Here We Go Again
You know, I just spent seven and a half years disagreeing with the administration that has given us an unprecedented military and economic mess. I saw it coming, it came, and in some ways it was worse, and promises to get worse, than I foresaw. I the course of these seven years, I have had my patriotism questioned and demeaned fairly often. I was even put in a book, as one of a hundred people who were hurting America. When I got into this book, my relatives worried that I would get shot by some rightwing nut, even though several of them were and are rightwing nuts themselves (and they carry guns). All this time, though, I considered myself a patriot and a loyal American because I was able to see the destruction that was being wreaked upon the nation, and in particular, upon the middle and working classes, by the Republican liars and war criminals and job outsourcers and health care destroyers and army wreckers and infrastructure ignorers and media whores and agriculture blackmailers (see this month's Vanity
Fair).
So now, Barack Obama tells the truth about conditions as we know them--that the countryside and the small towns are dying in many places in our country, and that the corporatocracy doesn't care enough to do a thing about it. He points out that immigrant-baiting, gay-baiting, gun-baiting, and religious pandering have helped to destroy those towns and that countryside, that those being destroyed have been cynically enlisted by their very own destroyers to provide the votes that help accomplish the destruction. And this is what Senator Hillary Clinton says about it: "Senator Obama's remarks were elitist and out of touch. They are not reflective of the values and beliefs of Americans."
From Senator Clinton's remarks, I infer that to actually see what has gone on in the US in the last 20 years is unAmerican. It doesn't matter who you are, where you were born, what you pay in taxes, what else you might have contributed to the culture, how you vote, who you support. If you don't support fundamentalist religion, job outsourcing, and free access to guns, then you are not even American.
I cannot believe how angry this makes me. I cannot believe that after the last seven and a half years, I can even get this angry. Yes, I know she is pandering to her audience. Yes, I know she will do anything to get elected. Yes, I know that she and Bill Clinton are corrupt to the core, and that I should have never expected anything better of her. But, please, any of you angry white women who still support this craven shill, don't mention it to me. Do me the following favor -- apologize to your children for not stopping the war that HIllary voted for, the war that is going to impoverish them. Then apologize to them for the effects of global warming that are going to make their lives hell. Then apologize to them for the school shooting they may someday see, the one where the kid gets the guns out of his father's gun case, or buys at a gunshow. Apologize to them for the meaningless wars they are going to fight and pay for. Then tell them that "American values" killed their hopes and maybe killed them. And ask them if they think it's going to be worth it.
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I am surprised that Jane Smiley has such a hatred for Hillary Clinton. Men have been running this country since it was formed. Don't you think it's time for us to see what a woman can do? You are one sexist woman. Do you have the Queen Bee syndrome. "I made it, but no other woman is entitled to rise to the top."
As a staunch democrat I would have voted for Hillary, until I saw how low she'd stoop.(I still would if somehow obama is not in the general) I feel like the nation was better as a whole under former pres. Clinton. Koolwoman, I know that women have been kept down, but that doesn't mean vote for any and every woman, who's the sexist? What if she were the female equivalent to Hitler, would you still vote for her? I know a woman president is coming, but not "this" one. Vote for the best person(s) regardless of sex, not the smeer campaign running, tell you anything they think you want to hear, type of candidate.
My problem -- and perhaps Smiley's problem too -- with Clinton, is that Clinton is indeed showing us what women can do. She's showing us that women can (and in her case do) run politics the same way that men do: with truth-twisting, cynically manipulative tactics.
If this is how she sees fit to run her campaign, why on earth should we assume that she's going to be any different in office?
If you take a clear-eyed look at Obama, you'll see that he's not only a decent American and a capable leader, but he always takes the high road as well. Obama is like C-SPAN: he just tells us how things are, he doesn't tell us what to think about it. He doesn't have to -- he knows we're intelligent enough to see for ourselves, without him attempting to frame the picture for us.
