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Why Hillary Clinton has turned me off
GEOF BROWN
Friday, March 28, 2008
Several of my colleague columnists in the Jamaican media continue, like me, to be fascinated by the unfolding twists and turns of the American presidential primary elections. The continuing saga of the contest between Democratic party senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has, of necessity, gained the greater focus, now that the Republican party has put its primary contests to bed. For me, the Democratic contest began as a matter of a tug between two favourites, either of which was acceptable. However, it soon became a matter of not liking Senator Clinton less, but of liking Senator Obama a little more. Still the sentimental pull of the long-standing preference for a Hillary Clinton over any Republican contender for the American presidency made a switch of preference to the phenomenal Barack Obama somewhat difficult.
No longer. As the superiority of Obama became increasingly evident, there was not the slightest doubt left that, given the opportunity, Senator Obama would have my vote as well as active support. The comparison between the two is perhaps best expressed in this analogy. Senator Clinton as the driver of the vehicle of state could be relied on to take it safely to a desirable destination. Senator Obama on the other hand would design a superior vehicle, with features out of the ordinary and create a model which would be the envy and admiration of nations. And like many others, I felt that a combination of the political, visionary, and experiential talents of the two would be very good for America and the rest of the world.
But now Hillary Clinton has completely turned me off. As her character has unfolded during the campaign, I see less and less to be admired about her. I am not at this point referring to the obvious dalliance with the truth in the tale of dodging enemy fire, which now that she is exposed, she disingenuously suggests she "mis-spoke". That is as elegant a description for a clear lie as I have ever heard. More of that later. It is what one can only term bitchiness that first began to turn me off a formerly favoured person. A notable example was Hillary's contrast of Obama on the one hand with herself and their common political foe John McCain on the other.
McCain did not request the political gift Hillary gratuitously handed him, when she declared that she and McCain brought to national security years of experience, while her Democratic colleague Obama brought only a speech.
This somewhat innocuous remark revealed the naked ambition to win at any cost, even if it meant throwing your political family member to the wolves of the enemy camp. For surely that handy phrase she coined will come in useful for the Republican contender during the eventual presidential contest between the two parties, if Obama should become the nominee. And Hillary is not stupid; she well knows that potential effect. Then there is the example of dumping principle for political advantage in the matter of the seating of the disallowed delegates from Florida and Michigan because those two states violated the rules of their own national Democratic organisation.
Now both candidates Clinton and Obama agreed to those rules. Yet Clinton had her name on the "illegal" ballot of one of the two states while Obama's name was on neither. But when Obama won a raft of smaller states, Hillary, who knew by opinion polls that she enjoyed a likely majority in the big states of Florida and Michigan, suddenly began to insist that the "illegal" delegate votes, cast in violation of the rules, be honoured. She thereby wanted the rules to which she and Obama had both subscribed to be rescinded. Principle be damned. Worse, although Obama declared he would abide by the decision of the national organisation in the matter, Hillary cleverly twisted the facts to accuse Obama of wanting to disenfranchise the delegate votes of the two states. She declared in the most sanctimonious voice that she could not see why Senator Obama wished to disenfranchise democrats in Florida and Michigan. As if he took any such position. Shoddy theatrics!
A rather incredible example of the face of innocence masking a blow below the belt, is the way in which Hillary has joined the fray against Obama in the controversy over racial remarks of Obama's former pastor, Rev Jeremiah Wright. Obama has fully repudiated the racial remarks by the pastor, with their intimations of anti-patriotism. Quite rightly and in a principled manner, Obama refuses to dump the pastor himself who has been a family friend and inspirer of his Christian faith, despite calls by political opponents so to do.
And what is Hillary's contribution? "He wouldn't be my pastor", she declared sanctimoniously, thus helping to fry Obama. Shame. But now one of her own self-made chickens has come home to roost.
Anxious to prove her superior experience to that of Obama in matters of foreign policy and security, she is now exposed as giving an invented tale of landing in a war zone in Bosnia under sniper fire. The tale was related by her in vivid detail to show her bravery and to help put her on a similar plane to John McCain who was a war prisoner in Viet Nam. Obama's gift of speech would obviously be no match for that, she must have thought. But CBS which had covered the Bosnia event, dug up a tape to show that Hillary's tale was pure invention. Worse, the commander of the flight in question now declares that Hillary's tall tale bore not the slightest resemblance to the truth. Such is the "mis-spoke" which Hillary claims. I myself heard her vivid presentation, which is also now being claimed to be a result of "sleep deprivation". Really, Hillary!
But someone needs to tell Senator Hillary Clinton how great speeches have changed the tide for nations and peoples.
