Article Contributed on: 2/26/2008 11:03:19 AM
Xerox this. Hillary Clinton is an (three letter word that starts with an A and ends with two Ss) and her supporters on the blogosphere and talk radio are acting like Bush Republicans. Indignant and juvenile. Obama, by and large has run a clean campaign hitting his opponents, McCain and Clinton on policy issues while their surrogates use the Drudge Report to smear him. Obama's tone during debates and on the campaign trail have been consistent, unlike Hillary. She says she's proud to be on the stage with Barack Obama but the next day feigns outrage at a couple of mailers that are weeks old. After mocking him and his supporters with her "celestial choir" comments she says "shame" on him for sending out the mailers that accurately point out her policy positions on NAFTA and health care.
On progressive talk radio, the hosts who have had the audacity to call her on her Rove like campaign tactics, have been attacked and accused of ripping on Hillary all the time. One such host is Ed Schultz who called Bill Clinton a liar on cable news. He was right. And once again the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is demanding their representatives live up to higher standards. Any comments that address Hillary's surrogates making race based comments regarding Obama are met with ridiculous charges of woman bashing. With Clinton supporters like this, who needs Republicans?
During the Texas debate, Obama hit a home run when he addressed the charge from Clinton's staff that his supporters and the movement behind his successful campaign were somehow all deluded. She just smiled and laughed it off. No apology offered. Instead she played the nice colleague to his face, but wasted no time stabbing him in the back.
Sadly, Clinton has engaged in the politics as usual. How she will be able to turn her animosity around if he gets the nomination, I don't know. She is incredibly two faced so she may be able to just switch it off and behave like a good little Democrat and throw her unconditional support behind him. If by some fluke she gets the nomination, he will have no problem supporting her as he hasn't engaged in the kinds of personal attacks she has.
As a lifelong Democrat and former Clinton supporter I have to say I have a hard time even accepting the both of them are Democrats. They're not exhibiting the kind of representation I can be proud of. Bill ran as an FDR Democrat then proceeded to fall in line with Greenspans ridiculous shell game of an economy that is coming home to roost. He signed NAFTA selling out American workers, the 1996 telecommunications act which allowed media monopolies to flourish and turned the press into a corporate prostitute. Both of them are part of the Democratic Leadership Council, the money grubbing, lobbyist pandering, corporate wing of the party. Hardly anti-establishment, hardly reformers and definitely not honest and open.
Hillary Clinton can't catch Obama's lead in the delegate count and her campaign has insinuated that if they can't they are willing to have super delegates decide the nominee. The ego is bigger than Ralph Nader. They seem totally indifferent to the damage caused by this kind of insider power play. If this is the future of my party, I'll go independent. I've put up with a lot of stupid decisions I've seen my party make, insisting on sticking with it and trying to change it from within. If I must, I will hold my nose and vote for her but it will be my last act as a Democrat. I'll change my party affiliation soon after. If Obama wins however, my spirit will be renewed. My faith in the party restored somewhat.