Compare that to Clinton's approach as we've seen it, which is to take some rumor off the wire, some second-hand story told by a beat cop to a staffer, say, fill in the blanks out of whole cloth, and pass it off to her stump audiences as gods-truth about healthcare in this country. The truth is just another tool in Clinton's campaign war-chest, that she keeps on the shelf right next to spin and inuendo.
We've just suffered through seven years of a severely truth-challenged presidency. We don't need another such in the Oval Office.
---
Don't watch tv. just don't
Jane Smiley can read and write and takes the time to understand the world around her . . . . . of course she is less than enamored with the craven Arkansas Crime Family. You should be too.
I'd love to see "what a woman can do" but I no longer believe that Hillary qualifies as a woman or a Democrat. The kind of campaign she is involved with is not the direction I would have expected a woman to take. I have been disappointe witht the "historic" meme from the start and now =, from an extensive, diverse field of candidates, we are down to two and Clinton continues to show herself NOT to be the ONE.
Hey, but what do I know?? I'm a little BITTER!
koolwoman ,,I think you just made her point with your remark that because she isn't for Hillary she has to be sexist !DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
When did speaking the truth make you a sexist in this country anyway ?
I am a woman and would love to see a woman president ,,but not just any woman .She would have to have some morals and integrety and I don't see that in Hillary .
me 2
correction: San Francisco is pro choice.
Thank you Jane. Your column communicated perfectly what I would like Clinton supporters to hear. Since Hillary cannot win the 2008 nomination; she and her bullyish goons have turned on the democrats party and are attacking Obama. Twisting his words and sentiments out of context and using my home town San Francisco as a negative adjective; it serves as a catch all for liberal, pro life and GAY. Both Clintons are such a Hypocrits - one day they take your money and promise to extend Gay rights - the next day they use us as qualifier to solicit derision from Reagan Democrats. Hillary is a divisive lier stooping to fan the fears and hatred of her supporters like a Republican. Her most recent lie is more desperate than the last - Who takes the 8 year old daughter and granddaughter out riffle hunting and shooting ducks. Hillary is Annie Oakley now. ? !
Of course you're upset Ms. Smiley; you're a novelist and all of you elitists like to stick together. I just couldn't resist making a wise guy remark.
I don't think Obama meant to denigrate anyone but you have to admit it was a dumb choice of words. I think sometimes Professor Obama comes out and speaks before the politician Obama can edit.
It may have been "a dumb choice of words" but does that make is OK to distort them into something one knows they were not?
It was a private forum, not a political presentation. Besides, there is another blog on this site by someone who was there who was impressed by the fact that Obama was actually TRYING to answer the question posed to him, instead of giving a politically correct and scripted response. The scripted responses are the problem, not the solution.
cdud1991
I am truly happy someone around this site also read the fine print to know what the complete message is from Obama. The Huffpost article was written by Mr. David Coleman, who stated he was there. He did NOT provide us a sound bite message, instead he even provided the fact when Obama arrived he called his children to say good night.
Obama was asked a question, I think now whenever I read anything from Mayhill Fowler I immediately know the snake is busy letting us know how bad Obama's policies are and she is making a living doing it. I hope she invest in the corrupt stock market (legal gambling casino) when the corrupt brokers roll their dice she loose it all like the rest of us.
Bravo ! I believe the most recent occasion that I heard the following aphorism was from Dana Milbank on Keith Olbermann: "The worst gaffe you can commit in politics is to tell the truth."
Dare to tell the kids there really isn't a Corporate Santa Claus, and watch the outrage and accusations of condescension begin. We Democrats (and especially our brothers/sisters in PA) need to remember the best line in "What's the Matter with Kansas" ... [paraphrasing] ... How can anyone who's ever had to work for somebody else vote Republican ?
Maybe it makes you angry because it doesn't fit into your neat little package for Obama. There is a complete lack of objectivity when Obama gets into hot water, but a lot of piling on when it is Hillary or McCain. If you were sick and tired of all the back-biting, over-the-top rhetoric, I would care how you feel. But it is just too one-sided.
