When my young friends from New York were visiting in January of '08, just after I got my Imac so I could finish writing my first novel, they insisted I needed a blog. They had to explain to me what a "Blog" was. Web log? WTF? Why would I ever want to do that? What a pointless endeavor, no one would ever read it. And aside from working on a difficult manuscript, I didn't really have much to say. Or so I thought. 1,365 posts later, I have discovered my voice.
It was a political season and I am a political animal. There could not have been a better time for me to start a blog. In the beginning of that political season, I was a Hillary supporter, but as the season progressed, I became an Obama supporter. I had begun to have readers and some of them were outraged that I, a feminist, would abandon Hillary. It was our turn, as women, to put a woman in the White House and not as just First Lady, a term any feminist worth her salt should hate. We are not "Ladies" we are women. But it became clear to me that Hillary was not well served by the advise she was getting and that advise was coming from people she had chosen to run her campaign. She was making rookie mistakes, acting like she was entitled to the nomination, as if it were a coronation and she was the heir apparent. She was leaving States she'd lost without thanking her volunteers and supporters for their generous help and forgetting to congratulate the victor, her current boss. She began to seem boorish and rude to me. And I worried that if she won, she'd do the same thing as President; she'd put the same lousy advisers in positions of power, and she'd still be getting bad advise.
I'm not always sure Obama is all that well served by some of his adivser, but one person I'm positive he's getting and honest advise from is Hillary. It was a brilliant move to offer her Secretary of State. So we, the voters got a three-fer: We got Barack, we got Hillary, and as a tripple player, we got Bill Clinton, the man we quietly call on when we need some charming arm twisting done in the troublesome South.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
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7 comments:
THis blogging is an addiction. I supported Obama mostly because he is from my homestate of Illinois. He came to a local riverfront park in Quincy when he was running for US Senate and I got to meet and actually have a conversation with him. I told him I'd vote for him for president during that conversation. He gave me a "shut the fuck up" look, like I was letting the cat out of the bag or something. Sad part was only about 80 people showed up to see him that day. I wish I'd brought my camera.
And when he announced he was running for president in Springfield Il. he got my Dad great seats real close to him. I had to work that day and couldn't go. How could you not vote for a guy that gave your Dad great seats to his announcement for the presidency.
I run on. Forgive me.
TRUTH 101, You did not "run on." Talking about your dad and the kindness of our President brought tears to my eyes. Come and "run on" more often.
What was humorously ironic about this is that my Dad was a big Hillary supporter in the primary.
That's very funny. Older hispanic men I know were for Hillary too. The sad part of your post was that you didn't get to go.
Hillary was a poor candidate. Your analysis fits well into mine. She definitely had the backbone to be President and the credentials, but she allowed others to form a poor campaign plan.
I supported Obama from the beginning. I would have supported Hillary had she won the nomination. Hell I would have supported JoJo the somersaulting dog as long as he/she was not a Republican. The last election was the first time I voted against a party.
BTW - I am very glad you began blogging. Your honest words helped me to find my own voice out here in the Internet ether.
IO was originally for Edwards. When it became a two person race, I was split and did not make up my mind until the time to vote in the primary came. I decided on Obama, because Clinton appeared too enmeshed in the status-quo. He could not have made a better choice for State.
Utah,
Funny what you wrote about older Hispanic men preferring Hillary. The Spanish language newspapers here referred to the primary as "Hilaria vs El Moreno" meaning Hillary vs the brown guy. No joke.
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