Hillary: it's over. Honest.
Lately, Hillary has been comparing her epic battle to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations “as is” at the Democratic National Convention to the efforts by the Democratic party to extend the franchise to all Americans. The struggle for civil rights, the fight for women’s suffrage, and Hillary’s lone stand for the voters of FL and MI, we are to believe, are on a par.
There is, however, a problem with this narrative. You see, FL and MI both broke the rules established prior to the election by the Democratic National Committee. Now, it is true that the voters of FL and MI were not directly responsible. But their elected leaders were. And as we all know, like it or not, we voters are often held accountable for the actions of the elected leadership regardless of our personal support of their official behavior.
What’s more, attempting to count MI “as is” is even more anti-democratic (note small ‘d’) than excluding their delegation. Obama, and most other major candidates, removed their name from the ballot, leaving only Hillary to be elected in a Soviet-style “one name, one vote” election.
Neither Obama nor Hillary campaigned in FL or MI as they did in other states. And we have seen that campaigning does indeed affect voting. It might be that Hillary would have won either FL or MI. It could well be that Obamamania would have carried the day in one or both states. The point is that the voters didn’t get a chance to see the candidates and take them out for the proverbial test spin.
Hillary agreed to run for the Democratic nomination.
When she entered the race, she knew there would be caucus states. No state suddenly became a caucus state when she wasn’t looking.
When she entered the race, she knew that states that scheduled their primaries too early might be penalized or excluded. Many of her supporters were on the committee that drafted the rules in regard to this issue.
As she ran for the nomination, she said it was “clear” that MI’s primary would not be counted.
As she ran for the nomination, she signed a pledge not to campaign in FL or MI — a step not required by the Democratic National Committee but an idea cooked up in Iowa and New Hampshire as a sort of “loyalty test” to their place in the process. She signed that pledge to curry favor in Iowa and New Hampshire (so did everyone else) and she benefited from that pledge.
Now, when times are rough and it is clear that her only route to victory is to get FL and MI seated “as is,” Hillary has cast herself as the Great Enfranchiser.
It is so bogus it makes my teeth hurt.
Now, a message to the candidate…
Hillary, honestly. It’s time for a sit-down reality check. I know that having Obama come out of nowhere to take this thing from you hurts. I know that you feel that after years of serving in Bill’s shadow you deserve some respect. I totally understand how hard this is for you. You’re smarter than Bill, less flawed than Bill, and just as driven. But, Hillary, this just isn’t going to happen for you. The time, the spirit, the season, the Chief Strategist just weren’t right for you.
Hillary, you aren’t the first mighty democratic to take a run at the White House and miss. Look at Ted Kennedy. In fact, really take a look at Ted. He ran for the Oval Office and didn’t get there. He went back to the Senate and served the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States as the “liberal lion.” Kennedy may have never been President, but in the end, I think he has done more to really help people than he ever could have had he won the White House.
Hillary, go home. Sit with it for a bit. And then come out and campaign for Obama. I know it galls. I know it feels like a cheat. But, honestly, it’s what your country needs from you.
I shook hands with you once and told you that I’d rather vote for you than your husband. Maybe I feel a little responsible — like I gave you ideas or something. But now, I’m telling you that the fight is over. All you are doing is kicking our nominee in the teeth and it just doesn’t seem dignified.
Hillary, it’s over. Honest.
Your turn to snark! (Even you, Hillary, may snark here!)