No, Hillary, You're Creed, Not Rocky. That's Your Problem.

As soon as I heard Senator Clinton likening herself to Rocky, I was incredulous. Is this campaign and/or candidate so feckless that they can't see the inevitable Maureen Dowd gore-fest that will follow, by comparing herself to the Italian Stallion?

But my slack-jawed wonderment had more to do with the real problem (besides the glaringly obvious one -- that Rocky actually loses the fight. There's that, of course.) Hillary Clinton is so obviously Apollo Creed, not Rocky Balboa. It was Creed who had it all, let himself grow deluded with entitlement, surrounded himself with an entourage of yes-men who never thought for even a second that their fighter might actually have to fight. Except for Creed's trainer, of course. He watches Rocky beat the bejesus out of a slab of meat on the local news, and tries to get Creed's attention by saying 'Hey, champ, you oughta come and look at this boy you're gonna fight on TV. It looks like he means business." His entreaties fail. The Champ figures it out too late, in the ring.

Now of course Senator Clinton is fighting like a mad dog, and today, I thought to myself, as I have on many days over the past few weeks, "she does know that she and Obama are in the same party, right? Could someone tell her they are BOTH DEMOCRATS?" But even as Senator Clinton struggles now against the real Rocky in this campaign, it is hard to shake that early, toxic period of inevitability that makes it nearly impossible, for this voter at least, to ever consider her the underdog. Senator Clinton, you went to Wellesley, one of your first stops on a gilded path to power. I live in Wellesley. There are no Rocky's in Wellesley.

Do I see any likeness between her and my beloved movie hero? I will allow the possibility that the Senator can perhaps break thumbs. And it does seem clear this fight will end up like the one in Rocky does: with both contenders covered in blood.

Comments

[jazzman]

Actually I think Hillary is more like Mike Tyson when he tried to bite off the ear of his opponent.

[stevey]

jazzman - this is linda the writer - logged in under my husband. you are hilarious!

[chouwalker]

I think she is Rocky. As I recall, Rocky loses to the black in the end.

[Thorn]

"The black." You're classy.

[EricSchmeltzer]

WOW. You know Rocky as well as I do. It was painful to watch anchors today pretend they knew anything about the movie. I think the only appropriate analogy here is that Mark Penn is like Tony Gazzo. Discuss.

[milurOH]

Nah, Gazzo was more well organized. If anything, Penn is one of the many "friends" of Rocky that came out of the woodwork for a handout, then turned their back when he was on the skids.

[kettletop]

Grammar check!
Does she know that SHE and Obama are in the same party, not HER and Obama.
Unfortunately she does. She offered him the vice-presidency.
So she knows better.
Shame on you Hillary Clinton!

[stevey]

thanks kettletop! i wrote this in 5 minutes. im changing it now.

[grendl]

I think Hillary meant "Rambo", he's the one who was under sniper fire.

Rocky's the one who actually lost the title bout, but earned some redemption by doing so, and ultimately some wisdom regarding the importance of a win versus finding personal happiness and love.

Maybe Hillary equates winning with love and acceptance, which makes her a lot like King George, and John McCain. But if winning means sabotaging a fellow Democrats chances, shes nothing like Rocky Balboa.

And I will continue to snipe.

[Thorn]

Yeah. What are you talking about? Creed wins. Hillary ... does not.

[MPeter]

Thanks Linda. It is a great piece, and thank you for reminding Hillary that she was never the underdog when this whole thing started. She was arrogant and believed in a corronation, having gone to the right colleges, surrounded herself with power brokers and crooks that she treated Senator Obama like a bothersome nuisance that had no right to challenge her. Thanks Linda. It is a great piece.

[ItsAlessandro]

Talk about revisionist history, The media DEMANDED Hillary throw her hat in the ring well before when she wanted to. The result was she looked like she had no competition at first so the media just overfocused on her until anything new came along.

You mistake having all the attention as being a coronation, that's on you, not Hillary.

[mounthoodliberal]

that's right, but Rocky does beat Creed in the rematch....does that mean hillary is planning on running against a sittling president from her *own* party in 4 years? analogy seems to fit....

[Thorn]

You may be reading that "Rocky Code" a little too closely.

[Thatcher]

She may be Creed in attitude and positioning - but remember, it was Rocky that lost at the end of that movie ... and in that sense - she is Rocky.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Don't take that analogy too far. Didn't the judges (a.k.a. "superdelegates") decide to give the win to Creed?

[sweetuniverse]

Love it.