Cross-posted to Switzerblog.
I've been defending Hillary lately, despite the increasing difficulty of doing so and the increasing, um, unpleasantness of her supporters. I don't think she's destroying the party, although she's certainly doing us no favors and making herself no friends. I don't think she's ruining Obama's chances in November, although she's certainly made his job harder. My basic defense has been thusly:
- Prior to the primary season really getting going, Hillary's willingness to do anything to win was seen as a strength.
- By this I mean she was willing to go nuclear on her opponent. Claw, kick, low-ball, dirty ads, you name it.
- We've wanted a D candidate to do this for years. It struck us as the way to win (it worked for the Republicans, right?).
- She's doing not only what we'd expect (I mean, we remember who she is, right?), she's doing exactly what we wanted her to do.
- We just didn't expect this to be the year that her tactics wouldn't be needed, nor that she'd turn her guns inside the tent.
- It's too much of a good thing.
So, my view has been to tell people to suck it up. We also thought the Dean folks would never, ever work for Kerry, but they did (in droves). People get over this kind of thing. The party will survive, and Obama will have survived the trial by fire folks said he A: hadn't faced and B: couldn't handle. Confused ol' Grandpa McCain will have to get his shit thoroughly together if he's going to survive the Obamaslaught(tm) in October.
However, I find myself really pissed at Hillary about this "bitter" nonsense. I mean, I was pissed about the "he said Reagan was great" nonsense before the Nevada caucuses, but this is a whole new level of pissed at Hillary.
Obama said what we all know is true. People feel their government doesn't listen to them. They feel that because of this, their economic well-being has been, to put it mildly, placed somewhere between at risk and destroyed. So when Obama or Clinton or whatever Grandpa the GOP sends out says "hey, we're gonna fix things up and get this mill working again!", folks feel a little bitter about the last umpteen times they've heard this, and rightly assume it's bullshit. And so they turn to the things they feel they can trust - God. Guns. Family values (whatever form that may take in their household). And they find someone to vote for, since you gotta vote for someone, who matches them on at least those counts.
This is what our public discourse has become? That speaking the obvious, plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face truth requires an immediate two-week long attack? That the media not only willingly joins in on this parade of lunacy, but drives it even after both campaigns have moved on? Is the truth so dangerous and hurtful that we're unable to hear it without being offended??
I know, none of this is news. Yes, our public discourse has been like this for years, and no, I'm not surprised by it. Well, I am a little surprised at the depth of the depravity on this one. Because in this case, Hillary, the self-styled 'hero of the working class', is not just trying to make Obama unelectable, but by doing so is setting the stage for completely shutting down possibly the first real, honest discussion of the plight, and thinking, of working class Americans in many years.
And this makes me sad. Draining a shot of Crown Royal in a bar doesn't make you blue-collar, nor does it make you "in touch" with real Americans. Making up a clearly false, or at minimum grossly exaggerated, story about your background hunting, doesn't make you blue-collar, nor does it make you "in touch" with real Americans. Heck, Hillary, you don't even need to be blue collar to be in touch with real Americans.
You just have to understand, and be willing to admit, that maybe they have a reason to be voting for the things they vote for, and maybe they need a new reason to believe their lives can be better.