The disagreement is whether Obama is in hot water. I don't care what Clinton says. She has proven herself as a panderer, and one more lie doesn't really matter to me. She gets an "F" from the NRA and considers herself a hunter, but is unwilling to divulge the last time she shot a gun. Still it doesn't matter. Her voting record matters, and her personal ethics matter. Her lack of experience matters.
Speaking objectively, Clinton and McCain have earned the disrespect they receive. You may not like or agree with Obama, but he has yet to earn my disrespect. So far, he has been the candidate he promised to be. When he ceases to do that, we'll let you know.
I do agree the rhetoric on this site is over-the-top and unhelpful. It's the price we pay for anonymity. People get the idea that it's okay to be as rude as they wanna be.
Why do all the remarks on this site have to be divided into Pro Obama and Pro Hillary? Are any of you folks seriously going to vote for McCain if your guy doesn't get the nomination? I'll vote for either one of these guys over McCain. Regardless. Regardless of whether Hillary really hunted ducks when she was a kid, which sounds kind of ficticious to me. Whether or not what Obama said can be construted as condescend
Either of these guys will do so much more for America that that llttle hotheaded, senile, know-nothing.
So give the infighting a rest, folks. This is the first time since 1968 that the party had such good choices. Celebrate your riches.
I hate to burst your bubble...b
I just made this same decision with this latest "gotcha" from Hillary. If she steals the election I will not be voting. It will be the first time I have not voted in a presidential election since I voted for George McGovern--and that was a LONG time ago. I can't cast a vote for someone who would use methods like this against members of her own party even at the risk of destroying the party.
I have gone from supporting Hillary Clinton to supporting Obama but thinking I would happily vote for H. Clinton if she won the nomination to thinking I would vote for her reluctantly to finally deciding that I could never vote for her under any circumstances.
By the way, Jane Smiley is a brilliant author and this was a wonderful piece.
I prefer Obama, but I absolutely will not drop out if the choice is Hillary or McCain. He is too old and out of it. She is a smart lady, though I am finding her campaigning sort of desperate.
I hate to burst YOUR bubble . . . but Obama is a lot WORSE than McCain in my book--Hah! Just Kidding! Got your attention, though, didn't I? Actually, this just points up the difference between Hillary's supporters and many if not most of Obama's. You Obama guys, no matter what, never miss an opportunity to make a mean-spirited, nasty dig at Hillary. You'll notice that I, however, a Hillary supporter, respond to "glesslib's" altruistic comment by saying, "You're right, glesslib. We Democrats should stick together and stop attacking each other's candidates! We should support whoever wins the nomination against McCain!" You'll notice that despite my little joke above, I'm not using this as an opportunity to personally attack Obama, who by all accounts is a good and decent (although in my opinion, misguided and not yet qualified--although still better than McCain) presidential candidate. In other words, unlike many Obama supporters, I'm a loyal Democrat. Hopefully, after he loses the nomination, Obama's supporters will listen to him when he tells them to put aside their silly hatefulness against OUR party's nominee.
Amen to that missinginminnisota ! I will not be voting either and save me a place next to you in that march !
If Clinton somehow manages to wrest the nomination, I won't vote for McCain. I will probably vote for Nader. This fits with my beliefs, which are to the left of both Obama and Clinton. I will vote for Obama because he is to the left of Clinton. I don't consider Clinton a good candidate. Repeat it enough times, and people start to believe it. But I know her record, and I know her public statements. I want you to tell me WHY you consider Clinton a good candidate. But if I won't vote for Clinton, there is no way I'm voting for McCain.
"I think this guy says exactly what he thinks unless he thinks it wil hurt him., and so does his wife, and so does his pastor jeremiah Wright. He did not expect any of his comments to get out to the public. But hw will probably slide out of this one two. I hope not."
