Hillary: Stop Waffling

I'm having trouble with Hillary.

It's not so much that she got rattled by her opponents in the last Democratic debate, or that she allowed her staff to do her dirty work with the "piling on" video they quickly displayed on her website. Yes, women still encounter sexism across all sectors of American life. Yes, nearly every powerful institution from the media to Congress is still dominated by men. Yes, it's tough being the first woman presidential candidate, especially at a time when feminism seems to be either a dirty word or passé, a quaint chapter in some 1970s history book. As a feminist, at times I feel incredibly discouraged by how little women have progressed.

But no one asked Hillary to run. And if she can't stand being challenged by a handful of smart guys, if she's going to obliquely accuse them of playing dirty or unfair, of going after her because she's a woman, how is she going to stand up to real bullies and tyrants like Ahmadinejad?

Which leads me to a far more serious problem I'm having with Hillary's candidacy. Her waffling on Iran and her macho posturing. You can't be leading the charge in the Senate to declare Iran's revolutionary guard a terrorist organization one minute, flinch when you get attacked for being so transparently calculating, then claim that, well, you were really just misunderstood. Or that it doesn't play right into Bush and Cheney's fear-mongering rhetoric about Iran being such a threat to the United States that we might have to bomb them. Come on. Hillary knows what they're capable of. In fact, she enabled Bush and Cheney to take us into Iraq. Whether she intended to or not.

There are generations of women and girls looking to Hillary for leadership, who are truly excited by her historic candidacy. My 15-year-old daughter is one of them. I used to be, but I'm waffling. What we don't need is a female presidential candidate who has an identity crisis and whose position on every issue seems driven by perception and polls.

It's not about being tough. It's about being real.

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Comments

[mjwca]

While it is great that a woman candidate can finally be taken seriously in a Presidential election, it is a shame that it turns out to be a candidate that so poorly represents women or Democrats. Tell you 15 year old daughter that the first lesson as a voter is to vote in the primaries for the one who would be the best President, not the most exciting or historic one and especially not the one everyone says is the most "electable". That is also the truest and most important goal of feminism - to bring the standing of women to a point where they are judged on who they are rather than mostly by their sex.

[coolkraft]

excellent post...shows just how phony she is...she waffles on many subjects, keeps up the usual political rhetoric...Billy Boy coming out and accusing her of being swift boated was the laugh of the week.

[PhyloSeFiser]

Check this out. It was written by Dean Barnett of the Weekly Standard; a right wing publication:

In my previous professional life, I had reason to be in contact with dozens of Barack Obama's classmates at Harvard Law School. When he entered the presidential race, I dusted off my Rolodex and began making some calls to get the off-the-record skinny on the Democrats' potential savior.
The results surprised me. Regardless of his classmates' politics, they all said pretty much the same thing. They adored him. The only thing that varied was the intensity with which they adored him. Some spoke like they were eager to bear his children. And those were the guys. Others merely professed a profound fondness and respect for their former classmate.
Even more interesting was what wasn't said. In dozens of conversations, not a single person said anything negative about him, and some were hardly the senator's political fellow travelers. Also noteworthy is that virtually everyone seemed to know Obama. Usually people who have such a high profile on law school campuses have their detractors. Obama apparently didn't.

Hillary, on the other hand has the highest negatives of any candidate out there. 50% OF THE COUNTRY SAY THEY WOULD NOT VOTE FOR HER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. We would really be blowing it if we didn't make Obama the Democratic nominee. He could win 65% of the votes in the general election.

Phylo out.

[PhyloSeFiser]

Check this out. I just pulled it from Andrew Sullivan's blog.

Political organizing for Democrats in red states like Nebraska can often feel a bit like leading AA meetings. But that hasn't deterred more than 300 Nebraskans from forming a dozen groups for Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and they aren't the only ones. On Monday, the Obama campaign announced that over 300 Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans had decided to cross party lines to support Obama. At Obama events in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Virginia and Georgia, a good 20% of audiences routinely raise their hands when emcees ask for Republicans in the crowd. A "Republicans for Obama" website has 11 state chapters with 146 members. An August University of Iowa even found Obama running third in the state among Republican candidates, behind Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani but ahead of both Fred Thompson and John McCain. And a national Gallup poll this month also found that nearly as many Republicans like Obama — 39% — than the 43% that dislike him, compared with the 78% of Republicans who held an unfavorable opinion of Hillary Clinton.

Anybody out there still think Hillary is the Dems best shot at winning the general election. Please people. Wake up! Hillary is political poison.

Phylo out.

[Macready]

Loved this: "You can't be leading the charge in the Senate to declare Iran's revolutionary guard a terrorist organization one minute, flinch when you get attacked for being so transparently calculating, then claim that, well, you were really just misunderstood. Or that it doesn't play right into Bush and Cheney's fear-mongering rhetoric about Iran being such a threat to the United States that we might have to bomb them. Come on. Hillary knows what they're capable of. In fact, she enabled Bush and Cheney to take us into Iraq. Whether she intended to or not."

mz hillary bites at every apple the chimp throws out . . . she has no moral center . . . she is driven by blind ambition and will adopt any posture to attempt to meet the needs of her audiences as dictated by focus groups .. . this is a woman who repeatedly has shown bad judgement and who refuses to take responsibility for her blunders . . . she is definitely not presidential material . . . she like the other candidates has to be judged by past performance and in her case her voting record and by her stand on issues . . .also her ability to debate . . . hillary has repeatedly shown that she is weak and represents the status quo hawk position . . .

She is a poor role model . . .

[Helomech59]

It's not about being tough. It's about being real.


Exactly.... she is a construct.. a product of even more corporate money buying it's way into power.

She has no principles... and her desire to be shown as tough is dangerous as hell for the rest of us....

[MPeter]

HRC speaks like a Democrat but votes like a neo-con. she claims women's lib and to be a strong girl but cries 'pile on by mean men' when she is asked to be truthful and honest. and when she is caught in a lie, her husbands comes out wagging a finger and claiming 'swift-boating'..is this the plan Democrats have for winning in 2008?

[vippy]

I agree 100% - if we elect Hillary there will no change for the middle class. She is so far removed from the woes that plagues the middle class. The fact she keeps her records out of
the scrutiny of the public tells me she has lots to hide. Had she improved whatever she claims she had experience in she would do double time to rub it under our noses quickly.
She is a Republican Lite! But the majority of people will elect her for most people vote with emotions rather than fact and that is a FACT!

[darker]

Did you say those guys are "smart"??
You've gotta be kidding.

Men showed they are FAILURES in governing.
They've made a horrid mess of everything, got thousands of people killed, are robbing all tax dollars out of the USTreasury with their war & disaster profiteering, etc.

They don't even apologize because "THEY FEEL ENTITLED"!

Enough already. Screw those men.
I'm voting for women from now on.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Hillary's not the only Pandidate that deserves
the honorary 'IHOP breakfast cook' nameplate,
the question is whether she could keep that
kitchen CLEAN of the roaches and mildew of
public corruption.

I think the only way for ANYone to take lead
and effect good reform in Washington is to
have them incorporate one key plank into
their platforms, and that plank would be
fiscal reforms. The day Congress HAS to
operate within a budget, no bullshit, no
excuses, no exceptions unLESS the chinese
are truly disembarking on the beaches of
California with rifles in their hands,
that's the day we'll see a lot of good
change in Washington.

Power always wants MORE. Specifically, more MONEY. Their loyal followers also want MORE. So, what do you call it all?It's called 'patronage'. People that want
money, THAT kind of money, spend
all DAY trying to shmooze the folks that
'print' the money by signing this or that
spending bill. But, here's the gag: It's
not their money. Well, not really, not really
YOUR money either, but it's a number on a
piece of paper used later to justify taking
more out of YOUR wallet. Behold the gravy
train, in all its' glory. Is it any wonder
you can't get a straight answer out of
Washington, anymore? Astronomical budget
figures, ZERO public accountability, and
lots of sunshine stories. Yes, I question
Hillary Clinton's ethics, I question ANYBODY's
ethics going for THAT job. Hillary or anyone else can make all the stupid promises they want, but until or unless they somehow become legally binding, it's all a sideshow. May as well put the position up on eBay.

[Superfelo]

"It's not about being tough. It's about being real."


Enough said! Barack Obama for President.

[Robertx5]

President Ahmadinejad - Tyrant - This is a man elected by popular vote - mainly on an anti corruption platform - severely restricted in his actions by the Iranian power structure -Bully - prone to make tasteless remarks periodically - respected by near neighbours Iraq - Disliked by Israel - but I certainly don't think they feel bullied.
Although there is ongoing discussion as to the rights and wrongs of attacking Iran, there is already on both sides of the debate the underlying assumption that here is a bad man representing a bad country and either by war or sanctions they have to be given a good kicking

[nomobull]

I THINK SHE AND A KOT OF HER SUPPORTERS WERE REMINDED THAT THE RACE IS NOT OVER. AND DESPITE THE MEDIA SHE IS NOT THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN THE RACE.

[katiekat489]

Please someone come out and tell me all about Clinton's accomplishments? As a senator and not a 1st lady please(since that is riding the coattails of the Pres) Flag burning? Iraq vote for war? Kyl-Lieberman? Etc ==By the way if I was running for Pres would be pissed at my man if he went out playing the victim card. How about the meme being that she is tough and capable and that these men can not even come close to being the leader she is!!Besides in all honesty it is smoke and mirrors so no one questions her ability or really the lack thereof-it is better to keep people riled up with the picking on her,swiftboating etc. What a crock --

[liberalredneck01]

If you vote for Hilary, you mind as well re-elect Bush. She is going to continue his fear mongering and she is going to continue to police the world. If you want real change in this country, vote for Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, or John Edwards. BTW, the Clintons are just as scandalous and corrupt as the Bushes!