While following her down 5th avenue, sign in hand, alongside scores of union workers and lesbians, another crowd was right behind us. And next to us. And in front of us. And sometimes it sounded like flying overhead. The Hillary Haters. Mostly comprised of fat housewives from Long Island, old cracker NRA types, guidos (obviously!,) and well dressed Anne Cultor protoges, they stomped red-faced down the parade yelling out the most filthy obscenities I've ever heard in my entire life. And I'm a perv. They blasted their disgusting comments at the center of attention and to her supporters, who would shove our signs over their faces so the cameras wouldn't focus on them. Me and the bigger teamster even managed to get one fat housewife knocked out of the line with a few well placed shoves. It was like a mosh pit of moderates. And this wasn't even a protest, it was the damn Columbus Day Parade!News was they were following her everywhere. For months. Maybe some of them still are. What surprised me so much was the amount of hatred and anger this fairly unradical politician from Arkansas caused in people. What made them shake with such anger they decided to use their sick days shouting out vulgarities? At this point in time, what the hell had she DONE besides try (and fail) at health care reform and then realize that to create change she needed to become a politician rather than just be married to one. It's not all that revolutionary a concept. Her personality left alot to be desired, but it was never nasty. Just ambitious.
I felt the answer boiled down to one thing: our woman hating culture. The moment a female seems to posses all the goods required to take a position of power, the population freaks the fuck out.
That's what turned Hillary into what she is now; a pol-bot with a wall so thick you have no idea what she really believes anymore. And that's a problem. I used to know what Hillary stood for. Now all I hear are overly rehearsed, meaningless soundbites. Where did the passion go? Washington didn't beat it out of her. Those fucks marching down the street did. And I understand why she changed so much. If I'd had those people stalking me for a decade, not only would I be afraid to say I believe in single payer health care, I'd be too scared to leave the house!
As you can tell, I have affection for Hillary. It's hard to sometimes, but I remember how she sounded back in the days of the turquoise headband and the horrible bob. I miss her. I miss the tourquoise headband. But she's gone.
Could she win a presidential election? I absolutely think so. Shortly after witnessing the fiasco at the parade, I watched her win a senate seat in a state she had never lived in, by a fairly large margin (55 - 45.) Yes, her challenger was a hot headed retard, but still, it was pretty amazing considering how much upstate despised her. Then, 6 years later, the unthinkable happens. She wins again, but this time it's a landslide and SHE CARRIES UPSTATE NEW YORK. That's right. During her first term in the Senate, she spent much of her time turning the farmers and even some suburbanites in her favor. They love her now. Hillary is a formidable politician with more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She does whatever it takes, and accomplishes the seemingly impossible.
So yes, I do think Hillary could keep that crazy old coot McCain out of office. But I won't be marching down any streets for her this time, even in LA where it's always warm. I have a hard time even CARING if she wins, because I don't believe she is the same person anymore. Some optimists think this new sterner, more practical Hillary with her moderate health care plan is just a facade to win. Once she's in she'll sweep the world by a storm from the left. But I don't buy it.
Now let's move forward a little bit closer in time to 2004. The Democratic Convention. He made my heart stop. His words were aural ambrosia, and after a depressing primary season, he made me proud to be a party member. Some criticize that good oratory abilities do not a qualified leader make. I disagree. Effectively moving a population in any direction can be done with little more than the tools of good speech. Hitler being the bad example. Churchill and MLK Jr being a good ones. The President of the United States needs to be a person who people want to follow. Someone who inspires not only his own citizens, but other people around the world.
The President of the United States represents us. Many in other countries truly believe we are all just like GWB. We are not. A multi-ethnic Midwesterner who's lived in many corners of the country from Harlem to Hawaii could not be a better representation of the whole. We'll be able to proudly travel abroad, American passports in hand.
The facade of course is not what's most important. Politics of personality is what's killing our electoral system. Let's be iconoclastic and talk about what's most important: ISSUES. Obama will talk to Syria and Iran. Even CUBA (omg that's so dangerous! What if they attack us with rum and cigars?!?!?!) His health care plan is not John Edwardian unfortunately; it's fairly Hillaryesque. Yes, this has been her passion and she goes on and on about the war wounds to prove it, but once again I believe she's been scared into a too moderate plan. And one of his greatest passions is fighting poverty. You don't hear too many politicians in this country even talking about it any more. But that's one of his tenants for making American proud again. Making sure no one here is starving. He and Hill are about on par with their environmental plans. But once again, I feel that Obama has a more inspiring personality that would actually be able to move our population into changing it's habits. Also, we have the technology to end our oil habit. Electric cars have been around for years. But an oil-man has been in office for 8 years. That's the ONLY reason we still drive the cars we do. An environmental change can't just happen with the people greening their lives, it also requires an enforcer to change the practices of corporations and fund green projects. I don't believe a rank-and-file lifetime politician will take the extreme measures required. It takes a fresh force who owes little to anyone currently in the system. It takes a Howard Dean. Woops, too late. Ok, it takes a Barack Obama.
