The Hillary We Hardly Knew

For her last hurrah as a presidential contender yesterday, Hillary Clinton repackaged herself yet again, this time as a vocal and thoughtful feminist. I like this Hillary. Where has she been the last six months?

She began her campaign as the Rightful Heir and Chosen One, imagining that this would be enough. It seemed the safest road to go since she wouldn't have to actually say much of anything that was challenging or controversial or even substantive. Then this new guy Barack Obama showed up acting like a real person, and it was obvious that some of the powder she had been keeping dry would have to be put into use, so she repackaged herself as Ms. Ready-to-Be-Commander-in-Chief-From-Day-One.

Though Hillary as Chosen One was rather bland, Ms. Ready-to-Be-Commander-in-Chief-From-Day-One struck me as a step backwards in a country where the militarism of Bush-Cheney has been the order of the day for eight years. When that proved yet again to be insufficient, she again disappeared into wherever it is she goes to transform and emerged as Working Class Hero.

This was an interesting twist. In general, I prefer Working Class Heroes to Commander in Chiefs. What was remarkable was how well she sold it, given that this makeover coincided with the release of her and her husband's tax returns which showed that they had been piling millions upon millions of dollars in the bank, and nothing in her actual economic program had changed from the days when she had pointedly sought to define herself as the corporate-friendly alternative to the populist program John Edwards. The main take-home I got from watching this Hillary tear through Appalachia was that she and her husband really were an extraordinary team of politicians to be able to pull that off so successfully.

But the nomination still seemed to be slipping away, so she went back into her phone booth and emerged as the Lady-With-the-Most-Balls. This was the period when people around her started making laudatory statements about her testosterone level, when James Carville helpfully noted that she had so many testicles that if she gave one to Obama they both would have two. This was plainly pathetic. But then she piled her promise to "obliterate Iran." That was where she really lost me. Could I ever vote for someone for Commander-in-Chief-From-Day-One of the largest and most destructive arsenal the world has ever seen, who has no problem promising to obliterate other countries in order to win votes?

Finally, with the race over, yesterday we were presented with the kinder, gentler Hillary. And you know what? I liked her. She spoke passionately .- about things she had not mentioned during all those previous incarnations! She spoke as the worthy spokeswoman for gender equality. She radiated confidence and appeal. She called us to our better selves. She made us believe that we could move past the divisions that have hobbled us. . (Is this starting to sound familiar?) "Yes, we can!" she proclaimed.

"Hillary," I shouted back, "where have you been? This country is in dire shape! The planet is in dire need! The moment is critical! We need a woman like you! Have you ever considered running for president?"

What are we to make of this latest makeover? Has Hillary fallen victim to Al Gore Syndrome, that crippling malady in which Democratic presidential candidates get so trussed up and straight-jacketed by their advisors that we don't find out what appealing people they are until they lose and finally get to be themselves again? Is this the end of the play, when the actress who has played several different characters over the course of the drama emerges for her curtain call, and the revelation of her out-of-character demeanor serves to further highlight her abilities to convincingly convey characters with which the real actress has little in common? Or is the newest Hillary as phony as all the rest, leaving us ultimately in the dark as to who this woman really is? Or is there are real Hillary at all? Has four decades of full bore political life left her without a real Hillary there? Or are all her personas real in some sense or another, different manifestations of a complex and ambitious politician?

How would I know? How would any of us know? What I do know is that I hope this Hillary stays with us. She could do so much more for her party and her country than all the other Hillaries.

The contrast between the stream of Hillary makeovers and the steady course of the political persona cultivated by Barack Obama has been central to her defeat. From his early work as a community organizer, through two autobiographical books, right through to his acceptance speech, Obama has been the same political person, a person with an uncanny ability to convey a sense of staying real even in the midst of the American political circus.

Maybe his success has convinced Hillary that it is OK now to come out of the closet as a compassionate, progressive, liberal political leader. Like that moment when you have walking down the street in the rain with your umbrella over your head lost in thought, and then you look up and see that the guy walking toward you has no umbrella at all and is not getting wet.

Hillary, it has stopped raining. You can take down that umbrella.

Comments

[hepwa]

She's been there all along -- you've been listening to what's said about her, not what she's said, otherwise you'd have known.

[LAJonathan]

Everyone I know made their decisions about HRC by viewing her own actions. The writer mentions this, did you even read it? If anything, democrats on both sides gave her a million chances to be great and unfortunately she didn't take the step until she was forced to. My guess is its not there at all and merely a manifestation of her and Bill's quest for power.

