To those of you who are my blogfriends and readers and are Hillary Clinton supporters, I am sorry if I offend you, but it is time to face reality, fair or not. You gave it your all people, I think it is time to move ahead and to do so in unity, not in shards and pieces.
To those of you who are stone cold hatin' on Hillary, well you know I do not support that either. If we want some kind of peace and unity in this country and in this world, we kind of have to act like it.
I said that to a non-blogworld person the other day and the person said something to the effect of "she started it." Oh please. Can we all just move on?
There is no time to argue, we must move ahead! No matter what side you are on, ask yourself this question - is it more important to be right or is it more important to change the leadership of our country?
Definition of insanity... doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Dear Hillary,
Persistence is one thing but insanity is another and I write to you today to have a little chitter chatter about that, ok?
You know, I was never that crazy about you or Barack Obama to begin with. I must say that my heart tends to go to candidates like Dennis Kucinich or John Edwards.
Dennis is a source of tremendous hope and inspiration to me, although I don't think this country is anywhere near ready for the gifts that he would bring us. (Which is very sad indeed.)
John brought something else, not quite the same, but closer to what is important to me. Again - that sort of thing is never very popular. Also we love to elevate and dis the same types of people in this country, but that is another post for another day.
So where were we?
Oh yes. Insanity and persistence. I love me some persistence, ok? It is a much needed virtue. However, it is but a fine line between clever and stupid and I am afraid I think that clever is a place in your past at this point.
I am sorry that things have not gone your way, but I have to ask you to do a little soul searching my dear sister. Please. You have gifts, let us not lose them due to your unyielding insistence on something that clearly is not going your way. Fair? Not fair? Irrelevant at this moment in history.
As I said earlier, I am not and have not been that crazy about either you or Obama. Having said that, no matter what I feel about Obama, no matter what I see or experience, I never leave the encounter with him feeling scolded.
With you however, I feel little else! I am very tired of you telling me how you are the better candidate. For crying out loud, if that were the case, don't you think you might just be a wee bit ahead?
It appears to me that your drive, your expectations, your sense of destiny and entitlement are clouding your eyes to the point of sheer blindness. If the person driving the bus is blind - well you know what is likely to happen.
If you were going to save yourself girl, you might have done that a long time ago - or even a short time ago, by showing us that you were agile, open, adaptable and a creative problem solver.
I feel like you memorized a script that you felt portrayed an imminent situation. Like many things - the script and reality were far apart. You did not really seem to adapt or evolve from your original lines, which is sad to me and speaks volumes.
What you have shown me anyway is that you are anything but flexible, creative or a problem solver with insight. You seem to think you know what is best for all of us and you are determined... at any cost I might add, to show us.
I have not felt this scolded in a long time and when I reflect on who does this most often, I find myself putting you in the company of Bushco, McCain and other bloviating blowhards that make a lot of noise and insult the ability of people to make their own decisions.
You are a very intelligent woman and an able politician. There are many things I respect about you, but that respect is diminishing with alarming rapidity. Please be the really capable leader that you are and pay attention to the goddam signs woman...
It is over. Over. Got that? Seriously sister- over.
You have choices. You can leave with grace and the political skill for which you were once known. You - YOU - you can help pave the way for a unified Democratic party.
You can speak to all of your supporters and convince them that Barack Obama is the way to go. We can't look back - its too late Hillary. We must go. Go! Do I need to give you a shovel to release your heels that are dug in deeply?
You can convince them that he is an able leader, you can convince your folks that he is not a Muslim, you can convince people that we must move ahead and get this country back on track. It is going to be daunting and if it was your manifest destiny, don't you think you would be much farther ahead at this point?
This all reminds me of Bush's barely 50% mandate - it has divided this nation. Don't let this divide our party. Please.
It is almost too late - please save the day here. Don't be a self-righteous, sanctimonious all knowing jerk. Please show us your wisdom - I actually believe that you have it.
What you are showing me and many others now is that you do not have good insights anymore - and who wants that in a leader? We've had that for nearly 8 years and at tremendous, tremendous cost to our nation.
I want you and Bill and Chelsea to go home and do cry your hearts out and then come out to do the right thing.
