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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Thank you for your contribution on this Obamasite. That takes courage!
Jamie,
As a father of two, I wish more men would speak out in support of Hillary. The media and the political pundits are definitely holding Hillary to a much higher standard than anyone else in the race on both sides of the aisle!
As far as this incident goes, to my mind's eye, the facts are as follows:
1. Hillary did not cry. Period. At least not physically.
2. Hillary did not shed a tear. At least one did not physically roll out of her eyes and onto her cheek.
3. Hillary did get emotional and choked up slightly. Finally! Thank the Lord! It's a form of passion that we had not seen from this woman that was long overdue. Her voice also cracked a bit before she regained her composure.
I have seen that video dozens of time on TV and the emotion was definitely not faked - much as our friends in the right-wing media would have us believe that it was all an act! I am glad that women came out in droves to show their support. I hope the next time, men do so as well - it is long past time that this country joined over 40 other countries in the world and elected a female head of state! Not because she is a woman but because she is the best darned candidate in the race!
That whole tear thing has nothing to do with politics.
And, politically speaking both Hillary and Bill have unremarkable political careers. Just the minimum required for the job.
Hillary has deep seated emotional problems, is very uncomprimising and would run a very paranoid Presidency.
People need to look beyond the "women banner"
thing.
Real moment, my ass. She has tried every tactic under the sun to win over voters - this was just her latest. I am a white female, and I think she is about as warm as tether ball pole in January. I'll take Edwards or Obama any day.
OMG Jamie, now dear - you were only to spend 1 hour not 4 days at the Maharishi Mahesh Transcendentall Center . What happened?
Does Jamie see Peace Palaces too??
and by the way Hillary Clinton's, not only , vote for the war but vote for every other thing that has devalued our Country around the world does not render her with "incredible sense and judgment"
She should have found her voice after September 11, 2001 not HER September 11, 2001, i.e, IOWA.
I agree her tears were real--
she was really upset she thought she was going to lose--
That is the problem with the Clintons - it is always all about them
Jamie Lee:
Welcome to the world of blogging. While I am not a Hillary supporter for President, I respect her recent display of candor and real human emotion. I will give her the benefit of the doubt on the sincerity of her "welling up", even though she immediately launched into an Obama slam.
Perhaps the reason many of us have a hard time trusting Senator Clinton goes way back to "The Vote". It would be obvious to your average aardvark that the Senator's Iraq vote was either a calculated measure to prepare the American electorate that a woman can be tough enough to warrant the title "Commander in Chief", or instead a political suck up vote, made in a time when it was HIGHLY unpopular to be against this war.
Either way, Senator Clinton's willingness to send men and women to their deaths for her political benefit is unconscionable. Tears genuine? Sure. Do we trust her willingness to serve others? Hell no.
she was crying under stress. she was not crying because of darfur or the dead us soldiers (that she helped purchase) or the deficit. she was crying because it was too much stress.
Wake up. It was the worst acting I have ever seen other than this:
http://www
Jamie: I think that your post reflects why some people are uncomfortable with the display of emotion that Senator Clinton exhibited in NH. You state categorically that the display was real and not contrived and that her love for our country is obvious. These are your beliefs and not based on any facts that anyone who has been following the discussion on this moment has been able to produce. If you want to state that you BELIEVE that Senator Clinton is acting not in self-interest, fine – that is certainly your right. However, if you are trying to make a convincing case that she only is running only for the good of the country, your argument falls far short of the burden of proof. Your argument is emotionally based and is an appeal for both emotion and gender bias and I, for one, refuse to allow you to classify the moment in any terms whatsoever for others, including myself, who reserve judgment until more facts are in.
Thanks Jamie Lee- now if we could only get Arianna to stop hating on Hillary. I`m really starting to lose faith in the Huffington Post. Yours is the first post I`ve seen in weeks that I agree with and is not mean spirited.
I have argued in the past that Ms. Clinton's "tears" were of genuine emotional outpouring during a tried, tired moment.
However, when she expressed in her speech that she "found my own voice" give me pause. Has she been "faking it" before she found her voice. Has she been faking all a long when she shows and tells us that she is a tough, deliberate woman who has the abilities to handle any situations confronting her, both as a public servant and private citizen?
Or, has finding her voice means that for the campaign she has found that being "emotional" could eventually win over the voters? IF so, that's quite cynically enterprising!
She also said that women need to be treated as "human beings that we are" and that she has "liberated women". I have been expressing my emotion, with tears and rage long before her tears....
I am beginning to doubt Ms. Clinton's sincerity. Tears or no tears, women need to assess the candidates based on more than their abilities to express emotion. The abilities to tear up does not mean that the person has true emotion, abilities to empathize, etc...
There are many abusive people who can tear-up on demand for both effects and sympathies.
Thank you Jamie, at the minimum Hilary will be a trailblazer for the next woman to run for president. Maybe even Mrs. Obama. I don't have a problem with Mr. Obama but what is happening is that he is not held to the same standard of scrutiny as Hilary. I haven't made up my mind yet whom to vote for but I do feel outrage for all those that doubted her tears. And for whatever reason she cried, TEARS ARE NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS.
Thank You, Jamie.
well put.
I imagine some day all elections and business might be gender-blind and color-blind, and we will all have Hillary and Obama to thank for that.
Whether or not either of them wins the WH, this is history being made, and each of us HUMANS must search our souls and ask why we HATE.
If we, in our upbringing, were programmed to HATE based on sex or race then we have the power to turn that around and evolve.
Let us HOPE
Jamie-- you may be right that it was "a real moment" for Hillary, but I fear that she was really crying due to being tired and her fear of losing in NH. It was "personal" for her, and it was all about her... not America!
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