Introduction: I have posted this entry at my blog, the Spencerian, and on my page at DailyKos. My fellow writers at the FPC have been very patient and polite on the subject of this primary. No longer. I will break from my colleagues with this post. Remarks like this from Senator Clinton do not reflect the best in our politics — they reflect fear, the worst kind of fear. Senator Obama has won this contest, and Senator Clinton’s recent comments are unforgivable.
To date, I feel I have been as fair as I possibly could with Hillary Clinton, for whom I used to work and for whom I used to have a great deal of respect. She mathematically lost the Democratic nomination days ago, and the whole contest, in actuality, much earlier.
Senator Clinton crossed a line a few weeks ago saying that she was the candidate of “hard-working Americans, white Americans,” and everybody was up in arms for a time. People were almost more shocked that she didn’t have the decency to go away then.
Now she has crossed yet another line that makes that first line — and all the lines before that — seem like they were set in a whole different universe.
She has gone on the record to state that the reason she remains in the race is that it would be premature for her to leave before Barack Obama is assassinated.
The horrible quote:
“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it.”
Well I do understand it. Senator Clinton, you will do or say anything to get the nomination, including openly and publicy contemplating the very death of your opponent. Of course, your awful and cynical “apology” issued later only proves the point that you wouldn’t mind so much if your opponent were to, you know, no longer be available to serve, wink, wink.
“Earlier today I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged in California in June 1992 and 1968 and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June. That’s a historic fact.
The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy and I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that, whatsoever. My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to, and I’m honored to hold Senator Kennedy’s seat in the United States Senate from the state of New York and have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family.”
The apology actually reveals the sick, twisted and pathetic truth of your vindictive, dark wish, because you don’t even bother to apologize directly to the man you’re really talking about. Nor did you apologize to his wife — the would-be widow, one supposes. Or his little girls. How do you suppose Senator and Mrs. Obama will explain the events and your comments of today to those girls, Senator Clinton?
You apologize to the Kennedy family, as you should. Your sickening insult made all the worse given Senator Ted Kennedy’s horrible diagnosis.
Furthermore, it’s not the first time you’ve done this, Senator Clinton. BarbinMD has done the homework for us. You made similar comments in March of this year, and as BarbinMD says in her post, “Once might be a mistake, twice and it’s a tactic.”
I’d call on you to feel shame, Senator Clinton, but I honestly don’t think you know how.
That is absolutely it. I don’t want to hear any more over-the-top, pathetic, whiny screeds from those who say that Hillary’s political demise is all about sexism — not when she says stuff like this. You don’t get to make comments like this and then play the victim.
No more, Hillary Clinton. You tried painting him as inexperienced, and he beat you. You tried painting him as “the black candidate,” and he beat you. Now you’re trying to paint him as the guy that will inevitably get killed.
Hillary, you’re beat. Hang it up before you embarrass yourself, your party and your country any more.
Cross-posted at The Spencerian and DailyKos.
I have to say I’m with you on this. I’ll have a post on it later over at Florida Speaks.
Hear, hear.
It isn’t about sexism on Obama’s part–which is not to say our manistream media aren’t sexist, since they are, and they’ve been that way…oh…forever–but rather, it’s about who is the better, more presidential candidate; who has run the most well-organized, effective campaign (thus demonstrating the ability to not only win the general election, but also handle the enormous and formidable tasks of putting the country back on track after the past eight years); who has shown, over and over, that he has the class, the grace, and the presence of mind to deal with all manner of attacks; who will restore America’s good name in the global community; and finally–and this is important–who has brought millions of new, young, energized and hopeful voters into the Democratic fold.
If one believes that men and women are truly equal, it shouldn’t matter what sex the president is, only that he or she is the best person for the job.
I believe, as strongly as I’ve ever believed anything in my life, that person is Barack Obama.
I agree. Although as far back as Feb. 2007, I predicted that Obama’s odds of winning were better than Clinton’s, I didn’t make my final decision to vote for Barack and against Hillary until January 2008.
Since then, the Clintons – both of them – have nothing but drive me farther from them. They have lost my respect. Permanently. It’s over.