And one other thing Hillary... I ask you not to look back. It is what it is. Acceptance is the first step in transformation. And when I survey the landscape of our country and our world, transformation is what is desperately needed. And now!
Please move ahead and get your people to come with you. Please. This is seriously important.
Any questions? Then let's get going.
Thanks.
Yours truly,
FranIam
(Hi I am FranIam and I approve this post!)
45 comments:
Amazing coincidence or disturbing parallel that this quote turned up in my email this morning...
""We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit."
The Borg Queen's been reduced to quoting her silent political adviser, Karl Rove, as the reason she should remain in the race.
I agree. I think she's finally jumped the shark. No one is home. Hillary needs a long vacation in a quiet setting, with soft music playing, calming herbal teas, and padded walls.
Hillary at this point is not talking about what is best for the country, she is instead trying to convince everyone that she has already won the race. She looks so pitiful standing up there saying things we all know are just not true. Reality is either not in her picture or for whatever reason she feels she can create her own reality.
I think she is going to take this thing to the rules committee and if they don't see things her way she will blame her loss (that we know she already has) on the committee.
There was a time I could have been happy with either Hillarey or Obama, but that time is long gone. If by hook or by crook she does manage to get the nomination, I of course will vote for her. But sadly I will have no respect for her. She distroyed that some time back.
Man, I totally screwed up the spelling of her name, didn't I? Sorry, Hillary.
The calls for Hillary to quit the race at this point are unprecedented. No such barrage of calls to drop out was aimed at Huckabee earlier this year, or at Kennedy in 1980, and both of them were much further behind the leading candidate than Hillary is behind Obama.
I've been arguing for months that a change of leadership is very important, and that that's why we should nominate Hillary. She can beat McCain in November. I don't believe Obama can.
The fact is that neither Clinton nor Obama can win without the support of superdelegates, so until those votes are actually cast, it is not "over". If they realize she has a better chance in November, they can still nominate her. The popular vote is very close and after the last few states it will be even closer.
Of course that's extremely unlikely at this point. I'm pretty much resigned to an Obama nomination and a McCain Presidency. But I'm not willing to give up completely just yet, and I certainly don't think she should.
I couldn't agree more Fran (and I'm not saying that because I'm an Obama supporter.) I like to think I would feel the same way if the shoe of defeat was on his foot (I know, I just made that saying up.)
In Kabbalah there are concepts called "receiving for the sake of sharing" and "receiving for the self alone." Derive from that what you will, but I think it's pretty clear which one most of us choose more often than not--especially many of our politicians.
I do believe that Obama can beat McCain. I think he will do it in a landslide. Mrs. Clinton can't because she is trying to beat McCain by being McCain lite. (Want to talk appeasers? Hillary meeting with Richard Mellon Scaife sealed it for me)
I have always been a fan of Hillary Clinton. As a first lady and as a senator. But as the president of the United States she will allow the old rifts and arguments between left and right to remain. Absolutely not fair, I know. But it is what it is. Other great leaders did not get the highest office due to timing as well. Adlai Stevenson and Daniel Webster come to mind.
Anyway, thanks for drawing the parallel between Mrs. Clinton and 'stay the course'.
jess, you have much more confidence in the electorate than I do. A dried up turd would make a better president than The Maverick®, but many Americans like dried up turds.
I'm not sure if this is pertinent or not, but I still don't understand why we don't hold all primaries on the same date.
*opera clap*
Hillary is like every other politician. She doesn't really care about the greater good of the country, it's all about her and her career.
I am sad. I wanted to support her. For many years, I defended her against the rightwingnuts.
I hate the ugly and violent sexism that this race has unveiled. Anyone who believes that women have reached equality in this nation should be profoundly uncomfortable by the way Hillary has been treated.
But she gives me no hope. I do not see Obama as a knight on a horse, swooping in to save us---but he gives me hope that we can face the hard issues we need to face.
That is what it finally came down to for me.
(I had not heard that Hillary had met with Scaife. Given what he's done to my church, that would have been enough--in and of itself--to turn the tide for me...)
We do politics rather differently, of course, so some of the nuances of the campaign are probably lost on me.
