"All of these articles about his boyhood in Indonesia and his life in Hawaii are geared towards showing his background is diverse, multicultural and putting that in a new light. Save it for 2050. ... Every speech should contain the line you were born in the middle of America American to the middle class in the middle of the last century. And talk about the basic bargain as about the deeply American values you grew up with, learned as a child and that drive you today. Values of fairness, compassion, responsibility, giving back. Let's explicitly own 'American' in our programs, the speeches and the values. He doesn't. Make this a new American Century, the American Strategic Energy Fund. Let's use our logo to make some flags we can give out. Let's add flag symbols to the backgrounds."
I understand that internal campaigns memos often represent only the thought processes that take place among those who plan strategies designed to maximize their chosen candidate's chance of success. I also recognize that these memos don't always reflect the views of the candidate. In this case, thought, given the tenor and tone of the campaign conducted by Hillary Clinton, these memos would absolutely seem to reflect her "I'll do whatever it takes to win- no matter how nasty or underhanded" mantra. Given the ugly, mean-spirited, and thoroughly distasteful manner in which she conducted herself, I could see her employing the strategies these memos suggest...and we as Democrats frankly deserved better.
At one time, I possessed a virtually boundless respect for Hillary Clinton. That, of course, was before fortune turned against her and settled on Barack Obama's shoulders. Once it became clear that the odds of her securing the Democratic nomination were lengthening, she conducted herself in a nasty, shrill, mean-spirited, and thoroughly embarrassing manner. I was surprised, and embarrassed, that Clinton so obviously felt that the nomination was rightfully hers, and that she seemed upset that an interloper like Obama would DARE to get in her way. That her husband participated so willingly in dragging her campaign into the gutter made things even worse. Frankly, it soured me on both of them. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say with conviction that I wouldn't piss on either one of them if they were on fire, but there you have it.
To think that HRC might still have a chance of being Obama's selection for Vice President is something that galls me, but it's not my choice...and perhaps he's more forgiving than I am. Politics can, and does, make for some strange bedfellows, and perhaps having HRC on the Democratic ticket might make sense to some. I just cannot imagine a circumstance under which rewarding her perfidy and thoroughly classless behavior would be justifiable.
Before any of you unrepentant Hilltards get on me for being sexist, I've been very careful to couch my criticism of HRC in terms that are very non-sexist. I'd be feeling this way about any Democrat who conducted themselves in a similarly distasteful and classless fashion. Hillary Clinton should be ashamed for conducting her campaign in such a ugly and mean-spirited manner. (And, yes, I'd be saying the same thing about Barack Obama if the roles were reversed. It's about putting a Democrat in the White House- NOT a particular Democrat.)
WE DESERVE BETTER.