[bhyman]

Her primary loss can be directly blamed on the guidance received from her advisors. I felt like Al Gore suffered from the same problem during his general run in 2000. Smart politician­s... follow your instincts when they contrast with your campaign. You are the one running for President, not them. Senator Obama has been a breath of fresh air.

[XCITIZEN]

....someon­e left her cake out in the rain....

[KarateKid]

LOL.

[jian1312]

I do feel sad for her. I see how she must have seen it - she is the safer dem candidate than Obama! If she was the nominee, I don't think there'll be much debate on the outcome of November. The trouble is, we, most voters have chosen not to be "safe" in the same old politics; instead, they want something different, something new, they want - yes - CHANGE.

Even though Obama is untested and may not be such a sure win in November, or even if he wins, may turn out to be an ineffective president, we chose to put our faith in him and we were willing to take that risk, all for a better future! A future old, tired politicians like the Clintons and McCain can not deliver, because they never dreamed of it. Not that they don't want to do the right things for this country, but they just don't have a clue how to.

[somewayout]

I think some people did not see Senator Clinton clearly because their support for Senator Obama is so passionate that they somehow expected even political opponents to praise and defend him. Some do not comment so negatively now that he is the nominee, whether from policy or more dispassionate reflection is hard to tell. I think that Senator Clinton, much like former Vice President Gore, is not one dimensional. She is too complex for a stump speech and too subtle for a sound bite.

[Softnsweet]

somewayout,

I believe that it is more like Hillary showed her true colors when she was cornered. You sound like Hillary in your comment regarding Obama's supporters, that we are somehow delusional (as Obama would say) because we wanted change instead of the same old policies that we can do without. This is not the 90's. Hillary proved that by running on that old stuff. She even picked people from her campaign that all were with her husband in the 90's. Her campaign started picking up when she hired a new team for 10 million dollars but by then it was to late.

[somewayout]

Hello, Softnsweet. Hey, someone actually replied to one of my comments. I don't think Senator Obama's supporters are delusional, especially now that I have joined them. It's more that I agree with George Will that "There is no new politics, not since Athens." Still, some things have changed. When I defend my boomer generation, I say we were right! Even George Wallace finally agreed we were right about Civil Rights and Robert Mcnamara admitted we were right about the Viet Nam war. (I don't know who would have to admit we were right about women's rights.) But we thought, "The times they are a'changin'" and we got Nixon. I couldn't vote then; maybe it will all work out this time. There must be some way outta here. . .

[Hollyse]

The simplicity of words is easy language to public assessment of the true Hillary. Let me say that most politicians don't know its raining as someone else is carrying their umbrellas! Obama should have a chosen cabinet by the time he reaches the convention. I would like to see his choices of 'public servants he's chosen before taking up residence in the White House. Why the American public knows bascially only the president and vice president heading our country without named cabinet prior to his election is mind boggling. His team should make up the presidency not the counter productive self entitlement style of G.W. Bush. Include all resumes of each cabinet member so Americans can relate cabinet appoinments to each other. American elections are so blind sighted that we're placed in no vision acceptance of a president's cabinet who fuel and maintain his vehicle the entire time the president is in office.

[somewayout]

I think perhaps some people could not hear or see Senator Clinton clearly because they somehow expected even political opponents to praise and defend Senator Obama. Now that Senator Obama is the nominee, some of his supporters don't see the former opponents so negatively. Or perhaps they're just smarter than the ones who continue the primary arguments to the detriment of all Democratic candidates. I think Senator Clinton, like former Vice President Gore, is an intelligent person too complex for a stump speech and too subtle for a sound bite.

[eden4barack08]

"What if "this was the Hillary since last year when she started the campaign? I'm betting she would have been the nominee before we could've even gotten to know all the other dem contenders.
But hey, as she herself so graciously put it yesterday " don't even go there".

[WarriorLemming]

She may have "talked passionately" yesterday but it's still in that monotone drone that has me reaching to the sound to turn it down.

I'm voting issues this election season so I was for Barack Obama right at the start (the war & it's cost in lives and dollars) so it wouldn't have matter how pleasant and charming Hillary was. Besides she got my vote twice as state senator and she completely sqaunder my faith in her to end this damn war she started, it never happened. She promised and she swore up and down that she would end the war but once back in Washington nothing happened. I felt like she would say anything to get elected so I promised myself that I'd never fall for the Hillary pandering ever again. Some of her supporters never seemed to see this quality in Hillary and I can't blame them because I fell for it twice myself. So I'm saving them from their own misguided judgement, hehe :D

[Softnsweet]

WarriorLemming ,

Well said!

