In recent history, the MSM has enjoyed writing the narrative of Hillary Clinton as a fighter. This is an image she has embraced and encouraged. Perhaps they believe this because she's willing to go negative and throw punches more quickly than Obama? However, when it matters most, she doesn't seem to fight at all, instead she turns her back and slams the door. So is Hillary Clinton really the fighter she loves to portray herself as? More after the fold...
If Hillary Clinton was really a fighter, I would expect her to be doing a lot more "fighting." Instead, she has ceded ground in almost every area, but one.
Hillary Clinton cedes:
- The African American vote - This vote was much stronger for Clinton in the beginning of this primary process than it is now. The Clintons, admitted by all, have done a lot for African Americans throughout their history in politics. Yet, Bill makes one wrong comment in South Carolina (and there were probably a few others), the African American vote swings the other way - and instead of FIGHTING for the African American vote Clinton dismisses Obama as the African American candidate; as if African Americans can't think for themselves and make educated decisions about who would be the best person to lead this country.
- The youth vote - Here is another demographic that supported Bill Clinton that has been ceded. It can hardly be said that Hillary Fights for the youth vote. She doesn't. Not only does she cede it, but her husband Bill Clinton makes disparaging comments about the types of decisions youth voters make.
- The upper income, college educated vote - again, strong vote for the Clintons in the 90s, Hillary totally cedes it now - making disparaging comments about Obama's "latte-sipping" vote.
- MoveOn / the progressive vote - Even for those (like myself) who didn't know the origination of MoveOn.org, we have now read the many diaries posted here on kos and realize what a powerful supporter of the Clintons MoveOn and the grassroots progressive movement was at one point. Once they endorsed Obama and began using their resources to his benefit, instead of fighting for the progressive vote - instead of trying to win back progressive voters...she dismissed them out of hand with what we now know to be her typical stinging backlash.
Also, as a side note - how much of a fighter is a person who dismisses caucuses (the forum for the "fighter" in terms of political passion) and "unimportant" states out of hand? She didn't fight for these states in the beginning of the primary season. You can argue that it's because she didn't think they were important or that she wouldn't need them (but, again, what does that say?) but Obama fought for nearly every state... even after his campaign said they would not surrender to the media narrative on Pennsylvania, Obama still toured the rural areas in the state reaching out to voters, fighting against heavy odds. He did the same in Indiana. Obama has fought for almost every state because he believes that almost every state can be a democratic state. Hillary Clinton believes in a few "big" states and a couple "swing" states; she abandons the rest of the states to the Republicans.
So what does Hillary Clinton fight for...?
- The "hard-working white Americans" - let's not imagine she meant this to be a racist comment. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt and imagine she used this phrase to contrast the hard working white Americans that support her with the hard working black (and other ethnicities?) Americans that support Obama. At some point the question comes up - After ceding all these other voter groups and categories - why does she fight for this particular group so hard? Well... perhaps, perhaps, perhaps it's because Hillary and the Clinton campaign have themselves stereotyped this group worse than any pundit or kos diary writer has. Perhaps it is because Hillary HERSELF believes this particular voting block is racist and "low-information" thus she doesn't have that much work to do with them. She doesn't have to fight to make her positions clear and the strength of her candidacy clear, instead she mostly has to exploit the pre-existing weaknesses of Obama's candidacy with them and their hers for the taking.
Think it over for yourself - weighing the way this campaign has played out and all the steps along the way and ask yourself who the real fighter is in this campaign season?