Hillary Clinton: Grecian Medea Resurrected?
What are Hillary Clinton's Goals?
I have tried to resist commenting on the American Democratic Presidential Primary between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. Alas, I could not sit on my hands any longer. Until after the Potomac Primaries and Wisconsin, things had seemed pretty civil. But suddenly, post-Super Tuesday 5, February 2008 wins by Barrack Obama, pinned Hiillary to the ropes and created an air of invevitability around Obama and his run for the Democratic nomination. If hope was seen winning for Obama but waning for Clinton, those who had counted her down and out, spoke too soon, and perhaps had never read Euripides, and could not have known the depths a woman scorned could tenaciously dig her claws into an opponent to exact revenge!
Perhaps, if you were Hilary Clinton, you might have done the same; fight as if your life depended on each blow landed. And indeed, her life, the political one that is, depended on it; although it is difficult to tell if the biological, physical, spiritual and moral are separate from her political self. Here is a woman who lived her life surrounded and scarred by political power. First as the First Lady of Arkansas, when her husband, Bill Clinton was governor. The second instance was when she upgraded from Arkansas to Washington, as America's first lady, and if you believe the bluster, a co-president.
When she claims that she is tested and tried, there is certainly some truth to it. Seriously, what post-modern woman, post-Gloria Steinem, Germain Grier or Camille Paglia, would suffer Geniffer Flowers, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky and still stand by a philandering man? Despite the public humiliation, Hilary Clinton did not pack up and leave; but she endured and stood by governor and president Bill Clinton as if they were composite cells. Despite carrying the suffering and humiliated wife mantle, and perhaps despite being the most capable of all suffering and abused American wives and girl friends to prise herself free from her source of private and public pain and torments, she chose to stay put; as if political power was a drug and an addiction she could not countenance kicking. The test here was not for leadership; because as a role model, she failed many women who were in bad relationships and leaving should have been the best therapy for them. No doubt, her determination to stand by her man for better or worse, revealed a tenacious and single-minded side of her that has come through to help her in this close-fought battle with Obama.
The test and trial of Clinton, for which she has scars to prove-from Geniffer Flowers through White Water to Monica Lewinsky, seems to have been the basis for her to claim an entitlement to the Democratic Presidential nomination. Democratic operatives and the media had given her ground to assert such claims; making it possible from the beginning of her senatorial run in New York to regard and present herself as the democratic party's inevitalbe candidate and heir apparent. But once this balloon was popped in Iowa, but hit some bounce and tentatively regained some height in New Hampshire, before entering some turbulence again on Super Tuesday, she realised for the first time that her inevitability and coronation was out of the question. At this point, she saw she needed to summon her fighting spirits and like Euripides Medea, scorned by the democratic establishments and big donors, she needed to exact revenge. To do so, she had to personalise the race and take control of her message, even if it included serious collateral damage to the Democratic Party itself.
Personalising the race started with loaning herself and the campaign five million dollars of her hard-earned money. If the Obama campaign thought this was evidence of a flagging and dying campaign, they had neglected to read Euripides Medea who murdered her own children to exact revenge. Why would Hilary lend the campaign, one almost written off, five million dollars if she did not think she was going to fight and win dirty? From now on, it did not matter what kind of "winning" it was going to be. She was going to make it worth her five million. And if the Obama campaign had said Clinton and her campaign were going to say and do anything to win, they were correct, but they did not know they only partially knew what Hillary would say and do to win or get even with Obama and the Democratic Party she believes has betrayed her.
From "Shame on you Barrack Obama", through "meet me in Ohio" to the 3:00 AM phone call, it was clear that Clinton was no longer simply fighting Barrack Obama the candidate, but also the Democratic party she feels has betrayed her by flocking to an upstart. As far as she is concerned, she either wins the nomination or Barrack Obama and the Democratic Party lose. And to that extent, she is making good on her goals. How else would anyone reconcile Clinton criticising Obama (re: c-in-c threshold), at the same time putting herself and McCain, the Repbublican presumptive nominee, on the same level; in effect, consciously scoring own goals? The internal logic of her campaign is simple: to fight as hard and dirty as possible to force obama to eventually take Clinton as a running mate. But since that cannot be a given however much closer she comes to parity on pledged delegates and popular votes, the other strategy is to bloody and weaken Obama and the democratic party as much as possbile so that McCain and the Republicans can maul him and defeat the democrats in November. In that way, she would have gotten even with a first term Senator who had the audacity to dare upstage a democratic princess and heir apparent.
There cannot be any other explanation; Clinton is on a scorched-earth war path to destroy Obama and the Democratic Party for snubbing her. As far as she is concerned, the party, particularly the superdelegates, should have rallied to her support to snuff off Obama's hope campaign, however good he is and however sweet the resonance of hope with the American public. According to her beliefs, she has paid her dues in the political trenches with Republicans, the Far Right, Ken Star, White Water, Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky. A senatorial seat is not enough reward for her scars. America Votes 2008 was her turn: either she gets it or no one else does-candidate and party; because she is going to burn down the house with everyone inside.
She is that wounded and mad. Isn't Samantha Power (Monster! Monster!)the innocence that proclaims the emperor is naked, to the feigned astonishment of the multitude that knew all along the emperor had no clothes, but dare not say so? Why is the Democratic Party waiting for the parade to wind its way back through the palace gates in Denver before they can admit they have been had and do something about it before it is too late? Howard Dean and the DNC, throw Momma off the train!
