Progressives: No Hillary Bashing Allowed
Posted on December 20, 2006
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OK, forget the title — I’m a free speech kind of guy. Still, whatever you think of the junior senator from New York, this is why I think you should take the spirit of my title to heart.
There are probably several reasons it is so easy to refer to Sen. Clinton by her first name only. There surely is the subtle put-down of over-familiarity that is still a sin in segments of our culture. We don’t go around saying “Barack,” or “Al,” or “John” to identify other democratic hopefuls. But we did like to refer to the the former president Clinton by his first name. Remember “friend of Bill” and “President Bill?” That was a familiarity that came from fondness. There’s definitely a kind of rock star thing going on with all this first name calling as well.
By first and second impressions, this Clinton is not as warm as the other prominent Clinton, but I’ve warmed up to her. She has tremendous strength and intelligence and adaptability. I remember cringing early in her first term at some of her positions and the appearance of making too many of her choices based on political expediency. At the same time, here was a woman who had never held public office and it was amazing the speed with which she grew into the role. Now, six years later, she commands tremendous political power and opinion leadership.
I still don’t love all of her policies and positions. We have sizable areas of disagreement. But lets not get these disagreements out of proportion. Maybe, conservatively, I agree with Ms. Clinton 80% of the time. I could pull 60% out of the air and my point would still be valid. Wow — that means 20 to 40 percent of the time I think she’s making the wrong choice, or at least a choice that I don’t favor. Now lets look at the current occupant of the White House. I’ll generously say maybe I agree with him 7 percent of the time. (It’s a stretch, but stay with me.) That’s a huge difference. That’s close to a Bill Clinton v. George W. Bush kind of difference.
But here’s the clincher. The real disparity arises when I think about whether I trust the motives of the leader in question. Mr. Bush — pretty close to zero. The distortions and deceptions perpetrated either by him or under the watch of his administration leaves him with absolutely no credibility with me. With Sen. Clinton, it’s a very high percentage. Even where I don’t agree with her, I trust that I would not be too troubled by her motives.
I like Barack Obama. What an inspiring story and an inspiring speaker. I’m going to enjoy watching his career and if he runs for president in ’08, without taking anything away from the other candidates, I’m already a supporter. John Edwards and Al Gore both are attractive candidates to me. Any of the four I’ve mentioned have their strengths and would get my vote under the right circumstances.
I’m not here to advocate for Hillary exclusively. The right wingers will do that. They want to set her up to see her fall. Or failing that, having kept her on the minds of Americans as a presidential candidate for at least 6 years, they’re hoping “Hillary fatigue” will set in before the actual election gets underway.
One of the failings of liberals like me, is that we can let our idealism defeat us. Some will take what I say as advocating for the “candidate who can win.” That might be a small part of it. But the main part is a warning not to pick apart good, strong candidates because they are not somehow ideologically pure. Maybe there is someone who better matches my ideals. I hope that candidate emerges.
In the meantime, I’m going to support the pack of candidates, each for their strengths, and be critical of each on the points where I disagree. I think I can do that without tearing a person down. You’ll not find me dismissing any who remains honorable throughout their candidacy.
The Republicans are exceptionally good at blind loyalty. Most of the time the favored Republican can do no wrong — until they fall completely from grace. I’m saying let’s keep it real.
It’s time to show some loyalty with eyes wide open.
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4 Responses to “Progressives: No Hillary Bashing Allowed”
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Maybe they call her by her first name because she is a woman.
I think you’re right. —jpm
A fantastic post. Thank you for your clear insights into Mrs. Clinton and for the detailed explanation as to why you will support Democrat candidates. As a first time reader of your blog, it is a breath of fresh air.
I’m a Conservative, I read your post expecting to find the same old Bush bashing that is common among other liberal bloggers. I was pleasantly surprised to find no trace of it. Furthermore, your arguments are coherent, unlike most liberal blogs that seem to be written in a blind rage pointed at the current administration.
If there was a “perfect candidate” for you, what qualities would that person possess? In what order of priority would he/she place issues that are important to you?
Thanks for the kind words. I’m a conservative too. That may seem a contradiction when I claim to be a liberal, but I can integrate contradictions. Philosophically, I think government should do everything it can do, but at the same time do nothing it shouldn’t do. The devil is in the details.
With regard to the “perfect candidate” issues is only half the story. Character is huge. Doing the right thing flows naturally from doing things for the right reasons. —jpm
As an Australian I have no say in American elections. As a citizen of Mother Earth I have a huge interest in who holdm the reins of office in the (currently) worlds only superpower. Thank you for giving a lucid and sensible summary of the only person I feel is a trustworthy candidate.
I like Ms. Clinton. It’s a gut-level thing as her record isn’t perfect from my point-of-view. Keep an eye on Al Gore and Barack Obama. It must be incredibly hard to project an image that accurately reflects a candidate’s values, priorities, and ability to govern. Mr. Gore, I think fails to communicate just how good he could be for the U.S. and the world, and Mr. Obama seems too good to be true. Stay tuned. —jpm
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