Hillary: If I Can't Have it, Nobody Will

"Scorched Earth" is a military term, a strategic, tactical and/or punitive act against an enemy whereby you completely destroy anything and everything in the pursuit of your goal.

This week Senator Clinton made an astonishing statement. She said, "I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002."

You have to go back to Hillary's crying moment in New Hampshire for context. What she told us that day was that she's running for president because she has "so many opportunities from this country. I just don't want to see us fall backwards." Okay, let's take her at her word. She's running for president because she doesn't want us to fall backward. "Backward," in Clinton-speak presumably means "more George Bush." So then you have to ask yourself how she could make a statement like the one she made today. She has to know -- even if she thinks she could win -- that Obama could very well be the nominee. If we accept that she is a smart woman then we have to realize that she knows this. And then we have to also realize that she knows what she just did. She just handed the Republican nominee a soundbite he can play over and over and over again throughout the general election. And this is someone who has professed as her goal to beat the Republicans at all costs.

I wrote a piece yesterday about the Clinton campaign being a crystal ball through which we can see a Clinton presidency. Today's statement is yet another such view into the future and a reminder of the past, a past full of the kind of partisan bickering that splits the nation down the middle, pitting American against American in a time when it benefits all of us to find common ground.

It's breathtaking to me how juvenile the Clinton campaign is. There is a "take-my-ball-and-go-home" attitude in almost all of the rhetoric. Anger, sarcasm, chest pounding and foot stomping -- this is a president? No, this is a toddler having a temper tantrum. This is someone in desperate need of a time-out.

And the more I hear the "Vote for me because I will beat the Republicans" refrain that climaxes every Clinton stump speech, the more I find it creepy and disturbing. Sorry, but the "Republicans" are half of the country. How often have we been told in the last several elections that the country is painfully divided politically.

I don't want to sound too Kumbaya about this, but we shouldn't be voting for someone because they will "beat" half our country into submission. We need a leader who will enlist the other half, who will invite them, who will welcome them and who will lead a nation into an uncertain future.

What we don't need is a tone deaf, angry, sarcastic, brow-beating divider who would rather scorch the ground she lives on rather than imagine any possibility that she might not be the landlord. That kind of behavior represents a past we would all like to step away from, not a future any of us should embrace or even accept.

Comments

[frustratedinohio]

Michael, aren't you doing the same thing that you are accusing her of doing?

[Bozwellian]

After becoming once again refamiliar with zClinton style, and their pit bull innateness, once jaws clenched/etc fight to the death, win at all costs and care less who gets hurt as long as THEY prevail...FInd it rather sad that so many are willing to go along with 'em, is like a set up that will once again cost the Dems far more than they have avaiable to lose but htis one will take a heavy toll, more than most realize. AM one of those, that if HC (along with Bill in tow) are nominated, will NOT vote for the Dem ticket--and that includes if by chance they convince Obama to accept the VP spot...for will indeed verify the people have little REAL say and would prove Obama actually "stupid" if regalted to the VP spot , being told to use it as training time and wait his turn such as in 2016...ONLY A TOTAL FOOL would deliberately sign on as the Clinton VP...perhaps there IS one who would do so and does not mind ribbon cutting duties for will be a itular positon at best and one of major ridicule for sure with the dynamic duo running the showtime.
Have figured if HC/bc the nomination, will be voting Nader if bothering to exert any effort to vote at all for it all will be deemed valueless and of no consequence for the big boys/girls of the party's just pretend that WE THE PEOPLE actually have a REAL say in these outcomes. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN and getting "brokener" and we the people realize it and are tired of "playing along" with the shim-shamming-scam of it ALL !!!

[NOTHRC]

On the other hand, the statement in NH is all entirely self referential. You implied the us to extend beyond the Clintons. If you allow for the statement to be taken at face value, it implies a potentially damaging slip by a skilled language manipulator at a moment of weakness which to the skilled observer should have given away the whole game.

Yes, if you look at the Clintons, you find that us and the US are two distinct entities. That the poor, the under served and the needy function as a tool for the Clintons to accumulate personal wealth. That this job positions us (yes the Clintons and their friends) to benefit in ways that the average american could never imagine possible. The equivalent of winning the lottery.

Been wondering why they will not release their finances?

http://thememlingindex.com/hillary_clinton_net_worth-wealth.html

[Oldchef]

Thanks for an excellent post. We need a candidate that can move forward on uniting the country not one who will divide the country. If HRC manages to get the nomination through backroom maneuvering it's going to split the democratic party, unite the republicans against their ancient enemy and screw all of us for another 4 years. Many democrats will not support her, and many of us independents will stay home.

