 During a radio appearance today, I made the point that the problem with Hillary Clinton's performance last night has little to do with Barack Obama. I don't believe the hype that "most" of her supporters are so distraught that they will vote for John McCain in November. Most of the 17-plus million people who supported Hillary Clinton in the primary are firm Democrats, who will vote for the party's nominee in the fall. Many are older women -- the party's strongest voting base -- and they will support the Democrat over anti-choice, Supreme Court threatening Republican John McCain.
But there are those bitter-enders out there who are determined to go over the edge for Hillary, writing in her name, voting for McCain or not voting at all, just to punish the Democrats for not picking their girl. Some of these older, white women are, like the notorious Harriet Christian, in true blue states like New York, so we're more than happy to lose them. (Nobody likes a bitter pill.) Others, are in red states where they will simply be joining the majority, and thus will have no impact on the results. To them, we bid a fond "adieu." But there is a small group of dead-enders who DO matter, because they're in key swing states, and like Ralph Nader voters, if enough of them get together, they could do some electoral damage.
These are the voters Hillary Clinton is responsible for and to. Only she can truly talk them down off the ledge. Last night, Hillary missed a golden opportunity to begin to administer that much-needed therapy. She missed the opportunity to end her campaign with the ultimate act of grace and class, by beginning the process of telling her supporters the hard truth, followed by the soft turn toward the real importance of this election, and of at least giving Barack Opportunity the chance to be heard. (Ironically, Hillary tried to do just that with Israel partisans at AIPAC today, but Barack didn't need the help. He got an overwhelming ovation...)
By squandering that opportunity, Hillary diminished herself last night. She disappointed many of her strongest partisans -- people like Hillary Rosen (the non-supporter, supporter, who was on CNN after she wasn't on MSNBC...)
| , and she made herself look small, out of touch with reality, and, well, bitter. And she is tacitly allowing her dejected followers to continue to feel like the ultimate victims. And I'm not sure how bitterness and victimization fit into the feminist message. Actually, I'm pretty sure they don't.
You wouldn't catch Indira Ghandi whining about the sexist media, or Margaret Thatcher clinging to the drapes as they try to drag her off the stage.
This is no way to end a campaign, Mrs. Clinton -- a very nearly successful one at that. It's hard to believe it reading this blog, but I came into this election as a die-hard Bill Clinton fan, a longtime Clinton supporter, and someone who said in 2004 that if she ran for president that year, or this year, I'd quit whatever I was doing to go and work for her. But once Barack Obama made the case to me last summer, I got the chance to take a step back and see the Clintons the way non-Clintonites saw them. For the first time, I didn't like what I saw. I like it even less the more I see, hear and read about them. And last night, I had not love for Hillary at all.
As I said to the radio audience this afternoon, it's time for Mrs. Clinton to go. If not for her country's sake, than for her own.
Meanwhile, Gary Hart, whom my sister and I went door to door for in Colorado when I was in junior high school, has some good advice for Mrs. Clinton: When he did finally abandon his push for the nomination, Mr. Hart was quick to embrace his rival. It was easy, he said, because he’d been fond of and friendly with Mr. Mondale in the decade before the campaign—and had even recommended him to Jimmy Carter’s vice presidential search committee in 1976. But he admits that his own political future entered into his thinking.
“I was going to have a future in the party, even if Mondale won,” he said, “so there was no interest on my part in being a dog in the manger.”
At the convention, Mr. Hart’s name was entered into nomination, but when Mr. Mondale went over the top, Mr. Hart immediately asked that his name be withdrawn and that Mr. Mondale be nominated by acclamation. The next morning, he met with Mr. Mondale, promised to vigorously campaign for him, and then went out and did just that—totaling, by his count, 50 to 60 campaign stops for his former foe in the fall.
“I think she’s got to do the same,” Mr. Hart said. “Whatever happens, she has to do her best to get Barack Obama elected president. She can’t pull punches or be cute about it. She’s got to work hard.”
And, he added, even if she suspends her campaign beforehand, she should keep an eye on her delegates at the convention: “It’s not in her interest, and I would think her key supporters would want to keep from happening in Denver what happened at that [DNC] meeting in Washington, D.C. It’s a black eye for her. These people might think they’re helping her, but they’re not.” Hart, back in 1984, was in as strong a challengers position as Hillary is now, if not stronger. He closed by winning California, not Puerto Rico, and he took other big states from Mondale, and was the Obama of his generation -- younger, good looking, a "fresh face" and change candidate. And he would have done much better in the general election than Walter Mondale. In the end, he didn't fight to the death. And he wasn't un-gracious. It worked for him. Monkey Business aside, Hart is a respected, sought after figure in the party, not an angry spoiler.
Hillary should take a lesson.
Labels: 2008 election, angry white women, Hillary Clinton |
