America lost last night

After watching the returns, speeches, and morning after analyses, I am filled with sadness. Sadness that seeps into every pore. Bone aching sadness.

Last fall as the primary season was really heating up, I was filled with hope that America was awake to the damage done by the Bush "Republic" and welcoming of new leadership and a new direction for the country. Yes, I was disappointed that Gore decided not to run but understand fully why he decided to put all of his energy into fighting climate change. However, the field of candidates for Democratic Party was strong and I was drawn to the social justice platform of John Edwards. On the other side, the party of greed, fear, and violence was serving up slime from top to bottom. I could taste change in the air.

The last four months have dashed that hope. My guts do not hurt because Edwards lost. As much as I liked what he had to say, I had my doubts he would get the nomination. My guts do not hurt because Obama lost in Pennsylvania and the primary fight has to go on. The source of my discontent has been the sheer ugliness of the campaign run by Senator Clinton and her cadre of mealy-mouth, anything-goes thugs.

I do not hate Hillary Clinton. When she was First Lady, I was impressed by her awareness and involvement in health care issues. Most people think of her involvement in health care reform during the first year of Bill Clinton's presidency. What was lost in all the various Republican-fueled controversies was her continued personal involvement and interest in health care throughout the Clinton presidency.

I have been involved in research on health care utilization by the older segment of the population, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. With each publication in high profile journals, like the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hillary Clinton's office would contact the research team for more information about the implications for our public health system. The content of these contacts was always the same. Hillary had read the publication, wanted more information, and was soliciting suggestions for what kinds of programs needed to be developed to lessen the public health impact of these disabling conditions. That level of interest and involvement on her part was impressive, yet off the media radar. It showed me something of her potential for leadership.

As a Senator, I have been occasionally impressed and occassionally disgusted (particularly on Iraq) with Clinton's voting record. As a candidate for president, especially during the past four months, my respect for Hillary Clinton has been destroyed. We are at a critical juncture in our history and face very serious issues. There is no excuse for her not running a substantive, issue-oriented campaign. Instead, when Obama's gifts of charisma and messaging provided a major obstacle to her candidacy, the Clinton campaign has tried to increase Obama's perceived negatives rather than run on her own merits and ideas. Her winning-at-all-costs approach means we all lose because the only long-term beneficiary is McCain.

At a family gathering over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to talk to my in-laws, who are life-long Republicans but seriously disenchanted with the ruinous presidency of Bush and no fan of McCain's intent to continue those policies. They were attracted to Obama and were thinking of voting for him during the West Virginia primary, but had some reservations about supporting him in no small part because of the Clinton attacks. They are older and highly educated so they have been trying to sort through all the claims and counter-claims, but media coverage in West Virginia has been dominated by the trivialities of the Clinton smear and fear campaign. They have not been sold on Clinton as much as made uncertain about Obama, which will hurt us in November no matter who ultimately gets the nomination.

Clinton's divisive campaign tactics may have gotten her a victory in Pennsylvania, but she did not help the Democratic Party win in November when it really counts.  If by some miracle or manipulation, Hillary manages to get the nomination, I will vote for her because I hate McCain, not because I am enthusiastic about her campaign. I have no idea how my in-laws will vote in May or November, but I am saddened that their interest in Obama has been dampened by the politics as ususal of the Clinton campaign. Nothing I have seen from Hillary gives me any reason to hope or believe that she can help heal the wounds she has inflicted on Obama and the Democratic Party. A good, hard fought, substantive campaign would have gone a long way to show the country the best of what the Democratic Party has to offer. Too bad Hillary Clinton was not up to that task. As a progressive, I am very bitter about the way Clinton has conducted her campaign. It did not have to be this way.