I have tried to resist commenting on the American Democratic Presidential Primary between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. Alas, I could not sit on my hands any longer. Until after the Potomac Primaries and Wisconsin, things had seemed pretty civil. But suddenly, post-Super Tuesday 5, February 2008 wins by Barrack Obama, pinned Hiillary to the ropes and created an air of invevitability around Obama and his run for the Democratic nomination. If hope was seen winning for Obama but waning for Clinton, those who had counted her down and out, spoke too soon, and perhaps had never read Euripides, and could not have known the depths a woman scorned could tenaciously dig her claws into an opponent to exact revenge!
Perhaps, if you were Hilary Clinton, you might have done the same; fight as if your life depended on each blow landed. And indeed, her life, the political one that is, depended on it; although it is difficult to tell if the biological, physical, spiritual and moral are separate from her political self. Here is a woman who lived her life surrounded and scarred by political power. First as the First Lady of Arkansas, when her husband, Bill Clinton was governor. The second instance was when she upgraded from Arkansas to Washington, as America's first lady, and if you believe the bluster, a co-president.
When she claims that she is tested and tried, there is certainly some truth to it. Seriously, what post-modern woman, post-Gloria Steinem, Germain Grier or Camille Paglia, would suffer Geniffer Flowers, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky and still stand by a philandering man? Despite the public humiliation, Hilary Clinton did not pack up and leave; but she endured and stood by governor and president Bill Clinton as if they were composite cells. Despite carrying the suffering and humiliated wife mantle, and perhaps despite being the most capable of all suffering and abused American wives and girl friends to prise herself free from her source of private and public pain and torments, she chose to stay put; as if political power was a drug and an addiction she could not countenance kicking. The test here was not for leadership; because as a role model, she failed many women who were in bad relationships and leaving should have been the best therapy for them. No doubt, her determination to stand by her man for better or worse, revealed a tenacious and single-minded side of her that has come through to help her in this close-fought battle with Obama.
The test and trial of Clinton, for which she has scars to prove-from Geniffer Flowers through White Water to Monica Lewinsky, seems to have been the basis for her to claim an entitlement to the Democratic Presidential nomination. Democratic operatives and the media had given her ground to assert such claims; making it possible from the beginning of her senatorial run in New York to regard and present herself as the democratic party's inevitalbe candidate and heir apparent. But once this balloon was popped in Iowa, but hit some bounce and tentatively regained some height in New Hampshire, before entering some turbulence again on Super Tuesday, she realised for the first time that her inevitability and coronation was out of the question. At this point, she saw she needed to summon her fighting spirits and like Euripides Medea, scorned by the democratic establishments and big donors, she needed to exact revenge. To do so, she had to personalise the race and take control of her message, even if it included serious collateral damage to the Democratic Party itself.
Personalising the race started with loaning herself and the campaign five million dollars of her hard-earned money. If the Obama campaign thought this was evidence of a flagging and dying campaign, they had neglected to read Euripides Medea who murdered her own children to exact revenge. Why would Hilary lend the campaign, one almost written off, five million dollars if she did not think she was going to fight and win dirty? From now on, it did not matter what kind of "winning" it was going to be. She was going to make it worth her five million. And if the Obama campaign had said Clinton and her campaign were going to say and do anything to win, they were correct, but they did not know they only partially knew what Hillary would say and do to win or get even with Obama and the Democratic Party she believes has betrayed her.
From "Shame on you Barrack Obama", through "meet me in Ohio" to the 3:00 AM phone call, it was clear that Clinton was no longer simply fighting Barrack Obama the candidate, but also the Democratic party she feels has betrayed her by flocking to an upstart. As far as she is concerned, she either wins the nomination or Barrack Obama and the Democratic Party lose. And to that extent, she is making good on her goals. How else would anyone reconcile Clinton criticising Obama (re: c-in-c threshold), at the same time putting herself and McCain, the Repbublican presumptive nominee, on the same level; in effect, consciously scoring own goals? The internal logic of her campaign is simple: to fight as hard and dirty as possible to force obama to eventually take Clinton as a running mate. But since that cannot be a given however much closer she comes to parity on pledged delegates and popular votes, the other strategy is to bloody and weaken Obama and the democratic party as much as possbile so that McCain and the Republicans can maul him and defeat the democrats in November. In that way, she would have gotten even with a first term Senator who had the audacity to dare upstage a democratic princess and heir apparent.
There cannot be any other explanation; Clinton is on a scorched-earth war path to destroy Obama and the Democratic Party for snubbing her. As far as she is concerned, the party, particularly the superdelegates, should have rallied to her support to snuff off Obama's hope campaign, however good he is and however sweet the resonance of hope with the American public. According to her beliefs, she has paid her dues in the political trenches with Republicans, the Far Right, Ken Star, White Water, Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky. A senatorial seat is not enough reward for her scars. America Votes 2008 was her turn: either she gets it or no one else does-candidate and party; because she is going to burn down the house with everyone inside.
She is that wounded and mad. Isn't Samantha Power (Monster! Monster!)the innocence that proclaims the emperor is naked, to the feigned astonishment of the multitude that knew all along the emperor had no clothes, but dare not say so? Why is the Democratic Party waiting for the parade to wind its way back through the palace gates in Denver before they can admit they have been had and do something about it before it is too late? Howard Dean and the DNC, throw Momma off the train!
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