Tears for Fears
Why are we so surprised that Hilary Clinton has a heart? She answered a question, at the end of a juggernaut of campaigning with a simple unplanned moment of truth. Her obvious love for our country, of the true sacrifice a public servant makes and the one overlooked and biggest reason one would want to hear from a candidate, that they care, that they are grateful for the life they have been given by others who served before them.
It was a real moment, tears or not, and it seemed to cut through the bullshit that accompanies most answers on the campaign trail.
Michael Moore's analysis of her vote for the war was that as a woman she has to "be as 'tough' as a man, she has to be willing to push The Button if necessary, and give the generals whatever they wanted."
Why is a woman's natural emotionality, as well as incredible sense and judgment and compassion and strength, a liability. None of you would be here were it not for a woman's strength -- you men try giving birth, something Mrs. Clinton has done. Most of all, don't we really want a president with a heart, a big, open, warm, loving, mother's heart to lead us out of this bleak despair, into the light of hope and peace.
Please don't just classify her tears as a hoax or a "woman's moment". Classify it as a human contact made in a time of great need and I for one am proud of her commitment to service and duty and honor and yes, tears, for we have so much to be sad about and so much to hope for in the future.
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Yeah, I'm more just bothered by the fact that she was crying for HERSELF, faced with the prospect of LOSING, rather than crying for any higher cause or purpose. I don't doubt is was genuine, and yes, I do feel bad that she's suffered so much partisan bile -- but the Clinton MO has always been to revel in generating that and using it to advantage, rather than trying to defuse it and move past.
It turned me off when listening people questioning the "tear" was real or "manufactured"?
Mainstream media should be blamed. How dare even ask such a cynical question in the first place?
I saw the segment. It is real.
You may support Obama, but that should not prevent you from seeing the moment as it is.
C'mon, HIllary may not be your candidate, but she is definitely not that bad as you like to imagine or some anti-Clinton mainstream media try to portray.
She is still a human being who deserves her dignity and her fair chance in this election.
It is obvious that Obama is media's darling. But we want a fair and neutral coverage of all candidates. So eventually we voters decide.
I totally agree. Thanks for posting this.
With all due respect (and I see your point, it's a fine one), a similar attitude toward Womanity convinced a lot of people that Margaret Thatcher would be a compassionate leader. Well, she turned out to be many things, but she was not known for compassion. She was known for being a brutal, ruthless bully who expected poor people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Elizabeth R allowed torture to obtain (often false) information. She allowed public beheadings and hangings.
Women are not inherently kind or good. We must look at every candidate individually. And Clinton has proven that she does not embrace the liberal values I grew up admiring in John Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. This election is about the heart and soul of this nation. We will decide, in 2008, whether to be a country run by a few, wealthy citizens, or a nation run by all of its people.
Please don't sentimentalize this campaign. It is not about Clinton and whether or not crying is OK. But, really--it isn't. There's no crying in baseball, and no crying in government. It takes a special kind of person to be an actor, and a different, special kind of person to be president.
If getting misty is taken as a good sign, we're going to end up with another Reagan. OK actor, terrible president.
Let's say her tears are real. Lets say she does have a great love for our country. There are too many issues out there that need to be addressed and electing someone based on the fact she was able to give birth is a bit of a reach. The Clintons (with 35 years of making change) have had their chance and failed. What is so complicated about that. They were unable to reach across party lines to fix the healthcare system (a project Hillery took on in the 90's). What makes anyone think it will be different this time around. I realize she really wants to do it. I believe she does. But maybe she just doesn't have the ability. I believe no president has that ability. We the voters have that ability. We can send a message to congress enoughs enough. Will we be sending that message by putting the Clintons back into the White House? Or can we do it by sending a young Obama who has based his whole campaign on change. We need every congressman to realize even if you have 35 years experience we can replace you with something new.
The undecided voter who asked her the question and saw Hillary's "moment" up close voted for Obama, so she obviously didn't buy it, herself.
