Lawrence Lessig, noted intellectual property expert, crusader against corporatized copyright, and founder of Creative Commons, likened Clinton's attacks on Obama to Karl Rove's moves as a Republican operative. (Disclosure: Lessig taught at Harvard and has endorsed Obama)
We've heard this about the Clintons from the start: they would do anything. But watching her utter words she knows are false, or words which even if technically true, create a plainly false impression, was, again, disgusting. Just how small is this person now apparently leading the Democrats? Just how small have we become?
I have a lot of respect for Hillary's time in the Senate. I've read fascinating bio pieces about her failure with Health Care in the early 90s, and how she is determined to never make the same mistake twice. How she humbly integrated herself into the Senate when people expected her to come wearing her First Lady shoes. She started this cycle in high opinion in my book.
But Lessig crystallized my thoughts. One of the best things the Dems have going is honestly. I don't need to bring up the 935 lies to talk about how Republicans have become the party of liars. Their whole party has become a contradiction - passing a boondoggle trillion dollar giveaway prescription drug program that was so broken that Democrats were voting against giving seniors help getting prescriptions? It defies reason.
I don't want to go down that path. I thought we were going to have a clean primary. I was feeling proud of the party. I was enthusiastic about our chances in the Fall regardless of who won.
Like Lessig, I was stunned by the level of dishonesty. And I won't dismiss it as "that's what happens in politics". Yes, when the Republicans are playing, I expect it. Not when our best candidates in ages are about to try to win a critical election.
The reason his blog stunned me was that Lessig has never struck me as particularly partisan - in fact, I wasn't entirely sure he was a Democrat. (Although in a sense, he made too much sense outside of politics to buy into the Republican line, I think I assumed) To have him tear into this issue like this confirmed to me, at least, that this sort of thing has no place in our politics.
One issue I always had with Hillary is I wondered if her battle scars would itch too much. She really has fought the Republicans, but I wondered if that had engendered some cynicism that would slow progress. I wondered if the country could survive a battle, or if the dire need of the hour was for someone who could make us feel like one nation again. There's a time for battle, and there's a time to heal and move on. He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Now I wonder if she's fought so hard and so long, she can't tell who the enemy is any more.
Fight hard, but fight fair.