What?! Prove it! You have no idea what you are talking about.
I am sick to death of folks like you attacking a man who finally stands up for the working class. He said we are bitter. Bitter? I am more than bitter about what has been done to this country and what has become of American jobs and healthcare.
You are a fool if you cannot see the difference between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
When Barack got his law degree he went into the community churches to help organize the poor. Hillary Clinton became a lawyer for Walmart.
McCain has a dozen houses and is married to one of the richest women in the country. Hillary and Bill made a hundred million dollars in the past five years.
Barack and his wife are the real thing.
I don't know why you make me so upset, because Obama will be the next president and that is all that matters.
You can take your opinion and stick it on your refrigerator.
Where do you get your information? Hillary has never been a lawyer for Walmart. She served on Walmart's board of directors, and did so in an effort to change Walmart. When it didn't work, she resigned. Hillary, just like Barack, did not go to work for a high priced law firm out of school. She worked for the Children's fund, and also worked on the congressional staff to bring down Joe McCarthy. Obama seems like a great guy, but his supporters have driven me to Hillary. And this article asking me to apologize to my children REALLY ticks me off! I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington DC to march against the invasion of Iraq. I marched against Viet Nam as well. You can ask my children about me, and I don't need to fear the answer.
Sorry Tojo, but Youtube is full of Wal-Mart/Hillary information. If it took her a decade to figure out Wal-Mart was'nt going to stop slave driving and union busting, then she's even stupider than i thought. And from my understanding, your "Goldwater Girl" went right to work chartering invisible banks and drafting fictitious memorandums of law during the Nixon proceedings. Could it be she did'nt "go to work for a high priced law firm" because she had a little trouble passing the old BAR exam? If you've been "driven" to someone who looks you in your face and lies to you, then nothing you can say would ever make you credible in my eyes.
Uh, just a minor little point here, but Joe McCarthy was brought down when Hillary was in grade school.
BARACK OBAMA SAID IT LIKE IT IS.
HE GETS IT.
IF HILLARY WANTS TO SAY THERE'S NO BITTERNESS IN THIS NATION, 81%
OF WHICH SAYS WE ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK...
then SHE, HILLARY is OUT OF TOUCH & NEEDS TO BE CALLED ON IT!
There's suffering in the heartland.
WHY DON'T THE OBAMA FOLKS STATE THATHE WAS SUPPORTING NOT DEGRADING THOSE WHO GO TO CHURCH, WHO ARE SO DOWNTRODDEN THEY FEAR OTHERS WHO MAKE TAKE THEIR JOB?
HILLARY WANTS TO CHARACTERIZE HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN BECAUSE SHE 'D RATHER WIN THAN TELL THE TRUTH ..OBAMA WAS RIGHT ON.
He knows the national pain, how people cling to whatever they can in times like these. He was honoring these traditions, NOT DISHONORING THEM.
HUFFINGTON POST....IT
IF YOU SUPPORT THE DEMISE OF A CANDIDATE FOR TELLING THE TRUTH, THEN YOUR PLACE IN THE CONVERSATION IS DEFUNCT.
Since Huffington Post uncovered this, undercover I might add, it's the obligation of this Post to rectify this misunderstanding of the national truth.
Obama, raised by a single mom, bi-racial struggles, ladened w/ student loans, community organizer on the mean streets of Chicago...
IF AMERICA WANTS AN OBFUSCATING, HUBRIS LADENED,
LEGACY CHASING HACK...WE'
Hillary...
OBAMA NOTICED.
YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING BEYOND YOUR OWN AMBITION.
Huffington Post....do your job in this.
NOW.
Your comment SharonToji compels me to respond--
I believe Hillary worked for the Children's Fund for less than 9 months and worked for the Rose Law Firm- representing companies i.e. Monsanto (check that out) for 8 years.
And most troubling to me (especially as a woman) is her complicity in the Rwanda Genocide!
"Change Walmart"? in what way?
