I hope most of you have read Joseph Conrad's novella, "Heart of Darkness" (1902). If not, you are have probably familiar with the basic structure of it as seen in movies like "Apocalypse Now." It is a 20th-century fable, a story about what human nature is capable of in a consequence-free, extra-social environment. In it the narrator, Marlow, voyages deep into the unknown parts of 19th century African jungle in order to retrieve Howard Kurtz, a fellow European who has "gotten out of control," who is beyond the reach of both communication and ethics.
There are parallels with Hillary Clinton's current situation. While in no way am I suggesting she is involved in or capable of any sort of violence towards herself or others, she is in a position similar to Kurtz in the novel. For years now she has been living at the apex of political life in our country--first as the wife of the President, then as the de facto Queen of the Democratic Party. No one told the Clintons what to do because they couldn't. The only way to influence the behavior of a politician in that position is to use political leverage, and there simply hasn't been anything strong enough to counterbalance their own power.
Bill and Hillary planned for Hillary to become President someday. All of the choices they made between 2000 and today had this goal in mind. But suddenly they realized that despite their best efforts they weren't going to achieve their goal. How is it possible? No one had ever stood in their way before.
Hillary's behavior this past week is of one who is going deeper and deeper into Conrad's jungle, further from the reach of reason or ethics or the workings of a democratic government. The one thing that our society depends on is the rule of law and democratic principles as defined by the rules we decide on as a party and as a nation. Yet Hillary insists on disregarding these rules in her own pursuit of power and has openly scorned the will of the voters. In New Hampshire and other places she has grown teary-eyed at the thought of anyone other than her being chosen by the electorate, seemingly convinced that only she deserves the mantle of President, only she can heal our troubled nation.
The more she is forced to confront the reality of her own defeat, the more she betrays about the inner workings of her mind. Yesterday a supposed misstatement showed the world that she is ready and willing to assume power by extra-democratic means: whether by default due to the death of the front-runner, or by overturning rules that she herself agreed on before it became clear that they were not to her advantage. She is deliberately running a divisive, ugly campaign not in the best interests of party or country, but because it best serves her own pursuit of power. And all along her willingness to employ the most repellent racebaiting tactics has shown a heart of darkness indeed.
The only check on the American pursuit of power is democracy. When a person demonstrates they no longer respect those principles, whether it is Republican George Bush or Democrat Hillary Clinton, it is time to retrieve them from that place deep in the jungle where they have been allowed to exercise their will free of any constraint. The only means left is for the delegates, pledged and super, and including her own followers, to cease enabling her and take the nomination away for good.
I doubt we will ever see Hillary at the self-reflective point Kurtz reaches at the end of the novel just before his own death, but you can hear the collective whisper of our nation after her despicable comment yesterday: "The horror--the horror!"