Nevertheless, if it looks like a loser and sounds like a loser, it probably is a loser.
Is it about stubborness or self-awareness?
I approve this post also Fran.
At this point I just don't know.
Clinton will probably not be making a concession. At best she'll officially suspend her campaign in June.
That leaves it up to Obama to declare victory. I'm really hoping he does that tonight.
There's going to be some hurt feelings but the math in undisputable. You shouldn't have to stand on your head and squint really hard until you see her ahead in candidates for her argument to work.
Take everything out of this race and you're left with the fact that Clinton ran as an "experience" candidate in a change election. That was her decision and it obviously cost her. It's going to cost McCain as well.
Well said, well done.
Yes, we should have anational primary day. And a general election three months later.
As to Sen. Clinton, my biggest fear is that she will somehow pull a backroom deal to get the delegates from Florida and Michigan seated, and then some other flim-flammery to steal the nomination.
That will destroy the party. It'll be 1968 all over again.
And I really do not get this idea that McBush is such a shoo-in to beat Obama. Are people really THAT stupid?
I feel almost identically to wormwood doxy. Obama is not my hero or my heart-throb or my savior. But he does ignite a certain something in me as a Democrat and an American. I am hopeful but cautious.
I've had a harder time with how Clinton has allowed her campaign to be managed than with Clinton herself. The racist overtones in the campaign have been particularly troubling and reveal a candidate who may not herself be a racist (I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt) but who has allowed her strategists to guide the campaign to appeal to racist elements in our nation. To discredit her opponent. For votes.
She does need to step down. And I certainly hope that she isn't being considered for VP. I caught a snipet of a story on NPR about whether Obama would be asking her or not...it's time to move forward and beat McCain.
Maybe i'll post an open letter to Howard Dean for creating this mess in the first place.
Great post, Fran. Dead on. As you know, I am the opposite of a Hillary fan. She lost me--a constituent--when she gave W the keys to the military and let him bomb the shit out of Iraq. I think she made a political calculation with 2008 in mind. Nothing I've seen since has convinced me otherwise. I'm not looking for a hero, but I sure as hell won't vote for a villain, and I'm sorry, allowing W to destroy Iraq and our military because it was politically expedient is evil.
You're right. Also, Anna Quindlen in the most recent "Newsweek" wrote an excellent column that echoes your words!
hopeful but cautious expresses my view on Obama exactly.
The things I was most worried about with Hillary had more to do with the Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton dynamic. what does it say about democracy in this country if we think there are only two families who are capable of running this country?
I just want the ugliness to stop. I was hoping that the Democrats wouldn't turn into a tank of piranhas (sp?). It's time to focus on beating McCain.
I agree with Wormwood.
I'm also still an Edwards supporter.
What does everyone think of Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State?
Fran, you must know that while I love you I absolutely disagree with what you have written.
Let's take a look at this contest for a minute. Out of more than 4,000 delegates they are just a few hundred apart. When you look at the popular vote Clinton is slightly ahead ... and don't start screaming about FL and MI because the voters in those states didn't do anything wrong, and a majority of them voted for Sen. Clinton.
And even with the MSM drumbeat that Clinton has been "dead" for months now, her campaign raised another $22 million dollars last month.
She has won two of the last four primaries by 41 and 35 points, and in a poll just taken in North Carolina she beats Sen. McCain 49 to 43, while Obama LOSES to McCain 51 to 43.
If the big concern is the November election -- as it should be -- then let's look at the electoral college map.
According to Poll Watcher Clinton beats McCain 310 to 228 (with 270 needed to win). Obama is behind with 253 to McCain's 285.
Can Obama make this up? Hopefully, but why not start the race with the candidate most likely to defeat John McCain?
And as you might have read on my blog, I attended a Clinton fundraiser in DC a few weeks ago. There were 1500 women (and a few men) in the room all urging the Senator to stay in the race. Everywhere she goes people flock to her asking her to stay in the race.
She wins a primary tonight by 35 points and you want her to just drop out? Where is the sense in that?
I think this primary contest has been very good for the Democratic party. It's brought hundreds of thousands of people out to the polls, it's created a ton new of contributors, and it's helped Barack Obama hone his campaign skills.