Would you really cast a vote for President of the US based on the fact that the supporters, NOT THE CANDIDATE drove you to vote for Clinton. I guess the mean spirited nature of the Clinton campaign didn't cause any problem for you?
Jane Smiley ticks you off???
You marched against the Iraq war and you are comfortable voting for the candidate who was for the war and not cast a vote for the candidate who was against the invasion?
What if your child had to go to war as a result of Hillary's careless, politically driven, unprepared (she didn't read the required material) vote?
Your post is full of misinformation. Show me the evidence that Clinton quit Walmart out of a sense of principle. The record shows that she made some attempts at making them more environmentally conscious, but she never said one thing about their labor record. Clinton worked for the Children's Defense fund for less than a year. As a Senator, she voted for the worst legislation dreamed up by Cheney. You really should read a little bit more. I know you desperately WANT to believe that Clinton is principled, but the record shows otherwise.
Thank you. I am glad someone else realizes that those of us who are bitter over the excessive money blown on a war, allowing huge corporate people to avoid taxes for years on end and still walk away with billions and we have to spend a fortune getting to our pathetic jobs where we don't have insurance and I could go on and on about all the BITTER feelings many people have, losing their jobs because NAFTA was so lucky for the Clintons, Kerrys, Bushs. Blahblahbl
The only thing that is preventing most of America (read as White males) from shooting from the hip like Sen. Obama is "white guilt." Well, I'm not ashamed to say that he is a race and class warfare baiter. He has provided no realistic particulars on how he is going to address the current and real issues of the economy, immigration and terrorism other than to play on liberals divisive false identities of cultural diversity.
All together, liberals are their own worst enemies. Just ask Sen. Obama about Sen. Clinton.
Check out his site to get informed.
In 1980 I graduated College. Apparently Obama was a freshman at that time.
I didn't smoke pot and didn't do drugs including Cocaine.
I'm not running for President, but Obama is.
He had bad judgement then and now it's showing up again.
Give Obama the nomination and McCain will probably win.
Look, Obama has been HONEST, oh my god, political rule #1......NO HONESTY allowed. Unlike the draft-dodging Bill Clinton who "never inhaled" and "didn't have sexual relations with that woman". But I'm sure that the Clinton's lies are more than acceptable to you even though Bill lied UNDER OATH! (Which by the way is a CRIME in this country).
Goody for you, teetotaler.
I frankly couldn't care less if someone smoked a little weed and snorted a line or two in college - unless college was last week. Perhaps you haven't caught on, but a LOT of people have tried those drugs, among others. Unless the man is getting stoned every night of the week after a tough Senate session, it's a non-issue. It's not like we've heard anything about how his substance abuse continued well into his "adult" life and caused him problems with the law - that would be the current president, remember?
I listened carefully to Obama's media over analyzed "bitterness statement.
Yep! That's our wonderful tabloid journalism that we refer to as the MSM nowadays.
Bravo, Jane!
I totally agree.
I would like to raise my solitary tiny voice to say the following:
1. Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker were in town all last week, being questioned by Congress about progress or the lack thereof in Iraq.
2. The Farm Bill is up for renewal this week, and if you think this doesn't impact every single average American, think again. It influences what we eat (and don't eat), how much we pay for it, and oh by the way, millions of dollars are being paid to "farmers" to do nothing but sit on their land.
3. There is an increasing shortage of doctors in this country. July 1st, Congress has set to decrease payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. This means that many doctors will cut back on their work hours, cut back staff, and eventually stop accepting new Medicare patients. In some areas of the country, this is in full swing.
4. There is a world-wide food shortage, food prices are rising everywhere, and there are food riots in developing countries.
And the candidates and media spend their time parsing sentences, decrying the use of the word "bitter," calling each other names, and drinking a whiskey shot with a beer back at a bar!! (that was Hillary, by the way).
COME ON PEOPLE!!!!
