Ok, time for tough love

I've had it.  After reading the diaries and news today about Senator Clinton's latest dirty politics and the number of very quality people that are actually saying they could never again vote for her even if it meant McCain wins the White House, I've come to this conclusion - it's time for a voter intervention.

It appears that apart from a few brave individuals like Gov. Richardson, we can't necessarily count on endorsements flying in from Democratic superstars to try to derail her.  Perhaps the Clinton machine has something over these people or they simply know she'll just get tougher and meaner if they push on her.  Perhaps they've already made overtures and they've been rebuffed or she's threatened to pull a Leiberman and split the party.

Well, here's something she can't ignore and at this point in time I could care less if I upset any of her remaining supporters.  

Just as I lost all respect and tolerance for an errant roommate years back when he confided in me that at one time in his life he'd done heroin, Hillary's crossed that line where it's obvious to me now that she'll do and say anything to retain political power, even if it means letting down the country.  I could care less anymore about the years of work and sacrifice she's put in, the noble things she's done in the past for racial equality, or her efforts for universal health care, the strong desire I have that we elect a woman to the highest office in the land.  None of that means anything if the Republicans are allowed to retain power after their traitorous reign over the past decade and she's paving the way for that more and more each day.  She's stuck that needle in her arm.

Here's what we need to do and quickly.  

1.  I don't know what the laws in New York State are in regards to impeaching a Senator but we need progressives in that state to either begin that process or immediately start a push to find a viable Democratic challenger to take her on in the next Congressional elections there.  She can play fast and loose in this campaign because at the end of it all she remains powerful in her current job.  Let's show her that can go away as well.

2.  Lobby our own Democratic Senators and Congressmen, especially the senior members and ask them to let Sen. Clinton know that they will be voting against her inclusion on committees and recommend her exclusion from all party activities.  (I'm not holding my breath on this one)

3.  Write letters to the editor for newspapers in New York state and exclaim your outrage at the direction their Senator is going in this campaign.  Urge their citizens to lobby her to cease this despicable assault on Barrack Obama or that they will work against her reelection.

4.  Get lists of the major industry contributors to her campaign and begin a letter writing campaign to those entities explaining that their priorities are wrong and may result in a boycott if this goes farther.

5.  Begin protests at Clinton campaign headquarters throughout the country ensuring that they are in no way connected to Obama's campaign.  Signs should decry her tactics as being undemocratic, unethical, and an affront to the party.

This has to stop now.  Too many people are becoming so disgusted with her campaign that there's a solid chance that many will simply stay home and not vote in the general election should she find some way to sneak into the nomination.  

I am fairly confident Obama will still win but the rhetoric gets more nasty every day and even a person of absolute integrity cannot withstand that type of assault without severe harm to their electability.  The stakes are too high to allow that to happen.

•  tips, recs, rebukes

  I know this one will get the blood boiling for some folks but it's time.

  by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:10:25 PM PDT

  •  Just the fact

    that in some polls, McCain is now ahead nationally, albeit in a miniscule way, should be the big tipping point to some folks. It amazes me daily that her attacks, lies, and fabrications are utterly overlooked by her rabid supporters. Some of your ideas were great - I will add one - get hold of her supers and tell them you're voting against them, too. If enough people do that, it might scare them straight. Although, given what I've heard from her surrogates just today, they're not an overly bright bunch to begin with....

    by Leigh3352 on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:16:16 PM PDT

•  This is gonna sound radical...but...

  Most of us (who have already voted) are now pretty much observers.  There is now a mass building against the Clintons.  When it reaches critical...this will end.  

  In the meantime...hang on to your seats.

  by David Kroning on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:16:25 PM PDT

  •  Oh I know

    My state (Az) voted long ago so that's why I'm emphasizing the letter writing.  The pressure has to come from the voters.  

    by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:26:24 PM PDT

•  Contact the Reps who've endorsed her

  These Reps endorsed her, however their districts voted for Obama. It might help to have constituents contact their Representatives and make a case for switching their support to Obama.  Nancy Pelosi does seem to be signaling that Representatives should support the winner of their Congressional district. There are also some Governors and Senators who are in the same boat.

