Thursday, February 28, 2008

Feelin' Sorry for Hillary

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She doesn't need my pity, but I kind of feel sorry for Hillary Clinton, anyway. Just think about it from her (possible) point of view. I don't know her personally, so I am making up my own scenario, here, and I could be wrong, but this is the way I see it.

First, at Yale, she met this goober from Arkansas who, like most good old Southern boys, could charm the birds out of the trees. He was the one, after all, who put astroturf in the bed of his pickup truck to make things more comfortable for the young ladies he was romancing back there. She may not have known this about him, at the time. But, much to her surprise, he loved her for her brain. So, she fell for him. Hard.

They started making their master plan. They got married, much to the chagrin of her friends and maybe her family up in big old sophisticated Chicago, and he took her to live in Arkansas, a place where one of her friends described as "primitive". And, she was happy as a clam while they lived there and she became a law professor and helped him become, first, Arkansas' Attorney General, then Governor, twice. He never objected to her continuing her work, this time as an associate in a prestigious (for a primitive state) law firm in Little Rock. He didn't even object when she decided to keep her maiden name, Rodham, instead of being little Mrs. Clinton.

By the time she had Chelsea, their plan was firmly in place. Bill was off and running for the main prize, the presidency. And, it worked. To the astonishment of the other candidates, Bill won.

They were right on schedule. Bill would serve for eight years, then, they promised Gore he would have his turn, and Hillary would make her bones, so to speak, in the Senate. After that, it would be her turn to become the first female president. And, then the wheels started coming off. Gore lost the election, with the help of the Supreme Court, the crooked Republicans and the stupidity of lots of people in Florida who supported Ralph Nader.

But, she didn't give up. After all she had endured, notably Whitewater and bimbo eruptions, she hung in there. She made good use of her time during the George W. Bush presidency, moving to New York and becoming a U.S. Senator. Biding her time, which wasn't easy for a Type A, impatient personality such as herself, she threw herself into the job, ingratiating herself with the other senators, working hard and taking advice from those more experienced. She gained a lot of respect from her fellow senators, so that by the time she announced her candidacy, she had already secured promises of support from a goodly number of super delegates and she could raise a lot of money.

Riding high, she readily accepted the notion that she had a straight shot to the nomination, and it would be all over by Super Tuesday.

Then, it happened. This much younger black man jumped into the fray. He was articulate, impressive, determined and extremely intelligent. He was of another generation, with new ideas and a way of expressing them that captured the imagination of many people who heretofore had supported Hillary. She had enjoyed the support of much of the black community before Barack Obama got into the race, and many of them, understandably, switched allegiances. The final blow came when even her super delegate support began eroding.

Since there was no cohesive plan for the weeks between Super Tuesday and the Democratic Convention, no one knew where to go from there. "Be nicer!" they advised. "Be meaner!" "Be softer, and cry!" "Lecture the young upstart! (Shame on you, Barack Obama!)" Things got sillier and sillier, and now, she is in danger of losing the whole enchilada. Everything she has worked for is slipping away.

After all she has put up with over the years, the time and effort she has put into helping others achieve their goals, she probably won't realize hers. It's really sad, when you think about it.

9 comments:

Mari Meehan said...

It is sad in a way. Think what she could have accomplished had she not been encumbered with the likes of Bill though. Women of her generation and many before achieved lofty heights on their own merit without having to prostitute their ideals or ambitions for a man to pave the way.

But she's not out of it yet. With this race anything can happen!

Anonymous said...

I think we will be in sad shape if Hillary doesn't get the nomination. The situation doesn't look real positive though.

patsy said...

i think maybe she was president for 8 years.Bill was to busy with cigars and blue dresses to rule. i am a bill clinton fan because he is smart and charming.
if she loses and i think she might she might get a divorce and will finally be free.
you need to visit i have been having fun on my blog i have picked up a right winger!

Doc said...

I don't particularly care for her at all however from what they keep saying on the political shows (MSNBC mostly) it's her own dadgum fault for picking totally incompetant people to run her campaign... That campaign has always been a day late and a dollar short. Obama has people running his campaign who just understand our 24 hr news and internet culture better that Hillary's do.

Maybe Barack will follow through on one thing he said Hillary can be an advisor to him one day.

Betty said...

dogwalk musings: Oh, I never count out the Clintons. They have both made comebacks in their careers.

arkansas songbird: See above comment.

patsy: I have been reading your blog with interest. Your right-winger doesn't realize he has a tiger by the tail.

doc: I don't know why these candidates rely so much on "handlers". They never allow their real personalities to show through.

Newt said...

I think they should just join together and run as P and VP -

Anonymous said...

Yes, but it does make for some amusing fodder on Saturday Night Live... ;)

Judith Shapiro said...

Thanks for your post - it sums it up wonderfully. Hillary is a brilliant woman, but alas, that's not enough to compete with the likes of the charismatic, also brilliant Obama. That said, if Obama were female, I have to suspect that Hillary would be on her way to the White House.

Betty said...

newt: I seriously doubt Hillary would accept the VP slot.

steph: It does, indeed. Need a pillow?

judith shapiro: I think you may be right.