Well, I promised myself that my first diary would not be about Hillary Clinton, but after last night I can't help myself. So here goes....
I'll never forget the moment in (I think it was Cleveland) one of the debates when Tim Russert asked Senator Obama about the unsolicited endorsement he received from Farrakhan. Obama replied that he did not seek the endorsement and had denounced Farrakhan. Clinton piped in that it was not enough to "denounce" the endorsement, he had to "reject" it as she did when she received support from a bigoted group during her senate campaign. She was attempting to present herself as the moral figure with the stronger convictions and I found it ridiculous.
But once again, Hillary Clinton is off message and it's time for her to do a little denouncing and rejecting of her own.
Hillary has not only ignored her theory on the importance of denouncing and rejecting support from those who don't share her moral vision, she's actually done the opposite. So here's my list of the support she needs to denounce and reject.
1. Geraldine Ferraro - She is really just an idiot and doesn't deserve acknowledgement. However, she is using Clinton's campaign as a platform for her own agenda. If Clinton were truly a strong woman, she would reject support from this divisive, angry person.
2.Operation Chaos voters - Their support for Clinton has never been sincere, but she has never acknowledged the disrespect that these voters have shown for the American right to vote. Many of our forefathers died so that America would be a democracy and anyone who has participated in Operation Chaos has desecrated the foundation of this country. Operation Chaos voters supported Clinton - why hasn't she denounced and rejected their votes? Clinton has embraced this attempt to make a mockery of the Democratic primary solely because it works in her favor.
3.Voters from West Virginia and Kentucky who admitted in recent exit polls that they would not vote for Obama because he is African American. Bottom line - there should be no tolerance of blind hate in our party or our country. How can we have a President who has embraced it?
With all of this in mind, I really don't believe that Hillary agrees in her heart with Ferraro, Operation Chaos, or an ignorant refusal to vote for a candidate based on race. However, her unwillingness to denounce and reject these supporters is a sign of a weak moral fiber. It's easy to accept unwanted support when it's convenient and it's easy to act as if something hateful isn't really there. What takes personal strength is a willingness to stand up for what you believe, even at the risk of losing an election. I just haven't seen Hillary Clinton do that.
It seems that toughness is being defined as the willingness to take a punch, throw a punch, rewrite reality, or make false accusations against an opponent stick. That is not toughness - it's cowardice and weakness. I just can't accept those qualities in someone who claims to be a leader and a role model.