Why I'm Not Voting for Hillary
My parents visited this weekend. Oddly, I come from Republican stock -- neither of my parents has voted for a Democrat since JFK and his brains went their separate ways in Dallas. My father is a bit further to the right than my mother. Dad and I have a standing agreement to avoid most political discourse, after nearly coming to blows on several occasions. Mom and I, though, still banter a bit, especially in times like these, when we're coming up on a presidential election.
Like many Republicans, Mom doesn't like any of her options in the primary. She's a sweet 69-year-old lady who doesn't smoke, rarely drinks, and jokingly offers to "pray for all of us heathens" when the rest of the family refuses to attend church with her. She is, quite simply, as American as apple pie. I love Mom.
And surprisingly, Mom's best options, in her opinion, this year look like Edwards or Obama, or maybe Richardson or Biden. She likes a lot of the Democratic candidates much better than she likes any of the Republicans. But the front-runner? We ended our political conversation with my mom saying, "I can't believe that bitch Hillary might be president."
Mom never curses.
On the left, the problems with Hillary are often two-fold:
1) She can't win the general election -- too many people don't like her, and too few people have yet to form an opinion.
2) She's a Republican in Democrat's clothing, and she's for all the anti-progressive agenda items her husband stood for -- free trade, corporate-friendly welfare "reform," and so on.
I disagree with both of those positions. Against just about any of the GOP candidates, Hillary's got a pretty good chance of winning. Poll after poll shows this. In general, she enjoys a narrow lead against all of the GOP front-runners. As for Hillary being just like Bill, that's somewhat blown out of proportion. Hell, a lot of progressives still insist Hillary is pro-Iraq War, despite the fact that her plans for Iraq are fairly similar to those of Edwards and Obama. Quite simply, the left dislikes her about as much as the right.
I think Hillary can win, and I think her positions on the issues are not totally incompatible with my own. My problem with Hillary comes in this -- what exactly does she do after she wins?
Since the GOP takeover of Congress in 1994, and especially since the Bush boys' 2000 coup d'etat, this country has become torn apart politically. The next president had better be somebody who can pull all sides -- including the right -- together, or we will continue down this destructive path, no matter how good or bad the intentions of the new president.
And here's where we come back to Mom. I've met plenty of registered Republicans who, like her, actually find Obama and Edwards to be acceptable candidates, but the minute you start talking about Hillary, they start foaming at the mouth. Eight years of Hillary means another eight years of political trench warfare, and that is a very bad thing. On the other hand, either Obama or Edwards has a chance to unite America for the first time in my adult life. Yes, there will always be hardcore conservatives who won't want anything to do with a Democratic administration, but those people are outnumbered by their more-rational, moderate colleagues.
In the end, my lack of support for Hillary stems not from a belief that she cannot win the election (she can), or even from a disagreement with her positions (many of which, currently, are quite similar to those of Edwards or Obama).
I don't support Hillary because I think a Hillary Clinton administration would be bad for America -- all of America, not just the people I'm sharing a trench with. I'm tired of avoiding conversations with Mom.
Comments
Interesting point, but you underestimate the right-wing political machine. It's going to feverishly and diabolically attack any of the Democratic contenders, whether it's Hillary or not. Goddamn, look what it did to jackass Kerry. It's already got a John Holmesian hard-on for Edwards' wife. And Obama? Oh shit, you don't want to know. So get your fuckin' head down and buck up for fighting, son!
By the way, my five will get you ten that Hillary takes the nomination.
Posted by: Pulp | August 23, 2007 9:39 AM
Pulp --
Oh, I understand the slime will flow early and often once the general election gets underway. I'm just saying that Hillary's negatives are already established among some conservative voters who have an open mind with regard to the other candidates.
Heck, the attacks already started a long time ago. To hear them tell it, John Edwards is an over-privileged ambulance chaser who lives like Louis XIV at Versailles, and Barack Obama is Osama Bin Laden's Manchurian Candidate.
But it's a hell of a lot easier to fight off these new attacks than it is to rebrand a new candidate.
Mind you, at this point, I'm ready to support any of the Democrats over any of the Republicans. The Republican contenders are a bunch of deeply weird greedheads, each of them armed with the moral compass of Caligula and the brain of an iguana.
As for the bet, are you saying you'll give me 2-to-1 odds on Hillary not getting the nod? Because I like that action, Pulp.
Posted by: Dan | August 23, 2007 9:49 AM
Yep. I wrote too fast. I should have said "five will get you ten." So we on?
Posted by: Pulp | August 23, 2007 2:36 PM
Deal. I am betting that Hillary Clinton WILL NOT win the Democratic primary. I am betting $5. If I win, and someone else gets the Democratic nomination, you give me $10. If you win, and Hillary gets it, I give you $5. We've got a bet.
Posted by: Dan | August 23, 2007 3:13 PM
Done.
Posted by: Pulp | August 23, 2007 5:16 PM
Listen dumbass, there will be political trenchwar no matter who is in the democratic presidential slot. Obama is a political Perot. Hillary is going to be president and there is nothing you can do about it. Women can't stand other women, plain and simple. Stop all that crap. We need a strong influential woman to straighten out the mess with GWB, who I am sure you voted for-don't lie. With a disaster such as what we have had for eight years, trenchwar is inevitable no matter what happens. We have our first woman president and you can go suck an egg.
Posted by: Mason | September 6, 2007 3:19 PM
Mason --
Thank you for your acerbic, if heart-felt, comment. Allow me to address each of its points.
Listen dumbass, there will be political trenchwar no matter who is in the democratic presidential slot.
I'm aware that there will still be political struggles following an Obama or Edwards in the White House. I just think those struggles will be more difficult and will occupy more of our government's precious time with a Clinton administration.
Obama is a political Perot.
I don't get the comparison between Obama and Perot. Obama is a candidate with a major political party, and few of his campaign planks are similar to those of Perot. How is this a valid comparison?
Hillary is going to be president and there is nothing you can do about it.
Well, I can not vote for her in the primary. And I can comment on why I won't be voting for her. Other than that, yes, I concede there's little I can do about it.
Women can't stand other women, plain and simple. Stop all that crap.
Given your obviously strong preference for a female president, I'm aghast at such a blatantly sexist comment. Pretty sad, Mason, pretty sad.
We need a strong influential woman to straighten out the mess with GWB, who I am sure you voted for-don't lie.
Now that really hurts. George W. Bush is a war criminal who should've been brought before The Hague in chains years ago. I proudly voted for both Gore and Kerry, and I've spoken out against Bush, marched against his war, and written everything I could against his criminal presidency since the 2000 election.
With a disaster such as what we have had for eight years, trenchwar is inevitable no matter what happens.
I disagree. In fact, the disaster makes reconciliation all the more possible. In once recent poll 51 percent of Republicans are for getting out of Iraq.
We have our first woman president and you can go suck an egg.
Thanks. I like eggs. And if Hillary wins the primary election, I will certainly happily vote for her in the general.
Posted by: Dan | September 6, 2007 3:41 PM