Thursday, February 21, 2008

So, Let's Get Real, Girl!

I remember some speech Hillary Clinton gave somewhere that got a lot of sound-bite coverage by the pundits ( all male and white guys and old by most standards). She said “…..I’m Your Girl!!!!!!” And I cringed. My mother would roll over in her grave to hear a woman running for anything, dogcatcher to President, call herself a girl. She used to get pissed off at me calling eighteen year old women girls. So, now Hillary “Our Girl” Clinton want’s to “Get Real” about who is qualified and experienced enough to be President. OK, Let’s.

Hillary became a woman with a political record first time on the public stage, but what we knew about her was limited to her experience as the wife of an obscure Governor of Arkansas running for President. Then she was a First Lady, the first big thing she tackled was Health Care. I had high hopes and cheered her on. But she did it in great secrecy and alienated even Democrats from Congress because she didn’t want anybody’s input but her own. It got us nowhere, maybe even set us back a ways. She got defeated first time out. What did she learn? I’m not sure. She seems to be stubborn and secretive about finances and documents that should be public record. She stonewalled every investigation and created such bad will that she is universally seen as divisive and polarizing. When she got elected to the Senate she cast the most important vote of her life the wrong way, and though she admits that if she knew than what she knows now she would have voted differently. Well, that means her vote was a mistake, though she will not admit that, nor will she apologize for that vote. This doesn’t make her look smart, or strong, it makes her look wrong and stubborn about being wrong. She is the wrong woman at the right time. Happily we have a very talented, intelligent, experienced and inspiring African American man, who is not so polarizing and divisive, to vote for. He has broad appeal among all demographics and it is widening, while hers is narrowing.

So let’s get real, Hillary. Barack Obama seems better able to win in states as far apart as Wisconsin and South Carolina, Minnesota and Georgia, Maine and Utah, Idaho and Louisiana, I could go on, but you get my drift. In states that are considered swing states, Barack has broad appeal and most liberal Republicans could happily vote for him. The same cannot be said for you, Hillary. Hell, I know male Democrats who say they couldn’t vote for you—they’d rather stay home. Is that real enough? At this point I don’t care if this bias against you is sexism or not. I don’t want John McCain and the Republican agenda stripping me of more of my civil rights and starting more wars. So Hillary, I’d like you to step aside and fall in line. Is that real enough?