[egal]

No, she wouldn't have. This wasn't a personality contest. Nobody doubted that Clinton had done womderful things for other people and raised a sane and safe child.

Her politics were the problem, and her lack of good judgment in policy areas--her support of breaching the First Amendment, legislating parental decisions, and permitting illegal wars for the sake of electabili­ty--doomed her.

Hillary's past choices and current behavior have solidly proven her a bad politician for the current environment, a person who puts ambition ahead of soldiers' lives and justice, is too often and too greatly controlled by her funders, and will use ploys and prejudice to assist her and silence the earned criticism along with the irrelevant.

She acted like a Republican, and that was enough to demonstrate--to many of the 40% of Americans who weren't already done with her--how unfit she is to be leader right now, with our nation and world's current needs and the requirement that we step up to the plate and become more involved in our own governance.

[Honour]

egal and WarriorLemming: Thank you both for your thoughtful words. It is really refreshing to read postings from two people who honestly express their feelings and experiences about/with Clinton without name-calling or insults - or the kind of hysteria that has become so prevalent in these blogs of late (I don't know about the "sane . . . child" part, though, nor had I heard about HRC's repeated promises (abandoned) in the Senate campaign regarding the war).

I do know that my prayer today is for reconciliation and forgiveness among all of us who support the vision of an America that Can Have Peace and Healing, and a revolution of Positive Change that is so painfully long-overdue. I also pray and visualize constant protection for our candidate and his family.

Let us put our energy into actualizing that Change by joining forces for Barack Obama.

Presidente Obama 2009! - Que Viva Obama!

[eden4barack08]

I'm with you on that Egal. Mine was an attempt, if sarcastic, to respond to the blogger's somewhat nostalgic cry for the hillary that could've been, but we all saw was not and can't be. Had she been that honest, compassionate, intelligent, focused on an agenda for our future candidate from the start, I say she could've been the nominee before we ever got know anyone else, 'cause she also came with an advantage no one else had: name recognition. But then, we did get to know her, and her agenda and her vision and her politics.. and decided in majority, that wasn't the direction we wanted to go on. Luckily, there was a candidate who consistently showed these qualities throughout the campaign, in fact he's the nominee. The Hillary he saw and liked on her final speech, just wasn't the one she had been throughout , but again, the one who did show honesty, respect, vision, integrity, a clear political agenda and on and on.. IS our nominee.
So, I was trying to convey, as she herself put it in her speech with regards to 'what ifs', " let's not even go there".
Let's just get on to the White House and to President Barack Obama!

[allonfla]

Everytime I look at Hillary I wonder what she is like behind closed doors. What kind of mother she is with Chelsea and how she interacts with her mother. Is she affectionate with BilI. I wonder this because like you say she is constantly changing. I know it is politics but you have to develop some consistency so that voters can trust you.

[SeriousBlack]

Perfect summation. Unfortunately, commenters like Hillary Rosen and a large percentage of Clinton supporters never seem to be able to see things like this. For them, none of this happened and her speech yesterday merely "cemented her place in history". Oh well. If that's what they want to believe, fine.

[ThirdSection]

This Hillary is the one who knows that if she doesn't play nice, she won't get a cookie.

[cnobody]

that's sexist... maybe... oh, i just can't tell anymore.

[ThirdSection]

LOL!!!!!

Say... Wasn't that a racist remark you just made?

[Honour]

cnobody: I can't for the life of me see how that is "sexist" - but I still loved your comment, and your honesty . . . wait . . . are you just pulling my leg? Good one either way! Thanks for the laugh.

ThirdSection: Thank you, too!

[eden4barack08]

Oh, men no longer eat cookies? Wow...than­ks for the update..I think ;)

[fedupcitizen]

Hillary was not served well by her campaign and that is why it is important to have objective advisers that can tell you the truth.

The Hillary that gave her concession was something to behold and your correct in your assessment­..

[MPeter]

Beautifully done. Thanks Bob. The Hillary we all wanted to see for so long never came out until yesterday, and only in defeat. I gues we'll never know who the real Hillary is.

[kcam44]

not so fast..now that it's over, and Hillary wants to "unite", maybe Obama will bring out the "real" Hillary.