If we the people don't wake up and hold our government and these candidates accountable, we will get the government we deserve.
I don't need Hillary or McCain to tell me who is the elitist in this campaign, the longer you are in Washington the more out of touch you get. Hillary and McCain are prime examples of it. I live in a small town in Michigan, i'm not only bitter but i'm pissed these politicians like McCain and Clinton always promise small town America so many things then go to Washington and ignore ,lie, and screw us. I don't need Hillary or McCain telling me what to think.,the
What is the negativity toward “bitterness”? Yes, bitterness can be a negative personality characteristic, especially among the classes of gifted and well endowed who don’t make it, but he is referring to the kind of bitterness that comes when we are victims of circumstances over which we have no control. It is when we are held accountable but are not responsible. That is the condition of many Americans today. So “bitterness” of this kind is a very appropriate emotion.
Obama is giving US the opportunity to realize that we do have more control than we realize. We should be bitterly disappointed in OURSEVLES. ALL Americans have the right to be bitterly disappointed with themselves. We continue to live the illusion that we have the highest standard of living, the best educational system, the finest health care, are the most innovative people and for more generous than any others. This is the rhetoric that feeds a myth perpetuated by our own historical
.
I'm sorry this is not the first time this guy has played the "I'm bettter than you are card." he has an entire cadre of media reporters that believe the same thing. He has a hot temper and is very thin skinned and says a lot of questionable things. But personally I believe them all. I think this guy says exactly what he thinks unless he thinks it wil hurt him., and so does his wife, and so does his pastor jeremiah Wright. He did not expect any of his comments to get out to the public. But hw will probably slide out of this one two. I hope not.
oooooooooo
The last time we elected someone who was "Real" over two preceived "Elitist" we got two ill-conceived wars, record breaking deficits, a drowned city, a declining standard of living, falling income levels and a campaign to tear up the Bill of Rights. I will vote for the candidate whose policies actually have some bearing on our lives and is more concerned about the country's welfare than his own.
I think that it is great that we have someone who knows the ropes, to enlighten us so we too can make better judgements when voting. I thought that we had to just wait until things got better before we could comment. But I found out that I too have a voice and I can vote to make things different too. When we listen to folks, we learn the truth about what is going on around us.Obama has told many small towns about why our little town is this way and that. We listened. It was only when Hil got caught not having done her home work as previously promised, either, as !st lady, or as Senator . She supported Bil on Nafta etc, she didnt get the jobs in NY either. NOW, she berates Obama for reporting to us the truth about small town corruption, and how the people have told hm that they feel about this corruption
Shouldn't we vote for someone better than us.
Or, because we live in a country where the median number of books owned is zero, we should elect a President like Bush who doesn't read and would be a good guy to have a beer with.
It's frightening to vote for someone only of my capabilities. GW Bush is purported to have an IQ of 99. Anyone with a lower IQ than me to be president is ridiculous for this country. Look how's it's worked out for us.
well at least he has a position. HRC can't seem to find one, maybe its the silent snipers that she is hiding from!
Couldn't agree more with you more, Jane, had I written it myself.
We have seen a takeover by militaristic thugs at all levels of politics and discourse in this country and the parallels to Germany are inescapable, especially the embrace by the religious community of a violent kill ethic after the faked attack of 9/11. Christ's message brought to a new low . . .
I don't mind being called antiAmeric
And embarrassment. That my countrymen are that stupid embarrasses me to no end.
What a difference it is to raise one's voice in protest of actions-----whether by a government, a group, or an inidividual, that unnecessarily cause harm to others-------and to support those actions and urge them on.
I pray I never find myself apologizing for causing harm to others, when it is in my power to oppose such harm in the first place.
I can't tell you how disturbing I find Hillary's latest distortions and pathological pandering.
I once was an avid defender of her and now, I'm sad to say, I find her repugnant. She has gone over to the dark side of American politics. Has she changed or was that where she always was.
I do NOT want this person to be president.
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