Take Martin Luther King's "I have a dream...", Winston Churchill's "We will fight them on the beaches...", John F Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you.". They were not just words, Senator Clinton. Continue to speak to us and inspire us and the rest of the world as you have been doing so well, Barack Obama.
browngeof@hotmail.com or geofbrown07@gmail.com
GEOF BROWN
Friday, March 28, 2008
Several of my colleague columnists in the Jamaican media continue, like me, to be fascinated by the unfolding twists and turns of the American presidential primary elections. The continuing saga of the contest between Democratic party senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has, of necessity, gained the greater focus, now that the Republican party has put its primary contests to bed. For me, the Democratic contest began as a matter of a tug between two favourites, either of which was acceptable. However, it soon became a matter of not liking Senator Clinton less, but of liking Senator Obama a little more. Still the sentimental pull of the long-standing preference for a Hillary Clinton over any Republican contender for the American presidency made a switch of preference to the phenomenal Barack Obama somewhat difficult.
No longer. As the superiority of Obama became increasingly evident, there was not the slightest doubt left that, given the opportunity, Senator Obama would have my vote as well as active support. The comparison between the two is perhaps best expressed in this analogy. Senator Clinton as the driver of the vehicle of state could be relied on to take it safely to a desirable destination. Senator Obama on the other hand would design a superior vehicle, with features out of the ordinary and create a model which would be the envy and admiration of nations. And like many others, I felt that a combination of the political, visionary, and experiential talents of the two would be very good for America and the rest of the world.
But now Hillary Clinton has completely turned me off. As her character has unfolded during the campaign, I see less and less to be admired about her. I am not at this point referring to the obvious dalliance with the truth in the tale of dodging enemy fire, which now that she is exposed, she disingenuously suggests she "mis-spoke". That is as elegant a description for a clear lie as I have ever heard. More of that later. It is what one can only term bitchiness that first began to turn me off a formerly favoured person. A notable example was Hillary's contrast of Obama on the one hand with herself and their common political foe John McCain on the other.
McCain did not request the political gift Hillary gratuitously handed him, when she declared that she and McCain brought to national security years of experience, while her Democratic colleague Obama brought only a speech.
This somewhat innocuous remark revealed the naked ambition to win at any cost, even if it meant throwing your political family member to the wolves of the enemy camp. For surely that handy phrase she coined will come in useful for the Republican contender during the eventual presidential contest between the two parties, if Obama should become the nominee. And Hillary is not stupid; she well knows that potential effect. Then there is the example of dumping principle for political advantage in the matter of the seating of the disallowed delegates from Florida and Michigan because those two states violated the rules of their own national Democratic organisation.
Now both candidates Clinton and Obama agreed to those rules. Yet Clinton had her name on the "illegal" ballot of one of the two states while Obama's name was on neither. But when Obama won a raft of smaller states, Hillary, who knew by opinion polls that she enjoyed a likely majority in the big states of Florida and Michigan, suddenly began to insist that the "illegal" delegate votes, cast in violation of the rules, be honoured. She thereby wanted the rules to which she and Obama had both subscribed to be rescinded. Principle be damned. Worse, although Obama declared he would abide by the decision of the national organisation in the matter, Hillary cleverly twisted the facts to accuse Obama of wanting to disenfranchise the delegate votes of the two states. She declared in the most sanctimonious voice that she could not see why Senator Obama wished to disenfranchise democrats in Florida and Michigan. As if he took any such position. Shoddy theatrics!
A rather incredible example of the face of innocence masking a blow below the belt, is the way in which Hillary has joined the fray against Obama in the controversy over racial remarks of Obama's former pastor, Rev Jeremiah Wright. Obama has fully repudiated the racial remarks by the pastor, with their intimations of anti-patriotism. Quite rightly and in a principled manner, Obama refuses to dump the pastor himself who has been a family friend and inspirer of his Christian faith, despite calls by political opponents so to do.
And what is Hillary's contribution? "He wouldn't be my pastor", she declared sanctimoniously, thus helping to fry Obama. Shame. But now one of her own self-made chickens has come home to roost.
Anxious to prove her superior experience to that of Obama in matters of foreign policy and security, she is now exposed as giving an invented tale of landing in a war zone in Bosnia under sniper fire. The tale was related by her in vivid detail to show her bravery and to help put her on a similar plane to John McCain who was a war prisoner in Viet Nam. Obama's gift of speech would obviously be no match for that, she must have thought. But CBS which had covered the Bosnia event, dug up a tape to show that Hillary's tale was pure invention. Worse, the commander of the flight in question now declares that Hillary's tall tale bore not the slightest resemblance to the truth. Such is the "mis-spoke" which Hillary claims. I myself heard her vivid presentation, which is also now being claimed to be a result of "sleep deprivation". Really, Hillary!
But someone needs to tell Senator Hillary Clinton how great speeches have changed the tide for nations and peoples.
Take Martin Luther King's "I have a dream...", Winston Churchill's "We will fight them on the beaches...", John F Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you.". They were not just words, Senator Clinton. Continue to speak to us and inspire us and the rest of the world as you have been doing so well, Barack Obama.
browngeof@hotmail.com or geofbrown07@gmail.com
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