The complete article to which I refer below can be found here:
Where Hillary Went Wrong
The False Hopes Argument
Finding herself in an unexpected battle for nomination, Hillary and her
campaign reframed their attack on Obama, arguing not just that he
lacked experience, but that he was an empty suit, full of rhetoric and
cadence, but not much else. More than anything else, the problem with
this argument was that it was less of an attack on Obama and more of an
attack on Obama supporters. They had been duped, she was arguing,
allowing their hope to be unrealistically inflated, and were in for a
wake-up call if they didn't heed her advice. The attack instantly
struck a cord, an offensive condescension that seemed misplaced and
unfair. Without skipping a beat, Obama's speechwriters responded by
capturing the belittlement felt by his audience: "In the unlikely story
of America," Obama proclaimed, "there is nothing false about hope."I, too, feel many of you are being "duped" by this candidate. I certainly
hope that if he wins, he will be able to govern this country well and be able to shed the shackles of his supporters -- that is, those who bind him to
his Party's interests. After all,
his Party decided to present him to you for candidacy for the Presidency. The ground rules (the ideals that the candidate must represent in order to satisfy the
Party's nomination) have been laid down by them first. Favors and debts must be repaid before one can effect the change they (personally) desire for the country. Senator Clinton has paid her dues in this arena, Senator Obama has not.
Not one candidate skates into office without having their hands
already bound. No matter which candidate surfaces in November, they too will have to come up with George W's $62 billion for Katrina AND $100 billion budget. George W. Bush made promises that are not going to be easily sidestepped. Millions of people are expecting to get their money -- the money that [then] former President Bush promised them and we (taxpayers and other elected officials who vote) agreed to give them. Where is all of THAT money going to come from? The economy is slowing to a grinding halt, clearly we are IN a recession (I mean, "scrap gold??"), and though every candidate may WANT to effect change and to do better, and no matter how we believe they (our candidate) will provide the change and growth we seek as a society, as a nation, or as individuals, their (the winning candidate's) hands are bound by all previous votes and promises (be they
public promises and votes or no.)
Where is the money coming from if I elect Senator Obama? How will he solve this problem? What is Senator Obama going to do about NAFTA? About the North American Union? About government's accountability for the spending of our tax dollars? How transparent will he be if right at this moment I cannot determine if he is going to accept public funding as agreed by the parties, or if he is going to continue to smile and tout his 'change' message while providing no path to same? [See
here.]
It has now come to light that
Senator Obama has officially declined to attend the annual "State of the Black Union" symposium in New Orleans. This important event "will address a largely African-American crowd of thousands in New
Orleans' Ernest M. Morial Convention Center — where thousands of the
city's poorest residents sought shelter in squalid conditions after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
Senator Clinton will attend the State of the Black Union symposium. She accepted the invitation
immediately, even though her African-American supporters were decidedly alienated after South Carolina. She is still reaching out to those she promised to represent and fight for.
I believe Senator Clinton to be the better suited candidate for the situations in which the United States currently finds itself. I definitely think Senator Obama will be a great President
someday and I very much look forward to being one of his supporters then. But I do not believe Senator Obama is the best candidate for the job(s) of President of the United States of America
right now. If Senator Obama could
provide a viable means as to how he is going to generate billions in funds and thousands of jobs to make his claims of change more authentic ... then I will vote for him.
