You have to feel sorry for her; it's a pathetic exit for such an ambitious and hard-working politician. It seems to me that Hillary wrote her game plan when she was a little girl. That's because it is very old-fashioned, 1950's. I'd venture to say that it's pre-Feminist, because it's based on the requirement to marry a talented and successful politician and then stick with him through thick and thin (other women.)
Unfortunately for her, she didn't constantly adjust and change her game plan.
A Spencer Tracy-Katherine Hepburn movie would have to be totally rewritten for the 21st Century, and the same goes for instructions on breaking through the glass ceiling.
When Hillary began her official campaign she seemed unstoppable. She really had everything (but her wardrobe) going for her.
- She knew everyone who needed to be known.
- She had name recognition.
- She had money.
- She was a conscientious senator, though more a carpetbagger than a NY local.
The only thing she didn't have was charisma, but hubby, the former President Bill, has enough for the two of them. She was considered a bit "wooden" in person, and that "wooden," inflexible characteristic ended up being her fatal flaw.
She was pragmatically flexible in her policies, going for anything she thought would increase her chances at winning, like turning her back on Suha Arafat, after the warmth Hillary had shown her until it was made clear that it would cost her votes.
But Hillary never recognized that her life-style, her marriage was totally out of fashion. Divorce hasn't prevented candidates from being elected for decades. Hillary had a golden opportunity to be a strong, confident modern woman during the Monica scandal. By sticking with Bill, she lost every chance of being respected and supported. The post-Feminist generation sees her as an old-fashioned nightmare. They wouldn't want a marriage like hers and they don't see the point in wearing those ill-fitting men's suits.
Another of Hillary's problems is that her campaign was in a vacuum, rather autistic and self-centered. She had no flexible battle plan to activate against Barack Obama. This is another proof of the antiquity of her plan. When she hatched it, running against a high-achieving Black was inconceivable. Not even her super-charismatic husband had a clue.
Poor, pathetic Hilary. Will she ever understand why she failed?
10 comments:
If she had been an Israeli politician she'd have plenty of shots at getting to the top, no matter what mistakes she made.
True, but her style wouldn't go here.
Also, she was unluckly enough to have to face the most charismatic presidential candidate in a very long time.
Maybe I should have called it:
"Good girls finish last." The rules she has been playing by just don't work.
He's as much a carpet bagger as she is: in fact, he was elected from HER home state. For that matter, McCain wasn't born or raised in any state. Born in the Panama Canal Zone, he was raised in the Navy. Why do you think she's done? She's still a Senator. She could Ted Kennedy, and settle for "just" that, or she could McCain, and run again in eight years. Maybe there won't be a wet behind the ears hispanic who's only been in the Senate long enough to find the bathrooms running, with his demographic segment, all the knee jerkers, and especially all the knee jerkers in the various manifestations of the press rabidly salivating to vote for him.
Great blog post, Batya. How ironic that this supposed "uber-feminist" really has been so 1950's, as you noted. A real feminist would never have stayed with a serial philanderer. Still, she is getting payback for all her dirty deeds over the decades.
a, did Obama move to the state just to get elected from it? Hillary moved to NY for that reason only. Her aim isn't to "just be a senator." It was supposed to be her "experience" before being president. If Obama loses by a landslide to McCain, she has a chance in 4 years, if she changes drastically. Obama's "USA birth" isn't quite what the constitution writers had planned.
Thanks, Judyg. Actually classic Feminism is a reaction to the 1950's, which is why the young women reject it.
Who can say why Obama chose the state with the largest urban black community in the country? Maybe it was for the barbecue! Maybe he was a Blues Brothers fan!
Forget about Hillary and Obama. The trick is to produce a dead heat and a brokered convention in order to destroy much of America's remaining faith in a democratic system. Then there will be a big terror incident, followed by martial law. Jews, hurry up and get home. We need you for the struggle here.
Never forget that democracy is dependent on the astuteness and intelligence of the voters. Voter turnout keeps dropping. Most people are cynics.
"goyish," have you seen Siege, a great movie!
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