I admit it. I'm getting nervous, again. I remember 2008 when many of my friends had this really negative view of Hillary. It wasn't just that they loved Obama, it was that they believed many of the bad things said about Hillary. "Some of it must be true", people said. As this viewpoint returns to favor, I gotta ask: Was that ever a fair assessment?
Whether you subscribe to the base lies the Republicans throw at Hillary, or the scorched earth recycling of those old narratives by the slash and Berners, I think you're wrong about her. Sling what you've got: the dregs of discredited 1990s investigations, or the hyperbolic BS associated with selective reclassification of State Department emails, after the fact. Whether you hate the Clintons cause they tell scary stories to you about them on talk radio and Fox News, or just love Bernie so much it's worth it to you to harp that right-wing propaganda, please know: We all suffer, our politics are at even at risk, when you buy into this corruption narrative and don't push back against it.
Last week, I debated this point with a friend who shared a right-wing hatchet job video on Facebook with a caveat that not all of it was probably true, but suggested the volume of accusations against Hilary alone must mean something was. No, I would argue the opposite. I told her it points to a strategy political opponents have always used against the Clintons. Both Clintons have always possessed striking leadership qualities, deep policy mastery and a true ability to bring progressive values to bear against the status quo. For that alone, plus their penchant to tread a moderate path that frightened the right and turned off the left, they have been targets like none other.
After the Clinton presidency effectively popped the bubble of the ascendant "conservative movement" -- the Reagan-Bush dynasty was unexpectedly cut short -- both Clintons came in for epic character assassination attempts that continue to this day. It's a measure of their strength that they're still standing, and a marvel of their dedication that they've accomplished so much given the attacks. But the continuous negativity is heard by even the faithful, tamping down on enthusiasm and sowing doubt where there could be -- should be -- faith and support.
As Hillary runs and the vitriol returns in force, let's not forget where this story begins: with a bald power grab in the 1990s meant to sack the Clintons when that couldn't be accomplished at the ballot box. First came slimy investigative reports funded by far right multimillionaires, like Richard Scaife, and then Republican Congress-sanctioned investigations by right-wing apparatchiks, like Ken Starr, funded to the tune of $50 million of taxpayer money. These leak-happy investigations produced scandal fodder for a willing press that spun coverage of "-gate" after "-gate" with nothing, but nothing, that came close to the original, granddaddy Watergate scandal that the Clintons' opponents, and ambitious journalists alike, wanted to believe that they were capable of. Sorry, Nixon still is the exception, not the rule, in American politics. Yet increasingly I feel we're living in Nixon's world, with the winners being the cynical anti-government folks that tear down our would-be political heroes and use paranoia to turn people against politics itself.
We could mount a strong defense, but I hear from fellow Democrats that these 'scandals' make them tired of the Clintons. Really?! Imagine walking in Hillary's shoes as people hound you with accusations of deeply criminal conduct and basest corruption despite the decades of impactful work you've done; despite what you know about yourself.
As Hillary is dogged by "scandal" that never amounts to anything more than partisanship, her reputation has nevertheless been damaged. An impression of dishonesty, as recorded in recent polls, clings to her. What a ball and chain! Here we are again, as Hillary reaches for the most powerful elected office in world and political foes, as well as would be allies, attack her character. It feels to me like a classic "blame the victim" scenario. We should be better than that.
Trump portends the collapse of American political discourse, Bernie calls for a revolution, while Hillary Clinton alone knows how to handle what we're up against -- both the challenges at home and the strife abroad. She is criticized for her steeliness, but the alternative at this point would be bitterness and anger. Instead, I was amazed she could 'reach across the aisle' to work with people who tried to impeach Bill Clinton, folks like Lindsay Graham, who became her fans in the Senate. Anyone who's ever lost a fight can admire her willingness to work with the man who beat her in 2008 as a tireless Secretary of State, traveling the world repairing relationships the prior administration had squandered. This time, as always, I trust her to keep taking these political hits while maintaining her course to serve in politics. She knows the game. She does not transcend it as Obama did, and I'm glad about that. We need to win these arguments, not shrink from them.
I think Hillary Clinton deserves allies in this fight for good governance and against "the vast right wing conspiracy," the ever better funded enemies of the progressive agenda. Where are we? Why do we besmirch Hillary Clinton that? I see a pattern of discredited fake investigations, but 'scandal fatigue' is on the rise. That's what they want. The people who sow these false narratives know they don't have to prove them. Accusations alone are doing the job.
Sure, I'm sick of it too, but I welcome this fight. It's worth it to defend not just Hillary, but our political life itself. Hell yes, I stand with Hillary. She's got what it takes to fight for what's right and to right these wrongs. But do we?