It looks like we still have Hillary Clinton to kick around. Instead of conceding after Obama clinched the nomination, it sounded more, as Ezra Klein quipped, that the message was, “I think Clinton may be willing to offer Obama the vice presidency.”
When Richard Nixon conceded defeat after running for Governor of California in 1962 many believed we would not have Nixon to kick around any more. By laying low and campaigning for others Nixon set himself up for a comeback. Clinton is doing the opposite. By refusing to concede and giving an appalling speech where she questions the legitimacy of Obama’s victory she reduces the chances of being accepted by Democrats in the future. As Andrew Sullivan wrote, “It was an assertion that she had won the nomination and a refusal to concede anything to her opponent. Classless, graceless, shameless, relentless. Pure Clinton.”
It was bad enough when Clinton raised her bogus claims of winning the popular vote, and her false characterization of her failure to abide by party rules regarding Michigan and Florida as a fight to count all the votes, during the heat of the actual campaign. At least during a campaign we expect a candidate, especially one lacking in integrity such as Hillary Clinton, to say anything to try to get votes. To repeat these erroneous claims tonight and question the legitimacy of Obama’s victory now that he has clinched the nomination was just inexcusable.
When Hillary Clinton said she would make no decisions as to her future tonight there was a moment in which I was hoping that instead she would be “the decider” and at least say something honest about her intentions. Instead she continued to play games. She invited people to go to HillaryClinton.com to comment on what she should do. This is a sham, just like every other time she pretented to care about what anyone else has to say. She saves her supporters the trouble of actually commenting by presenting a form which already says, “I’m with you Hillary, and I am proud of everything we are fighting for.” Beyond that, further comments are optional.
I ignored the canned text and did submit my own message:
You should have said that after tonight you won’t have Hillary Clinton to kick around any more. Now you are going to burn in Hell with me.
–Dick Nixon
After submitting the comment I was transferred to a screen soliciting contributions.
Did you put Dick Nixon as the first and last name in the required fields? If so, he may show up as a “supporter” on the homepage. That would be too sweet.
I hadn’t even thought about that form of rebellion to her request for comments. You could put some interesting words in those fields. Unfortunately, you would also be counted as one of however many million people she claims supports her, regardless.
I used Richard and Nixon in those fields so maybe he will show up on her site.
Hoped you used a proxy when you left that nasty message.
What difference would it make? If they are compiling an enemies list with everyone who has a nasty message for them, I’d already be on it.
Earlier in the campaign I regularly received communication from the Clinton campaign’s blog outreach people but they stopped emailing me after I began respondng to their talking point by telling them what I thought of them.
Actually they would have been better off if they listened to me. I warned them that taking the low road and twisting Obama’s views would backfire and lead to more people seeing a reason to back Obama over Clinton. It turned out I was right.
Hillary’s actions remind of the animosity between Ted Kennedy and Jimmy Carter at the 1976 convention. I think that Kennedy’s unwillingness to let bygones be bygones kept him entrenched in the Senate, with little hope or support for future presidential dreams. Given her snipish attacks on “elitists”, which pretty much sums up a lot of the NY state democratic party, she may even have a hard time keeping the job she currently holds.