Have you ever been so angry that you couldn't put into words why you were feeling so angry? The daddy has. In fact, the daddy was that angry on Tuesday, after Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech. First, she was introduced as "The next president of the United States." Then, even though Obama had already gotten the number of delegates to be the democratic nominee, the first African American to do so, she spoke as if she were the nominee, arguing that she was ready to be president on day one. Though the daddy was too angry to put his feelings into words, Mathew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive Magazine, could. Here's what he said:"The moment called for graciousness.
Hillary Clinton didn’t answer the call.
The moment called for a modicum of class.
None was to be found, except for a feint at the beginning, when Senator Clinton said she was “congratulating Senator Obama and his supporters on the race that they have run.”
It was if Obama had lost, and Clinton was just being magnanimous.
In long passages of the speech, it seemed like she was living in a parallel universe where the news had not yet arrived that the race was over and she actually was not going to be the Democratic nominee.
For there she was, inexplicably, still arguing that she was “the strongest candidate,” the one “who will be ready to take back the White House and take charge as commander-in-chief and lead our country to better tomorrows.”
Earth to Hillary: You lost, and these comments are not helpful to Barack Obama’s cause, echoing as they do your charge earlier in the campaign that McCain is ready to be commander-in-chief and Obama is not.
Nor was it helpful for her to stress that she won “the swing states necessary to get to 270 electoral votes.”
Or the moldy refrain about counting “every single vote,” even after the Rules Committee decided on the Florida and Michigan cases that she gamed to the end.
In a none-too-subtle muscle move for the Vice Presidency, she said: “I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard, and no longer to be invisible.”
Never having given a proper concession speech all primary season long, she didn’t start now. “I will be making no decisions tonight,” she said.
And so she is leaving the campaign as she conducted it all along: arrogantly, shamelessly, disgracefully."
Yes! Classless to the end. Now, the daddy's gonna go out and buy him a magazine. Mathew...thanks.
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12 comments:
Daddy, I haven't said this yet, and especially not on my blog, and I don't know exactly what it is that makes me feel like I might be right. . . well, I do and I don't. . . perhaps my sphere of comprehension isn't as big as I think it is. . . but here's the question:
Would Billary have been so defiant, so rude, so lacking in grace if Mr. Obama had been one of the white male stalwarts of the democratic party?
Sagacious
Oh you betcha! --she sees, breathes, oozes, preaches, shoves down people's throats --nothing but Billary. She doesn't know how to stop. She created a monster within herself. I'm convinced she would have hammered any competing dem in the same manner. Only a series of harsh calls from her supporters and fellow NY delegation etc could slap her back into reality and back to earth. Someone is now writing what she hopes will be a "speech of a lifetime" for Saturday--one her daughter can be proud of etc. Let's just hope she finally does the right thing appropriately and swiftly and makes a graceful exit! (no I'm not deluded...just hoping for the best)
sagacious: What a question! This is speculation, but I think the answer is yes. She feels that entitled. It's clear that they didn't even take Sen. Obama seriously until late January. That's why they didn't have any money after February 5th and no plan B. They thought nothing of this skinny black kid from Chicago. They thought they had it all wrapped up. Maybe the fact that he was black had something to do with why they didn't take him seriously. They do now. But I'm going to think some more on that question.
anon: I think you're right. And, like you, I'm hoping that she'll somehow find it within her to make a heartfelt speech endorsing Obama and calling on her supporters, independents and donors to support Obama. After the criticism of Tuesday's speech from her colleagues, I think she'll say the right things. Hopefully, she'll mean it as well. We'll see, huh?
Dear MacDaddy,
Sorry, but I do not choose to criticize Senator Hillary Clinton...I choose rather to focus on the great moves our next Prsident Barack Obama has made in the last 48 hours....confronting lobbyists, meeting with Hillary on her turf and terms,(so that she can exit saving face even if she has kind of botched that up with her Tuesday speech) setting up a VEEP exploration team, and even confonting the most recent attempts to slander his name....It will be interesting to hear her speech tomorrow...Let's give her the benefit of the doubt....
BY THE WAY, THE NUMBERS FOR TUESDAY'S HISTORIC SPEECH AT THE EXCEL CENTER WERE: 19,000 INSIDE AND 15,000 OUTSIDE.....WOW!!!
My sister in law gave me that statistic...She belongs to a group called WOW...."White Older Women for Obama" They were all there!!!!!!!!!!
nun: Thank You for your comments. Some will choose NOT to criticize Sen. Clinton. Some will. I choose to look at her campaign, because I don't think we can afford not to. Otherwise, we'll make the same mistakes again. For historical reasons, we need to ask and seek to answer why a political insider and favorite to win the democratic nomination lost? We need to make a comparison with the campaign that won. I'll just mention three historical lessons I learned or had confirmed:
1. Organization approach. Whereas Obama ran his campaign from the ground up, Clinton ran her from the top down, headed by a wealthy consultant (Mark Penn), whose firm, among other things, advises governments and corporations on how to bust unions.
2. Personal approach. Except for his lame attempt to go bowling, Obama was himself. He comes from an organizing, community experience and he talked like it. He was a Saul Alinsky running for president. On the other hand, Clinton, who her friends say is warm, kind and generous as a person, tried to play the I-Can-Be-As-Tough-As-Any-Man role. It backfired. People were already tired of the tough, cowboy act with Bush.
3. Focus on policy, not on your adversary, especially when your adversary (Obama) represents a people (African Americans) who have supported you. Let's face it: It was dumb of Hillary and Bill to go to a black church and criticize Obama, saying he's not qualified and suggest his entire campaign is a fairytale. As an African American, as a person who is fully aware of the support African Americans have given both Clintons, especially during the impeachment process, I was hurt. But, more importantly, I could see that this was suicidal for the Clinton campaign. To disrespect your most loyal supporters is foolhardy.
You're right: Obama is doing the right thing by moving forward to unify his party. For the rest of us, to move forward without gaining some insights from this campaign makes us vulnerable to making the same mistake again. Blessings.
nun: I was using the stats I read from The Star Tribune, which are impressive enough. But the stats you mentioned are amazing!
nun: You're right. Obama has already wasted too much time on Clinton. He needs to be mending fences and figuring out who to put in his cabinet. Daddy, you said you were going to write about the blues!
Good conversation.
Hillary really might become President. MacDaddy, you know my opinion from my current article where I think this ruthless woman will defect to the GOP on a McCain-Clinton ticket. He'll poop out in less than four years and that's how she'll become President.
Unless, of course, the Bilderberg boys stop her... Look forward to this in my next article.
kit: I read your post. It was fascinating: the idea that Sen. Clinton might leave the democratic party and hook up with Sen. McCain. Anything's possible now that the democratic party is no longer Hillary's or Bill's play pen and Obama is the new head of it. She gets some of her hawkish ideas from him; and they are very good friends. Thanks for dropping by.
Hey MacDaddy!
I was deeply disappointed in how Hillary ended this contest. A lot of bloggers were praising her speech. I found it completely arrogant and self-aggrandizing!
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
P.S. Did you notice that your comment appeared in triplicate? (Just click on the trash can icon to delete the ones you don't want.)
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