[Farmerette]

Bravo, Michael, for speaking the hard truth about the Clinton campaign tactics. The Clintons have bought themselves alot of loyalty over the years (using Other People's Money), and I can't help but wonder if those people really, truly, want a return to the combative, secretive, corruption of the Clinton 90's.
Hillary can say, till the cows come home, that she's been "vetted" and "everyone knows everything" about her, but that's far from the truth. If she wants to FIGHT for us, why doesn't she clue us in on how to turn a $1,000 investment into a $100,000 astonishing commodities win? Will she fire the WH Travel Office again? Any bets that she'll never release her tax returns? She's Lucy and if you're stupid, you're Charlie Brown.
While Hillary rails against the current foreclosure crisis, do some research on the Whitewater mortgage contract she drew up. For the working stiffs who wanted a shot at a modest vacation home, the terms & conditions that Hillary cooked up were ruthless. Miss one payment and you're in foreclosure? What a gal.
Speaking of vacation homes, the Clintons still haven't bought one. Do we really want another 4 years of jokes about the First Grifters, mooching vacations from their bought-and-paid-for-friends?
Is the drama of "It's 3:00AM....do you know where your husband is?" enough to make everyone cringe? Fast-forward to an SNL skit showing a ringing phone in the WH, Hillary answering and it's hospital personnel notifying her that Bill has broken his leg again during a late-night party at Greg Norman's house
Count me out for enduring 8 months of the Clinton robotic spin machine. Wind up KiKi, Lisa or Terry for the litany of mindless talking points and suppress a gag reflex. We can, and should, do better. Obama offers us a true change and he CAN beat Old Man McCain.

[PhDiva]

Why is a democratic candidate actively campaigning for the republican candidate? Because she wants to guarantee that Obama loses in November so she can be the candidate in 2012. If Obama wins the democratic nomination and the national election, he will be the undisputed democratic candidate in 2012. The player who sabotages her own team is not a leader or a winner; She's a megalomaniac.

In January, I would have been happy with Obama or Clinton! Now, I am horrified by Hillary Clinton's tactics. She is a saboteur extraordinaire who is poisoning the party well. I used to defend her against those who said she is ruthless and wants to win at any cost. I thought they were being sexist. Now, I feel they didn't speak strongly enough. She not only wants to win at any cost, she wants to guarantee that Obama will lose. She has been tougher on Obama than on McCain, and nastier to him than any Republican including Rush Limbaugh!!!!!!!!! Hillary, what happened? I used to like you. Now, you are embodying all the terrible things people have ever said about you. Is this the real Hillary? . How can I vote for her in November?

[aleco]

PhDiva, you're pretty smart. I agree with your comment.

[RushLimbaughsPutz]

She has lots of experience starting unecessary wars. She should be ashamed, as should all those who buy into her negative campaign and her bullshit claim to 35 years of experience, 3am phone calls etc. She will be worse tha Bush if she wins. Count on it

[Macready]

Well said Michael great blog . . . I do not understand how any Democrat could vote for hillary after her statement about mccain and Obama . . . it just proves what a lot of us already know that the clintons will do anything to regain the WH, they don't care about the American people, hillary's voting record indicates she votes strategicially for her own perceived advantage . . .she has no moral scruples . . .her 3am ad and there statement prove this .. . if she can't have the WH then she will give it to mcain . . ironically she is the candidate most likely to lose to mccain . . .and somehow this raises other disturbing thoughts about the DLC and the clintons . . . my mantra is the sooner billary is gone the better

[HeresJohnny]

Michael, scorched earth is a military tactic. Armies advancing (or retreating) through an area destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. The entire purpose (though it has been used punitively, as in Sherman's march to the sea) is to force the enemy to rely entirely on its supply lines; through history, armies have tried to use local materials (food, shelter, water, etc.) for obvious reasons, and it makes them fight two battles to provide everything from their own supply lines. Scorched Earth is not directly about 'pursuit of a goal' or any other such blurry-minded claptrap. If you're going to lead with a concept as intro, make sure you understand it enough that you can competently describe it. As for the rest of your article, I'm in agreement. I believe Hillary would rather lose the Presidential election than make sure a Democrat wins it. She will scorch the Democratic earth to get that opportunity. To Barack's credit, he seems unwilling to go that far.

The question is, which attitude is more presidential?