  Rep. Mike Thompson CA 1st
  Rep. Doris Matsui   CA 5th
  Rep. Lynn Woolsey    CA 6th (changing?)
  Rep. Diane Watson    CA 33rd
  Rep. Laura Richardson  CA 37th

  Rep. Leonard Boswell,  IA 3rd

  Sen. Daniel Inouye  HI Sen.

  Sen. Barbara Mikulski    MD  Sen
  Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger   MD  2nd

  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver  MO 5th

  Rep. Bill Pascrell   NJ. 8th

  Rep. Edolphus Towns    NY 10th
  Rep. Yvette Clark  NY 11th

  Sen. Maria Cantwell  WA Sen.
  Sen. Patty Murray  WA Sen.
  Rep. Norman Dicks  WA 6th

  Rep. Tammy Baldwin   WI 2nd

  by Grassroots Mom on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:17:24 PM PDT

  •  Pelosi's request

    doesn't really go far enough in my mind.  I think the critical point has been reached where this isn't just a matter of fairness where the delegates represent the wishes of their constituents but begin instead to look out for the future of our country and the Democratic Party.  

    The message needs to be that she's crossed the line and deserves nobody's vote anymore.  If they need a justification, tell them to look in the faces of the children of this country.

    by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:29:40 PM PDT

•  uh

  had done heroin or was doing heroin?

  Did he change like a werewolf when he spoke the words?

  Other than wondering the answer to that, not much new here. Here is an idea, how about if we let the people who haven't voted yet, have their vote?

  Just a thought

  Now back to that heroin thing I'm really curious, why hearing something effectyed your senses enough to feel the need to include it at such a later date.

  by LaEscapee on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:27:35 PM PDT

  •  There are just lines I've built

    in life that are absolutes I'm afraid but at least they all involve choice of the individual and they all involve the worst of the practices.  I do not discriminate based on things beyond the control of normal people and the things that life throws at them.

    Some of those lines include the bullying of wife beaters, the heinous crime of child molestation, intentional cruelty to animals, and sticking needles into one's arms.  It does bother me that I've developed these lines but I've never found a person yet that engaged in any of these activities that I found had any redeeming qualities as far as the people I want to be around.  I do keep looking but it's been extremely consistent.  

    My own circle of friends however contains numerous flawed individuals (including myself) but none of them have crossed any of those lines.

    by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:38:06 PM PDT

    •  I'll bet you've not known you've known a few

      people who have stuck needles in their arms. I haven't tried heroin, but I wouldn't put it into the same category as child abuse!

      Your metaphor works better for me when I imagine Hillary sticking a needle in the arm of the Democratic party. Ouch. But probably some sort crystal meth or speedball -- something that cranks us all up into a state of violence. Heroin, by most accounts, is awfully pleasant.

      by Petey2 on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:47:25 PM PDT

      •  and some would probably tell you

        that murder is pleasant.  I did many different drugs when I was younger and would probably smoke pot today if the penalties weren't so high but I knew the stakes of making that jump into the highly addictive world and the type of people I'd have to be around if I wanted that extra kick.  It was never remotely worth it, not once, not ever.  Nor was it ever an option for anyone I knew or respected.  It was an absurd notion to all of us.  

        I would agree that child abuse is worse but that doesn't make my distaste for heroin use any less.  

        by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:53:01 PM PDT

      •  FWIW, my junkie friend would agree with you ...

        ... on the part about how heroin, as a high, "is awfully pleasant." I wouldn't know as I've never tried it myself (or had the desire to either).

