The "I'm angry at Hillary" Thread

I didn't start out to write a diary today, but upon waking and reading what's been going on in the election over my Cheerios, I find myself in a foul mood. Kos didn't call these posts "diaries" for nothing, so this little stream of thought rant is my vent of why I'm so angry this morning.

Back around Christmas, seems like years ago now, life was good. I was so optimistic about the upcoming election. We Democrats had such a wealth of riches. Living in New Hampshire, I had to get educated and vote early. I initially had some trouble choosing between John Edwards and Barack Obama, but after learning about both I chose Senator Obama.

For once in my life I was voting for someone, instead of against someone. Not just that, but I had a candidate that wasn't going to be playing "politics as usual" but who was taking the high road, running a positive campaign about leadership.

On the other side there were the Republicans. Having no clear front-runner, seemingly in disarray, having to run on an unpopular war and with an economy teetering on the brink. There seemed no way they could win. I did always think that their best chance was if the Democrats nominated Senator Clinton, but I still thought they'd probably lose, even in that match-up.

Fast forward less than three short months. Has it really been that short a time? The Republicans have chosen their nominee, and despite much hand-wringing, it's the guy with a shot at winning. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and again. But look what's happened in the Democratic Party.

Tactically, we have a race within the Democratic Party between a guy who runs like Democrats would like to envision themselves, and a woman who runs like a Republican. Because make no mistake, Hillary Clinton is running like a Republican. Her scorched earth policy is leaving the party a shambles, and I don't believe she cares. That makes me angry.

I'm angry that Hillary is using the Karl Rove playbook page that says, "Go as negative as possible in the final days before a vote, because your opponent won't have time to respond well." Whether it's re-earthing Rezko, or the Canada lie, or comparing McCain favorably over Obama, or misleading voters about Obama's subcommittee, it's all politics in the Republican mold, and it makes me ill. It's not new for her. Even in New Hampshire there was the anti-choice flier and the "your campaign chair's a lobbyist" lie a couple of days before the election, but she certainly has stepped it up a notch.

Moreover, I'm angry because Hillary is playing to the ignorant. The thing that bothers me most about Republicanism is the need to keep people ignorant, incurious, and uninformed. Can't educate the electorate, because then nobody would vote Republican. Well, inherent in the Clinton strategy is counting on voters being gullible, ignorant, and too lazy to check the facts. I hate that she's using that. Instead of lifting up the voters, she's manipulating their ignorance. The thing I hate most in Republicans, I now see in the Clinton campaign.

We always knew that the race would come down to a Democrat vs. a Republican, but I kinda thought that would be in the general election. When it comes to tactics, that's what we have right now, a candidate that is running based upon Democratic values, and one running as a Republican. How much more sick than that does it get?

So here's my morning rant. Silly as it may sound, this is not really intended to be an anti-Hillary diary. There's nothing new here that hasn't been diaried elsewhere. This diary is meant to express my anger. Thank you for letting me get it off my chest. This is why I'm so angry at the Clintons this morning. How about you? Are you angry? Why?

Maybe I can channel my anger into something productive today. It's worth a shot.