Mrs. DS checked the primary results periodically last Tuesday. Finally, she sighed, turned to me clearly disappointed, and said, "I guess I'll be voting for your guy. He better not let us down ..." On that she and I agree: He damn well better not.
Our opponents would have loved nothing more than a bitter power struggle for the Democratic nomination, ending in a hung jury consuming resources and splitting the party. Having apparently been denied that, expect a not-so-new narrative of irreconcilable division to emerge among the usual suspects over the next few days. For contrast, let's start with a little ice-cold wake up call:
Herald Tribune -- Tom DeLay complained that McCain "has done more to hurt the Republican Party than any elected official I know of." Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert once suggested that McCain ... didn't understand sacrifice. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi said the thought of a McCain presidency "sends a cold chill down my spine." ... Rush Limbaugh, said earlier this year that a McCain nomination would "destroy" Republicans: "He has stabbed his own party in the back I can't tell you how many times."
The Republican Party is deeply divided, saddled with the least popular President in history, and stuck defending his miserable record stretching from the Persian Gulf to the battered shores on the Gulf of Mexico. Even worse, and somewhat inexplicably, their nominee is running as a Bush clone, splitting them further.
But you can count on our establishment media to give them what they want by creating and nurturing an entirely bizzaro narrative and mount it on an infinite, self referential loop: the primary wounds are so deep, the scars so profound, and Obama/Clinton supporters are so gosh darned ugly, that Clinton supporters won't vote for the Democratic nominee. After sticking that shiv in, they'll twist it to and fro with variations of 'Obama supporters are vainglorious, arrogant thugs cheerfully rubbing the noses of Clinton backers in their defeat.'
Why? It's pretty obvious, they aren't motivated by concern for the nation's welfare and they sure as hell don't care about Hillary Clinton or the honor of her supporters. Their goal is to erect and maintain a fiery, emotional divide built of simmering resentment and mutual distrust in the minds of as many progressive voters as possible, so that an unpopular John McCain leading up a wounded and fractured GOP has a chance of squeaking by in November.
Like most right-wing opportunists, they'll misconstrue or just flat out reword heated comments made in the throes of political passion by loyal Clinton and Obama supporters in hope of pitting us against one another; they'll cherry pick nasty statements and loop disturbing video, make up anything else they need, and carefully select guests to reinforce the speil. They will eagerly add fuel to the whatever internecine flame wars they can provoke through the use of everything from obscure sock puppets to national punditry.
I can honestly state, this primary season I learned something I didn't know about Sen. Clinton herself: Any ordinary candidate would have been DoA months ago, but Hillary Clinton is no ordinary candidate, she is a freak'n bad ass, and I mean that with all due and astonished respect. Holy smokes, I feel sorry for the next poor son of a bitch that goes against her politically on anything. That's why I'm awful damn happy she's on our side in the Senate. I can say without reservation I would have gleefully pulled the lever for Hillary Clinton so hard I might have broke the sucker off in my hand.
But this diary isn't about Hillary Clinton, it's about the unpaid volunteers who committed their time and energy to her campaign. Whereas a number of bloggers have understandably grown weary of missteps from Clinton's handlers, myself included, there is a distinct difference between the candidate, the candidate's senior campaign advisers, and the candidate's grass roots volunteers. My personal admiration for the latter has soared.
Hillary Clinton is one tough cookie, she accepts the inevitable attacks and criticism that go with the territory. Same for her senior advisers, not only are they fair game, hell, I'd say they're more culpable for the end result than Clinton herself. High profile bloggers? We're fair game too.
But when the Kewl Kidz start labeling Hillary's grass roots supporters, most of whom have never even read a blog, as racists or grudge holding hillbillies to sow division? When they enlist the millions of men and women she inspired, my wife among them, to prop up their failed policies, the same extremist agenda which goes against everything Hillary Clinton and her supporters have worked for?
Back. Fucking. Off.
When I think about how Clinton supporters have been treated for their impressive efforts -- most especially by right-wing assholes -- when I hear them called traitors, ridiculed, held in open contempt, their candidate called a bitch, a whore, a dyke, a c*nt, i.e. insulting the supporters by proxy, it leaves me conflicted between admiration for their fortitude and a little pissed off on their behalf. And now, as a final insult, they're going to be unwillingly caricatured by their worst mortal conservative enemies as race-baiting, spiteful, party hating, destroyers.
Our progressive brothers and sisters who fought passionately for Hillary Clinton deserve better! You can bet they're not going to get it from Fox News -- in fact they're going to cut up and be used as bait for a trap to snare us all. But in this diary they get their due, here, they are welcome. Friends, I hope you feel the same and say so below in comments.
Be patient: It's easy to be gracious, even magnanimous, when you're the victor. But it takes enormous strength and character to put aside one's heartbreak, ignore the slings and arrows still being fired from all corners, resist trolls or clever appeals to human frailty even now eminating from conservative operatives, and work for the opposing candidate after your favorite falls shy of the nomination. And yet, that's exactly what the vast majority of HRC supporters are going to do.
Despite the bill of goods conservatives are about to try and sell us, thousands of battle-hardened HRC volunteers are going to fight along side you in the trenches, getting out the vote and raising money the nation over. Together, we are going to win the Oval Office and bring it home for the House, Senate, state right down to the local city council. They'll do it standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, they'll do it while conservative creeps cackle and giggle and portray them as feminazis or neo-liberal Klansmen, they'll keep doing it when the right-wing campaign to drive a wedge between us goes into desperate overdrive: never forget, some will do it with the stinging tears of primary defeat still drying in their eyes.
Forget about the wedge right-wing operatives are sure to pound in between us for all they're worth, focus on the sheer tenacity shown by HRC supporters and the fact that they share our cherished values. I submit they have earned our respect through hard work and dedication to a nation they love. I propose they have secured a place at the table. And when the wingnuts come gunning for us all, baiting us, dividing us, with talking points that our allies from the ranks of Clinton supporters are intolerant racist hicks with an Obama sized chip on their shoulder, ready to wreck the election, I propose we demonstrate our resolve to them, by not falling for it: not this time.
I for one plan to give them all that and more this election season, to prove the right-wing pundits wrong, come through for a nation that is counting on us, and ride over and flatten John McCain's shitty straight talk'n express like a runaway freight train this November. ALL ABOOOARD!?!