Compare Obama from last September (the traditional "start" for a presidental campaign) with the Obama today. He is a much better candidate, I think in part because he's had such a strong opponent.
And let's take a quick look at the "primary" vs "caucus" argument. The reason Obama is ahead in number of states won is because he's managed to win most of the caucus states. (A process that I think disenfranches a lot of potential voters.) More than 34 million people have voted in a primary, compared with approximately 1 million who have voted in caucuses.
I'm glad Sen. Clinton is staying in this until the end. I think every voters should have an opportunity to cast their vote for the candidate they support. Heck, the contest will be over in a matter of days now, so what purpose would it serve to piss off millions of Clinton supporters who have worked so hard on her behalf by telling her to drop out now?
I'm not sure Obama can win in November without the support of half of the Democratic party. And what this primary contest has proven is that these two candidates are in a virtual dead heat.
I still love you Fran, but on this we are going to have to agree to disagree.
BAC
BAC, I agreed with Fran, but good point, good reasoning. Thanks.
Though I think both of you might agree with this.
This presidential race is the first one I will sit out since 1972. Yes, I have decided not to vote...in protest of what this country has become. maybe that does not make sense, but this race has made me sick.
this presidential race was the most momentous one in my lifetime, something that we as a country should be proud of -- a woman and an african-american (OK, maybe he's not black enough for some people) running for president. and what happens? racism and misogyny have taken away from what REALLY MATTERS IN THIS COUNTRY. typical. is it any wonder that the United States of America is the laughing stock of the world? and for those of you will argue with that, get over yourselves. we are.
the sexism and misogyny that I've heard, read, and seen about Hillary makes me sick. and the fact that I am labeled a racist in the media because I don't support Obama also makes me sick. the fact that it is assumed I would support Hillary just because I am a woman, also makes me sick. that people say that will vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee because they would not vote for a black man also makes me sick.
so fuck it. we have met the enemy and it is us. this country deserves what it gets.
I agree with BAC. Given that it is a dead heat, I think the best thing is a negotiated settlement, at or before the convention, so that both candidates are working hard for the nominee.
Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their party in order to defeat the Republican menace.
"And I really do not get this idea that McBush is such a shoo-in to beat Obama. Are people really THAT stupid?"
yes, they are. and were. twice.
Stupidity isn't the issue. It's how the strongest supporters of each candidate are distributed geographically.
Clinton's strongest demographic is rural and blue-collar workers. That group is a major presence in the rust belt and Appalachia -- the most important group of swing states. In Kentucky exit polls, more of Clinton's voters said they would vote for McCain than for Obama, if the latter were the nominee. This shows that Clinton is appealing to people who would otherwise go for McCain -- people Obama cannot reach.
Florida is also much more likely in November to swing to the Democrat who fought to get its delegates seated than for the one who fought to prevent this.
Obama's strongest supporters are not concentrated in swing states. They could reduce McCain's margin of victory in a number of red states, but in the Electoral College, the margin of victory within a state means nothing. McCain would still win those states.
Obama's supporters might stay home in November if Clinton is nominated, but they're unlikely to vote for McCain, as many of those rural and blue-collar voters would if he and Obama were their choices.
The misogyny (and the arrogance and disdain) shown by many in the Obama camp toward Clinton and her supporters has created so much anger that I think it will be almost impossible for Obama to win those voters over, but that's a whole other huge topic.
Clinton almost certainly can keep McCain out of the Presidency. Obama almost certainly can't. That's the bottom line.
I agree with this post. I'm tempted to say so much more, especially after reading all the comments before mine, but I'll just leave it at that I agree.
Clearly you are either an elitist or a misogynist. ;o)
Fran,
Well written and logical. And, I'm not saying that because I don't like or trust Clinton.
BeckEye, I agree with you. A politician is a politician.
Don't know how I'll vote. I'm saddened and angry because I'm thinking about not voting. Probably won't do that, but the thought is there.
Fran,
Well written and logical. And, I'm not saying that because I don't like or trust Clinton.
BeckEye, I agree with you. A politician is a politician.
Don't know how I'll vote. I'm saddened and angry because I'm thinking about not voting. Probably won't do that, but the thought is there.
Fran, I don't think it's over and I think it would be foolish for Senator Clinton to stop running now. We still have a chance for her to be nominated and as long as there's a chance I think we have to hang in there. Obama is far from optimal. Sure, change, change, change... but that is not enough. Change could actually be worse, have any of you ever thought of that? With Senator Clinton we know what kind of change we're getting. Obama... YIKES! At least McCain actually has some experience in politics and for all yall's yapping this IS about politics. I want a politician for president. A good one.
Go Hillary!
Fran, I started out supporting Sen Clinton but after the FL and MI debacles, plus a little episode that involved a friend of mine and became a minor AP story, I see her as someone to whom the rules don't apply. We have someone like that as President now. I would vote for her if she was the candidate vs McBush, but she is not my choice. I really see her as someone who cares only for herself instead of the country.
It didn't have to be this way.
Lauralew, I lived in Florida for nine years, and have many friends in the state. They all worked their hearts out for Hillary, and are very upset that their votes might not count. They lived though 2000, and never thought their own party would do this to them.
The Republicans in FL are to blame for the primary being moved. There were other states that didn't follow the rules, but the DNC did punish them -- only FL and MI, and by taking away all their delegates.
The Republican party resolved the matter by taking away 50% of the delegates, which seems a little more reasonable to me.
Both FL and MI could be in play for the Dems this year, if the DNC can fix the problem on May 31. Let's hope they do!
There are a lot of voters in FL and MI who are glad to have someone making such a strong argument for them -- since the MSM doesn't seem to want to bother telling the full story.
BAC
Fran,
Well said, girl! I agree completely. What I'm not sure is, how much of this relentless campaign of Hillary's is really driven by Bill? I'm wondering a lot about that.
While I agree it's time for her to throw in the towel, unlike some of your commenters I feel no need to piss on her grave, call her names or imply that she's affiliated with Karl Rove.
That to me represents something I hate more than a sore loser--a sore winner.
As a true Democrat, I won't denegrate a fellow Democrat, because that's what Republicans are for.
I like Obama, I just think some of his followers are so politically green they have no idea how much they are delighting the other side when they spew their venom on one of their own.
Hillary fought a good fight and her tenacity is to be admired, not ridiculed.
I wish her well in the Senate.
BAC
You say-
The Republican party resolved the matter by taking away 50% of the delegates, which seems a little more reasonable to me.
Does that mean that if the DNC RBC meets on May 31st and offers to reinstall 50% of the delegates as voted (highly undemocratic IMO) that you would accept the results of this decision? Would you expect your candidate to do so?
Or would your candidate appealing such a decision to the CC at the convention thus prolonging the primary until August?
Two months before the election.
Wow. A lot of comments here. I agree with infidel753 and other Clinton supporters but I haven't gotten so angry yet that I'm willing to not vote for Obama should he head the ticket. I can understand how some people have become very angry about this process and I think Karenzipdrive hit the nail on the head when writing about the ridicule HRC has faced. Democrats shouldn't be acting like republicans IMO. I don't think Clinton should drop out now. It's too close to the end so we might as well finish it up.
fran
you know how i feel
i used to like hillary
i dont anymore -- and up until so carolina i would have voted for her if she got the nomination
but her and bill started the race card - period. and then she got nasty when she saw it was slipping away -- and then she wanted the changed the rules - many many times
she is a sore loser - plain and simple -- she is a smart, brilliant and ambitious person -- and those are great qualities for a president -- but she lacks any humility and and sense of fair play --- hence to me she is a republican lite.
and then there is the vote for the war, kyl-lieberman and worst of all -- flag burning
she wont even get my vote for senator anymore.
i dont think she should drop out. that is her choice - but it is so sad she has not one iota of graciousness or concern for the country
my gut is that either of them could and should beat mcain -- but who knows?
in my state I have not heard of any obama supporters doing this to clinton. I'm sad and angry to hear this, even though I am for obama. I know a few hillary supporters who, by the way, are just as abusive and derisive of those who support obama (calling them stupid, etc.)
I think, like linda-sama, that the democratic candidates and especially their supporters, is inexcusable!!!
So very well said!
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