DO WE REALLY WANT CHANGE?
Bill and Hillary Clinton are proving a point I made early on in the political campaign. The nasty fighting and backbiting that was a constant during Clinton’s presidency, and has continued unabated throughout the Bush years, will continue into the next administration if Hillary is elected president.
If the people of America really want change the first step is to reject the kind of campaign the Clintons are running. They believed that Hillary was the inevitable Democratic candidate when they started campaigning. But the unexpected happened. Obama began overtaking her, and then he won Iowa. Both Clinton’s, true to their much touted experience, immediately began to fight dirty. After all, that’s the way the Washington insiders do it. Most of the dirty work has been done by Bill Clinton and other campaign workers, but don’t think for a moment that this imperial woman is not privy to and in agreement with everything that goes on in her campaign.
It was Bill Clinton who introduced the issue of race even though he has tried to lay it at Obama’s feet. Why? To change the perception of Obama as a candidate who happens to be black, to one of him as the “black candidate.” If you think that is unimportant just remember the effect of John Kennedy saying he was not a Catholic candidate but rather a candidate who happened to be Catholic. Much as some might deny it, semantics do matter. .
Whether we like it or not, we cannot underestimate the impact of race. Bush Sr. beat Dukakis in large part because of the way his campaign framed the Willie Horton issue. According to one political writer, Horton never went by the name "Willie" but was called that to get more racial mileage. An ad was run that included a menacing mug shot of the African-American Horton presenting him as “every suburban mother’s greatest fear.” The ad was run as an independent expenditure so the campaign could disclaim responsibility but such disclaimers are mere technicalities that fool no one.
If the Clintons can change the perception of Obama to the candidate who is "from the black community," it puts him in a box difficult to escape. It is divisive. It frames him as a "special interest" candidate, which is totally unfair to a man who clearly wants to serve the common good. That has been Obama’s express style, appealing across all the dividing lines, up to the point where the Clintons began race-baiting. This is not only despicable; it gives us a window into the future if the Clintons are back in power – a future of gridlock, culture wars and bitter partisanship.
It was and continues to be Bill Clinton who disparages Barack Obama not only with what he says but with his tone of voice and facial expressions as he twists Obama’s words. To those who are paying attention it is very revealing that the Clinton’s have to alter the meaning of Obama’s words and actions in order to have something negative to say about him. Sticking to the truth, never a Clinton strong point, in this case would leave them with no ammunition for an attack. And attacking is the M.O. for Washington insiders. Unable to beat Obama on the issues, losing ground in the face of his wide appeal across age, race, and gender lines, the Clintons reverted to type. Don’t forget who we are dealing with - the guy who didn’t inhale and didn’t have sex with that woman.
All the experience that Hillary repeatedly holds up as her strength is out there now to be seen for what it really is – experience in the political know-how of divisive, dishonest, and ugly behavior when things aren’t going her way. It is bad enough when the Republicans are swiftboating the Democrats. It is inexcusable when Democrats are doing it to other Democrats. Is that what we really want in our government for the next four to eight years?
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We are demanding change and we need to recognize that the change has to start with us. We have to stop buying into the kind of dirty politics the Clinton’s are playing. The manipulation only works if we allow it to work. It is past time to let them know, loud and clear, that we have had enough; that we want a different kind of governance, one that unites people and serves the needs of our country.
Hillary Clinton is too much a part of the establishment to bring us that change. All of her experience is in playing the game the way it is played now. The Clintons are masters of electoral politics but they are not true leaders. Hillary is the candidate of the status quo at a time when we need a leader capable of consensus- building and problem- solving. Why would anyone think Hillary will suddenly start doing things differently? It’s sort of like the woman who marries a man thinking he will change. We all know how well that works.