Back on Mar. 7th, I thought that Hillary Clinton had recently displayed such moral turpitude in her attempt to best Barack Obama in the Democratic primary contest that I couldn’t overlook it any more. That sentiment continues to grow
I would consider myself to be a middle-of-the-road voter, a Rockefeller Republican, a Libertarian — all of these monikers fit. As such, I have been appalled at the change in America’s fortunes, foreign policy and finances over the term of the Bush administration. It’s not often I think there is a chance of true change in America. I had reconciled myself to an ugly America slipping into a malaise similar to the post-WWII UK “sick man” state. Barack Obama changed all that.
In truth, I have many economic and foreign policy views closer to Ron Paul’s but Barack Obama’s message of hope and reconciliation is at once articulate, inspiring and intelligent. As he has a very good chance of making it to the White House, I have thrown my support to him.
But on the morning of the 7th, when I read the news, I woke up angry. Why, you ask? In a word: Hillary Clinton. She is now so bent on sabotaging her Democratic rival Obama that she is willing to compliment the likely Republican nominee and his fitness for office while denigrating her own Democratic peer’s fitness for office in the same sentence. Here is what she said several times over the past few days:
————————————————————————————————-
In a Cabinet-style setting, surrounded by retired military leaders, Sen. Hillary Clinton said the public should ask whether Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama has met the criteria needed to become the nation’s commander in chief.
“I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.
“I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy,” she said.
Calling McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee a good friend and a “distinguished man with a great history of service to our country,” Clinton said, “Both of us will be on that stage having crossed that threshold. That is a critical criterion for the next Democratic nominee to deal with.”
————————————————————————————————-
Here is a YouTube Video of the same comments.
I condemn this tactic in the strongest terms. I am outraged and appalled. Everything that came before was dirty but, to me, this is indisputably the statement of a person with no character.
Now I would like to focus on a narrow issue that reflects how this comment will affect independent voters. It is character, not substance, at issue here because it is the lack of character these comments reflect that I believe will turn independent voters away if Hillary Clinton is nominated for President for the Democratic Party in August 2008. Forget about the issues for a second. Forget about Obama and McCain. Focus purely on character and Hillary Clinton.
****In full disclosure, I voted for Perot in 92, Gore for President and Hillary Clinton for Senator in NY in 2000. For a while, I have been an ardent fan of Ron Paul. So, I represent the truly independent voter in the middle. I have been what used to be called a “Rockefeller Republican”: socially, liberal and fiscally conservative. At Robert Rubin’s direction, Bill Clinton ran a Rockefeller Republican government after 1994. Michael Bloomberg has a Rockefeller Republican administration.***
I and all of my friends have become disgusted with the Republican party because of George W. Bush, his fiscal profligacy and the War in Iraq. If Ron Paul were a viable candidate, we would vote for him.
However, every progressive Republican I know has switched sides to the Democrats because of Barack Obama. Initially, I was prepared to vote for any credible Democrat who could reverse the Bush policies of the last 7 years. However, when Hillary started to denigrate Obama and praise McCain in the same breath, that all changed. And this is the problem.
I voted for Senator Clinton in 2000 for the Senate. I will never vote for her again — not now, not ever. It was the video clip of Clinton bashing her own party rival which turned me — and, I suspect, many like me — from potential crossover voters into potential no shows in November or McCain voters. Hillary Clinton, with one comment, repeated several times, has shown that she will do anything to be elected including tearing down her own party and its chances for the presidency. I cannot in good conscience vote for someone like that.
It’s an issue of character. The Clintons have long been dogged by rumors of ethical short-cutting. I have not been put off by that in my general support for Hillary Clinton as a politician. However, during this campaign my doubts have steadily increased. I suspect many independent minded voters have come to the same conclusion that she has demonstrated she has no real character. Consequently, she has turned me away from her if she gets nominated.
The damage of Hillary’s comment has absolutely nothing to do with content and everything to do with character. This is Hillary’s Achilles heel with Independents and Moderate Republicans and why she could cost the democrats the election and our country a chance for change.
Related posts:
