We come from three generations of steelworkers. Bethlehem Steel. You may have heard of it. It will soon be a casino. Our grandfather cast his first vote for FDR in 1932. Our dad shook JFK's hand and wished him luck in 1960. In November, there has never been another option but the name at the top of the ticket. Not this time.
We've read and heard all the bullshit about how excited, unified and supportive Democrats will be regardless of the nominee. How the stakes are too high, the positions so indistinguishable that Obama voters will put aside their grievances and rally to the cause. Forget it.
Let's get one thing straight...all we expect from Obama is all you can truly hope from any president, that he or she will do less evil. That's it. And no, our refusal to vote for Hillary has nothing to do with her being a woman. She happens to be a woman who is not worth voting for. A shocking concept to those Gloria Steinems of the land who discern only sisterhood between Margaret Thatcher, Helen Keller, Eva Braun, Rosa Parks and Paris Hilton.
And from a purely political perspective, it would be an act of transcendent madness for the Democrats to nominate her. As if in 1932, despite having a charismatic leader in their midst, the smoke filled room went for Edith Bolling Galt Wilson so she could defend The League Of Nations.
The bottom line, despite Hillary's phantom 35 years of experience, is that the Clintons can never be vetted. They are always knee deep in shit. It may be shit that will surface after the convention, when and if her tax returns are ever released. It may be shit lying dormant in sealed White House records. It may be shit from how they are financing her campaign right now. It may be shit from the myriad shady deals Bill has cut as a former president. But it is there.
And when she is the nominee and the shit surfaces what then? If she's president and Bill decides he misses spewing his seed in the Oval Office sink, what then? Why then all the forces of progressivism must rally. We must link arms with Lanny Davis and Ann Lewis and fight the Clintons battles yet again. No thanks.
You don't have to read Kevin Phillips to know that the '90s were not such halcyon days. They were an opportunity squandered. They were fleeting DLC accomplishments in triangulated sand, blown to the four winds by a punk from Texas who actually stood behind his demented convictions.
For whatever their personal psychodrama, the Clintons need to return to the White House. To achieve power they will fight dirty, and to the political death. But we don't need them.
Yes the Republicans will attack Obama. He will counterpunch and the rest of us will go to the mattresses. But at least with Obama there's a chance the fight will be worth it.
Somewhere deep down, this country has to know that it deserves better than Bushes and Clintons. And if it doesn't, then count us in the Green Party column come November.
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Well-said, Jerry and Joe. I most certainly will not pull a lever based on the lesser of two evils, so if HRC is on the ballot, I also will be going Green.
Welcome to the Republican Party! Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are thrilled to have converted 2 more with their non stop lies about everything wrong with America being the fault of the Clinton's.
Oh and by the way Bill hasn't been in power for 7 years so I thinks all the shit we've been dealing with might be Bush fault this time. Just sayin.
I... would love... to vote for Obama... even as an independent... Democratic party be damned...
But only if I thought he could win as an Independent.
If Obama loses the Democratic nom, and it is clear that Hillary is the one who can beat McCain, I will just suck it up and vote for her. And I will back her to the hilt. And she will pay a price for a supporter like me, because I won't be pandered to, and I won't suffer any more lies or manipulations, and I will fight like mad to get the right agenda out there, and if she doesn't listen then I will become her worst nightmare -- but I promise that I will do my part to keep the popular awakening that we have all experienced, thanks to an incredible young Senator from Illinois, MOVING FORWARD.
Because this election is not about Barack, and it's not even about Hillary -- it is about us. The American people.
WE have been asleep at the wheel. WE let politicians tapdance around us. WE elected that f***ing clown twice into office. WE fiddle while rome burns. WE let fear drive reason from our heads and our country into war. (Well, I was always against the war, and never voted for a Bush in my life. But collectively, I mean.)
And it is WE who are ready for change. What is so amazing about Barack's campaign is that it is only partly about him -- and mostly about us.
Our anger, our outrage, our hopes, dreams, challenges, our work to do. It's not enough to be right, and it's not enough to be frustrated and heartbroken and throw up our hands in disgust if our favorite doesn't get the nomination.
BUCK UP. We must do what must be done -- even if that means voting Hillary.
I just hope that the rest of us don't have to live with a radical right-wing-stacked supreme court because people like you put your dislike of the Clintons (however well justified) above the good of the country. :-(
Patriot Actor? does anything other than your name have to be mentioned.
Hilary already lost because superfans like yourself never got the stars out of your eyes and told her and yourself the truth..
I am rather disappointed in the rancor of both the article and many of the comments here. I still resent the Clinton moves that gave ammo to the Bush/Cheny forces (especially pardons and Lewinski/Flowers), because I think they put important issues and vulnerable people at risk for selfish purposes. I stll think Hillary would do well for progressive causes, and I'm not willing to put lives needlessly at risk over my own personal picque. I strongly and vigorously support Obama, but I still lay some responsibility for a world of needless suffering at the feet of Ralph Nader and many who voted for him.
Okay here's the solution. Republicans Impeach Cheney and Bush. Then the Democrats should try the Clinton's for their co-presidency (they've addmitted it). Then women listen we will have the first woman president in PELOSI (for a quick 2nd). Then progressives Pelosi will automatically loose her seat, and then Shehan will be able to get it.
See I've got solutions ; )
OMG, the Clintons are POLITICIANS! And even worse Ms. Clinton is a married but instead of staying home baking cookies she actually wants a career and even worse she and her husband work as a TEAM! What a scandal. I support Obama because I think he is the better candidate but I will vote for Ms. Clinton if she wins the nomination.
I agree with the people who commented that this column and many of the comments sound like spoiled brats. I would also ask the authors: What would you say to the people of Iraq when voting Green helps put John (100 years in Iraq) into office? How about to the women who will no longer be able to get safe legal abortions after he packs the supreme court? How about the innocent people that will be kidnapped and tortured in CIA prisons? Is their suffering worth your going off in a snit because you can't get your preferred candidate?
Someone better tell BO that all we expect from a president is that they will do less evil (than Bush)...because for all of his so-called inspiration and rhetoric..his supporters are expecting a whole lot more. I guess if they don't get all of what they are being promised, they can always use their spin, kinda like what they are using in the primaries.
I think this articles represents selfishness big time. My way or the highway type of thing - and, very immature.
You going to vote for McCain instead?
Not vote?
Pitiful.
Funny, even if true. And we all know how the truth hurts. Those convinced that Sen. Clinton is the best, bright hope seem predictably offended. I guess they should be. Advocates for Sen. Obama have similarly predictable reactions.
For a non-right wing "pox on both their houses" piece, see http://tinyurl.com/3b4slo.
How this all plays out is anyone's guess. Sen. Obama has mostly consistently outperformed predictions by experts. If he does so in either Texas or Ohio he may, indeed, be unstoppable and fulfill the satirical Jerry and Joe's heartfelt dreams.
8 years in the 90's my black female baby boomer mother summed up quite succinctly, "I never voted for the Clintons. I voted against the Republicans. I won't do it a third time."
Give me someone I can vote FOR for once. How hard is that? The Clintons are wading in it, you can smell it, for every Rezko and Exelon rumor, there's ANOTHER Exelon rumor and six other well-founded scandals we're just starting to hear about circling the Clinton camp as it circles the drain.
I will say to you what my father said to me right after I threw one of my spoiled brat temper tantrums: Get your ass to the house and keep it there!
That is exactly what your article is--a spoiled brat temper tantrum. It's your way, or no way, huh? Sounds like somebody I know. His name is George.
I'll tell you something. I haven't always voted for the Democratic nominee myself. But I have always supported and worked for Democrats at the local and state level.
For more than three score years I have witnessed the deterioration of this nation. It is now at a point I never in my darkest and worst nightmares ever dreamnt it would reach. So get this and get it straight: THIS COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD ANY MORE REPUBLICAN FACISM FOR AT LEAST 60 YEARS. Any Democrat, absolutely, ANY Democrat is preferable to any Republican. You got that, Jack? ANY Democrat over any Republican.
You obviously have no care for rest of us who must live in this nation, but only about a personality cult.
So, as I said, get your ass to the house. You are nether wanted or needed here. The rest of us will try to dig this country out of the trash heap and tape the shredded Constitution back together.
"Any Democrat, absolutely, ANY Democrat is preferable to any Republican. You got that, Jack?"
Disagree with you, "Jack." VEHEMENTLY disagree. I see both parties as corrupt and riddled with corruption. So I go for the most authentic candidate, one who can work within the system but doesn't compromise his or her values, and will buck the party line if he or she thinks it's the right thing to do. (Hint: That doesn't describe Dubya, nor does it describe Hillary.)
You obviously have no care for those of us who don't want to see the country sink deeper into the sewer of corruption we saw with the Clintons.
I'm not leaving, but neither would I be such an arrogant blowhard as to tell YOU to leave. So I'll make a deal with you. You get your ass to the voting booth in November and vote for whoever you want to vote for, and I'll do the same. Sound fair, Jack?
What was your intent writing this article? If its to reinforce the belief that Obama supporters will only support their candidate and watch the party go down in flames, it worked.
But thanks for the article. It actually helped me realize that if the Obama supporters feel that should not have to vote for Hillary because of their beliefs, why should I as a former Edwards and current Clinton supporter give my vote to someone I really don't beleive in if he gets the nod? Apparently the ultra liberal wing of the party that stuck it to Gore in 2000, supported John "Lurch" Kerry in 2004 is now in the Obama camp.
I'm a Democrat who will more than likely (99%) vote for the parties nominee no matter who it is. But unlike most of the bloggers here, I'm an adult who wants to do what's best for the country, not the arrogant selfish types that seem to be in Senator Obama's camp.
But I have to admit the idea of voting for Senator MCain and sticking it to the arrogant whiny ultra liberal segment of the party that demands loyalty from all other Democrats, but sees themselves above such things, does bring a smile to my face:)
Did any of you hear of solidarity? The old United Steel Workers had solidarity. I hear that the USW merged with another union. Casino or not-Bethleham, Pa had a proud history of union solidarity. I guess that has been forgotten. It may have left when Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt. A local blues musician wrote a song about life in the rust belt. It may be Bethlehem's unofficial anthem by now.
Obama said oops!
LAT 01.24.08
Obama angered Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago"s West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.
"I wasn't aware that I'd voted no," he said, asking that the record be changed to reflect that he "intended to vote yes."
On March 19, 1997, he announced he had fumbled an election-reform vote, "I was trying to vote yes on this, and I was recorded as a no,". The next day, he acknowledged voting "present" on a key telecommunications vote.
He stood on March 11, 1999, to take back his vote against legislation to end good-behavior credits for felons in county jails. "I pressed the wrong button on that," he said.
Obama was the lone dissenter in 2000, against 57 yeas for a ban on human cloning. "I pressed the wrong button by accident," he said.
In Nov.1997, he backed legislation to permit riverboat casinos to operate even when the boats were dockside. The measure, pushed by the gambling industry and fought by church groups whose support Obama was seeking, passed with two "yeas" to spare " including Obama"s. Afterwards, he rose to say, "I"d like to be recorded as a no vote," explaining that he had mistakenly voted for it. Obama would later develop a reputation as a critic of the gambling industry
On June 11, 2002, Obama"s vote sparked a confrontation after he joined Republicans to block Democrats trying override veto by GOP Gov. George Ryan of a $2-million allotment for the west Chicago child welfare office.
Afterward, Obama chastised Republicans for their "sanctimony" claiming that only they had the mettle to make tough choices. A fellow Democrat suddenly seethed with anger. "You got a lot of nerve to talk about being responsible," said Sen. Rickey Hendon, accusing Obama of voting to close the child welfare office.
Obama replied right away. "I understand Sen. Hendon"s anger. . . . I wasn't aware I voted no on that last " last piece of legislation," he said.
Gee, how come you didn't post the entire article? Like this part in the fourth paragraph:
"Correcting the record is common practice in the Illinois Legislature, where lawmakers routinely cast numerous votes in a hurry."
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamavotes24jan24,0,713086.story
Was Hillary Clinton's Iraq War vote an "oops"?
I don't know if I'm buying this. I wonder if perhaps there is a little more to the story...
BTW, at least he didn't vote us into war.
Sounds like HRC's explanation that she really never read the bill that sent nearly 4000 Americans to their deaths in Iraq.
another 'boneheaded' decision?? where is all this 'superior judgement' we keep hearing about??
more hot air..........
McCain is gonna clean his clock
Before Iowa, I felt like I could vote, in good conscience, for any of the Democratic candidates. Now, I wouldn't vote for Hillary if you put my feet in a fire. The Billary team has been re-exposed as the slimy, at all costs, whatever it takes candidates.
The Florida and Michigan 'primaries', and the Hillary insistence of seating the delagates is her latest disgusting endeavor. I mean, would she be clamoring for their seating if she was on the losing end?? I think everyone knows the answer to that.
My hope is that Obama puts this away soon and I think he will.
The DNC has to find a solution to the voters in Michigan and in particular Florida, where all candidates were on the ballot, it is difficult to demand the voters to go and vote again and even worse to ask them to caucus
I agree with every word in this essay!
During Bill Clinton's first inauguration, People walked around the Capitol wearing buttons that said "Hilary 2000." I remember feeling excited about the prospect of having a woman president. After Bill's 8 years, Jennifer Flowers, Whitewater, Vincent Foster, Monica, and Bill's outright lie in front of the nation, there was no warm feelings toward them left in me. Her vote FOR the war was the last straw. Sure, they will wage dirty political battles against whoever stood in their way, but sometimes one must take a stand.
I only regret that Obama missed a golden opportunity to debunk the widely-held myth of the golden years of the Clinton admin. During one of the debates, Hilary said, with all the self-righteousness of a Clinton, that it takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush. The truth is: The Clintons had a lot to do with W getting into the White House. If another Clinton gets elected, she will leave another trail of destruction behind, making it possible for yet another W-like to seize power.
The Clintons are toxic politicians: whoever touches them gets "dirty." Look what happened to Al Gore. Granted, he fared better than Vincent Foster. But what a price we all paid!
Signed, A 40-something woman
Maybe the Dem are having too lofty expectations, and is Hillary responsible for Jennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky? And no, there was no Whitewater scandal - a never has a case been investigated so thoroughly - and Vince Foster was not murdered.
I'm sooo sick and tired of dumb a holes like you bring up Vince Foster. For Chrissakes Kenn Starr conceded it was suicide. Purists like you are the reason are country is screwed up. No disrespect but Al Gore wasn't really campaign savvy. Oh and don't forget the Supreme Court delivered Bush the state of Florida.
Not to be an a hole but Clinton was elected twice and did leave a great economic legacy and the world actually liked us. Even with his affairs. I remember.
So in other words, get out you fake-o Democrats. You'll fall for Lyndon LaRouche if talked half-as well as Obama
Bill never got a MAJORITY of the popular vote in either '92 or '96, and Hillary might not do even that well. As for Gore, it should never have gotten that close. He ran a bad campaign, but he really was hurt by Bill and Monica's not-so-excellent adventures. I defended him at the time, because I didn't think it was anybody's business but the Clintons. But it cost Gore - and America - big. We cannot risk another crazy occurance/scandal. Yes, Obama will have some issues (Rezko comes immediately to mind), but, at least as far as we now know, he's a piker compared to the Clintons. And I'm not counting Whitewater, Travelgate, or, especially, Vince Foster. These ,and other so-called "controversies," were pure crap. But the Mark Rich pardon, Tyson Chicken, etc. It seems they were always pushing it. If not breaking the law, then coming right up to the edge of doing so. Yes, I'll vote for ANY Democrat in the general, including HRC, but I'm pulling for Obama.
BlueAsh- Great post, couldn't have said it better!!
Loading comments…
Posted February 15, 2008 | 09:18 AM (EST)