Don't Tell Us, Hillary, SHOW US

The Clinton campaign has been rife with contradiction this week.  And while they are shouting ever louder about how wonderful a leader she is, how tough and battle-ready, her actions demonstrate even louder how she will perform as president.

Hillary, don't TELL us you're ready on day one.  SHOW us that you have the reasoned judgment not to invade countries for trumped-up reasons.

Don't TELL us you're battle-tested and ready to run against the Republicans in the GE and then complain about not getting enough sleep and being asked all the first questions at the debate.  You're going to have to deal with much worse.

Don't TELL us you are a seasoned politician and then make one political misstep after another: releasing a fearmongering ad that played right into Obama's hands, or this latest tactic of raising the expectations of Obama's performance on Tuesday that again will backfire in a moment.  There are plenty of other examples.

And finally, don't TELL us you are a winner; SHOW us!  You simply can't explain away all these losses in February (and probably March as well) and yet make a claim to the nomination.

The gap between her words and her actions is growing ever wider.  Pretty soon no one will be listening.  And in the meantime, Obama is showing us every day that he has the skills, political savvy and even-handed temperament to be next President of the United States.

•  Another example

  (one of many):  please SHOW us that you can run the financial side of a campaign, show us you can handle budgeting and money issues without running your campaign into the ground.

  by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:36:54 PM PDT

  •  I believe the people in Ohio are listening to

    Hillary, not you.

    by BoringDem on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:54:38 PM PDT

    •  We will see on Tuesday...

      She's got her voting blocs, I don't grudge her those--but they won't be enough to put her over the top in the end (barring machinations like superdelegates, MI/FL etc.).

      by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:56:58 PM PDT

    •  The question is, are they WATCHING her?

      Actions speak louder than words, and for all Senator Clinton's claims that Obama is just talk, his actions are making it clear that he is the better choice.

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:03:56 PM PDT

      •  Yes they are watching her.

        Both candidates had events today in  Westerville.  One candidate had 4k the other candidate, well, let us just say that the parking lot @ Westerville North looked like it was a regular school day (if that).

        Last night @ Gallery Hop lots of people w/Obama buttons and stickers, and people passing them out.  Same @ Easton.  Somalis voting (and I"m guessing they aren't voting for HRC) a march of around 750 people to vote (lots of little old AA's and union members).  1.5 hour lines for early voting. Interesting stuff in happening in Franklin county.

        by Shhs on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:50:07 PM PDT

        •  Cool, thanks for the report

          from the ground!  They are always interesting.

          by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:58:30 PM PDT

          •  My mom has video

            And pictures, but I didn't feel like posting them.  The Somali thing is big bc they really don't vote and they make up a big population in C-bus (30k)

            by Shhs on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:02:03 PM PDT

            •  I had relatives in Cleveland and on the shore

              of lake Erie (Vermillion).  The only time I ever went to Columbus was to go to a wedding with my father; I was too young to know which relative was getting married.

              I heard Columbus was Clinton country; perhaps I heard wrong.

              by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:34:46 PM PDT

•  That's the problem with people who have spent

  too much time in D.C.  They think that saying something is the same thing as doing something.  You know, like saying you are opposed to the Iraq war without doing something about it.  Thank god the rest of the country actually sees the difference between saying and doing.

  by Man in Black on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:41:17 PM PDT

  •  I think its essential that

    we raise awareness of the difference though.  I think there are still quite a number of people out there, in the media especially, that equate saying something with doing.

    I learned the difference in my college creative writing class.  Good writers don't TELL you about their story or their characters, they SHOW you.  

    Don't TELL me how to react--SHOW me and I will react how I will.

    by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:48:40 PM PDT

    •  It would have been interesting to see what she

      would have said when she answered that ringing phone, rather than having to interpret what those school-marm glasses were supposed to mean.

      I also have trouble with what she says about the general exam.  "I can stand on that stage and have a debate with McCain on Iraq."  Absolutely true; but could you WIN that debate?  Obama has said what points he would make against McCain; has she?

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:28:09 PM PDT

  •  She is consenually mouthing...

    the words that Mark Penn is feeding her.  That, in and of itself, is enough to tell me that I would not choose to vote for her for President.  Her failure or inability to pick up on the voices of a large part of the electorate is astounding and convinces me that I do not want to see her at the helm of this country.  I'll vote for her if needbe, I guess.  But it will be with all the excitement of a siberian worker trudging off for a 14 hour day of minimum wage in a coal mine.

    by mayan on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:07:40 PM PDT

    •  She's developed a bubble, just like B*sh.

      Begala was saying the other day that she is "best known candidate nobody knows" or something like that.