        I do know what I saw it do to her, which was to completely ruin the woman's life. Smack made her unemployable. It crushed her self-esteem. It wasted her mental and physical health. It left her estranged from her family. It resulted in an arrest and felony conviction for possession that even now may result in her doing prison time. On and on.

        My junkie friend is a beautiful and brilliant woman and a great poet and writer. She is far more intelligent and talented than I could ever be. But all of her enormous - almost unlimited - potential is for naught just because of some little white powder that controls more than half of her life.

        Nothing I could do to help her get off the stuff was enough to make a difference in the end. I still have a huge amount of compassion for her and people like her. I don't want to judge the lady because I know enough about the childhood abandonment and abuse she suffered to understand how comforting heroin must be to her. But as for the drug itself, I have done my share of illicit pharmaceuticals in this world, and I have NEVER seen anything even remotely as destructive as heroin.

        by philimus on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 04:19:17 PM PDT

•  You make some very good suggestions here ...

  ... and while I don't know how far attempts to recall Sen. Clinton might get, or how effective efforts to have Hillary's colleagues deny her membership on the senior committees might be, it's worth trying.

  Picketing her offices nationwide to protest her dirty campaign tactics is an excellent idea, however; especially if those on the line can make it clear they are not Obama partisans. At least it's worth a shot, and it might just send a message to the remaining uncommitted superdelegates that this scorched earth campaign must end now.

  All that being said, as someone who once failed to help a junkie friend get clean, I don't know whether anything -- even tough love -- can really solve the problem unless or until that person is ready to change and is willing to make the sacrifice necessary to do so.

  by philimus on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:35:17 PM PDT

  •  Good point

    I'm definitely grasping at straws here but it beats feeling powerless and sitting back and watching it burn as if you're the commentator as the Hindenburg crashes.

    by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:39:51 PM PDT

•  The leadership of the Democratic Party

  needs to tell Clinton to cut out the smears.  If she doesn't, then they need to publicly defend Obama on these matters and publicly admonish her for these smears.

  There is no need to endorse Obama yet, but there is a need to publicly admonish Clinton for her dirty tactics.

  by IhateBush on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:55:15 PM PDT

•  I had an idea.....

  I probably won't work unless a lot of people do it.  I think we should get a lot of people to write actual letters, not emails, letters to the major newspapers in the upcoming states.  Tell them that we are sick of scorched earth tactics being used by HRC to win the nomination, that HRC would rather John McCain win than Barack Obama so she could run again in 4 years, and that super delegates need to step it up and end this thing.  If they were overwhelmed with letters, they couldn't ignore it.

  by Snickers77 on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:55:36 PM PDT

  •  not a bad idea

    editorial sections attract a lot of people that are addictive voters.

    by artmartin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 04:09:11 PM PDT

•  Let's get real

  I can appreciate your desire to do the right thing, though I agree with some others here that the thing about your heroin experimenting friend is more than a bit oddly compared to spousal and child abuse, but believe me, you are pissing in the wind. What happens when you pursue these tactics?  Most likely -- NOTHING.  And if you managed to get some attention, it would eventually get turned against you. These people are champions.  You are not ready.  Waste of time.  If you are bothered by the Hillary Clinton campaign strategy, the most effective, most powerful, and most moral response is to actively work for her opponents -- now Barack Obama and then John McCain.  Go to Pennsylvania!  I've been canvassing in Pennsylvania and I can tell you, it's scary out there.  

  by dhaemeon on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 04:40:51 PM PDT

  •  Truth be told

    my only weapon right now is the power of the written word.  I work a fulltime job with no time off, have two teenage sons one in college, a honey-do list a mile long and barely have time after getting home to eat dinner, shower, and get to bed.

    It's easy for some to just take off and travel around the country to work politically but my guess is for the most of us, just trying to influence the circle of people around us is about as far as we can get.  

    Oh, and by the way, no matter how much distaste I have for Hillary, I will never ever work for John McCain.  He's my Senator and you can have him.

    by artmartin on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 06:59:44 AM PDT