that she let him take the Hillary stickers off of her car.
Apparently they watched the ABC circus debate on Wednesday, and by the end my mother decided she had had enough. I don't know if this has been simmering for a while or if it hit her like a ton of bricks, but she now thinks that Hillary has no chance to win and that her behavior is inappropriate and totally out of bounds.
Mind you, my mother has been aware of Hillary's long-shot status for some time. Over a month ago, she confided that she had "gone through the stages of grief" and that she was prepared to accept Obama as the nominee, but at that time she was still rooting for Hillary's comeback.
No longer.
Whether my mother is now neutral or a bona fide Obama supporter, I can't say for sure, but it is certain that she no longer supports Hillary Clinton for president. Unfortunately, my parents live in Virginia and thus long ago cast their primary votes, but I think this is an encouraging sign. If Hillary's disgusting primary tactics can sway even my die-hard-supporter of a mom, I get the feeling there are many others not far behind.