[kinderworld]

I agree with you, Michael. I believe that Hillary only cares about herself and making history as the first woman president. RIGHT NOW, ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS WINNING THE NOMINATION. If she can't win this nomination, nothing matters to her, and she really does not care about the consequences of her words and the impact on the general election. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE COUNTRY OR ABOUT YOU OR ME, IT IS ALL ABOUT HILLARY.

[clr2]

Well she is a Clinton kinderworld - Bill taught her well.

[KarenZipdrive]

For God's sake.
Hillary is in it to win it just like Obama.
If she had a penis, all this venom would evaporate.
Unless all you Obamanistas are willing to cross over and vote for McCain if she wins the nomination, I suggest you accept last night's defeats graciously.
We need a candidate who knows how to rumble politically. The GOP can eviserate dainty Obama, as evidenced by his defeats after just one week of hardball from Hillary.
All politicians at this level have to be streetfighters who'll do anything to win.
Even women.

[clr2]

A lot will simply not vote. Without Bill we wouldn't even know her. She has done nothing on her own. She isn't the best woman for the job - she will never get my vote.

[Slagfish]

The math does not favor Clinton winning the nomination. To do so, she will have to convince enough SDs to give her the nomination that Obama won. If this happens we lose the most reliable block of voters, the blacks, that the dems have and must have to win any election. They could even go over the the repubs which will cause a realignment of the parties that makes the democratic party a minority party in perpetuity. Her scorched earth policy will ensure that McCain is the next POTUS.

[roesch]

Karen in case you had not noticed the person with the penis is not throwing a dirty kitcen sink, I will do anything to win. Instead we have a candiate who talks about including all in America, not the usualy Clinton/Rush the "other" is the evil party rhetoric of politics as usual.. Please they have had their years, now give hope a chance.

[factanonverba]

I don't want to sound too Kumbaya about this, but we shouldn't be voting for someone because they will "beat" half our country into submission. We need a leader who will enlist the other half, who will invite them, who will welcome them and who will lead a nation into an uncertain future.

Drink too much koolaid tonight? The suggestion that the GOP will want to work with the Democratic Party is plainly naive and frankly laughable.

It is Yes We Will because she will fight the battles and win. Yes We Can is more we might or we might not. I want a fight. I have been wanting one since the 1980s. Hillary is our girl. She will win this and in November. You can choose to join us or you can choose to stay home or even vote for McCain. We will win.

[clr2]

Without Bill Hillary isn't even a name we would know. She has done nothing on her own. She isn't the "girl" for the job. She isn't the best we have to offer and she shouldn't be president.

[blackhappy]

Were you alive and/or paying attention in 1994?

Last time a Clinton tried to "fight" the republicans on the playground, it didn't end so well for our party.

[truth101]

Michael, Michael,Michael............The truth is quite the opposite. From Day ONE the great O has been building himself up by repeatedly over and over tearing HILLARY DOWN OVER THE WAR VOTE when he was not even in DC and was not a representative of the people of the state of NEW YORK. IT IS TOTALLY LUDICROUS TO say she is shanding McCain sound bytes as if O had not been doing so from day ONE.
THE TRUTH IS SHE SHOULD HAVE ATTACKED HIM FROM DAY ONE AS THE NEWBIE HE IS AND KEPT UP THE PRESSURE -- it was a tactical error to assume the public would not realize he NEVER FOLLOWED UP HIS ANTI WAR SPEECH WITH ANY ACTION WHATSOEVER UNTIL HE STARTED TO RUN A year after arriving in DC. So actually its MICHAEL WHO IS SOUNDING LIKE A SECOND GRADER AND NOT HILLARY, NOT AT ALL.. THE HILLARIAN AGE IS AT HAND.....O CAN BE VP and in 8 years
slip into the job on the basis of experience.....cool

[clr2]

What has Hillary done on her own? NOTHING. She is a liar and an opportunist. She will never win.

[AlphaDoc]

>I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience.<

I guess this is Hillary's version of "reaching across the aisle." If she wins the nomination, Joe Lieberman will be really torn as to whom he should support. Maybe he'll just toss a coin.

[vippy]

By Hillary doing this it was in the plan all along. Remember when Bill Clinton said that Bush1 will
assist Hillary when in the White House and the next day Bush1 denounced it. The press dropped it
mighty quickly. Hillary is GOP and they will not let go of their power. People just don't want to see it,
they pin their measly hopes on her lies and actually believe her. Hillary is GOP! Her baggage of the past, she should not even have been nominated, please, don't we have at least some standards?