I am an Obama supporter but as a woman, I do feel that we may be unfair in our judgement of Hillary Clinton, she is damned if she do or don't. I am a working in a cooperate world and understands that it is not easy for a woman to break the glass ceiling. It is assumed that peace will be kept if we just be nice pussy cats and not be a bitch when we asserts our stand.
Why do Obama supporters find political attacks on him by opponents to be offensive? Trust me, if he gets the nomination he will trashed, burned and dragged through the streets (metaphorically) by his GOP opponent. Are we going to have whining and bitching then about how unfair that is. Get over it!
It really turned me off when people questioned that "tear" was real or not.
C'mon, it was a small gathering with voters. Nobody planted that question. I saw the segment, there is no doubt in my mind it was an authentic moment. Do you see she was actually trying to hold her tear back?
The mainstream media has lost all its credibility.
First of all, how cruel for them to even ask such a cruel question--Is her tear real or "manufactured"?
In addition, mainstream media has gone overboard to demonize Hillary while giving Obama simply a free ride.
In mainstream media's eyes, Obama can do no wrong.
He is lucky that he is young without much baggage. So in this political game, he doesn't need to be negative, which makes him look better and make his opponent look less better.
Obama is inspiring, but no matter how he is still a politician in this game to grab power. He can be ruthless too--even though subtly he has consistently belittled Hillary. He can be arrogant too. Watching him speaking many times, I detect a man who can be a ruthless opportunist too.
Even Obam wins eventually, I want to ensure he is thoroughly tested and he really deserves it.
While I have criticized Hillary extensively in this post, I changed my mind. I want to be open-minded and give Hillary a chance to prove herself too.
If evetually she wins, I will have a great respect for her because in this media climate I feel it is much easier for Obama to win and much harder for her to win because who can overcome our mainstream media's 24/7 omnipresence when the media is not on your side.
I hope mainstream media will maintain neutral, fair-minded in stead of obviously favoring Obama. Let voters decide.
I could just see it: HILLARY CLINTON:BIRTH OF A NATION, BY C- SECTION" starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
Don't you people understand how this "you go girl" stuff turns off male voters. Hillary already has everyone on the right hating her, now she is going to add a significant portion of male Democrats. You all are seriously delusional about what it takes to get elected president in this country.
The Hillary Haters are Manchurian Democrats. They have been brainwashed by listening to the media's uncritical repetition of mantras composed by Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.
Remember: whenever you find yourself agreeing with both Maureen Dowd AND William Kristol - well, it's time for a rethink.
Hillary causes a lot of her own problems as all of us typically do.
She gave a High -Road type concession speech after Iowa but She starts out the last debate with an attack on Obama (go back and look for yourself) and then wants to hide behind being a woman and insist that the "boys club" attacked her when any male responds.
I'm just sick of her trying to have it both ways.
I really think Obama in particular has shown lots of restraint about this. She keeps trying to put the "empty suit, all talk, no experience " label on him. (when does the affirmative action candidate label come out)
I do not think Bill or Hillary is a racist, They will however say and do anything to win. This is the real debate ,do you want a candidate like that? After 7 years of Shrub a lot of us are pretty desperate for a win.
I understand some dems want to go back in time to when Bill was president (our last winner) but Bill and Hillary betrayed us in the white house with Bills antics and both of their responses to it.
The lying was not good.
I firmly believe if not for that, Al Gore would be president right now and I would be waking up to realize that the last 7 years was just a bad dream .
Ps: I am a man and I got more teary eyed than Hillary did when I watched "Finding Nemo" with my Kids!
Jamie,
Thanks for your comments but Barabara Boxer would make a much greater president.
Can you recall that "moment" when Oliver North welled up with patriotic pride while testifying to Congress as to why he had broken the law and lied to America? We were supposed to say, "Never mind that we are funding fascist regimes..h
I want my president to love my country as a statesman (woman).I do not want my president to shame our country by telling us how hard it is. Does any actor send out letters to the Academy pleading with the members to vote for her because it was "so hard" to work on a film?
A politician's angst is always suspect.
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