Don't Sweat It, uh ... Sweetie?
by Mark Adams
Avendon reminded me of one of the Raisons d'Entre for the continuation of Hillary Clinton's campaign:
"I think she's running all the bases," I said. "She's the first woman in history to win a state primary, and she's won a lot more. She's running pretty close to the front-runner. It's a major historic moment." And the more I think about it, the more I think it has to be part of what's driving her. There's a bit of climbing the mountain because it's there, and wanting to be able to stand up in the end and say something like, "Never let it be said that a woman can't go the distance." It doesn't matter if someone else breaks the tape, just as long as she finishes the race. (And think how she'd feel if something did happen before Denver to tank Obama and she hadn't.) I've been unhappy with a lot of things about Hillary, but there's a part of me that kind of admires that. Because she wouldn't just be doing that for herself - she's doing it for every little girl who was ever told she can't.Now that reminded me of something awkwardly pointed out by her husband -- Barack Obama wasn't the first black man to win a State's presidential primary; and this historical situation was elaborated upon by an even blunter instrument in the form of Chris Matthews -- black men we granted the vote via the 15th Amendment fully 50 years before women were enfranchised via the 19th Amendment.
From an historical perspective, Hillary has already accomplished more politically than any woman before her. There will be more, a lot more who follow the trail she's blazed. Obama has done more than any black man who came before him, but only marginally unless and until he accepts the nomination at the Democratic Convention. At that point, it can be said that both reached threshholds of truly historic proportions.
And that's saying something folks.
And we're going to do a lot better than that with the assclowns the GOP has put up for the sacrifice.
Fine and good.
But that doesn't address her presenting McCain as better qualified than Obama for the presidency. Or Bill Clinton suggesting that if Hillary (not Obama) got the nomination then you'd have two candidates who loved their country.
Yes, I understand she's a "fighter." But that's not fighting -- that's destroying.
Agreed. Clinton has sacrificed the moral high ground for Democrats and given aid and comfort to our (America's) enemies: the GOP and corporate media gasbags.
Also, I think it will be a greater moral victory for the nation, and send a more important message to the world, to elect a person of color to the highest office in the land.
Hillary never actually said McCain was better qualified. What she said was about how he would campaign - that she could show her length of experience, that McCain could show his length of experience, but Obama had "a speech" - that is, not the length of service in Washington.
I think it's a stupid argument and even worse phraseology, but she wasn't actually saying McCain was better qualified to serve.
On the other hand, the Republicans have received no better gift than having Obama's team constantly playing up the meme that the Democratic Party is a bunch of racists. The minute they sent out that memo accusing the Clinton team of race-baiting for saying ordinary and not-at-all-racially-charaged things, they did more damage to the party and our chances in November than anything even Mark Penn has done. It was destructive, stupid, and nasty.
Looks to me like you’re motivated to spin Hillary’s statements to her advantage but do the exact opposite when it comes to Obama’s campaign:
"I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it's imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold…I believe that I've done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you'll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy…"
Now you can quote the memo that was, "accusing the Clinton team of race-baiting."
Oh, and BTW, some people in the Democratic party are racist. They freely admit it, leaving an untold number who simply won't admit it, along with the non-racists. And, unlike Hillary's suggestions that Obama, in contrast to McCain, hasn't crossed CINC threshold, along with her validating guilt-by-association smears of Obama, Obama's throwing down the race-card gauntlet doesn't hurt the party or his candidacy one bit in the general.
One more thing, not that I believe that Obama "accused the Clinton team of race-baiting", but read this and tell if you think that Obama could ever have avoided addressing white racism in this election.