      Bill Moyers had a historian from Annenburg on that compared the ads from McCain, Obama, and Clinton, about telling their life story.  Only Hillary's ad campaign has been essentially devoid of information about who they were as a young person, before they got involved in politics.  The historian made the point that it has been more difficult for her to build a personal connection with the voters as a direct consequence of not having that history out there in the public view.  Both Obama and McCain have told the story of who they are and how their story, ending as President, would be a story to be proud of.  Only Hillary has not made such a narrative.

      If she wants to show how much she cares about us, she's going about it the wrong way; and that shows she has pretty significant lack of political savvy.

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:17:04 PM PDT

    •  James Carville said today that Mark Penn

      essentially WROTE that terrible red phone ad.  Just perfect.

      by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:00:03 PM PDT

      •  After giving it to McCain...

        for the first 3am phone call ad a couple of months ago.

        by mayan on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:05:34 PM PDT

        •  Yeah, what's up with that?

          I heard both Clinton and McCain are using Penn's company to run their campaigns...WTF???

          by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:37:37 PM PDT

•  And another action thing.

  Hillary has shown with her actions that she doesn't care whatsover about the 50-state stategy. Or bringing new Democrats to the party.

  I don't see how this is debatable. Look at Kos' post on the frontpage.

  If Hillary somehow gets the nomination, I'm not going to provide active support to her campaign. Why? Because I won't have time. I'll be donating and trying to work to counteract the negative downticket effects of Hillary's strategy and lack of organization.

  by psycho liberal on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:41:38 PM PDT

  •  So right

    This reminds me of something else--her campaign keeps SAYING that "Oh, Hillary cares so much about the voters and about America"--at the same time they're writing off huge chunks of the Democratic electorate as latte-drinking elitists.

    You're so right.  And it may be that she is a very caring person.  But right now it looks like the only person she cares about is herself.

    by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:50:22 PM PDT

    •  Latte's clearly have a REPUBLICAN bias! n.t

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:06:25 PM PDT

•  Show me that you have character.

  Don't pander to women for their vote. You can't be victim and victor at the same time. You picked the victim role and try to tell me that you are a victor.

  Who should I believe, you or my lying eyes? (Thank you Eddie Murphy)

  by kiki236 on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:53:20 PM PDT

  •  Personally I don't think she's

    doing women a lot of favors.  Partially the media's fault of course, but I don't like the victim mentality and the whole undercurrent that people are voting for her because they feel sorry for her.

    The ONLY reason people should be voting for her is because they think she's best qualified.  Period!

    by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:58:45 PM PDT

•  You forgot one thing:

  Hillary should show she is as much a Lieberman lackey as Obama by promising to appoint even MORE conservatives to her cabinet.
  Tom Coburn for HHS.. yeah!

  by BoringDem on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:55:39 PM PDT

  •  I'm sure I forgot a lot of things

    Please feel free to add to the list!  :)

    by oscarsmom on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 12:57:35 PM PDT

  •  Where did you hear he wants Tom Coburn for HHS?

    Has he made other suggestions about other Cabinet picks?

    by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:08:26 PM PDT

  •  "The Google" comes up empty on this,

    are you just spreading vicious rumors?

    by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:21:57 PM PDT

    •  Apparently so, oscarsdad.

      Over an hour, no response.

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:56:02 PM PDT

•  the public face of her campaign

  I find it disturbing that the public face of her innercircle seems to be distinctly male.  Where is the empowering of more women to higher levels?

  by Nellcote on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:21:41 PM PDT

  •  The campaign manager that left was a woman, and

    the one who replaced her was a woman, too.  But it's a good point.  I don't know if she's to the point of making suggestions for people she would like to work with in her future administration, but if she has made such suggestions it would be interesting to see what she has said.

    by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 01:24:55 PM PDT

  •  Are you similarly disturbed

    by Obama's dependence on white males as his advisors, while most of the AAs that work for him are in staff positions?

    by skohayes on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:44:43 PM PDT

    •  If all of his advisers were black, that might be

      an analogous situation.  However, I'm not aware of him having a blanket white OR black set of advisors.  Deval Patrick and Dick Durbin are both very active in his campaign at the highest levels.

      by oscarsdad on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 02:54:57 PM PDT

    •  Not disturbing

      I don't care what an advisor looks like.  I want to know that a candidate/president will be surrounded by the best people, period.  That's why I have a little problem with Penn and Ickes.  That shows me a couple of questionable choices, and sticking with them despite the disaster of her campaign shows me something I've been looking at for almost 8 years now...  

      by luckylizard on Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 03:02:32 PM PDT